Comic Review – “Star Wars: The High Republic Adventures” 2025 Annual Sets the Stage for the Initiative’s Conclusion

Five stories from six different authors check in on a variety of characters.

Yesterday saw the release of Dark Horse Comics’ Star Wars: The High Republic Adventures 2025 Annual, and below are my brief recap and thoughts on this one-shot issue.

Like the other (Marvel) Star Wars comic book I already reviewed today, The High Republic Adventures 2025 Annual is an anthology made up of multiple stories by different authors, though here the count– and the dollar price– is a bit higher. The first tale, written by Charles Soule and his daughter Rosemary Soule (who previously collaborated on the children’s book Star Wars: The High Republic – Jedi Brave In Every Way), brings us to the Outer Rim planet of Adelphi, which we’ve seen pop up in The Mandalorian as a base for New Republic rangers. Here, the threat of a Nihil attack causes Jedi Master Torban Buck to sequester a group of younglings inside a “holo” theater to protect some local children. There’s a funny gag revealing that the kids are watching a holo that’s obviously inspired by the Indiana Jones movies, though here the character is named Socorro Jayme. The children are safe inside the theater until one of them begins choking on a “snackfrog” (the Star Wars equivalent of movie-theater popcorn, I’m guessing?)– I also laughed at how the snackfrogs are still alive and clearly unhappy about being eaten, kind of like the paddy frogs in Jabba’s Palace. So the three Jedi younglings– namely Jon, Bree, and Toko (all from the aforementioned book) must team up to help him, each using the skills they’ve acquired in training. It’s a nice story, well-illustrated by Andy Duggan (Star Wars: Hyperspace Stories), but definitely something that would appeal a bit more to younger readers.

The second story, entitled “Heart to Heart,” was written by Alyssa Wong (Star Wars: Doctor Aphra) and drawn by Liana Kangas (Star Wars Adventures), and its set on the planet Eriadu before the big battle that’s about to take place there in the pages of Dark Horse’s main High Republic Adventures title. Here we catch up with Nihil double agent Driggit, who has a clandestine meeting with Emelsine Tarkin, a member of the resistance against the ruthless marauders. Driggit provides Emelsine with a datacard holding some valuable information, but they’re caught by the villainous Warden so Driggit must pretend to be double-crossing her friend. They escape and Driggit is treated to tea at the Tarkin Estate, where she struggles to understand why those she was forced to betray are treating her so well. The two girls come to an understanding and Driggit returns to the Warden, continuing her life undercover with the Nihil. I’m sure this status quo will change in upcoming High Republic stories, but for now it was refreshing to spend some quieter moments with these lesser-utilized characters.

Up third is writer Zoraida Córdova’s continuation of the adventures of Churo the Hutt from her middle grade novel Star Wars: The High Republic – Beware the Nameless. In this story Churo travels to the planet Eroudac (which was first mentioned in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge – A Crash of Fate, also by Córdova) in search of a flower that may help heal his homeworld of Nal Hutta from the devastation of the plantlike monsters called the Drengir. Churo encounters a wayward Cerean Jedi Knight named Rune, who uses the Force to help the young Hutt access a mountain cave that legend says contains the long-absent flower, but once inside Churo discovers a startling revelation that has him second-guessing his quest. I really liked the vibrant art in this one, by illustrator Juan Samu (Star Wars: Tales from the Rancor Pit) and it was a lot of fun to see Churo again– I can see him becoming a fan favorite before The High Republic wraps up completely.

The penultimate story, entitled “Brothers and Sisters,” was written by Cavan Scott (of Marvel’s upcoming Star Wars: The High Republic – Fear of the Jedi miniseries) and drawn by Nick Brokenshire (Star Wars: Shadow of Vader’s Castle). It follows up on the events of Scott’s recent audio drama Star Wars: The High Republic – Tempest Breaker, with Nihil mad scientist Baron Boolan in Republic captivity, and a flashback to earlier events that provide an origin story for the so-called “Children of the Storm.” A Force-sensitive bounty hunter is hired by a Nazzar named Krrl to rescue his sister from Boolan’s lab. The twist here is that Krrl had actually made a deal with Boolan to swap the hunter for his sister, and hence we get the tale of how H’Tar came to be under the influence of the scientist. Back in his cell on Coruscant, Boolan bides his time knowing that his “Children” are still out there, waiting to strike at the Jedi. This is another good setup for stories to come, and I continue to enjoy collaborations between Scott and Brokenshire.

Last but not least we get a story starring Vernestra Rwoh, written by the character’s creator Justina Ireland. In “Stellan’s Wisdom” Vernestra ruminates on a lesson she once learned from her now-deceased Master Stellan Gios. The pair once accompanied an elephant-like species called the Phantideans on a pilgrimage, protecting them from huge scorpion-type creatures called Phage as they made their way through the desert on their home planet. During the journey Gios instructs Rwoh on the very Yoda-esque moral of learning from one’s own mistakes. And back in the present, Vern concludes her meditation and prepares for the battle with the Nihil that lies ahead. All told, I would say that these five stories make for a great way for readers to prime themselves for what comes next. And with the highly anticipated conclusion to The High Republic coming up this summer, it makes perfect sense that the authors involved in Lucasfilm’s ambitious publishing initiative– set hundreds of years prior to the events of the Star Wars films– would want to set the stage for the imminent climax.

Star Wars: The High Republic Adventures – 2025 Annual is available now wherever comic books are sold.

Mike Celestino
Mike serves as Laughing Place's lead Southern California reporter, Editorial Director for Star Wars content, and host of the weekly "Who's the Bossk?" Star Wars podcast. He's been fascinated by Disney theme parks and storytelling in general all his life and resides in Burbank, California with his beloved wife and cats.