Review: The High Republic Adventures #2 and the Biggest Mandela Effect in Star Wars

The Mandela effect is a plague. In the first issue of Dark Horse's Star Wars: The High Republic Adventures, I lost my mind over Dexter Jettster's youthful look complete with a mustache for the ages. Since then, I have discovered everything I knew was a lie as he apparently has always had one, dating back to Attack of the Clones. That Berenstain Bears nonsense was always the one to trip me up the most, but there's officially a new contender. 'Luke, I am your father' versus 'No, I am your father' can move aside too. This is now the biggest conspiracy in Star Wars.







A moment of silence for those digesting this information for the first time. For the rest that are aware and want me to get on with it, I promise this offshoot is relevant to this week's second issue as it packs other cases of the Mandela effect.



The High Republic Adventures kicked off with Padawan Sav Malagán joining Maz Kanata and her team as she wrestles with her place with the Jedi. Now, they take the fight to the Dank Graks, stopping whatever it is that they are plotting in the process.



Spoilers ahead...







Daniel José Older doesn't waste any time as we join Maz briefing the team aboard the Venomed Scabbard. The Dank Graks have left their ship abandoned in space, which means it's time for some fun. Sav's inner dialogue catches us up with where she's at, a Padawan stowing away within this ragtag group about to embark on a turf war. Dex is the only one who knows who she really is.



Elsewhere in space, Arkik Von and the Dank Graks are patrolling the area when they pick up a signal and presume their ship, the Grim Devourer, is about to be boarded with them nowhere to be found. Of interest here is we get a tease that Arkik Von is attune to the Force when he senses the pirate has likewise left her own ship mostly abandoned in the process. So the Dank Graks do the only reasonable thing: hijack the Scabbard.







Enter the Mandela effect because I am having one whirlwind of a time keeping everyone straight. In reality, it's just learning more about the characters, but it feels like I'm getting whipped around with these wacky reveals. The big one is Alak and Inspector Raf supposedly had a relationship once upon a time. Reading the first issue again, I could see it because it didn't take much for them to get into a brawl, but it feels like a stretch, and I'm convinced Older changed the history books. Just like Jiffy did because we all know it's not Jif peanut butter.



The other one making me do a double take is Coromont, who apparently has a little man living inside his armor. After his last trial went poorly, Coromont was assigned a court-appointed officer to accompany him at all times so he could stay on the straight and narrow. I have zero clue how it's supposed to work, but I guess Officer Rado lives inside some hidden compartment, and he has a chair attached to the back of Coromont's head when he comes out? Next you're going to tell me Curious George never had a tail.







This twist was fun though, and the way Toni Bruno draws Rado as he just flops around panels once the action starts is a treat. I am someone who can easily be won over by the ridiculous. This comic's story has done very little for me so far, but the fun I'm having makes up for part of it.



It doesn't take long for the two stolen ships to get into it. Maz and company find that their prize has an issue that could mean the death of them. The Devourer is made with Tund technology, meaning only those who know the Force can access anything. Maz does her best, but without someone on the guns, the Graks are going to destroy their own ship. What a weird issue.







The Tund technology bit is significant though as it confirms the Dank Graks are to some extent associated with the Sorcerers of Tund, who have made a resurgence in canon during Marvel's The High Republic series. It's further significant as the purpose of all of this is a fight over control of Maz's castle, which has long been rumored to have been built upon an ancient Jedi and Sith battleground. With the Sorcerers of Tund being followers of the dark side, it could get nasty if all of this turns out to be connected.







The skirmish leaves Sav with a choice: give herself up as Force sensitive, or let her new friends die. She chooses the former, using the Force to activate the ship, allowing Maz to finally get back in the fight in her own attempt to destroy her ship. The only thing that made sense during this whole issue was Inspector Raf breaking it up, swooping in and trying to arrest everyone. Maz and Arkik say 'nah' and bolt into hyperspace.



Afterwards, to the surprise of nobody, Maz pulls Sav aside, and they have a chat about her Force sensitivity. She gives the Padawan an out, but Sav wants no part of it. We're left basically where we started, waiting for the adventure to really begin.







The High Republic Adventures #2 is the point where this series needs to go further. Older took this issue and planted a number of intriguing chess pieces, but the game isn't compelling enough yet. There's a deeper problem with this phase of the High Republic publishing initiative's comics in that its release schedule keeps getting shuffled around by the day, resulting in there being a disconnect with what to invest in and look forward to. As we work into the second half of Phase 2 and the impending storm of new issues, I sincerely hope Dark Horse's newest flagship Star Wars series isn't another case of the Mandela effect that is left being a forgettable addition to this era of storytelling.


<p style='text-align: center;']RATING: 5/10</p>






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