The High Republic Adventures (2022) #3 - Comic Review

The last time we hung out with Sav Malagán (2 whole months ago!), Maz’s crew and the Dank Graks had stolen each others’ starships and, fully aware of the dangers ahead, Sav committed herself to the mission. That’s not to say things are going perfectly for the young Jedi, though. Sav has a lot to learn, about the ways of pirates and the specifics of each member’s personalities; plus, she has an angry Jedi Master back on Takodana to deal with. Thanks to some insider knowledge, Maz’s crew knows exactly where the Dank Graks are headed, a hidden depot to finish their end of a deal with the Graf Clan. When negotiations go south and innocents are threatened, it’s up to Maz’s crew to put things right but will the team make it off the depot together?

From the very first issue, The High Republic Adventures (2022) was setting up a story filled with a number of new characters. Between Maz’s pirate crew and the Dank Grak’s, writer Daniel José Older debuted no fewer than 11 brand new characters, a thrilling if not slightly daunting feat. Speaking from personal experience, when that many new characters are introduced in any medium I find that the majority of my time with the story is trying to keep track of each of their names, their quirks and however they’re engaged with the overall story. Thus far Older has written these characters with enough personality and charm for audiences to quickly love reading them, but in The High Republic Adventures (2022) #3, we get to dive more deeply into the backstories of a few: Alak and Quiet Shan. This glimpse of these two characters’ histories injects just the right amount of heart and humanity to elevate The High Republic Adventures (2022) #3—from a pirate action story to something with real depth. Let’s hope Older continues to unveil the histories of not just the heroes but the villains as well.

The story wouldn’t hit as hard if it weren’t for Toni Bruno’s signature artwork gracing each page. Part of what makes this vast cast so unique are Bruno’s renderings which, without a human in sight, are equal parts stunning and tons of fun. I can’t think of another Star Wars story I’ve experienced with this much childlike enjoyment in a long time. Bruno, with colorist Michael Atiyeh and letterers Tyler Smith and Jimmy Betancourt are taking Older’s space adventure and truly bringing it to life on every panel and page. The brothers Tolibao (Harvey & Kevin) return to provide cover art for The High Republic Adventures (2022) #3 which has Sav heroically charging into battle, lightsaber ablaze.

With only 3 of 8 issues out, the turf war has only just begun, grab your copy of The High Republic Adventures (2022) #3 today!