Review: The Siege at Gensevor Reaches a Breaking Point in Marvels The High Republic: The Blade #3

The Blade of Bardotta is back with issue #3 in the five-part series from Charles Soule. The first two issues of The High Republic: Blade were solid, but this one raised the stakes to a new level and set the stage for what should be a mouth-watering fourth issue.



The series so far has followed the Jedi Porter Engle (The Blade) and his sister Barash as they seek to end the siege of the city of Firevale by the rival city of Bethune on the planet of Gansevor. The Bethunians claim their princess was kidnapped, while the Prince of Firevale claims she left her free will to be with him, the man she loves. Tensions appeared to ease down a bit as the second issue neared its conclusion. Still, the notion of peace exited the building when the Lithuanian leader, Field Marshal Tozen, called in an army of terrifying-looking mercenaries.



Picking up right where the second left off, readers are in for a treat. Once again, we get a taste of what the legendary swordsman Porter Engle can do with a lightsaber. More insight is given into the backstory of the relationship between him and his chosen sister, Barash. She is quickly rising the ranks of favorite High Republic characters. While some might label this a “filler comic” before what promises to be an outstanding fourth issue, I would heavily disagree. There is a tremendous amount to be found in these pages, with a massive payoff undoubtedly on the way.







Spoilers ahead...



After the Bethunians called in the heavy-duty mercenary army, the Prince of Firevale, Colden, lost most of his hope. The defenses of the city are built to withstand any aerial assault, but the front gate has a massive built-in weakness. The Jedi are informed it’s only a matter of time before the army breaks through and lays waste to the city in search of the princess.



The story of the princess coming to Firevale of her own free will is convincing. To be certain of its accuracy, Barash needs more time. She needs to buy some time to get to the bottom of this, and who better to attend to that task than Porter Engle? Immediately setting off to engage the enemy in peace talks he soars from the city walls. Evading, deflecting, and redirecting blaster fire, he creates quite the first impression among the hired guns.



Porter Engle doing Porter Engle things.



I am a sucker for the pages of Porter doing insane lightsaber maneuvers. We haven’t seen the best from him yet, of course. However, it’s the ease and sheer effortless nature in which he takes on these tasks other Jedi would find daunting that’s marveling to the eye. There is a bit of Han Solo, I can do anything, and I want you to know about it, with the way he carries himself. Just like Han, it doesn’t come across negatively but makes him incredibly endearing. You just want to be him.



After he lands, he briefly speaks with Tozena and the leader of the mercenary army, General Viess. He convinces them to briefly halt the hostilities to give his sister time to sort things out. A showdown between Viess and Engle was on the brink of bursting onto the scene but flamed out before erupting. A showdown between the two is brewing.



Porter speaks with the enemy.



The scene shifts to Barash. Speaking with the Queen of the city and the prince, she is getting closer to the truth. The Queen doesn’t back the choice of her son bringing his beloved into Firevale. She speaks of the actions of both the prince, and his beloved princess, as those of children, and not of future leaders. Barash wants to believe in them, but to be sure she has to get to the source. She demands to speak to the Princess. When the princess arrives on the scene you don’t have to wait long to hear what you expected. She is in love with the Prince of Firevale and pregnant. She had no choice but to flee. In Bethune, if she were to have a child with the heir to a rival city, she would be forced to get rid of it at birth.



Now that she has all the facts, Barash sends word to Porter. She tells him to inform the Bethunians and the mercenaries they must leave.



Something I love about Barash is the tender way she cares and believes in the best of people. Some might think she would be easy to walk over, but it’s quite the contrary. She carries herself with quiet confidence which puts you in your place if you think about crossing her. She and Porter mesh together seamlessly.



Barash and the Princess of Bethune.



Before continuing, I want to discuss the flashback portion of the comic. Each issue has given us a brief glimpse into the backstory behind this fierce friendship. This flashback was my favorite one yet. The previous saw the two dealing with the news they’d be separated. Determined to get back together quickly, they decided to pull a bit of a tank job. Simply put, they chose to perform less than admirably. However, it turns out they didn’t have to try too hard not trying to lower their performance without the other. The council quickly saw they were better Jedi when paired together and reunited them.



During this scene of them being back together, Barash confesses something to Porter. She tells him how she was taken to the Jedi Temple at an older age than most younglings. On top of that, her species retains memories from birth. She remembers her family and what’s it like to have one, spend time with them, and love them. Missing this, she asks Porter if he would be her brother. Before she asks, there is already an unspoken belief the two are family, but her vocalizing it created an even stronger bond between the two.



Porter and Barash embrace.



Now, back to the present. As you can imagine, the mercenaries and Bethunians didn’t take kindly to being told by the Jedi simply had to leave. Rather than adhere to the request, they decided to lay waste in the city. Field Marshal Tozen charged General Viess with killing the Jedi in exchange for 12 hours to loot Firevale after the battle. I must point out that Tozen is a horrible negotiator as he begins by offering one hour, and all Admiral Viess had to do was counter to 12 before he gave in.



The Bethunians and their mercenaries start firing missiles over the walls and into the gate. Their intent is clear: wreak as much havoc as possible. The royalty of Firevale loses all hope and begins yelling at Barash. She had told them that the cease-fire would continue and the defenses would hold. Quite calmly, she responds by telling them while the defenses of Firevale may not prevail…. “Porter Engle can.”



We’re with a few images of Porter Engle about to take on one of the most daunting tasks ever seen. He has but his lightsaber and the Force against an army, but something tells me that’s all he needs.



Porter preparing to absolutely wreck the enemy.


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






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