Star Wars: The High Republic #15
THE HIGH REPUBLIC
JEDI’S END
CHAPTER 5: The FALL
Avar Kriss triumphant! The Hero of Hetzal has successfully captured the women she believes is the Eye of the Nihil, but as the Jedi return Lourna Dee to STARLIGHT BEACON, a terrible explosion tears through the gleaming space station.
With communications down and the Beacon drifting dangerously close to the planet Eiram, the Marshal leads a rescue mission, leaving Dee in the hands of Jedi archivist OrbaLin on board the ”Ataraxia”.
But the stricken space station hides a terrible secret. The MYSTERIOUS CREATURES that nearly cost Terec and Keeve Trennis their lives on Xais now stalk Starlight’s darkened corridors….
Writer: Cavan Scott
Penciller: Ario Anindito
Inkers: Mark Morales, Victor Olazaba
Letterer: Ariana Maher
Colorist: Carlos Lopez
Cover artist: Phil Noto
Editor: Mark Paniccia
Publication date: March 2, 2022
Wow what a ride.
Set during the events of The Fallen Star this fifth and final part to the final arc of The High Republic is the last piece of the Phase One puzzle for our Jedi heroes. Death and fear haunt our Jedi as they tackle the Nihil and the terrifying Levelers (not the Irish folk band).
I don’t want to spoil it so I won’t be too specific but I will say this issue does justice to the character arc’s that started in issue #1, especially the central relationship Jedi Knight Keeve Trennis and her former Master Sskeer. It’s handled beautifully and elevates these two to two of the deepest characters in The High Republic. I have to say though, Avar steals the show here. The Hero of Hetzal is back and the decision to put her story in the comics and not the novels is justified right here in the pages of this issue. She wasn’t a red herring, I strongly believe she is the “Skywalker” of The High Republic like the Light of the Jedi promised.
Book readers will already have snippets of this story told from the perspective of the characters in The Fallen Star and this plays on that knowledge, lightly toying with those expectations and using them to deliver a few twists and turns.
One potential inconsistency however is that both this issue and the finale of Trail of Shadows had battles with squads of Nihil. I only remember it mentioning the initial saboteurs being on board in The Fallen Star. I am aware though that we didn’t get the full story of the top half of Starlight Beacon, so it’s very plausible that these Nihil aren’t directly related to Marchion Ro’s schemes.
I’m beyond giddy for the next instalment, Quest of the Jedi, this Autumn.
Star Wars: High Republic #15 (Anindito 2nd Printing Variant) @ ForbiddenPlanet.com