Star Wars – The New Republic #2: Balance of The Force – Chapter II: Tey Sirrek
Recap
After Traveling to The Pilgrim’s Moon of Jedah, Vildar Mac witnesses a murder amidst the clamor of various factions of Force cultists. As he confronts the alleged assassins, he is rendered instantly dead by the being he purses, or so it would seem.
Review
The first issue ended with a shocking conclusion as it seemed to kill off the main character. That is certainly a bold move, bur realistically the series would be effectively over before it began if he stayed that way. As anyone can see from the cover art, Vildar Mac is alive and well. He is up and in pursuit of a being he believed committed a murder. What the bulk of this issue focuses on is that pursuit. This is a neat way to revisit Jedha in this older era. As Vidar and the Padawan Matthea Cathley race through town, it gives the reader a bit more of a sense of what’s been happening on this moon. They pass through the various religious groups in the streets and visit what would be the Jedah equivalent of Mos Eisley’s Cantina for information. It gives the audience a nice chance to see some aliens and a bit of the underground dealings in this backwater bar to further enrich this older version of Jedah than it was seen in the film, Rogue One. Furthermore the issue helps to establish the thief, Tey Sirrek, as a new ongoing character.
The first issue did a good job establishing Vildar and Matty’s characters well. They are both driven, honest Jedi and unquestionably good guys. This issue does not really need to reestablish their basic personalities to further the plot. Instead, this chapter focusses on highlighting the new character, Ter Sirrek, as well as a look at one of the Force cults in particular. The audience learns quickly that even though Sirrek is a thief, his intentions are good and he is not the murdered Mac thinks he is. He is also able to give an explanation for Mac’s fake death. He is proven to be quick, skillful, and handy. Another clue to his true alignment is on the cover, where he is shown clearly fighting alongside the two Jedi. The other interesting element explored here is the cult, The Path of the Open Hand. These zealots are not original to this series. They appeared in the recent YA novel, “Path of Deceit” which served as the introduction point the Phase II of “The High Republic.” They have similarities in name and symbols to the Nihil of Phase I, implying that they are the forbearers of that nefarious group. Instead of being marauders though, this group is concerned with speeding their word that The Force is to be worshipped, but never used. This is of course not at all what the Jedi believe. They will certainly end up standing in the way of galactic affairs for the Jedi further down the line. In this issue they and their ideas are briefly introduced, but it is hard to say how big an impact they might have on this particular series. Another small bit of familiarity is a mole looking alien that is similar to the one seen in the Kenobi Disney+ series. This keep things fresh with a recent reference that gives it a connection to current Star Wars stories in general, even if it does take place hundreds of years prior.
One of the things that made the various “High Republic” comic series of Phase I stand out was the very different color usage in each series. The main series focused on bold colors that pop out at the audient. The secondary series, “Trail of Shadows” was gold and blue for the most part. The IDW “High Republic Adventures featured a lot of pink. This series seems to focus on pastels. This makes since because it is a much older era of “The High Republic” and givers it an almost faded look. That art is consistent with the quality of previous main series as well. The most important aspect of this issue, as well as the last, has been world and character building to separate this story from anything else. It seeks to be unique and is stronger because of it. The impact on the overall saga is hard to determine in only the second issue, but the fact that is has already connected itself with already established elements of other Phaser II stories proves its overall importance.
Final Thoughts
The issue ends with our new trio of heroes cornered by a new, but also familiar enemy. The nest issues promises to start off with some action as it will endeavor to further the adventures of Vildar Mac, Matthea Cathley, and Tey Sirrek.
Star Wars – The New Republic #2: Chase Through Jedah City
- Writing - 7/107/10
- Storyline - 8/108/10
- Art - 7/107/10
- Color - 7/107/10
- Cover Art - 9/109/10