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Star Wars High Republic: The Blade #2
- Writer:
- Charles Soule
- Artist:
- Marco Castiello, Jethro Morales
- Letterer:
- VC's Travis Lanham
- Cover Artist:
- Giuseppe Camucoli, Frank Martin
- Publisher:
- Marvel
- Price:
- $3.99
- Release Date:
- 2023-01-25
- Colorist:
- Jim Campbell
Star Wars High Republic: The Blade #1 firmly established Porter Engle and Barash Silvain's bond as they traveled to settle a conflict on Gansevor. While the first installment was more lighthearted as it showed Porter and Barash's life in the Outer Rim, the issue also foreshadowed more danger ahead for Porter and Barash. In Star Wars High Republic: The Blade #2, Charles Soule's writing continues to blend seamlessly with Travis Lanham's lettering, Marco Castiello and Jethro Morales' art, and Jim Campbell's coloring to show that Porter and Barash might be underestimating the situation surrounding Bethune's siege of Firevale.
Star Wars High Republic: The Blade #2 begins by expanding upon the situation on Gansevor as Porter and Barash attempt to negotiate with both sides, receiving a different story each time. Firevale's Envoy Seleen and Bethune's Field Marshal Tozen both seem to be withholding information from the Jedi and their own people. When Porter and Barash believe that they have made progress in understanding the conflict and getting supplies to the people of Firevale, mercenaries arrive to fight alongside Bethune, escalating the siege into a more dangerous battle.
Soule's pacing is crucial throughout Star Wars High Republic: The Blade #2. Since most of the issue involves learning about the conflict, Soule breaks up the information gathering and seeds each side with half-truths and new revelations to keep the investigation interesting. Soule also continues to highlight Porter and Barash's confidence in their abilities and their bond in the present and in flashbacks. He also shows that their confidence may be leading them to overlook important details. Travis Lanham's lettering continues to support Soule's writing by using bolding to indicate the characters' speech patterns and the information they find most important, giving even more character to the dialogue. Lanham also highlights the action with sound effects that make Porter's lightsaber abilities even more vivid.
Marco Castiello and Jethro Morales' art adeptly illustrates the nuances in Porter and Barash's conversations with both sides of the Gansevor conflict. While Tozen's duplicitousness takes center stage, Castiello and Morales also use subtle facial expressions for Seleen to imply that she is also withholding information from the Jedi to paint Firevale in the most positive light possible. Castiello and Morales clearly distinguish the protagonists' changing personalities as they grow, from their past enthusiasm to their reserved confidence in the present.
Jim Campbell's coloring forms important visual distinctions between the different time periods and the opposing factions in Star Wars High Republic: The Blade #2. Campbell uses cool blue tones to depict Porter and Barash's past, making the scenes visually distinct from the warmer tones of the present storyline. He also works to visually differentiate the conflict's factions. Envoy Seleen and the people of Firevale mainly dress in orange and red tones. Meanwhile, Field Marshall Tozen and the Bethunian army wear shades of blue and green. Campbell depicts Porter and Barash in muted colors, setting them apart from either side. They look neutral. When the mercenaries arrive at the end of the issue, their dark ships stand out in contrast to the more colorful factions on the planet. Most of the mercenaries wear more muted brown and green tones, which seem to visually ally them with the Bethunian forces. However, Campbell depicts the mercenaries' leader in black, purple, and gold, which sets the entire group apart.
Overall, Star Wars High Republic: The Blade #2 is a strong continuation of Porter and Barash's mission to Gansevor. The pacing of the issue allows the audience to gain more perspective on Gansevor's conflict while still leaving the true nature of the siege unclear. The arrival of the mercenaries increases the tension even further and promises more peril as Porter and Barash continue to try to resolve the conflict, even though peace might no longer be an option in the High Republic's increasingly dangerous Outer Rim.