Review - The High Republic: Shadows of Starlight #4 Is a Chilling Conclusion to the Mini-Series

The final issue of the Shadows of Starlight miniseries has dropped, and it’s the best one yet. Each of the previous comics has focused on various Jedi and their various ways of coping and healing from the disastrous destruction of Starlight Beacon. Issue #4 takes on a drastically different approach. This time, the villains of this era are in the spotlight. Everything from the tone of the page summaries to the arrogant cruelty of Marchion Ro and the political maneuverings of various characters; they all crash together in a sea of destructive chaos. The threads of everything from the first two phases of the High Republic are weaved together perfectly as the stage is set for the showdowns to come.



This issue set everything for The Eye of Darkness and beyond perfectly. It was exhilarating from start to finish. If Star Wars has struggled with a “villain problem” recently, look no further than what the Luminous team has done with this era in how to fix it.



Spoilers ahead...



The High Republic: Shadows of Starlight #4 Cover



Like each of the three previous comics, this one began with an image of the destruction of Starlight Beacon: further emphasizing its importance as a galactic-altering catastrophe. But the fall of Starlight is portrayed as nothing of the sort in these pages. Oh no, its destruction meant victory, and what did the Nihil do to celebrate victory? They party. Then party some more. Then keep on partying until they can't take it anymore.



The Nihil celebrate their victory



In the comic, they show the Nihil partying on and on for weeks after their victory while their leader looks on and basks in his glory. However, in the last image -- five weeks out -- we see Ghirra Starros with a much different look than the opening image. Sitting down, she’s had enough of the celebrations and wants to work to create the sect of Nihil-occupied space into a true State. If you recall, Ghirra is a former Senator who has been shacking up with Marchion Ro for some time. Her daughter, Avon Starros, is a prominent character throughout several of the Phase 1 novels.







Months go by with the Nihil in their consistent state of dysfunction. Starros consistently brings forth her concerns and ideas before the Eye. Finally, after four months, she is met with a response. Granted, this response was closer to that of an arrogant dismissal, but it at least gave Ghrira a moment to reveal what she truly wants: to govern the Nihil.



Little pockets of resistance have been popping up all over the Nihil Occlusion Zone. While this has yet to be organized into any formal alliance, there is still a growing need to squash these smaller planetary rebellions. The issue takes a delicious turn here. The leaders of this Republic loyalist planet are faced with the daunting task of defending a Nihil invasion force. Overwhelmed by this, they turn to what they believe to be a savior in their midst. That being a pronounced hero from the ancient siege of Gansevor and savior to the Jedi Pathfinder team of Porter Engle and Barash Silvain: Abediah Viess.



The Sinister Abediah Viess



Some of you are screaming right now. Yes, I know. That’s not how it went down at Gansevor. For those of you unfamiliar with the mini-series, The Blade, I will quickly fill you in. The Blade was a short run about Porter Engle during Phase 2 of the High Republic initiative. Viess was first introduced in the second comic as a mercenary who threatened to kill Porter and is who the Jedi hold responsible for his sister Barash, taking a vow of solitude. She has wiped away her fair share of Jedi in her time, is no stranger to war, and is a masterful killer. I never thought she would be an integral part of the story moving forward, but it was an absolute treat to see her pop up as a major figure not only in this comic, but in The Eye of Darkness novel as well.



Abediah Viess from the phase 2 mini-series 'The Blade'



Viess convinces the leaders to hand over complete control over the defenses and uses this opportunity as “an audition” for Marchion Ro. She kills the leaders and destroys their fleet in a matter of moments.



Once this is done, and she communes with Marchion Ro for the first time, she gets her message across quite well. The message is this: you have seen a brief demonstration of what I can do, but I can help you with your ultimate battle. The killing of Jedi.



She pulls back her robe to reveal the lightsaber hilts of the Jedi she has killed. It made me gasp a bit while reading. It felt like a Grievous moment. I was almost waiting for her to mention how she was looking forward to adding to her collection. Marchion Ro welcomed her into his ranks, albeit with a warning. Don’t fail him. Don’t cross him. If you do…. Well, you won’t be settling down for a vacation on the beaches of Naboo anytime soon.



Viess displays her lightsaber trophies



Next, Ro recruits another crucial individual for his High Republic version of the Legion of Doom. He recruits Baron Boolan. Boolan... Boolan... Where have we heard that name before…. Oh! Let me tell you! Do you recall Lydia Kang’s novel Cataclysm? (The Star Wars book of 2023 if you ask me.) Even still, not quite right. Boolan first appeared in Cavan Scott's Path of Vengeance.



Anyhow, Boolan was a “little” within the Path of the Open Hand. He was a small child within this cult of anti-Force users that just so happened to be run, in part, by Marchion Ro’s ancestors and also had a legion of the Nameless at their disposal. If you are unfamiliar with the Night of Sorrow, please check out Cataclysm. It’s incredible. This was yet another example of the authors doing an expert job of lacing these two incredibly different phases of the High Republic together into what is shaping up to be a magnificent Phase 3.



Baron Boolan



Moving on, we know that Boolan has experience with the Nameless and Ro’s ancestors. While this may pose a bit of a threat to Ro, the Eye of the Nihil chooses to bring Boolan in. The Ithorian has been imprisoned for his unethical medical experiments. He would cherish an opportunity to experiment with the Nihil, and further enhance their destructive capabilities. If the illustration below of one of Boolan’s more “adventurous ideas” is an indicator of what we could be in store for, then we better hold on to our seats.



Is this an image of an experiment idea with Loden Greatstorm? We have received hints in the main comic run of some previously thought to be deceased Jedi up to something. Could this be part of Boolan’s plan? I may be crazy here, but the images of husked Loden and this experiment idea look similar.



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The final pages of the miniseries end in a dark and ominous tone. The Eye of the Nihil bids farewell to Ghirra Starros as she makes her final preparations for her trip to Coruscant to speak to Republic leadership. When she departs, we are left with a chilling sequence with the Eye, by himself. He speaks few words, but sometimes, that’s more terrifying than a rousing speech. After, he makes his way to a glowing green planet on the map: Coruscant. He closes his fist around the planet and breathes out six simple words: “Conquest. Destruction. What I Leave Behind.”



Marchion Ro



Shadows of Starlight was brilliant. It’s as simple as that. It's been no secret to anyone who has followed my reviews just how much I love this era. Charles Soule delivers yet again and continues to cement his place as a premier author in Star Wars. Grab a copy of Shadows of Starlight #4 wherever you can. Next up, the titular comic run for this phase carries on. Check out the cover of The High Republic #4 from Marvel.



The Cover for The High Republic #4



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