Star Wars: The High Republic Adventures - Pathfinders #2 (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 2nd 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! Set 300+ years before the events of The Phantom Menace it’s a tumultuous time for the Republic. A team of pathfinders exploring the furthest reaches of the galaxy is met with something they can’t explain. So just how are they going to escape it? Let’s jump into it!
Credit: Dark Horse Comics // Star Wars: The High Republic Adventures - Pathfinders #2 by George Mann (Writer), Caio Filipe (Illustration), Michael Atiyeh (Colorist), Comicraft’s Tyler Smith & Bobby Bradford (Letterers), Jake Bartok (Cover)
*** POSSIBLE SPOILER WARNING ***
The Story
The story continues the great start of the first issue and builds on some familiar storytelling for High Republic fans. That said, if you’re not a huge fan of The High Republic it’s still super accessible to any Star Wars fan. It’s a great story that checks all the boxes you would want out of a Star Wars comic. George Mann’s Star Wars work is truly can’t miss & this issue is no exception. If you’re going to pick up something and he’s the author of it, you’re not going to regret buying it and will absolutely get your money’s worth out of the story.
The story see’s our heros journey through space before being met with an anomaly they can’t quite explain. It makes for a really compelling story that I don’t think we’ve seen in Star Wars before. I will admit I haven’t read EVERY Star Wars story ever, but I’ve read a good number of them and George presents our heroes with something entirely new to Star Wars. The rest of the issue plays out in a way that’s very familiar to long time High Republic readers. I liked the way it built up to the ending of the issue and how it didn’t feel like a usual story inside the Star Wars universe.
The story inside the pages continues to be 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!
I really enjoyed the way George Mann continues to lay the story out and. I’m a big fan of mystery stories in Star Wars, and the way this one played out was awesome. I had a feeling of a classic sci-fi feel while reading the issue and it worked really well with the Star Wars mythos.
The Artwork
Caio Filipe, Michael Atiyeh are in charge of the artwork for this issue and do an absolutely phenomenal job with it. Long time readers of The High Republic Adventures will feel very familiar with the look and feel of the issue. The art in this issue was some of the craziest I’ve read in a Star Wars comic in some time but it was simply spectacular. A couple of the panels in outer space were also some of the most beautiful panels I’ve seen in a Star Wars comic in a few years at least. The art is just that good!
Overall Grade: 8/10
George Mann & the entire creative team continue the tremendous work they did in the first issue. The story is unique to Star Wars, but still does a great job at adapting it to a Star Wars style storytelling. Together with artwork that is simply spectacular, this is a series that you’re not going to want to pass up on.
