Star Wars: The High Republic, Vol. 3: Jedi's End

Star Wars: The High Republic (Marvel Comics)

by Cavan Scott (Writer), Charles Soule (Writer), Georges Jeanty (Illustrator)

The history-making saga of the High Republic era continues! With the stakes higher than ever before and time running out quickly, the Jedi must mount a daring rescue! The Nihil base is square in their sights — and Sskeer insists on going with them, no matter his condition. But a floating fortress at the heart of No Space will not be an easy target — will the best plan be a full-on attack, or an undercover infiltration? The way of the Jedi allows only one answer. Let battle commence…and may the Force be with our heroes!

COLLECTING: Star Wars: The High Republic (2021) #11-15 and Star Wars: The High Republic – Eye of the Storm #1-2

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

192 pages, Paperback

First published May 3, 2022

About the author

is a freelance comic writer and author. He is best known for his work on a variety of spin-offs from both Doctor Who and Star Wars, as well as comics and novels for Vikings, Pacific Rim, Sherlock Holmes, and Penguins of Madagascar.

Cavan Scott, along with Justina Ireland, Claudia Gray, Daniel Jose Older, and Charles Soule are crafting a new era in the Star Wars publishing world called Star Wars: The High Republic. Cavan's contribution to the era is a comic book series released through Marvel Comics titled Star Wars: The High Republic.

Reviews

[Scott · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Servants of the light should never lurk in the shadows. We must be better than our enemies. We must shine." -- Avar Kriss, Jedi Master and marshal of the Starlight Beacon space station

I begin this review with Kriss' admonishment / pep talk to her beleaguered Jedi colleagues because it relates to one of the strengths of Jedi's End, the third (final?) volume in the Star Wars: The High Republic series. Although this graphic novel again stars and is narrated by young Jedi Keeve Trennis, the previously supporting character of Avar Kriss shifts to take a more central role this time. Things are going badly for the Jedi Knights - shades of the Rebel Alliance receiving a continual ass-kicking in The Empire Strikes Back - and Kriss does her damnedest to rally her squad as sorrow and death - or just the urge to simply give in, by way of anger, to the tempting Dark Side - seem to be around every corner. Kriss even has a key moment in a fierce duel where she causes the villainess, who is wielding a stolen light saber, to lose an appendage (a signature scene in the Star Wars galaxy of stories), and it made me contemplate that this series could possibly translate very well to the big screen.

[Jim C · Rating 3 out of 5]

Actual rating is 3.5 stars.

This is one more entry in this series that features all different types of media. I actually would call this collection a side piece as we see a different view from events that happened in the novels. We also get the origins story of the Nihil leader.

I have not been the biggest fan of this series for various reasons. Most of the characters I am not connecting with. Too scattered because of the various forms of media. I am not really buying into this group of pirates causing this much devastation. That being said I did like this collection. This collection gave me the information that I have been craving from the books. But that also adds credence to my argument about this series about being too scattered. The information that should be in the novels when these events are happening are now in this collection. This affects my enjoyment of the novels. I shouldn't have to read two different types of media to enjoy one singular event. I did like how this collection touched upon themes like the struggles if things are not going your way and the influence of your upbringing. Just wished it was more in depth. As for the artwork not my favorite. There are some beautiful panels but for the most part it seems like we took a step backwards in the illustrations.

I enjoyed this collection but I was never enthralled. I can say that about the whole series though. It has some interesting ideas but for some reason the execution is never complete. And that is how I feel about the collection. This where the execution is finally completed but it should have been done in the novels. If you are reading this whole series you will enjoy this because it does add some background info that was sorely needed.

[Khurram · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. This is a huge chapter in the High Republic. For every gain the Jedi and Republic have made in the Outer Rim they have paid for in death and blood. Now the Nihil make their biggest move so far.

One thing to remember, though, is that there are many more Jedi and masters in this series. Many of them have been born in a time of peace and privilege. The Nihil are the biggest threat many have faced in generations, the Nihil definitely this. Until now, they are most of these masters are more interested in politics and philosophy. It is no wonder so many Jedi move closer to the Dark side. It is very interesting to see which ones step up and who fall.

This book contains 5 issues of the High Republic series (11 - 15) and both part of the Eye of the Storm containing Marchion Ro's origin, his master plan, greatest latest accomplishment and the cold cruelty he is not only capable but revels in. In fact in the opening chapter of the Rising Storm I saw first hand how charming and charismatic Ro could be to someone under his command, and how ruthlessly he discards the person once they have no more use.

This is the closing chapter phase 1 of the High Republic. It is definitely a good idea to read at least to the Rising Storm in the novels to avoid as many spoilers as possible.

[ShamNoop · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maru MVP

[Daniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 rounded up. I tried to finish this as seventh graders were unleashing assholery around me, but it was still excellent. Loved this run.

[Jonathan Koan · Rating 4 out of 5]

7.5/10

The Mainline comic was just fine. But the 2-issue miniseries "The Eye of the Storm" was fantastic!

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m not generally into comics, but I read this one because I was curious to see how phase 1 of the High Republic ended and if they did, indeed, cover crucial things in the comics that were never addressed in the novels. They did. This frustrates me SO MUCH. If you just read the books, you will never know what happened with the top half of Starlight Beacon, or what happened with Avar Kriss going after Lourna Dee, or any of the background on Marchion Ro.

I have said this ad nauseum in reviews, but this is the main weakness of the High Republic initiative. If you don’t read ***absolutely everything,*** all levels of novels and all the comics, you will have gaps. I still don’t know why the Jedi thought Lourna Dee was the Eye of the Nihil, because it felt like this idea just appeared suddenly in the books and they were throwing resources at it for no reason, and now I wonder if it was covered in a comic I didn’t read (or if it was in a book, there have been so many that I can’t keep it straight). The novels ended a bit abruptly, but this comics collection ended with more of a sense of finality and even with an official “end of Phase 1” notation. The writers need to assume that adult readers may only read adult novels, YA readers might only read YA, middle grade readers will very likely only read middle grade, and comic readers may only read comics (and the novel readers may not be into comics). Of course many people may read more than one type, but to structure the whole thing so that they HAVE to is both frustrating and unrealistic. Some information needs to be repeated in different books because they’re for different audiences, and you should be able to have a complete experience by reading just one level of books.

Okay, that horse is dead and I’m going to stop beating it. At least until phase 2, when I will revive it if I have to.

Regarding the specific comics in this book:

- I wasn’t as much a fan of the drawing style in #11 and #12

- I liked the drawing style much better in #13, but I still really hate how they all draw Lourna Dee. I know they’re trying to make her look villainous but she looks...more goblin than Twi’lek. And I find it hard to believe that a vicious fighter would willingly bare her vulnerable lower abdomen allllll the time?? Women who fight protect their vital organs too!

- In #14 & #15 is when it starts intersecting with the events of The Fallen Star. The plot simply can’t be as well developed with so few words and pages, so reading the book first helps understand what’s going on. But since I had read it, I liked getting other parts of the story filled in here.

- The Eye of the Storm comics were interesting, though it did bring up the point (another common High Republic problem) that he really wasn’t well described in the books, because I read ALL of the novels without getting the idea that he wasn’t human! He’s humanoid, but apparently not human. With these comics and books intertwining so much, the authors assume you already have a visual idea of everything that was drawn, so they don’t actually write out simple things like Ro’s gray skin or a path engine or other obvious physical descriptions.

Anyways, for not being a huge comics fan, I still thought these were pretty good, and my frustrations were mostly with the whole phase rather than this specific book. I still prefer the more wordy plot of a novel over comics, but this was fun to dip into briefly.

[Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Star Wars: The High Republic, Vol. 3: Jedi's End was a mixed experience for me. I was really hoping that this volume would fill in some of the missing pieces from the final novels in phase 1. On some level, I did learn a bit more but I finished with a lot more questions than I was expecting. The plot follows pretty closely to Claudia Gray's The Fallen Star yet lacks the time to establish the emotional wallops that made that book such a standout for me. That said, I did love seeing more of Keeve and Sskeer who are two of my favorite High Republic characters.

A fun, unexpected bonus was the two-issue Eye of the Storm run. I really enjoyed how it stretched from before the events of Phase 1 through to a tease of what may be coming next for these characters. Marchion Ro is typically a villain I didn't really care about but Eye of the Storm fleshed out his character in ways that made him a lot more interesting to me.

Overall, I've enjoyed the Phase 1 comics run and will be counting down to the beginning of Phase 2.

[Jesús De la Jara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Este volumen es el final de la Primera fase de los cómics de la High Republic que no se continuará con la Segunda, sino con la Tercera fase.
Ya se ha revelado que Lourna Dee, líder Nihil, está viva. Ocurren nuevos altercados entre Gios y Avar Kriss, ya que ella quiere asaltar la base Nihil y él como el consejo quieres ser cauteloso. Todos están mal, en el fracaso en Xais Keeve Trennis fue aterrada y no ayudó. Incluso Avar parece necesitar ser vigilada porque está muy furiosa y las cosas se salen de control cuando van a la base "Gran Saló" en el área llamada Espacio Negativo donde moran los Nihil. Por fin se explica que lo de Sskeer es una enfermedad propia de su raza. Pero nada importa porque Marchion Ro finalmente da el golpe.
En los números de "Ojo de tormenta" se incluye la historia del origen de Ro. Él proviene de una raza conocida como los Evereni, que después de múltiples desastres, se reduce a un grupo minúsculo que se acostumbra al engaño y al supervivencia. Tienen capturada a Mari San Tekka (antepasada de Lor San Tekka). Te explica cómo los Ro han estado ocultos y manejando a los Nill desde la sombra. Y su poderosa arma con el que mató a Loden Greatstorm llamado los "Sin nombre" atrapados en un planeta viviente increíble y que ha venido siendo utilizado desde el inicio de estos cómics.
En el gran final ya aparecen todos los afectados, la Canciller Soh, la flota de la República y los demás Jedi. Me encanta Avar, a pesar de todo, es mi favorita de esta serie de cómics. Tiene un instinto y perspicacia que en realidad no es comprendida, desde mi punto de vista, por los demás.

[Craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good conclusion to this first bout between the Jedi and the Nihil, who prove themselves to be a force worth reckoning with, as the Starlight space station is destroyed. But we also get to see the Jedi come together as a heroic force and the stage is set for further adventures. The artwork is variable this time, with some particularly messy stuff in the closing issues written by Charles Soule. Still, the storyline is a strong one and I'll be looking forward to seeing where this goes next.

[Adam Fisher · Rating 5 out of 5]

This comic is the other side of the story from Fallen Star. The novel covers Stellan Gios and his people, and this comic covers Avar Kriss and the people with her. Picking up with the arrest of Lourna Dee and return to Starlight Beacon, Avar, Keeve Trennis, and Sskeer encounter the Leveler, yet somehow all manage to survive it. We also see them surviving the destruction of the station.
The added bonus here is the two part "Eye of the Storm" comic. We see the start of Marchion Ro's tutelage under his father, the start of the Nihil really becoming powerful, Marchion's murder of his father, and even an epilogue to the novel where it shows that the Nihil have planted "Stormseed"s in the hyperspace lanes, which will block unwanted visitors from getting into their new territory in the Outer Rim.
Very curious to see what happens when we get back to this story in Phase 3. Phase 2 of the High Republic is a prequel to one, so I know we will be seeing things get set up. But what will the Jedi do when they have lost so much?

The High Republic Stuff is amazing! Keep it up Star Wars!

[Logan Harrington · Rating 5 out of 5]

9/10:
Such an awesome and emotional collection of this run of comics, culminating in a grand finale. To watch Keeve, Sskeer, and Avar tackle the threat of the Nihil and the Nameless while struggling with one another and their own individual connections to the Force was so raw and satisfying to witness. I love how each of these three Jedi have their own flaws, but Keeve has taken the best elements of other Jedi (including Sskeer, Avar, Stellan, Maru, Ceret, Terec, and many more) and become one of the greatest of them all.

I’m so incredibly excited to see where these characters go in the future of the High Republic and their seemingly endless battle against the Nihil and the Nameless for the Outer Rim!

[Hal Incandenza · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stelle a tutto il progetto Alta Repubblica (o comunque alla sua Fase I, che qui si conclude).
Cavan Scott (sempre sia lodato), chiude magnificamente le trame sospese alla fine di La Stella Caduta e mi fermo qui per non spoilerare.
Ora dateci altra Alta Repubblica e nessuno si farà male.

[Brett Wyman · Rating 5 out of 5]

The events leading up to and following the fall of Starlight Beacon, from both the perspectives of the Jedi and the Nihil. So much better than The Fallen Star.

In the main series:
Avar went a little crazy
Stellan was a meanie to her
Sskeer’s story was a little sadder than I expected.
Keeve was the only rational person in the room, standing up to authority and calling out Avar’s bs
The chase of Lourna Dee continues

In the Eye of the Storm series:
We got to see flashbacks to Marchion Ro’s childhood and how his people became so ruthless and how the Nihil was formed.
We get to witness Marchion capture more Levellers as he seeks to take down more Jedi.
This is very much what we needed. The Nihil have been the main villain throughout all of Phase One and we were supposed to believe that some pirate who captured an old lady is a worthy adversary for the Jedi. This adds depth to the villain we have been told to fear.

I give it 5 stars because it was entertaining and filled in many gaps, and finally convinced me that Marchion is a force to be reckoned with.

[Brannigan · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s crazy how many of the Jedi are giving into hate. Something is in the air.

[Neil · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm more or less giving up trying to figure out what order to read all the High Republic books in. Websites give different orders, and it's not possible to read the whole story continuously no matter what you do, because books at various reading levels overlap, but not precisely. I find this to be an enormous frustration with this publishing initiative. Now that the era is coming to a close, here's what I'd like: Hire one of the better Star Wars authors (Alexander Freed, Matthew Stover, or James Luceno) to write a long novel that follows one character as the protagonist and contains a whole story. I'd like a 1,000-page novel about Avar, Elzar, or Stellan. Just one book. One story. No need to chase down a hundred other books from children's picture books to graphic novels to YA romance. Just a book that tells a story. Is that so much to ask?

Anyway, this graphic novel brings Phase 1 to a close. I still have a few more novels to read in this Phase, so I'm not sure if I've spoiled everything or if I'll remember what I need to now from this book when I read the other books. It was obvious from the start of the High Republic that Starlight Beacon was doomed, so that's no surprise. (It's demise was briefly mentioned in another comic book, but now I can't remember which one or how its story ties into this one.) I was very surprised to see how dark Avar went, and how quickly. The Jedi truly are on the brink of insanity almost constantly. Why does the galaxy regard them as heroes?

This graphic novel also tells the story of the Evereni and some of the Ro family heritage. If I hadn't read Phase 2 before Phase 1, I can imagine that this section would have been extremely helpful. Why hold all this background till the end of the phase? Having read Phase 2, it gives a decent summary of some of the content I'm already familiar with, though it doesn't say anything about Marda Ro or the Path of the Open Hand.

When we get to the end, and someone asks Marchion what his ultimate goal is, and he can't quite articulate his goal, that resonated with me. It's how I've felt through all of the High Republic.

[Teresa · Rating 3 out of 5]

332 BBY

This graphic novel collects The High Republic issues 11-15 and The High Republic: Eye of the Storm issues 1-2 for a larger collected volume. This arc features the struggled feats of Keeve, Avar, Lourna, Terec, and Sskeer as they fight the Nihil following the events of the fall of Starlight Beacon. Some of the Jedi have been identified and targeted by the Nihil, while others struggle with their own internal issues.  The leader of the Nihil have also found a strange mosnter...one that negates a Jedi's abilities and induces fear withing the Force users.

Eye of the Storm features two short issues, one featuring Asgar Ro (Marchion's father) and Marchion Ro, the current leader of the Nihil. This follows Asgar's influence on Marchion growing up and shows how Marchio rules the Nihil as a leader. It also gives some insight into how Marchion found the monsters that bring down the Jedi.

The art is great in the main issues, but a bit simplified in the Eye of the Storm issues. The fear-inducing monsters on Jedi seem like an interesting concept that I would be interested to know more about. They seem unrelated to the Drengir. This is a good collection and seemingly fulfills the first installment of the main High Republic era collection, though poses possibility for more. Depending on how well the arc was received, perhaps they will stop flooding the market with these and give us some better stories featuring the original or sequel trilogy? That would be nice. 

[ashlabooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ein spannendes Abenteuer!

Die Handlung:

Nachdem Jedi-Meisterin Avar Kriss Keeve Trennis und Terec auf eine gefährliche Mission geschickt hat, schlug diese fehl und die beiden Jedi befinden sich nun als Gefangene bei den Nihil. Sie müssen unbedingt gerettet werden. Doch unter den Jedi herrscht Unstimmigkeit und der Schleier zwischen Gerechtigkeit und Rache wird immer dünner. Eine Rettung scheint so gut wie aussichtslos...

Meine Meinung:

Dieses Band hat es in sich! Die Jedi sind verletzlicher als je zuvor und werden durch die Nihil in Unstimmigkeiten gebracht. Niemand weiß sogleich was als nächstes geschieht und die Waffe, die einst Loden Greatstorm vernichtete, wurde nicht ausfindig gemacht. Die Gefahr war nie größer! Keeve, Terec, Ceret und Sskeer sind durch die Ereignisse geschwächt. Avar Kriss - Keeves großes Vorbild - scheint ebenso die Kontrolle zu verlieren.

Es wird sogar noch schlimmer, verraten werde ich aber nichts! Eins dürft ihr allerdings wissen: Dies ist wohl der emotionalste Teil der ersten Phase! Spannend, emotional und voller Wendungen.

Ich wurde positiv unterhalten und bewundere die Arbeit, die die Autoren der Hohen Republik geleistet haben. Freue mich schon auf die zweite Phase!

Fazit: Packend und definitiv ein absolutes Highlight der neuen Ära!

[Tyler Jenkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Now this one is just fantastic. Perfectly bringing together their well crafted story of the toll this war with the Drengir and Nihil is taking on the once peaceful Jedi. Loosing so many friends and being pushed to make decisions they only read about. Pushed to their limits across the Outer Rim Territories the Jedi continue to fail as their enemies gain power. The final two issues here solidify the amazing story telling of the High Republic. The Nihil and their leader Marchion Ro is terrifying it’s nice that this entire first phase ends with these last two comics as an epilogue to the final novel. Phase two is beginning soon and I have a little more reading to do so I better get to it. These comics have been fantastic and I hope to find the IDW ones soon.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chilling. I loved this. It was so great to be able to see things from Marchion's perspective through this collection. Absolutely great.

[Danielle · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm still not that invested in the characters, but it looks like this is hopefully building up to something bigger.

[Sofia Silva · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great volume of THR comics!
Great ending to Phase 1 and essential complement to the novels, in my opinion.

[Catherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5, rounded up to 4

[Levi Cochran · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Eye comics really sold Marchion as a villain for me

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

pretty cool

[Eva · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars. Wowowowow what an epic end to this run.

[Luke Sheehan · Rating 5 out of 5]

The end of the High Republic mainline comics (11-15) were good, but I loved the 2-issue run of Eye of the Storm at the end. One book with Cavan Scott and Charles Soule? That's a W.

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dire circumstances for the republic and the Jedi. Some great use of language.

[Kristen Harvey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a great graphic novel. I’m completely obsessed with this story line and cannot wait for more High republic books. I just need to know all that happens now.

[Lena · Rating 5 out of 5]

this adds so much to avar’s character and subsequently to the conflict between her and stellan, but i genuinely did not need to relive the fallen star, thank you very much