Originally published on Set The Tape
Following on from the fast paced and action packed first issue of Star Wars: The High Republic Adventures, this second issue continues to move at high speed as our new heroes fight valiantly against the forces of the Nihil.
We return to the surface of Tyrmant 4, where the Jedi forces, aided by their new force sensitive friend Zeen Mrala, have managed to stop the debris from the Great Disaster from impacting on the city, however, they now face down a small army of vicious mercenaries and pirates. Whilst the Younglings are brave, and capable Jedi, they’re not alone, and are soon joined in their fight by Jedi Master Yoda, as well as their field medic Buck, or as he’s also known Buckets of Blood. Together with their young charges the older Jedi must not only lead the attack against the Nihil, but also try to rescue Zeen’s friend from within their massive Spider Cruiser.
Where the first issue spent a good amount of time setting up the characters and the situation, this issue jumps straight into the action, and a there isn’t really a moment to slow down and catch your breath whilst reading it. There are a few quieter moments to be found here, but these feature Yoda infiltrating the enemy ship, and as such can’t really be described as peaceful or less intense as the Jedi Master sneaks his way through dark corridors dodging enemy patrols and trying his best to stay alive.
Despite it being a non-stop ride there is a lot of character development thrown in too. There are fun moments like Buckets of Blood charging into battle whilst screaming his name, and the subsequent questions this raises from the kids, as well as some important development for Krix, as we find out what happens to him now that he’s in the hands of the Nihil. With the other High Republic comic (published by Marvel Entertainment) having a much darker, almost horror tone at the moment it’s nice to have some contrast to this in Star Wars: The High Republic Adventures. This book really does feel like an adventure, a big bombastic story full of action and spectacle, and it’s damn entertaining because of that.
The art in the book really adds to this too, with each and every panel being crammed full of detail, and the big splash pages showing off these huge, sweeping moments of battle. The line art is provided by Harvey Tolibao and Pow Rodrix, and it’s hard to tell that it’s being done by two artists, as they complement each other so well, and the colours from Rebecca Nalty make the panels pop, with the bright colours of some of the aliens and the light saber blades standing out amongst some of the ore drab browns and greys of the Nihil forces.
With a ton of action, some fun moments, character development, and the seeds for more exciting things to come, I’m really hard pressed to find anything about this issue that I didn’t love.
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