The High Republic: Eye of Darkness Review!

#TheHighRepublic Eye of Darkness is every bit the masterful emotional gut punch of superior quality that we have come to expect from The High Republic. Check out our review! #StarWarsBooks

“That seed of hope that you cling to, that belief that the Jedi will rise above this, will bring an end to all that I have done… it is a fallacy.”Marchion Ro One year after Starlight has fallen and the Nihil have cut off a section of the galaxy behind their Stormwall, the Jedi and the Republic are still trying to find a way to fight back. But against the Nihil, Marchion Ro, and his Force Eaters,…

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Star Wars: The High Republic: Dispatches from the Occlusion Zone #1, by Jake Bartok.

Seeing Ram behind the Occlusion Zone made me immediately ready to fist fight Marchion Ro himself

nooo avar don't go to the occlusion zone 😔♥

What process do you use when your colouring art…?

Btw just a disclaimer, I don't have very good foundation and just "trial and error" most drawings. But... here u go anyway ;)

I start with flat colours, then add some slightly darker/lighter zones to separate front and back when there is overlap of the same colour in different objects. This also is used to show whats in front or behind. I may add ambient occlusions if needed, but cause the drawing's already dark enough I won't put it.

Then slap a multiply layer on top, in this case I use light purple. Then add another add/colour dodge layer above of it. Sometimes I just use a brighter flat colour for the light, that way I don't need to add any extra details in the light section. I normally do some iterations for the lighting before going forward (if im not lazy...)

Sometimes this phase is done before cleaning up the base flat colours, but I can come back and fix that afterwards (but generally only before adding details, else things get complicated and messy)

Now details: I usually add a border around the lit areas (the colour for that is usually slightly less/more saturated, or a colour adjacent to the light colour on the colour wheel)

Then I add extra folds, textures, or reflected light in places that look a little too flat still. And the final image usually starts coming together at this point.

I like sorta changing the colour just a liiiiittle bit in some places that still need extra detail. See the purple inside?

Sometimes during this phase I find that the lighting I chose isn't ideal, and I change it like I did in this drawing. So the details, colour dodge and base colours are on different layers to not affect everything when one changes.

And its done! I hope it helps, but you can probably find way better explained versions online.

The Nihil raiders fear her. With the old hat of her missing master, she wanders the Occlusion Zone to bring peace and justice to this lawless place.

Her name?

Vernestra Rwoh

had elzar not used the dark side on valo after seeing porter in danger he would have most likely died then, never ending up stranded in the occlusion zone, never deciphering elzar’s messages, never building the EX droid, and avar would neither have heard elzar’s message, nor likely been able to escape through the stormwall. butterfly effect butterflying strongly here

New Releases

A few new books out this week by some amazing authors to start us off right for Women's History Month. 

The Marble Queen by Anna Kopp & illustrated by Gabrielle Kari Dark Horse

Princess Amelia’s kingdom, Marion, is in shambles after months of their trade routes being ravaged by pirates, and now the only seemingly option left is for her to save it through a marriage alliance. When she gets an exorbitant offer from the royalty of Iliad—a country shrouded in mystery—Amelia accepts without question and leaves her home to begin a new life.

But she lands on Iliad’s shores to find that her betrothed isn’t the country’s prince, but the recently coronated Queen Salira. ​ Shocked, Amelia tries to make sense of her situation and her confused heart: Salira has awakened strange new feelings inside her, but something dark hides behind the Queen’s sorrowful eyes. Amelia must fight the demons of her own anxiety disorder before she can tackle her wife’s, all while war looms on the horizon.

The Encanto’s Daughter (The Encanto’s Daughter #1) by Melissa de la Cruz G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers

MJ Rodriguez has spent her life hiding in the human world, keeping a heavy secret. She’s half-encanto. As the only child of King Vivencio of the Sirena Court, she’s also next in line for the throne. And now, upon her estranged father’s sudden death, MJ must claim her place as rightful heir.

In wondrous Biringan, the road to the throne is paved with thorns. Without a reigning monarch, the realm has spiraled into disarray. MJ has to win over a backstabbing council that objects to a half-human ruler. And when it looks like her father’s passing wasn’t natural but possibly inflicted by a curse, she must hunt down the sorceress behind this merciless magic.

In a bind, MJ forges an unlikely alliance with the striking Sir Lucas of the feared Sigbin Court, and soon, she loses her heart to the mysterious knight. But with peril looming over Biringan, the princess must decide if she can both open herself to love and carry the weight of the crown.

Defy the Storm (Star Wars: The High Republic) by Tessa Gratton & Justina Ireland Disney Lucasfilm Press

One year after the fall of Starlight Beacon, the galaxy is in chaos. An anarchistic group known as the Nihil has taken over a section of space now known as the Occlusion Zone. Jedi Knight Vernestra Rwoh and scientist Avon Starros team up in an attempt to find a way through the Nihil Stormwall to save those on the other side.

But what are the Nihil’s real plans? And what of the nameless creatures that can destroy the Jedi Order? The battle has just begun. . . .

“It’s fair to say that my first space walk freaked me the kriff out.” -- Keeve Trennis

Cover art for Star Wars: The High Republic Vol. 3 #004, “Into the Occlusion Zone”

Art by Phil Noto

avar encounters lourna again in the occlusion zone and prepares for a fight, but lourna proposes a tentative alliance to take down marchion. avar agrees, and spends a while sleeping with one eye open, but eventually they slowly begin to trust each other. avar teaches lourna how to fight with a lightsaber, and lourna teaches avar how to fight like a nihil. marchion never sees them coming (and maybe they make out after killing him who knows).

oooooo the enemy of my enemy is my enemies to lovers!!! plus the ever sexy kissing covered in blood. is this lourna's redemption arc? or is it avar's corruption arc?

Rogue Rebels Podcast 198!

#TheHighRepublic The Eye of Darkness with King Tom!!

DO NOT MESS WITH ENGLE'S DOG.

Check out the FULL podcast for more wherever you listen!

High Republic Adventures #1 - Mikkian Mayhem spoilers

THEY KISSED BY THE FORCE THEY ACTUALLY KISSED I CANNOT DEAL

Alright now that I got that outta the way. This issue was made specifically for me. So many mikkians. So many head tendrils.

Seeing Orla and Stellan and Loden again, even in holograms, made me a little sad. (Sorry Regald you seemed nice but I didn't know you that well)

It's cool that Zeen is just a part time longue singer now. Glad that thread from Midnight Horizon carried over.

Lula has been missing for a year and Zeen has gone completely feral. She is so ready to commit violence.

Qort has grown up so much. I really love his design. Although I'm still not used to him speaking basic yet. I like that he taught Aloxian to Zeen. It's adorable.

Seeing a map of the Occlusion Zone is lovely. Gives a little more physicality to what was happening in Eye of Darkness. I needed that.

Zeen's new combat fit is amazing. Two guns AND two shock sticks. I love that for her. Qort is really trying his best to reign her in, but it's not working very well.

Lula why the hell have you been pretending to be a Nhil warlord for a year?! And where is Farzala!?

THEY KISSED!!! What a beautiful last few panels too. Adventures continues to have some amazing panel composition.

I am honestly really glad they didn't drag out the search for Lula and just answered the biggest question right out the gate. Now I just need to know what Kantam Sy is up to.

The reunited Jedi prepare to strike back against the ruthless Nihil in this thrilling sequel to Star Wars: The High Republic: The Eye of Darkness.

For over a year, Jedi Masters Avar Kriss and Elzar Mann were kept apart by the Nihil’s Stormwall. After Avar makes a daring escape from inside the Occlusion Zone, the star-crossed Jedi are reunited. But while the physical distance between them has evaporated, their shared grief over their failure to protect the galaxy from the Nihil threat still remains. To rally the Jedi Order, and the Republic, Avar and Elzar cling to their belief in serving Light and Life. Working together they lead a daring mission into Nihil space to liberate the planet of Naboo, and show those trapped behind the Stormwall that the Jedi will never abandon them. Now back within close orbit of one another, the two Jedi Masters can no longer deny the bond that has always drawn them back together and made them stronger. After finally embracing their true desires and imbued with renewed purpose, Avar and Elzar devise a plan to turn the tide of the conflict with the Nihil once and for all. Accompanied by Jedi Knights Bell Zettifar, Burryaga, and Vernestra Rwoh, the Jedi begin their hunt for Marchion Ro. But to seek out the Nihil’s dangerous leader the Jedi will have to survive the Nameless terrors that they have thus far been powerless to stop.

Star Wars: The High Republic: Temptation of the Force arrives June 11, 2024

Really loved The Eye of Darkness. I come into reading any THR stuff wanting to like it so that helps, but this novel really takes the cake as one of the better ones in the series for me.

It won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, especially if you aren’t content with the plot going slowly. This is very much a novel about spending a lot of time with the characters instead of jumping to many different events. But I think the novel does an excellent job of building the setting for the entire phase, establishing why the Nihil are a formidable opponent going forward, and makes the pov characters (Avar, Porter, Elzar, Bell, and Ghirra) work really well. I love them and their struggles. I don’t think I’ve loved Avar or Porter more than now.

Unlike Phase I where each novel was built around a singular disaster/Nihil atrocity, this one is more about world building for the Occlusion Zone and how the characters work around (and within) it. There’s still a lot of tension and none of the time spent is filler. I’d reread it immediately if I had the time.

turns out in my excitement over reading Eye of Darkness i totally missed this article lol

We got a full-size boolan!

“A long time ago, Baron Boolan walked a different Path,” Scott teases. “But since being discovered by Marchion Ro, [Boolan] has become the Nihil's new Minister of Advancement.” What could possibly help advance the Nihil’s cause? “For Advancement, read excruciatingly painful experiments that turn ordinary Force users into vicious berserkers and hunters. And that's before he started experimenting on the Nameless to make them just a little bit more terrifying.”

discovered by Marchion you say 👀

experimenting on Force users 👀👀

making the Nameless more terrifying 👀👀👀

One of a trio of ministers replacing Marchion’s Tempest Runners, Boolan’s powers are far-reaching across the Nihil territory. “He has secret bases throughout the Occlusion Zone filled with the results of his labors and prowled by the sinister Children of the Storm, who answer only to Marchion Ro. Or, do they?”

you REPLACE lourna? you replace her like kassav and pan? JAIL for marchion!!

also love the intrigue lol

then there's the new kid

One of the younger members of the Nihil’s science sector, the teenaged Niv Drendow is an all-new character for Phase III and one of Baron Boolan’s sinister students, learning everything he can about the Nameless and other experimentation. “[Niv Drendow] is unfortunately a super genius in the field of demented biological research, a fact about him that Baron Boolan immediately picked up on, taking the young Niv Drendow under his creepy wing as an apprentice back on Vrant Tarnum,” Older continues. “The good news is, Niv Drendow is pretty terrible at just about everything else in life. He's not street savvy. His charisma is in the negative tens. He's a mediocre tactician at best. But he's ruthless, sometimes cunning, and willing to do whatever it takes to get his experiments done, and that alone has taken him quite far.”

i fucking love him and so does alyssa wong lol

ms starros you need to get yourself a protégé. your fellow ministers are upstaging you!

Star Wars: The High Republic #4 Preview

Star Wars: The High Republic #4 Preview #highrepublic #MARVEL #marvelcomics #thehighrepublic #comics #comicbooks #news #mcu #art #info #NCBD #previews #reviews #starwars #darthvader #vader #skywalker #starwarscomics #jedi

Star Wars: The High Republic #4 Preview: INTO THE NIHIL OCCLUSION ZONE! JEDI MASTER KEEVE TRENNIS has disobeyed direct orders from CORUSCANT and entered NIHIL space. Her mission: to find and save a soul who was thought lost. Familiar faces from PHASE I of STAR WARS: THE HIGH REPUBLIC return…but not as they used to be! CAVAN SCOTT • JIM TOWE (A) • COVER BY PHIL NOTO VARIANT COVER BY BEN HARVEY •…

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