Star Wars: The High Republic - Shadows of Starlight #3

Star Wars: The High Republic - Shadows of Starlight

by Charles Soule, Phil Noto (Cover Art), Jethro Morales (Artist)

BELL JEDI KNIGHT! Many JEDI KNIGHTS were lost in the fall of STARLIGHT BEACON, and many lost their way after the disaster. BELL ZETTIFAR did not. With his trusty charhound EMBER at his side, Bell will battle to rid the galaxy of the villainous NIHIL...and they won't be alone. Learn who survived the FALL OF STARLIGHT!

Genres: Star Wars, Comics, Science Fiction, Graphic Novels Comics

25 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 13, 2023

About the author

Charles Soule is a #1 New York Times-bestselling novelist, comics author, screenwriter, musician, and lapsed attorney. He has written some of the most prominent stories of the last decade for Marvel, DC and Lucasfilm in addition to his own work, such as his comics Curse Words, Letter 44 and Undiscovered Country, and his original novels Light of the Jedi, The Endless Vessel, The Oracle Year and Anyone. He lives in New York.

Reviews

[ashlabooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another masterpiece in this great series! This time Bell and Burry not only become knights but they have to ask themselves how to move on. It's interesting to see how Charles Soule let's both of them have their own way of dealing with grief. While Burryaga talks about it with others, Bell tries everything to bury his emotions under a pile of work. Seeing Amber and Indeera return has been great, even though the reunion could have been a bit more detailed in my eyes. However the most exciting scene of all was the author utilizing another underrated Jedi and bringing a years old concept from a Clone Wars comic back to Canon (looking at you "Deadly Hands of Shon-Ju" 😉). The art is great as always. Really digging the strong colors in this series.

[Patricia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another really enjoyable and insightful issue of Charles Soule's "keeping everyone in the loop" series. To me this one felt the most redundant so far, as pretty much every plot point has been shown or mentioned in another work, but I totally understand the value in this issue for those who did not get to read Tales of Light and Life or haven't started The Eye of Darkness yet. Soule delivers emotional dialogue and impactful scenes as always and this part of the series should definitely not be missed.

[Leensey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm a bit disappointed they didn't tell the story of Bell finding Burry here, but I do get the format of this mini-series liked to cover several time periods, so in that sense, it did a good job. Also really enjoyed the Grandmaster's moments. I have a bad feeling he ain't making it..... :( and Burry with the younglings!!! I want more Burry content so bad. And Bell and Indeera moments. I know Bell is a knight now, but I still find they need to explore that master-apprentice relationship more in the loss of Loden, and near loss of Indeera.

[Saimi Korhonen · Rating 4 out of 5]

“By the light, Burryaga, this man killed both our Masters. You shouldn’t be asking me why I’m doing it. Here’s the real question. Why aren’t you doing it with me?”

Issue 3 of Shadows of Starlight follows Palawans Bell Zettifar and Burryaga as they become knights and grapple with the consequences of Starlight Beacon's destruction and the rise of the Nihil Stormwall.

This series continues to deliver on what it promises: giving the reader a glimpse of what some of our fave characters got up to between The Fallen Star and The Eye of Darkness. I enjoyed seeing more from Bell and Burry, but as I've already read The Eye of Darkness, what happened to them didn't surprise me and some of the more emotional beats didn't get me quite as much as I knew to expect them. What got me the most was at the very beginning, where Elzar and Bell talk about home, and Bell says: “Master Greatstorm used to say that for the Jedi, home was people. The relationships we build with others give us more than any one place ever could. That’s how I felt when we were stationed at Elphrona outpost. Me, Loden, Porter Engle and Indeera Stokes… Even Ember. They were home.” That was some good stuff!

Even if the events didn't surprise me that much, I was happy to see more from Bell and Burryaga. Burry especially is always a delight to read about. He is one of my favorites in the High Republic and one of the cutest baby boys ever in Star Wars. Seeing him hang out with younglings and help them deal with everything that's happening was precious. The friendship between Burry and Bell is cute and wholesome, and I like how they support one another and are not afraid to argue sometimes, which I think is a sign of a true, healthy friendship.

Also, as someone who sometimes has trouble imagining what aliens look like just based on descriptions, it was super fun to see art of Melis Shryke and Grandmaster Veter.

I've been really enjoying this series and I'm intrigued to read the final issue!

[Phillip Quinn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Marvel’s Shadows of Starlight #3 continues to set up Phase III of the High Republic Era in Star Wars

When Marvel released the first book of Shadow of Starlight, I thought it was great. With Phase III being a jump 150 years into the first, book one in this series was a great refresher on what happened when we ended Phase I (Nihil destroyed Starlight and a lot of people died) with a great explanation of the new Guardian Protocols the Jedi put into place.

Then, book two came out detailing the shared grief despite being apart for Elzar Mann and Avar Kriss. It was another great book pushing two of our main protagonists forward in their journey.

But before book three could come out, George Mann’s The Eye of Darkness novel was released. While the book is great and I enjoyed it, it caught us up to “present day” which has moved us past the story in this effort from Charles Soule.

Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed this book and actually seeing the events unfold, but it does show some of the events discussed in the book involving Bell Zettifar, Burryaga, and Grandmaster Pra-Tre Veter. It’s not that I didn’t like seeing what happened, but I wish this had been released before The Eye of Darkness. The suspense for the story was gone.

But, I feel scheduling issues with Marvel comics will always be there, so I’m not too upset about it. I also have to remember that not everyone is reading all of the books to go along with these comics.

Overall, it was a good book, and I enjoyed it. Bell and Burryaga are two of my favorites from the High Republic so far. More, please.

[Jacqui · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finished this tonight before bed. Enjoyed it well enough. I appreciated the focus on the friendship between Bell and Burryaga, and it was nice to have the opportunity to see more of Pra-Tre Veter, but this story didn't feel like an essential read to anyone who has already read the previously published Tales of Light and Life anthology and the Eye of Darkness book. It seems to be a fairly skippable entry to all but the most dedicated fans of Star Wars comics or High Republic content.

[Tasso · Rating 4 out of 5]

Burry es nombrado caballero 😭😭😭

[Pete Goodchild · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bell and Burry ❤️

[David Beer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Filling in the gaps from the phase 3 novels I have already read… one of the many reasons I love the High Republic.

[Steven Shinder · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kinda bridges things when it comes to Burryaga.

[F. W. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bell is growing to be a great Jedi knight 🙂‍↕️