The High Republic: The Blade #4
THE BLADE
Part IV
Jedi Porter Engle, master of the lightsaber, earning him the label of THE BLADE OF BARDOTTA, and his sister, Barash, are tasked with breaking a siege between factions and ending a conflict in the Tammuz sector.
But the more time Porter and Barash spend on Gansevor, the planet of knives, the less they can trust their instincts.
While Barash tends to the royals, Porter attempts to quell the war with words…but when faced with hostility, he ignites his saber….
Writer: Charles Soule
Artists: Marco Castiello
Letterer: Travis Lanham
Colorist: Jim Campbell
Cover artist: Giuseppe Camuncoli
Editor: Danny Khazem
Publication date: March 29, 2023
Opening with a standoff, the fourth issue of The Blade sees Porter Engle, calm and collected, facing down a self-professed ‘Jedi Killer’ in General Viess, her oddly gleeful demeanour masking her deadly intent to kill Engle. They move in, Porter getting the best of the first encounter as he makes clear he wants no more deaths, and her reply – throwing a live grenade into her own followers, a move negated by Engle’s quick thinking in deflecting the explosive as she flees. Meanwhile, the city continues to be bombarded as the Prince implores his mother to allow them access to find a solution. As Engle deals with the bombardment, Viess takes out Field Marshall Tozen as her plans to destroy the city and loot it for treasure begins to take root.
The Queen clearly unwilling to surrender and lose her crown, she ordres the city folk to the mines while the Princess takes a call from the ailing Tozen who tells her of the treachery happening. Their plans, hiring the mercenary Veiss to show their strength has fallen apart, and we hear that Tozen is now dead as Barash arrives, the Princess revealing the truth as Barash sprints to find Queen Keraan, who coldly asks why the Jedi isn’t fighting to defend the city. Barash knows Princess Sicatra’s plan, and an enraged Queen lunges at the Princess with a steel blade in her hand, stopped only by the Force power of Barash.
As Barash holds the Queen at bay – remember, this is the planet of knives – the Princess lets slip another lie, that she isn’t actually pregnant and we cut to Porter destroying the canon as Sicatra stands on the ballustrades, calling for her people to end the attack and instead turn their fury on the mercenaries who have betrayed them all, which they do. Barash reminds the Princess that the many deaths lie at the feet or her and her husband, their lies only fuelling the battle as Veiss and her mercs pull back to their ship and blast off, swinging around to target an exhausted Engle as Barash arrives to deflect the shots.
Barasah explains the situation, the lies and treachery that has happened, but also her self-doubt which has led her to a decision to leave the order and find herself once again. Porter is shook, convinced that they only work together, but Barash believes he will thrive , and we cut to the final pages as Porter returns to the Temple on Coruscant, explaining to the Council her decision, one Yoda clearly understands. The aged Jedi master believes Porter needs to be sent back into the field as soon as possible, and tells him of a situation brewing on Bardotta which sees the issue end with Porter sitting under the tree in the Temple courtyard and the reveal of our next Porter Engle story, The Broken Blade.
That was a welcome reveal, the thought that we will see why Porter became known as the Blade of Bardotta, and in the confident hands of Charles Soule it’s a story that’s certain to be filled with plenty of twists and turns. In the same way that we longed to know more about Lando Calrissian’s exploits in the Battle of Tanaab, for this era the legend of the Blade of Bardotta holds a similar weight. When that story (mini, maxi, one-shot, not known yet) arrives, the background of the era will be fleshed out even more. Valuable, and for lovers of The High Republic era – one that’s expanding rapidly – it can only be welcome news. As for The Blade, an enjoyable and focused Jedi mission that tells us something of this Phase 2 era and how the galaxy is yet to be connected in the ways we are so familiar with a couple of centuries later.
- Charles Soule (Author)
- 32 Pages - 10/06/2025 (Publication Date) - Marvel Comics Publishing (Publisher)
