Star Wars: The High Republic vol. 2 — Heart of the Drengir

If you thought that Master Sskeer had sacrificed himself to stem the onslaught of the Drengir at the end of the previous volume, think again.  He’s still alive and still connected to the plant-based hive-mind and his former padawan turned Jedi Knight Keeve Trennis is determined to save him from it.  Which is a good thing because he’s able to use his connection to the Drengir to find out where their core is.  Even as this threat is sorted, a new one immediately rears its head.  The Nihil, thought to be in disarray following the death of their Eye, a Twi’lek known as Lourna Dee, are regrouping.  It’s thought that there is a new Eye of the Nihil and the Jedi Council is now taking steps to find out who it is.  Their first step:  Sending Keeve and Terec undercover within the Nihil.

Yeah, this volume came out a couple months back.  What took this review so long?  General apathy towards this series in the wake of the first volume and the fact that it was priced just right to make me include it as part of a “Buy 2, Get 1 Free” deal on Amazon.  The other items in that order were “The Many Deaths of Laila Starr” and vol. 2 of “We Only Find Them When They’re Dead.”  Both were better reads because their stories went off in weirder and more interesting directions than the one here did.

“The High Republic” continues to play it safe and familiar in this volume with the wrap-up of the Drengir storyline and the beginning of a new one involving the Nihil.  Georges Jeanty joins Ario Anindito for this volume and he provides generally decent work.  Though I prefer Anindito’s more solid linework, neither really elevate the material.  About the only genuinely interesting thing I found in this volume was its cliffhanger ending involving a Force-nullifying “WHAT’S IN THE BOX?!” surprise.  That by itself isn’t enough to get me excited for seeing how “The High Republic” wraps up the first leg of its comic journey, Amazon deal or no.