Collects STAR WARS: THE HIGH REPUBLIC (2022) #1-5.
A new chapter begins! One hundred and fifty years before the fall of Starlight, another beacon burns bright in the galaxy - a beacon of faith and spirituality. Jedha. The Pilgrim Moon. The Kyber Heart. But tensions are rising in the holy city, and dark days are to come. Jedi Vildar Mac, safe and secure in who he is and what he could be, arrives just as Jedha's fragile peace begins to crumble. With one Jedi lying dead in an ancient shrine, another takes up the murderer's trail. Who is using ancient Force powers on the streets of the holy city? Why are sacred relics going missing? And why do all roads lead to the Temple of the Whills?
Blogger Note: This is the first time I've ventured into The High Republic timeframe in any form so I can't speak to it's connection to anything before these graphic novel collections nor any connection to the new Disney series, The Acolyte, so I'll just review as is. (EDITED NOTE: I have since discovered the chronological order and that I have read a couple out of that order. However, like the movies long as you are able to read a particular story arc together the rest isn't that important, just something to keep in mind.)
As mentioned in my blogger note above, I did not know Phase 2 is actually set a century+ before Phase 1 but also as mentioned above, I was able to read the complete Phase 2 storyline all was good, the out-of-order was no problem.
What I loved most was seeing the variety of Force followers of different faiths with different names and the inclusion of the Whills was just icing on the cake. Seeing those force-varieties bickering and falling into said bickering traps was intriguing and fresh.
There's mystery, new acquaintances, allies or perhaps not-so-allies😉, humor, basically Balance of the Force is definitely deserving of the Star Wars moniker and yet another intriguing piece of the SW Universe puzzle that pulls you in and keeps you hooked. So many stories to be told, gaps to fill in, and I look forward to discovering them all.
Trail of Shadows / Blade
Phase 2 V1 / Phase 2 V2
Shadows of Starlight / Phase 3 V1
Phase 3 V2(coming 11/19/24)
Cavan Scott is a New York Times bestselling author whose work includes novels, television, comic books and award winning audio dramas. He has written for a large number of high-profile series including Star Wars, Doctor Who, Assassin's Creed, Pacific Rim, Transformers, Back to the Future, Star Trek, Vikings, Adventure Time, Sherlock Holmes and more.
His latest creator-owned comic book series, the supernatural urban fantasy Shadow Service, launched in 2020 from Vault comics.
In 2018, Cavan became one of the five story architects selected to create Lucasfilm’s new multi-media initiative, Star Wars: The High Republic and he is currently writing the ongoing Marvel comic of the same name, as well as numerous books in the series. Cavan has written widely in the galaxy far, far away, from the Tales from Vader's Castle series to the Audie nominated Star Wars Dooku Jedi Lost. In 2020, he joined the writing team for Star Wars Kid's children’s game show, Star Wars: Jedi Temple Challenge and was the co-writer of Audible’s original audio drama Sherlock Holmes: The Voice of Treason. He is currently developing a number of original comic book and television properties.
Before becoming a full-time writer, Cavan was a magazine editor for Future Publishing in the UK, launching a number of successful magazines including Countryfile, based on the hit BBC One series.
A member of The Society of Authors and the Horror Writer's Association, Cavan lives in the west of England with his wife and two daughters. His passions include learning the concertina, folklore, the music of David Bowie, and scary movies. He builds far too much LEGO.
AUDIBLE / AUDIOBOOKS / CHIRP
B&N / WOOKIEPEDIA / MARVEL
Phase 2 Vol1: Balance of the Force
iTUNES / GOOGLE PLAY / MARVEL
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