Star Wars: The High Republic Adventures - Pathfinders #1 (Dark Horse Comics)
Hello there! Padawan J here, the resident Star Wars expert from the ODPH! This week I'm going to be reviewing the FIRST issue of Star Wars: The High Republic Adventures from Dark Horse Comics!
After some time away from The High Republic era of Star Wars we are BACK! So just what is in store for our return? Let’s jump into it!
Credit: Dark Horse Comics // Star Wars: The High Republic Adventures - Pathfinders #1 by George Mann (Writer), Partha Pratim (Pencils), Jagdish Kumar (Ink), Michael Atiyeh (Colorist), Comicraft’s Tyler Smith & Bobby Bradford (Letterers), Jake Bartok (Cover) is the perfect start to a brand new Star Wars
*** POSSIBLE SPOILER WARNING ***
The Story
The story takes place during The High Republic Era which if you're not familiar with is set many years before the events of the Star Wars films. The books and comics within The High Republic are broken down into 3 phases, and the story being told here takes place 20 years after the events of Phase 2. It’s a brand new story, and one that’s sure to bring lots of action, adventure & mystery!
George Mann is a fantastic writer and his Star Wars work is truly can’t miss. If you’re going to pick up something and he’s the author of it then you’re going to get your money’s worth out of it. As such he get’s this new series off to a roaring start that is sure to delight fans of Star Wars no matter how big a fan you are.
Our story see’s our heros journey to the Jagoth system in the outer rim of the galaxy. We meet an individual who stumbles across a spaceship with a dead Jedi Master on board! From there the story takes on a journey of a classic whodunnit mixed together with a mystery that continues to deepen the farther into the story that you get.
The story inside the pages is incredibly accessible to readers no matter how versed you might be in previous High Republic content. Even if you haven’t read any of the books or comics, this is still an issue you can jump right into and get familiar with the characters and setting. Do you know what Jedi are? Then you’re all set to go! Sure some of the terminology with titles of ranks and such might not make sense, but it doesn’t take away from the story in any way.
I really enjoyed the way George Mann laid the story out and set everything up. I’m a big fan of mystery stories in Star Wars, and the way this one played out was just tremendous. You could tell the way things were being presented to the Jedi weren’t exactly passing the smell test, it was just a question of how deep it went. It’ll be exciting to see this play out and how far it’ll go. It’s going to be extremely exciting to watch!
The Artwork
Partha Pratim, Jagdish Kumar & Michael Atiyeh are in charge of the artwork for this issue and despite it being a while since I’ve last read any comics from The High Republic, this felt like meeting with a friend I haven’t seen after a summer vacation. Long time readers of The High Republic Adventures will feel very familiar with the look and feel of the issue, and it honestly felt like putting on a pair of your favorite socks. I’ve got high expectations for the artwork going forward, and I know the art team is going to meet those expectations. Visually, this series is going to be incredible!
Overall Grade: 8/10
As far as first issues go, this one checks all the boxes. It’s super accessible, and easy to jump into. Plus the story is incredible and George Mann has delivered another hit. Together with artwork that is simply spectacular, this is a series that you’re going to want to add to your reading list ASAP!
