Star Wars: The High Republic Adventures #17 Review

Review by Henry Wood

Written by Daniel José Older

Drawn by Harvey Tolibao

Colored by Michael Atiyeh Lettered by Tyler Smith & Jimmy Betancourt

Edited by Spencer Cushing, Joe Cavanagh, Grace Orriss & Robert Simpson

Star Wars: The High Republic Adventures #17 ReviewWritten by Daniel José OlderDrawn by Harvey TolibaoColored by Michael AtiyehLettered by Tyler Smith & Jimmy BetancourtEdited by Spencer Cushing, Joe Cavanagh, Grace Orriss & Robert Simpson

The final battle is here! Farzala Tarabal leads the Jedi and the Tarkins against the Nihil in the battle of Eriadu! The Warden has marshalled his forces and called in reinforcements to Eriadu, all the while preparing to blow up the cities and population centers of the planet if the battle does not go his way.

Throughout Daniel José Older’s work in The High Republic Adventures Phases I and III, he has chosen to showcase his ensemble cast by focusing on different characters for different stories. The main padawan group of Lula Talisola, Qort and Farzala Tarabal made up that cast, along with Zeen Mrala and fellow Padawan Ram Jamoram, have each been the focus of different stories. However, up until this battle on Eriadu, Farzala has had the least amount of time in the spotlight, and despite being a large-scale battle in the middle of a deadly war, Older has chosen to use this story to focus on Farzala inner emotional turmoil. His fears and doubts.

In previous issues, Farzala was tapped, to who his own amazement, by Master Yaddle to lead the ground defense of Eriadu with the Tarkins against the Nihil assault. In this issue, Farzala is forced to face his own doubts while dealing with a seemingly unwinnable situation. Older, with the deft help of Harvey Tolibao and Michael Atiyeh, crafts a narrative where Farzala finally comes into his own and starts to believe in his own abilities and shed his doubts.

I won’t go into the specifics of how this happens because I think you should read it for yourself. This is a comic designed for all ages, and I think Older and co. do a great job of communicating this message to kids in a way that is not condescending or talking down to them, while also highlighting the self’s ability to overcome.

Throughout the High Republic Adventures I have fallen in love with Harvey Tolibao’s pencils and inks and the way he has brought his own style to these stories. This issue showcases the way that Tolibao (with the help of Michael Atiyeh’s colors) can produce motion with static images through his panel layouts and the way he highlights certain characters with his bolded outlines. He highlights Farzala’s inner struggle and elevates Older’s script in a way that emphasizes this turning point for Farzala Tarabal.