Today saw the release of the fourth and final issue of Dark Horse Comics’ Star Wars: The High Republic Adventures – Saber for Hire miniseries, and below are my brief recap and thoughts on this climactic installment.
It’s been about three and a half months since the release of the previous issue of The High Republic Adventures – Saber for Hire, and I wouldn’t even hazard a guess as to what caused the delay, which has happened with several other Dark Horse Star Wars titles over the past couple years. But writer Cavan Scott remains one of my favorite current contributors to the canon of A Galaxy Far, Far Away, so as always I was excited to grab a copy– with the only problem being remembering what was happening last time. But basically Saber for Hire #4 begins on the planet Abtin, where Tylera “Ty” Yorrick’s apprentice Drewen Qweebjillan had ventured to rescue the Republic chancellor’s son Kitrep Soh and his boyfriend Jom from the Nihil. Naturally that plan went kind of haywire without Ty herself along for the ride, so it’s up to the renowned former-Jedi monster hunter to show up and kick butt, saving the three vulnerable interlopers in the process.
The problem arises when Ty and Drewen (I had honestly completely forgotten he was Force-sensitive) begin to feel the effects of a Nameless creature nearby. Ty instructs her pseudo-Padawan to take Kip and Jom further into a cave system as she goes out onto the beach to confront the Nihil holding this Nameless’s leash– who turns out to be Tylera’s old Gran Jedi Master, Cibaba. Through flashbacks, we learn that in the wake of Ty abandoning the Jedi Order, Cibaba was abducted and experimented on by Baron Boolan, becoming the cyborg monster he is in the “present” of this story. There’s a skirmish on the beach, with Cibaba setting his Nameless loose into the caves and pinning Ty up against the rocky walls using the Force. Inside the cave system, Drewen is set upon by the Nameless, but Kip jumps in for the rescue, knocking the deadly Force-eating creature down into a chasm below. Then outside, Ty is saved by none other than Lene Kostana, the young Force-wielding Altiri girl she had protected from the Nihil in previous issues.
So Master Cibaba is brought back to the light and the group returns to Coruscant, where Kip reunites with his mother Lina Soh and Lene is taken into the care of the Jedi Order. The final page here has Ty offer Drewen the choice of going back out into the galaxy to hunt monsters or remaining at the Jedi Temple to help in the war effort, with Drewen immediately choosing the latter, even though Yorrick insists he won’t be granted the use of a lightsaber. A caption promises us that “Ty Yorrick will return,” James Bond-style, but since this is (ostensibly) the final phase of The High Republic I’m guessing that means she’ll have a part to play in the publishing initiative’s upcoming climax next year. She’s a fun character, and it’s cool that she’s theoretically been brought back into the fold, sort of like all the various pieces coming together for an Avengers movie team-up. I’m still curious why there was such a big gap between issues 3 and 4, but I have a feeling that’s one of those behind-the-scenes things that we’ll never know the answer to. Regardless, both of these Ty Yorrick miniseries have been entertaining rides, and I’m looking forward to seeing what Cavan Scott and talented artist Rachael Stott do next in the Star Wars storytelling galaxy.
Star Wars: The High Republic Adventures – Saber for Hire #4 is available now wherever comic books are sold.