Comic Review - The Battle On Eriadu Reaches Its Tipping Point in "Star Wars: The High Republic Adventures" #16
Today saw the release of issue #16 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) #16 begins with another dark Force vision for Jedi Knight Farzala Tarabal… and is that a familiar form I see taking shape in those ominous clouds? Then we cut back to reality, where Farzala and his allies are fighting for the future of the Republic on the planet Eriadu, and here is where writer Daniel Jose Older breaks the “show don’t tell" rule in reinforcing how dire the circumstances are. I think I would be able to piece that together without Sevran Tarkin’s inner monologue about how “it all comes down to this." That’s a minor infraction, though, and Older (along with artist Toni Bruno) otherwise does a good job of delivering action interspersed with meaningful character moments at this tipping point in the Republic/Nihil war. There are several major fronts at play, and the creative team balances them nicely, switching perspectives between several heroes and at least one villain– namely the menacing Warden.
It seems that General Viess’s fleet has arrived in the skies above Eriadu, and the urgent situations in both Bri-Phrang and Eriadu City mean that the Jedi are on their back feet for a good chunk of this issue. But all hope is not quite lost yet as Tarkin sends reinforcements out to defend a crucial planetary defense bunker and her Uncle Tragkill enters the fray eager to blast some Nihil. The action here is well-choreographed, with numerous explosions going off, lightsaber blades humming, and blaster bolts ricocheting every which way. We also get more of the Warden’s complete disregard for collateral damage or even the murder of his own troops, further driving the point home of what a bad dude he is. Honestly it’s all pretty fun and exciting, and it leads to a moment I didn’t see coming this early (SPOILER ALERT): the reveal that the Republic has brought down that pesky Nihil Stormwall separating the Occlusion Zone from the rest of the galaxy.
Correct me if I’m wrong, but I don’t believe we have seen that happen in any of the other The High Republic materials yet, so it’s cool that Older and Bruno got to be the ones to depict it first in these pages. I’m sure we will get more information about exactly how and when that happens in the upcoming novels and comics from other publishers, but hey– Dark Horse for the win this time around. Anyway the Republic fleet shows up and the battle is pretty much lost for the Nihil, so instead they shift their focus to just blowing up the big, still-unstable lava reactor underneath Bri-Phrang, causing untold destruction if they’re successful. That’s the cliffhanger for this month– not to mention the question mark on the ultimate fates of Emerick Caphtor and Navaj Tarkin– and we’ve got a Battle of Eriadu one-shot plus four more issues coming through June to round out the series. I gotta say I’m pretty into it so far.
Star Wars: The High Republic Adventures #16 is available now wherever comic books are sold.