Review: The High Republic Adventures: The Nameless Terror #4 Delivers on the Series Promise With a Stirring Conclusion

1979's Alien hasn't stood the test of time solely because it introduced cinema's most horrifying creation. To this day, Alien remains a masterclass in build-up, suspense, and what can happen when you let a creator like Ridley Scott run wild. George Mann's The High Republic Adventures: The Nameless Terror is Star Wars' attempt to recreate that magic, pitting Jedi and those they swear to protect against the unspeakable horror known as Nameless.



This week's issue #4 marks the end of this mini-masterpiece of a series that finally said, 'Yeah, let's let our monster mess some people up.' Alien, as well as James Cameron's 1986 sequel, Aliens, spent the first hour of their respective runtimes primarily establishing the characters and their relationships before diving full steam into Xenomorph action. Those groups always had a few rotten eggs, like Parker, Brett, Burke, and Vasquez, exemplified in The Nameless Terror's Path of the Open Hand. Nobody is truly evil, but their individual actions compromise the primary goal of survival.



This finale brings it together with a harrowing, stirring conclusion that might turn The Nameless Terror into my favorite entry into phase 2. I recently spoke with author Cavan Scott about his latest in High Republic publishing, Path of Vengeance. One of my favorite bits is when he talked about how The Rising Storm could be told in an all-ages comic (like The Nameless Terror). At the time, I joked with him, thinking about how the death of Loden Greatstorm at the hands of the Leveler and the emotional weight it carried wouldn't be replicable. Oh, how wrong I was.



The Nameless Terror is a must-read for fans of horror and those clamoring for something different with their Star Wars. At only four issues, you'll have it done in an hour. With issue #4, Mann and his team have crafted something truly staggering, and I implore you to leave this review and come back, as I won't be able to show you what you need to see to believe.



Spoilers ahead...



A quick aside with Ty Yorrick and Klo



The mission to escape the cursed planet continues as Coron returns to the power conduit to bring the ship back to life so Pako can blow it and the Nameless away. However, the beast has already worked its way inside the ship, and the other inconspicuous eggs are beginning to hatch.



Those eggs hatching and what happens after was my most anticipated plot point heading into this issue. Chekhov's gun says there must be a horde of Nameless monsters hunting the group, but Mann didn't fully commit to that. Having my expectations subverted wasn't fun, but I understand why it needed to be this way so we'll get to that in a bit.



Xinith senses danger



Jedi Master Xinith senses that more monsters are 'close,' so they leave the hangar as the eggs crack slightly more. Elsewhere, Masters Sula and Rok hunt for the Nameless that has been stalking them. The latter runs into some Path members who got axed, while the former meets the unholy beast, whose only desire is to wine and dine on the Force energy that courses through her veins.



The art done by Eduardo Mello, Ornella Savarese, and the rest of the team is some of the most stunning work I've seen in a comic. It has such a depth that draws you into every frame. It's so realistic, which makes the Nameless stand out all the more each time it appears. Mello and Savarese capture the unnatural design of the beast, adding to its ghastly sight in this natural sphere.



The Nameless Concept Art



As illustrated by Mello's cover for issue #4, this is Sula's issue. And it's not because this ends in sunshine and rainbows for her. There are a pair of gutting moments in this issue related to Sula that we need to talk about. The first is when her heroism results in her arm being calcified and turned to dust by the Nameless. My mouth went slack-jawed when I saw this. Across one page, four panels show the slow decaying of her arm and the sheer terror that develops across her face. A lesser comic would settle for the bare minimum, but this team ensures you feel every ounce of Sula's pain.



The horror doesn't stop as Pako, fresh off rigging the engines to blow, finds Sula. He fires shots off at the Nameless but only draws the creature's ire. With a hard thump, Pako is sent hurtling into the wall. His head thuds against the ship, and that is all she wrote. That sudden. That quick. Satisfied, the Nameless leaves but rest in peace Pako, you crazy son of a gun.



Pako discusses his moral duty with the Path of the Open Hand



Sula bumbles back to the group, who immediately embrace her once they see what happened. The alarms blare, and the escape is on - third act of Alien(s) style. Instead of a countdown like in the movies, the group is greeted by a chorus of 'SHREEs.' The eggs have hatched, and it's time to go. Studio Ram's lettering is again excellent as the cries of the Nameless play in contrast to the alarms, which have bathed the ship in red.



Sula decides to stay because we can't have nice things in the High Republic, leading to the second gut punch, as everyone knows what this means. She says goodbye to Coron and tells Rok to look after him before heading back into the ship's bowels. It's not long before she comes face-to-face with two Nameless, and her physical form immediately fades away as she makes one final declaration.



One panel later, the Jedi Master is gone. Kudos to Mann and the team for committing to such a petrifying display of power that the Nameless possess. Rest in peace Sula.





The Nameless eggs hatch



Her sacrifice buys the others enough time to escape. The ship explodes, and while we don't know if the threat of the Nameless is neutralized, their part in this story is over. Coron rushes towards the wreckage, but Rok stops him and embraces the boy, a moment that brings his arc throughout phase 2 together. In Mann's Quest for the Hidden City, he failed to save his Padawan on Gloam. In The Nameless Terror, Rok starts as a Jedi doubting himself. This peril reinvigorated him, and he won back his resolve as he saved everyone he could. While I'm upset that we didn't get the Jedi taking on an army of the Nameless, after seeing what they did to Sula before taking a single breath, I'm happy we got this resolution. There wouldn't have been a happy ending, something this story needed.



For those wondering about Ty Yorrick and how she factors into this story, we learn Coron became her Master after Rok took him on as his Padawan. We then reunite with Drewen, the Segredo we met in The Monster of Temple Peak, and the two go off to hunt the Acklay because friends are essential to have in desperate times. Or something. I liked learning about Ty's personal connection to this series. Still, these intermissions with her throughout this miniseries bookended by this coda just weren't good enough for such a life-affirming finale.







The High Republic Adventures: The Nameless Terror is likely to become one of the most underrated series in this publishing initiative. At four issues and not a ton of more extensive connective tissue, it will go missing in favor of something else. For my money, this series has been a clinic in what Star Wars can be. It can be any genre, and it can be for every audience. I must reiterate (like I have in the past) that I may be overselling the horror aspects of The Nameless Terror a bit, but the reactions I felt were real.



While some of George Mann's plotting might be undercooked word salad, his overall vision, paired with the art from Eduardo Mello, Ornella Savarese, and everyone else putting this comic together, made for a special journey. The High Republic Adventures: The Nameless Terror is a standout Star Wars comic that goes out on a high not many stories can achieve.


<p style='text-align: center;']RATING: 9/10</p>


Star Wars: The High Republic Adventures – The Nameless Terror #4 is available now wherever comics are sold. Special thanks to Dark Horse Comics for the ARC used in this review.



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