The High Republic (2022) #10
THE HIGH REPUBLIC
BATTLE FOR THE FORCE
Chapter V: LURE OF THE DARK SIDE
While the Battle of Jedha rages in the nearby holy city, Jedi Knight Vildar Mac and former Guardian of the Whills Tey Sirrek explore the wreckage of the once mighty Jedi statue that had dominated the Pilgrim Moon’s desert for generations.
Inside, they discover a secret vault of dark side artifacts, which is being plundered by Werth Plouth, the Herald of the Path of the Open Hand. With Oliviah Zeveron already in critical condition due to a cowardly attack by Plouth, Vildar and Tey are overwhelmed by an assault on their senses. A terrifying creature feeds on and kills Jedi Master Leebon, and Tey Sirrek acts, using an ancient Sith gauntlet to bring down Plouth’s associates.
But when Tey is killed, the already crazed Vildar Mac puts on the Hand of Siberus and turns the full force of its power on the Path….
Writer: Cavan Scott
Penciller: Ario Anindito
Inker: Marc Morales
Letterer: Ariana Maher
Colorist: Frank William
Cover artist: Rafael De Latorre, Marcelo Maiolo
Editor: Mark Paniccia
Publication date: May 24, 2023
We land on the 10th and final issue of The High Republic Phase 2 from Marvel and we open with Tey lying on the ground, presumably dead as we believed him to be last issue, but instead we’re listening to him speaking and he sits up, his head clearly aching after his near-death experience. Everything is fuzzy and off-kilter, and as he gathers himself we see the pure shock on his face as he sees an angry Vildar Mac using the Sith artifact the Hand of Siberius and he stands, just as Shea kicks him back down. He hurls himself into her, Yana leaping across to help as Tey gets the Rod of Power off her, and he freezes as the horrifying Leveler attacks as we cut to Werth Plouth and Vildar, the Jedi unleashing the power of the Hand of Siberious on his villainous attacker. Mac has clearly lost it, and as he asks Plouth if all the death and chaos was worth it he vows vengeance for all those who were lost just as Tey intervenes. Mac swats him away but comes to, realising it’s his friend who tells the Jedi he is better than this, and Vildar thinks back to all that has happened to him, his childhood fears and his Padawan Matty. He removes and hurls the Hand away and as Plouth gloats Mac lifts him off the ground with the Force.
We head back to Jedha, the city in ruins after the battle as Matty wonders who won, and her question is swiftly answered as Mac and Tey march in. Plouth plays to the crowd, telling of a hidden haul of artifacts, as Matty asks where Master Leebon is. Vildar explains that the Rod of Power was used on the Leveller to kill the Jedi master and turn pilgrim against pilgrim, allowing Plouth and the Path of the Open Hand the opportunity to raid the temple and steal its treasures. While some suggest the artifacts be taken back for the Jedi to study, Mac believes they should remain on Jedha, and also suggests that the Festival of balance still take place, involving all pilgrims.
As we approach the end we see Vildar, Tey and Matty helping to repair the city, and Mac offers Tey a place on the Convocation he himself is now a part of, with Matty as his new Padawan and the issue, and Marvels involvement in Plase 2 ends with Tey hugging Mac as the grouchy Jedi gives his thanks, and we’re told that The High Republic will return.
Yes, it will return, but with Phase 3 well over a century further down the line. Will we ever get to see more from these characters that we’ve got to know and enjoy so much over the past 10 issues? I sincerely hope so, as – and again, I repeat myself – this run has been a joy; Anchoring the story in a popular location helped bed the action and the development of the characters, giving us a familiar background to allow this story to grow, and I for one would very much welcome a return to the era and the characters we’ve got to know here.
Perhaps it’s one of the few issues with the Star Wars galaxy expanding as it is – if we delve into new era’s like the Phase 2 timeline of The High Republic, then there’s every chance we’ll never get to meet them again, and that would be a great shame. Let Star Wars Insider continue with Phase 2 stories for a while, perhaps Del Rey put out a short story anthology, throw some short stories into StarWars.com, anything to give us a bit more time with these characters in an era that really took the shackles off and allowed us to see the Jedi in very different times, when their ‘claim’ to the Force wasn’t challenged by Sith (we’re pretty much halfway between their last sighting and their reappearance in The Phantom Menace) but by other Force following factions.
Huge tip of the hat to the art team and Cavan Scott for giving us such an enjoyable run, and fingers crossed for more. If we don’t get to visit Enlightenment again, it would be a great shame.
- Amazon Kindle Edition
- Scott, Cavan (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 24 Pages - 05/24/2023 (Publication Date) - Marvel (Publisher)
