Last week saw the release of the fifth issue in Phase III of Star Wars: The High Republic Adventures from Dark Horse Comics, and below are my brief recap and thoughts on this installment.
The High Republic Adventures (2023) #5 begins at the Nihil prison ship Korvix Vorn, which has exposed its prisoners (including a number of Jedi) to the vacuum of space thanks to the rash actions of a character known only as the Warden. Thankfully the Jedi involved are brave and hearty enough to spring into action during this moment of sheer panic, doing their best to keep everyone alive while the attacking Republic ships begin to gather up the survivors. Meanwhile, Jedi Padawan Lula Talisola and her non-Jedi (but Force-sensitive) girlfriend Zeen Mrala board the Korvix Vorn itself in an attempt to take out the ship’s cannons and help with the rescue mission.
Aboard the ship, we see the Nihil scientist Niv Drendow Apruk scramble to protect the “Nameless” eggs he has left after the two that recently hatched were also thrown into space, while Driggit Parse changes her allegiances once again, abandoning Niv Drendow and following the Warden to safety. Most of the rest of this issue consists of a pretty exciting action sequence that sees the Jedi and their allied Republic forces working in tandem to successfully complete their mission of saving the prisoners, but there’s an added bonus when a splinter strike team (that includes the “chaotic” droid 5A-G3 among its ranks) manages to blow up the Korvix Vorn as well.
Then, as a somewhat rushed but still satisfying denouement, Zeen and Lula finally have the heart-to-heart they’ve both been putting off ever since they were reunited after the fall of Starlight Beacon. And this issue ends with Lula’s rather shocking decision to leave the Jedi Order and spend the rest of her life with her love. A big part of me was fairly certain that writer Daniel José Older would find a way to justify having these two remain together while keeping Talisola a Jedi, but color me surprised (and impressed) that he went the other direction with it. I imagine next issue we’ll start to pick up on the reverberations of this decision, but for now it’s nice to see a happy ending for the couple. And after factoring in the enormously appealing artwork by illustrator Elisa Romboli with colorist Michael Atiyeh, overall I thought this chapter was a solid one, serving as an exhilarating and rewarding resolution to the first arc of Phase III.
Star Wars: The High Republic Adventures #5 is available now wherever comic books are sold.