SWBC: Review of 'The High Republic Adventures: The Nameless Terror'
Plus: New "Jedi: Battle Scars" excerpt, and a cover reveal for the next volume of "The Edge of Balance" manga.
Review: The High Republic Adventures: The Nameless Terror #1
The newest limited comic series set during phase two of The High Republic is finally here. The High Republic Adventures: The Nameless Terror hits comic book stores today, Feb. 22, kicking off more George Mann-penned spookiness.
The series follows a Pathfinder team made up of some new and familiar characters. The crew of the Witherbloom consists of Jedi Masters Xinith Tarl (The Battle of Jedha), Rok Buran (Quest for the Hidden City), and Sula, as well as Padawan Coron Solstus, the pilot Pako, a medic named Ambar, and her droid X-5.
During a mission in the Outer Rim, the group is shocked when a mysterious ship pops into real space seemingly out of nowhere and begins firing on them. Both ships end up crashing on a nearby unknown planet, resulting in serious injuries and the loss/hatching of precious cargo.
When the Pathfinding team finds the crew of the other ship, they learn they’re members of the Path of the Open Hand, the sinister Force cult who hates the Jedi. As the Pathfinders investigate and try to care for the wounded, they are consumed by fear and hunger — cut off from the light of the Force by a dark creature that’s just hatched.
The Nameless Terror has everything fans have come to expect from a George Mann story and one set during The High Republic. With a mix of new and returning characters, it presents a fresh story to dive into while also appeasing longtime THR fans who will undoubtedly make connections to previous stories. It’s also a smart move to use phase one monster hunter Ty Yorrick as the storyteller, further connecting phase one to phase two.
And, wow, the art in The Nameless Terror is top-tier. Artist Eduardo Mello crafts bold and heavily detailed scenes throughout the first issue, from the few quiet moments to the epic battle scenes. The fight scenes between the Jedi and the Path are the best I’ve ever seen in a Star Wars comic, with dynamic and energetic panels that make the 2D action come alive on the page.
While nothing new has been revealed (yet), The Nameless Terror quickly becomes another outlet to explain the motives of the Path of the Open Hand and what exactly the Nameless/Leveler is.
The High Republic now feels like it’s at the point in the horror movie where we know what the monster is and what it’s capable of, but we still don’t know its origins or why it does what it does. We know the Nameless is also called the Leveler and the Mother of the Path is using them to kill Jedi and sow seeds of fear and chaos. We know these creatures are basically Jedi kryptonite — they cause Force sensitives to shut down, consumed by fear and hunger, and eventually turn to ash.
But with The Nameless Terror — and the rest of The High Republic phase two stories to com — I have high hopes about getting a deeper origin story for the Nameless creatures to carry us into phase three.
The High Republic Adventures: The Nameless Terror #1 is available now at your local comic book shop and digitally.
Another excerpt from Jedi: Battle Scars
There are just two weeks left until Star Wars Jedi: Battle Scars is out in the world. I’m about halfway through my review (thank you, Random House Worlds), and it’s safe to say this book was written specifically for Merrin fans.
In the book’s first excerpt, we read part of the first chapter, where Cal Kestis and BD-1 work to infiltrate a sinister crime syndicate’s asteroid base. In this next excerpt, shared by Entertainment Weekly, Cal and Cere come face to face with the Imperial Inquisitor Fifth Brother.
“She knew what Cal would see, from where he was getting back on his feet. He would see the Inquisitor slow like he was hitting a wall of water, his feet betraying his own orders to continue their forward motion. He would see the red lightsaber and its circular threat halt, frozen mid-spin, returning to its less dangerous form. He would watch the Inquisitor sweat as he tried to push back through the Force, to regain control over himself and over his lightsaber, and he would see the dawning fear on the Inquisitor's face as he realized he was outmatched.
Cere had faced down Darth Vader himself and lived. She had come the closest any living soul ever had to ending the Sith's reign of terror over the galaxy. She was possibly the most powerful remaining Jedi in existence.
And she wasn't going to let this punk forget it.”
It’s an intense scene told from Cere’s POV, allowing us to delve deeper into her psyche and her feelings about touching the dark side of the Force and her traumatic past.
Read the rest of the excerpt here.
Star Wars Jedi: Battle Scars arrives on March 7. My full review will be posted on release day. Preorder the book here.
New covers and comics
The Edge of Balance Vol. 3: Precedent
The High Republic phase two is finally getting manga — The Edge of Balance Vol. 3: Precedent. This Week in Star Wars revealed the intense-looking cover for the next volume penned by Daniel Jose Older and Tomio Ogata.
According to Amazon, the book’s release date is May 23. That, of course, is subject to change. Check out the publisher’s summary below.
One hundred and fifty years before Starlight Beacon shone its light into the Outer Rim, the galaxy was filled with new threats and Nameless unknowns. Banchii is still unexplored when the young Wookiee Jedi Arkoff journeys to Dalna to aid his fellow Jedi in the fight against the secretive faction the Path of the Open Hand.
Along with his former Master Ravna and her droid ZZ, Arkoff joins the fight at the Battle of Dalna, and during the struggle a terrifying threat emerges. Arkoff’s longtime friend, Jedi Knight Azlin, falls victim to an unseen force whose effect on the Jedi is unlike anything previously encountered. Will Arkoff’s past come back to haunt him, or will it be the key to tilting the balance in their fight again the Nihil over a century later?
This manga is the final piece in phase two of The High Republic and sees the Jedi’s battle against the Path of the Open Hand. The story also connects to the Night of Sorrow on Dalna, which we first heard of Mission to Disaster.
Preorder The High Republic: The Edge of Balance Vol. 3: Precedent
Tales from the Death Star
It’s never too early to start celebrating Halloween, and last week we learned what creepy tales author Cavan Scott will tell next. Tales from the Death Star will be in a similar vein as Scott’s Tales from Vader’s Castle and Tales from the Rancor Pit comics.
The hardcover collection of spooky (but still family-friendly) stories is expected to release in the fall. Check out the publisher’s summary below.
Even scattered and destroyed, the ruins of the Death Star are a sinister place.
From the destruction of Alderaan to the shadow of the Forest Moon, alien creatures, phantom star ships, deadly artifacts, and vengeful spirits all stalk the halls of the infamous space station, as writer Cavan Scott (Tales from the Rancor Pit, Star Wars: The High Republic) and an all-star team of artists (Eric Powell, Soo Lee, Vincenzo Riccardi, Ingo Roemling, & Juan Samu) reveal the hidden evils that lurked within charred remains of the ultimate firepower in the universe.
Preorder Star Wars: Tales from the Death Star
Star Wars books and comics out this week
Feb. 22
The High Republic Adventures: The Nameless Terror
Doctor Aphra #29
Yoda #4
From my inbox…
Star Wars Micro Galaxy Squadron Series III
If you’ve been wanting to get into Star Wars collectibles but you’ve long since run out of shelf space (ahem, me), Jazwares has a solution — the Micro Galaxy Squadron.
This itty bitty series launched last year as a collection of small-scale ships, characters, and droids — think Antman using his shrinking tech to make an X-Wing the size of a potato chip.
And coming in May is Wave III of the series.**
**Affiliate links
Jazwares already has dozens of different Star Wars vehicles and characters available in its Micro Galaxy collection — from the Millennium Falcon and the Mandalorian’s Razor Crest to an AT-ST and Asajj Ventress’s Ginivex Starfighter.
New The Mandalorian PopSockets
The new season of The Mandalorian is just a week away, and PopSockets is celebrating with a new collection of “PopOut” grips — perfect for your phone, iPad, or Kindle.
The new Mandalorian and Grogu set is part of the brand’s line of 3D silicon grips that offer a more dynamic way to hold your device beyond the standard flat, circular PopSockets.
But good news for those who already use a PopSocket — you don’t have to rip that one off in order to use these new PopOut grips. Just push and twist off your current PopSocket and pop on the cute green Grogu or the sleek Mandalorian helmet.
These new PopOut grips are on sale now for $25. PopSockets also has a collection of more Mandalorian grips as well as Star Wars ones featuring classic symbols and characters from Obi-Wan Kenobi.
ICYMI: Back in August, PopSockets sent over a batch of the new Obi-Wan Kenobi grips for me to try. My Kindle has been sporting the L0LA one ever since.
