Star Wars: The High Republic #4 (April 7): Although this series still isn't on the same level as the other Star Wars titles, Scott has righted the ship enough to tell an interesting story. Avar Kriss' willingness to condemn Sskeer for both his supposed failures and his Drengir possession shows how the Jedis' arrogance became their undoing. Sskeer allowed the Drengir to possess him to learn its weakness; with Keeve's help, Sskeer is able to free himself of its possession and take down the Drengir. Kriss doesn't acknowledge his success, in all likelihood because she would never have taken such a risk. With the Hutt Clan's arrival on Sedri Minor and a Dengrir emerging from the dead Hutt's body on Starlight, the Jedi face threats on numerous fronts. I'm not sure Kriss has shown her ability to manage them effectively.
Star Wars: Bounty Hunters #11 (April 14): Man, this issue is great. Sacks ties up loose ends quickly, as Dengar and Valance agree to an uneasy partnership to track down Boba Fett. (Valance needs Dengar because the Unbroken Clan had the Bounty Hunters Guild end Valance's, um, membership, if you will.) We then move onto the main event: Jabba has hired Bossk to become prey in the Great Hunt of Malastare in order to scare a Banking Guild Vice Chair (Jermit) to sign a contract with a mysterious partner. Jermit is sufficiently scared after Bossk takes down his armed guards, but he refuses Bib Fortuna's offer, imply that Jabba is underestimating how dangerous said partner is. (Is it Vader? The Emperor?) In the end, Bossk kills him for Bib Fortuna, who hopes Jermit's successors are more pliable. Bossk is at his best here, tearing his way through the hunters and using the other prey as bait. But, Sacks shows why he's such a compelling character in the smaller moments, like when he spares one of Jermit's guards because he put up an excellent fight or when he decides not to kill the one prey who manages to survive. Killing them would've reduced Bossk to a simple villain, which Sacks makes clear he is most definitely not.
Star Wars: Darth Vader #11 (April 28): This issue is odd, though it isn't really Pak's fault. He's dealing with the ridiculous of the McGuffin that is Exegol. It's a lot to ask.
The Emperor makes quick work of Vader's new pet Summa-Verminoth, a humiliating blow for Vader given that he was so confident in his position that he declared that he was no longer the Emperor's apprentice. (He should really stop underestimating his masters.) Pak then tries to explain how the Emperor built his secret Star Destroyer fleet by revealing that Palpatine used a Kyber crystal mountain to power what he describes as his "scalpel of creation." Returning to the idea of pain leading to fear leading to anger leading to power, the Emperor tells Vader - who, along with Ochi, is inundated with the terror the suffering Kyber crystal mountain emotes - that he can only share the Emperor's power if he accepts that he'll never escape this terrible pain. (It raises an interesting question what Palpatine's pain is.) After contemplating a flipped scenario of "Empire Strikes Back's" ending - now with Luke telling Vader that his destiny is to destroy the Emperor, not Luke's - Vader accepts his place under the Emperor.
In terms of trying to provide an acceptable answer for how the Emperor built his fleet, Pak passes that test. Unfortunately, it's beyond his remit to explain with the Emperor failed to use said fleet, particularly after the Rebels proved themselves capable of destroying the first Death Star. In fact, why build a second one when each one of these Star Destroyers allegedly has a planet-destroying cannon? Ah, Star Wars.
At any rate, it's a weird ending to a solid arc. I don't particularly understand why the Kyber crystal mountain led Vader to believe that his rebellion against the Emperor had to end. After all, if he struck down the Emperor, wouldn't he have control of the Kyber crystal mountain? Is it because the Emperor so easily dismissed the Summar-Verminoth and/or manages to control the Kyber crystal mountain? It's unclear. It feels like it just happens because the plot demanded that it happens, which is unusual for these Star Wars series as they usually do a better job of showing how actions have consequences. Onto the War of the Bounty Hunters, I guess.
Also Read: Dragon Age: Dark Fortress #2 (April 28)
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