Star Wars: The High Republic Adventures #10
BACK TOGETHER AND AWAY AGAIN III
Chaos on Takodana! After the Nihil have attacked the Jedi temple, the Padawans must face them once again.
Overwhelmed and outnumbered, the heroes are backed into a corner….
Writer: Daniel José Older
Penciller: Toni Bruno
Letterer: Jake M. Wood
Colorist: Rebecca Nalty
Cover artist: Harvey Tolibao
Editor: Heather Antos
Publication date: November 17, 2021
We may be heading into the home straight of The High Republic Adventures at IDW, but the action is certainly not slowing down and once again we’re dipping into the past as Sav asks young Qort questions only to be told by Maz Kanata that Yoda had arrived on Takodana and after a hug and a goodbye the youngster leaves with the Jedi Master. Jump to the present and the Jedi Temple is in ruins, our young Jedi heroes and Maz ready for the incoming Nihil attack as Qort finds his skull mask, cracked in two. Qort thinks back, to a time when Sav told him he would know when it was time to put aside the mask, and that moment is now as he activates his lightsaber and leaps towards the approacxhing Nihil ships, taking them down.
From across the lake, Sav and Maz watch, impressed at young Qorts actions and ready to offer assistance if needed, while Qort finally faces his friends sans mask, even managing to utter a few words. They are clearly thrilled at this development, hugging him while we shift gears as Sabata – the inside man from last issue who betrayed our heroes to the Nihil – returns to his people, and here we learn that the Eye Marchion Ro has special plans to destroy the Jedi and the Republic.
And there we have it in an issue that whizzes by in a heartbeat. Enjoyable as always, it feels like it’s over far too quickly. Artist Toni Bruno knocks it out of the park once again, the art complimenting the story and the characters perfectly, and while there are 20 pages of artwork, four of them are single images – certainly no complaints when the artwork is so compelling, but it all feels….rushed is the wrong word, but knowing the title is only a handful of issues from ending it would be a shame if the final few issues were – to shamelessly steal a Droids reference – a race to the finish.
Daniel Jose Older has these characters in the pocket, mixing character development and charming banter with kinetic action and illuminating flashbacks, and with regular artist Harvey Toliban on cover duty this adds up to a fun entry that should have, given the huge strides taken by Qort this issue, felt more substantial. Perhaps a second read will remedy that as along with Marvels Bounty Hunters title this is the most consistently enjoyable title in the Star Wars comic realm right now.
Star Wars High Republic Adventures #11 (Cover B Loo Variant) @ ForbiddenPlanet.com
