The High Republic era may not have caught fire with the whole Star Wars fanbase, but it has produced some excellent stories set in a galaxy far, far away. I’ve enjoyed some of the stories and characters from this corner of the canon, but with Charles Soule’s The Blade miniseries, some fantastic character friction is injected into a universe. Even if this is your first book from The High Republic, it serves as an easy entry point and standalone tale that will engage Star Wars fans looking for action-packed lightsaber battles that builds into the Jedi mythos.
Star Wars: The High Republic – The Blade (collecting issues #1-4) focuses on Porter Engle, a highly skilled Jedi known for his competency with a lightsaber. Along with close friend Barash Silvain, they work to control a conflict on the planet Gansevor involving a dynastic succession and brewing war. The core plot is nothing new to Star Wars, but the relationship between Silvain and Engle (two characters that the Jedi Order considered separating in their youth due to their close bond) is at the heart of this story. It provides a subtle critique of the Jedi and their social control over its members, leaving a lot to be explored at the end of the series. While not a cliffhanger, you can see that Soule wants to return to these characters and their relationship in a future tale.
Unfortunately, this short trade ends up having two distinct artists that don’t quite gel when it comes to forming a single coherent vision for the narrative. Marco Castiello’s sketchy line work and strong blocking is featured in about half the story and is much more appropriate for this storyline than the expressive comic action lines of Jethro Morales. Both fine artists in their own right, but this storyline would benefit from a pure visual conception.
Not only does the trade include all the variant covers, but it is rich in character design and B&W sketch pages, something that should be included in any collection. Additionally, the reader is given just enough info and timeline specific facts to understand the High Republic if this is your first foray into this period.
The main conflict in The Blade doesn’t break any new ground, but Soule’s strong relationship building between Porter Engle and Barash Silvain justifies picking up this trade if you are a Star Wars fan. I am interested to see what Soule (or other creators) do with these characters in the future.
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