The High Republic (2022) #5
THE HIGH REPUBLIC
BALANCE OF THE FORCE
Chapter V: FALLING DOWN
The Path of the Open Hand has arrived on Jedha, their Herald demanding the Convocation ban all use of the Force in the Holy City.
But when the Herald is dismissed out of hand, he takes his anger to the streets, stirring up an angry mob with words of outrage and fear.
All the while, Tey Sirrek languishes in a prison in the Temple of the Kyber, under the watchful eye of the Guardians of the Whills, unaware that the city is about to burn.
As the Convocation attempts to calm the rioters, a nameless horro moves through the crowd, a wave of terror leaving Vildar Mac and Matty Cathley incapable of controlling the Force. And it’s not just the Jedi. Tarna Miak, the representative of the Sorcerers of Tund, is swamped with terrible visions and lashed out, unleashing his power on the crowd….
Writer: Cavan Scott
Artist: Andrea Broccardo
Letterer: Ariana Maher
Colorist: Frank William
Cover artist: Yanick Paquette, Alejandro Sanchez
Editor: Mark Paniccia
Publication date: February 8, 2023
While it’s clear that the Path of the Open Hand are bad news not only for Force users in general but for the Jedi in particular, their determination to stop use of the Force in the Holy City leads to riots in the streets of Jedha. The situation is grave as Tarna the Sorcerer of Tund lashes out at demons that aren’t there, and Vildar races to stop him as vines tear out of the ground to grab all Force users and the panic and paranoia increases. Clearly something has instigated this, a cloying feeling felt by all of the Force users, and we swing to the Temple of Kyber as its doors are breached by a Path of the Open Hand deception that sees the doors opened and the guard knocked out.
A skirmish begins inside the temple as riots rage outside and we see Tey Sirrek released from his cell by a globular flying droid, but with the chance to escape he can’t help but assist a temple archivist and leaps in to stop the attack as we cut back to the streets as Oliviah has a vision of her childhood, connected to the cloud that has fallen over all of them. Vildar and his fellow Jedi realise that the Path of the Open Hand are the ones who started the riots, and as Oliviah takes a hologram call and leaves to race to the statue of the Final Protector in the Dunes of Contemplation, Matty watches as an huge explosion tears apart the fragile almshouse, where Vildar Mac has just raced to.
Oliviah Zeveron arrives at the Final Protector statue as the masses there angrily rail against the Jedi, and as she herself angrily ignites her green blade they blow the charges underneath the statue, and it falls as we roll out of an issue that not only directly ties in to a memorable moment from Rogue One, where the fallen statue of the Final Protector lies in the sand but also progresses the threat of the Path significantly. It’s a busy, information-packed issue that certainly requires a close understanding of the plot and what’s happening in the series, and while having the previous issues to hand are useful, it’s a rewarding read.
The use of the word ‘skedaddle’ aside (perhaps a tad too ‘earth’ to feel at home as a word in the Star Wars galaxy, although far from unique in that regard), this issue very powerfully conveys the fear and panic caused by the presence of the Path of the Open Hand, as well as the geography of Jedha, a location carefully crafted for the 2016 film we first saw the world of Jedha in. Things are clearly falling apart here, in the fascinating scenario of the Jedi not being the only Force religion in town (something I discussed with George Mann in our recent Canon Fodder chat) and as a key component of this era of the High Republic, there’s sure to be more juicy issues like this ahead.
Confident, assured artwork and writing makes this issue and the second volume of The High Republic a very worthwhile read indeed.
