Star Wars: The High Republic Adventures #19 Review

by Henry Wood

Written by Daniel José Older

Illustrated by Harvey Tolibao - Colored by Michael Atiyeh

Lettered by Tyler Smith & Jimmy Betancourt

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

The final confrontation between the forces of the Nihil and the forces of the Republic on Eriadu comes to its thrilling climax! Sian Holt and Zyle Keem hold steady against the onslaught of the Nihil. Amidst the chaos, Sian realizes things about her life and her relationships, but will she survive long enough for that to matter?

This issue is not as action focused as the previous issue and is more of a showcase of Sian Holt finding herself around the violence of the end of the Battle of Eriadu. Holt is a character that Older first developed with artist Dave Wachter for their Trail of Shadows miniseries in Phase I, but has since migrated, along with Jedi Emerick Caphtor, to Older’s The High Republic Adventures series for Phase III. This is the second to last issue of the series and the main story of the High Republic initiative and you can tell that from the issue.

Older is clearly focused on wrapping up the narratives for his characters, the last few issues were focused on Farzala Tarabal and now he’s focused on Sian Holt. It does feel a little out of left field since she hasn’t gotten a lot of the spotlight lately, but that’s not to say it’s not well done, especially in a book geared for kids. Without going into too much detail, Sian Holt’s realization is about emotional maturity and presenting that in a book meant for kids is a great thing to see and I respect Older a great deal for that.

Harvey Tolibao has returned for the end of the series, and he has been probably my favorite artist to work on any of the High Republic comics, so his return is a welcome one for me personally. It’s hard for me to describe, but that’s what I’m here for so I’ll do my best. His style does a great job of having a unique personality while still being realistic enough to present something understandable for the reader. It helps with an environment that has a lot of people that don’t look human (because they’re not). I especially like the way his inks add depth to the characters, and they pair very well with Michael Atiyeh’s colors.

We’re winding down what has been a very emotional and character-filled series for The High Republic, and I have no doubt there will be a fair amount tears for next month’s finale!