Star Wars: The High Republic, Vol. 1: There Is No Fear by Cavan Scott

Star Wars: The High Republic, Vol. 1: There Is No Fear Reviews

• 
  Scott

  "I was a Padawan. Now I'm a Jedi Knight, and everyone will be watching. My old master will be watching. They'll be expecting great things. But that's fine. The Force is with me. I am one with the Force. Blah blah blah." -- the musings of newly minted Jedi Knight Keeve Trennis, in the opening of chapter 2
  
  Truly taking place "a long, long time ago" - as in long before any of the nine movies we love and/or despise, although Yoda has the briefest of cameo appearances - Star Wars: The High Republic - There is No Fear is set in those golden days when numerous Jedi Knights still existed and worked as a force (haha!) of good in the galaxies. The appealing protagonist of this volume is Keeve Trennis, and one of the more enjoyable aspects was that she narrated the story. Sounding very much like a young adult yearning to break free and show her talents (yet while also plagued by some moments of self-doubt), Trennis jumps into this dramatic action-oriented sci-fi tale with gusto. I probably won't remember much about this graphic novel by next week - other than being repeatedly annoyed by Jedi Master Sskeer's accented style of speech, which ALWAYS involves multiple S's because he's lizard-ish, don't ya know? - but I would be interested in reading the further adventures of young Keeve.
• 
  Tiag⊗ the Mutant

  From the company that invested a billion dollars in the production of a Star Wars sequel trilogy without a long-haul plan or overarching narrative in their work plan, here's Star Wars: The High Republic, a new era of Star Wars, a time of expansion without the wars, without the Sith, but with a lot of beige and appeal to modern audiences, yawn. Truth is, There Is No Fear is not a bad read, it's just not good Star Wars in my opinion, it reads like any other generic YA fantasy story, think of it as the vegan version of Star Wars, pun intended.
• 
  Jim C

  This is the first collection of a series that takes place many, many years before the movies. This is also running concurrently with novels and this crosses over with the novels. In this one, Keeve is a padawan that is about to take her Jedi Knight trial test. While taking her test there is a looming threat that threatens the entire galaxy.
  
  Once again I find myself liking an offering from this new era from Disney but not loving it. I did like this a little more than the novels but I did find my dislikes from those transferring to this collection. My biggest complaint from the novels is that I am not connecting with the characters. An example of this is with the protagonist in this collection. Before I started writing this review I had to look up her name even though I just finished reading it. That says it all about how I feel about her. I did think this collection did a better job fleshing out other characters like her master and especially the antagonists. The artwork and the action scenes were the highlight of this collection.
  
  This is my fourth offering that I have read from this era. I have read two novels, a graphic novel, and a book meant for children. It is really telling when I thought the book meant for the children was the best so far. Out of everything I have read the book for children has done the best of character exploration and making the reader care about the characters. This collection is just like the novels. I like it but nothing earth shattering.
• 
  Khurram

  A great collection of the High Republic comics. The other half of the war is happening here. For a continuity lover like me having the parts of the war and the Jedi who have not had a chance to make more than a cameo in the books can be covered in the comics.
  
  The terror that was unlocked from Into the Dark are here. What are they planning and can the inexperienced and untested Jedi Knights and Masters deal with it? This is the whole thing about this era of the Jedi. They know the Jedi platitudes as well as what should be avoided, but they have not had a chance to put these ideas into practice. This is true of even the most experienced of their number. They have never experienced corruption themselves.
  
  I like the appearances of the Jedi from the side books as well, and as well as new characters. Really happy the era is coming together.
• 
  GrilledCheeseSamurai (Scott)

  Loved it.
  
  Every single issue had something cool af in it that made me pause and just think to myself 'fuck, I love Star Wars.'
  
  I don't care what anyone says - all I know is The High Republic, both the novels and these comics, have been an absolute blast to read so far.
  
  *read in single issues*
• 
  myo ✧༺ ༘♡ ༻∞

  i usually don’t rate graphic novels but oh man was this super fun!! this made me fall in love with Keeve. something the books failed to do was make me care about the characters but something about this book hooked me in seconds. excited to move forward
• 
  Robert

  There is no fear, but there is adorable constant Star Wars swearing by our protagonist Keeve Trennis. It makes for a kriffing good time!
  
  
  
  How much you enjoy this arc may depend on your feelings about the malevolent plant villains called the Drengir. For my part I am warming on them, and this volume does a tremendous amount of stage-setting as well as providing a visual feast for those of us who have also read the novels and were wondering what a lot of this stuff actually looks like.
• 
  Ben Brown

  Volume 1 of Marvel’s new ‘The High Republic’ comic series is officially done and in the books. While it’s hard to imagine it ranking as anyone’s FAVORITE “Star Wars” comic – much of these first 5 issues feel like they’re meant to set things up for the coming long-game, as opposed to telling a significant story – there’s still enough here, on both a world-building and ground-laying level, to warrant a recommendation (especially to diehard Star Wars fans who are eager and waiting to devour any new “High Republic” material from this new, shiny corner of the galaxy far, far away). Writer Cavan Scott does an able job at teeing up enough narrative balls to keep reader’s interest for where things might go in the future, and the art by Ario Anindito is never less than gorgeous. Here’s to Volume 2 and bigger/better things.
• 
  Jamie Connolly

  I don't understand how anyone could enjoy this book. Don't bother. Just don't. The worst graphic novel I've read all year. 2 stars.
• 
  Siona St Mark

  This was good but ultimately I think the Drengir (sp?) could have been pushed further. Like I do get this is Star Wars, and Disney Star Wars at that, but idk, I think they really could be horrific if pushed to that level but all of the Disney SW books are… safe to me. Like they all feel restrained and YA-ish, but there definitely is a place for that, but they don’t all after to be that. And I’m not asking for a grimdark SW book, but just something more than PG-13 I guess 🤷🏻‍♀️
• 
  Emma

  There Is No Fear was a fun, speedy read. I would've loved a little more introduction to the main characters but there's a chance they first appeared in another High Republic release that I read and just didn't remember. Very intrigued to see where the story is going next.
• 
  Robert

  Might have been ok if awful marketing hadn't destroyed expectations - putting on every single cover of every single issue some variation of 'the fate of the Republic rests on HER shoulders" when your main character is a newly minted knight with ZERO accomplishments we have seen and who is surrounded by more senior and more competent Jedi beggars belief and is a complete turnoff - particularly when nothing that happens seems to threaten the Republic itself.
• 
  Davie Green

  Really middle of the road stuff that doesn’t add anything significant to anything of the wider mythology as a whole. The first few issues suffer incredibly from absolutely crammed in panels of dialogue, exposition and not very attractive art.
  
  Having a Tradoshan Jedi was the only real selling point for me here and they didn’t really do anything with him.
• 
  Anna

  As is the case for most Marvel imprints in recent years, the art is better than the writing. I wanted to care about the characters - particularly Keeve - but found them to be somewhat devoid of depth and personality. Hopefully more character development will occur over the next arc.
• 
  Connie

  I own this book in TPB format.
  
  It has been ages since I've ventured into the world of Star Wars comics, maybe almost a year at this stage and I've been really interested in the growing world of the High Republic so I thought it was maybe time I start. There is No Fear starts with Keeve, a padawan, getting ambushed during a trial with her master and soon earning her Jedi Knight status. Obviously, this is great, but there is soon a looming trouble and threat to the Republic's new Starlight Beacon and Keeve, her master and some other of the Jedi must get to the bottom of what is going on, especially when they encounter the Drengir.
  
  Overall, I really liked this starting point for the High Republic content and I will definitely be continuing. I did find Keeve a bit of an annoying main character but that is neither here nor there, she grew on me as the book continued. There was also surprisingly a lot of emotion in this book that I didn't expect.
• 
  Billy Jepma

  This started so strong, with compelling character dynamics and some of the better art we've gotten from one of Marvel's Star Wars comics. But it gradually lost me as it went on. The primary threat (which originated in one of the YA books from earlier in the year) didn't work for me the first time they showed up and worked for me even less here. I like Scott's plotting well enough, but his writing has always felt a bit stiff to me, which continues to be the case here. I never felt like the stakes were all that high or that the characters were actually in much danger. It's far from ideal. It also sidelines the most interesting story beat (what happens when a Jedi Master has a crisis of faith?) by wrapping it up in derivative mind control stuff. Even the mystery introduced in those first couple of issues quickly loses steam once we start getting answers.
  
  But the artwork is strong, and Anindito and Morales make a killer artist/inker combo. I loved how dynamic, sharp, and clear their fight scenes were and loved how Leoni's bright color palette added new dimensions to them. It's disappointing, then, that the final issue loses Anindito and Morales. The replacement (interlude?) artists are...fine, but the detail and texture work takes a noticeable dip, especially when it comes to the character expressions. It sapped even more energy out of a climax that very much didn't have much to spare. This gets a 2.5 from me, but I will round up because it's Star Wars and I am a sucker.
• 
  Neil R. Coulter

  The graphic novel format makes it a lot easier to keep track of all these characters. But the story still doesn't interest me much. Yoda shows up in this one, just long enough to say, "By the way, I'm leaving to go do...something...so you won't be seeing me around, even though it would be really helpful for me to pitch in."
• 
  Scott

  I am sorry to say that there's not much to really like about this new Star Wars comic set in the High Republic era. The art is pretty good, except for the pages where there is too much crammed into the panels, but the characters are predictable and the storylines are not very creative. I expected more depth and quality in building this Disney proclaimed "Golden age" of the Jedi mythology.
  
  Like the novels, It is a struggle to develop or maintain interest in the characters or the sub-plots taking place around the build-up of the new evil enemy, the Nihil, who just don't seem to across as a strong enough enemy for the Jedi.
  
  Overall, just too many problems and not enough things to like about this...
• 
  Ahdom

  What a smashing adventure this was! I have loved this first wave of High Republic stories. This comic was great! I am counting down to the next one, honestly. The artwork was absolutely top-notch in these too. Don't hesitate to read this one... There are some horror elements in this and plenty of thrills. Man, I love Jedi action! Keep them coming Cavan! MTFBWY...
• 
  Emma

  call me elzar mann bc i cannot stop thinking about avar kriss
• 
  Shaun Stanley

  Star Wars: The High Republic Vol. 1 There Is No Fear collects issues 1-5 of the Marvel Comic series written by Cavan Scott and art by Ario Anindito.
  
  With dedication to the Starlight Beacon on the horizon, Padawan Keeve Trennis prepares to complete her Jedi trials and become a Jedi when disaster strikes on the planet she is training on.
  
  This arc feels like it should have been a filler arc after a couple of introductory arcs that would have better served as an opening for such a large new initiative in Star Wars. It isn't bad, but it isn't exactly good either and does not do a good job of presenting this golden age of the Jedi. It feels more like one of IDW all-age Star Wars comics. The characters are likable enough, but I just didn't feel connected to the story and it felt like it needed to be better edited for a smoother flow. For this time period, I would love to see stories of Jedi Knights and Masters "taming" the Outer Rim and purging the Galaxy of local terrors. Make the arcs feel like mini westerns.
• 
  Lata

  We meet Padawan Keeve Trennis, who is nervous about passing her trial to become a Master. Her Master Skeer is still suffering the trauma of his last encounter with the Nihil, which left him short of one arm, and doubts and much anger.
  
  Later, Keeve, Skeer and two other Jedi, identical looking Cerrec and Terec, discover mysterious disappearances on an isolated and non-Republic planet.
  
  I like that we’re seeing that Jedi do carry trauma from their experiences, as it makes them, however lofty and controlled, more realistic.
  
  Keeve is great, swearing too much and believably nervous, but growing as she sees that her Master needs her support.
  
  And there is the sheer horror of sentient plants spreading everywhere, infecting as many as it can. Made me shiver to think about it.
• 
  Melvyn

  There Is No Fear is the first story arc from Star Wars: The High Republic comic book series. And it definitely delivers an intense start to the visual universe of the High Republic!
  
  We have been introduced to a new threat in the galaxy far, far away: Drengir, sentient plant creatures. They feed on the energy and nutrients from the bodies of their victims and seem to be indestructible... Drengir are a perfect Star Wars "villain" to get in a comic book series. Their vegetation-like bodies take over the bodies of other creatures or take the shape of viny creatures, which is amazing visuals to see in the artwork of the series. The Nihil seem to be the prevalent threat in the novel arcs and the Drengir will be the threat in the comic book arcs, which I find is a great balance. We do have recurring characters between these such as Jedi Masters Avar Kriss and Sskeer. I'm starting to get a really good sense of the Jedi philosophy in this time period, the High Republic.
  
  Honorable mention goes to the Jedi brothers Terec and Ceret. I find are a very unique duo that we got to meet in this comic arc, and I hope we get to see more of their adventures in the future of the comics.
• 
  Paul Viebranz

  The first volume of Marvel's Star Wars: The High Republic, written by Cavan Scott with art by Ario Anindito, is a wonderful ride. From the impromptu Jedi Trials of Keeve Trennis to the growing threat of the Drengir, there have been tons of thrills along the way, with a strong focus on character--particularly Keeve and her master, Sskeer--making for an excellent complement to the ongoing multi-format High Republic narrative that kicked off in January.
  
  The relationship between Keeve and Sskeer is tested across this arc in ways that really did surprise me. Everybody doesn't just make it out in the end because they're Jedi, there's real tests of trust and strength. And I love that it built off of events from Charles Soule's novel Light of the Jedi. Indeed, the interconnectivity of this comic, bridging gaps between its own storylines and the other books, has been very rewarding as a fan of the whole era. Star Wars media isn't always connected seamlessly, but the nature of The High Republic era, being drawn up together with a team of writers, seems to have really paid off in terms of metanarrative cohesion.
  
  The Drengir were introduced in a previous book, Into the Dark, but seeming them realized visually really makes them click for me in a way prose didn't 100% get to, and boy are they scary! The threat they pose feels both more grand in scope and more visceral after reading the comic series, and I can't wait for the next wave of storytelling to start next week!
  
  Shout-out to Anindito's art, which is stellar every issue. The action is clean and easy to follow, which is something I can't say for every Star Wars comic running.
  
  Compared to the other stories in the era so far, I think this comic is my third or fourth favorite... Light of the Jedi is still my favorite for sure, followed by the YA novel Into the Dark by Claudia Gray. And surprisingly, I think third and fourth place would be a toss-up between High Republic and High Republic Adventures--this surprises me because Adventures is by Daniel José Older, and the only other Star Wars fiction I've read from him (the novel Last Shot, and his Boba Fett-centered short from Star Wars: From a Certain Point of View) have been two of my least favorite Star Wars stories of all time.
  
  But back to the issues at hand (get it?), Scott's High Republic has opened strong, and I'm looking forward to seeing where it goes from here.
• 
  Alan Castree

  Maybe I’ll warm up to this later but for now it just feels like nonsense. It’s called the “High Republic” yet we learn nothing of the republic, and instead have a bunch of kinda bland Jedi chopping at a plant creature for the entire book… to be continued.
  
  I haven’t read any of the novels yet so that may also have affected my opinion of this comic.
  
  EDIT: Reread this after hitting up a few of the other HR books. It’s still kind of a scattered mess. Read more thoughts in the comments. Ultimately, it’s nice to have more visuals of the characters and settings from the books. The books bombard you with TONS of new names and just namedrop a species for description (then you have to go to wookiepedia to look up that species because you’re not familiar with just the name)… and since so many characters are shoved at you, you tend to forget the next time they show up. So the comic is a nice way to help build that visual lexicon.
• 
  Eva B.

  This was...fine. The characters were good, the art was good, but it just never clicked with me.
• 
  Mangrii

  3,75 / 5
  
  La era dorada de los jedi. La era en que la galaxia se encuentra en paz, gobernada por la Republica y protegida por los nobles y luminosos caballeros jedi. Una época de prosperidad, donde como momento de esperanza, la Republica se acerca al borde exterior gracias al lanzamiento del faro Starlight. Así comenzó esta nueva etapa de Star Wars, llevándonos 300 años antes de la saga Skywalker y siglos antes del Imperio, con la Luz de los jedi. Sin embargo, aquí toma su papel protagonista la joven padawan Keeve Trennis y una mortal amenaza en ciernes.
  
  Los Drengir. Criaturas vegetales sensibles e interconectadas que se alimentan de la energía y nutrientes de los cuerpos de sus víctimas. A ojos de la joven Keeve y su maestro Sskeer, parecen indestructibles. No son nuevas para el lector de The High Republic, ya que En la oscuridad nos conto un poco sobre esta gran amenaza. Pero aquí, en estos cinco números, la vemos en primera persona y en más de un planeta. Todo comienza cuando la padawan Trennis esta afrontando su prueba para convertirse en caballero jedi en el planeta Shuraden y unos insectos voladores gigantes aparecen.
  
  Tras superar su prueba y una vez nombrada Caballero jedi, Trennis se embarca en una misión de auxilio junto a su maestro Sskeer y los gemelos Ceret y Teret en el sistema Kazlin. Lo que encuentran los lleva al planeta Sedri Menor, donde una creciente amenaza atemoriza a su población: la gente esta desapareciendo. Estos cinco números presentan una progresión natural de su protagonista, afianzando dinámicas entre personajes que interactúan entre las diferentes publicaciones de The High Republic, como Avar Kriss o el mismo Sskeer. Ambos, por ejemplo, lidian con los sucesos ocurridos en Luz de los jedi y añaden una pátina de cohesión metanarrativa a la nueva etapa. Los cinco números se sienten, sin embargo, demasiado rígidos en su estructura. La publicación mensual es notoria y cada número se siente como un nuevo intento de solventar la gran amenaza.
  
  Lo que más me ha sorprendido, tanto en este The High Republic como en su gemela juvenil
  Star Wars: The High Republic Adventures #1 es el dibujo y el color que emplean. El dibujo, en este caso de Anindito, es excepcional. La factura es muy cinematográfica, las dinámicas fluyen con mucha consistencia y los diseños son de lo más llamativo. Quizás ayude no tener que ceñirse a un actor de carne y hueso, haciendo el comic limpio y fácil de seguir, algo que no se puede decir de todos los comics de Star Wars. Además, como me ha sucedido con The High Republic Adventures, la paleta de colores brillantes y repletos de luz les vienen como anillo al dedo. El trabajo de Leoni Morales en tándem con Anindito es un broche perfecto.
  
  Reseña en el blog:
  https://boywithletters.blogspot.com/2...
• 
  Isabella

  Rating: 3.5 stars
  
  I don't keep up with internet slang and sayings very well, but if Avar Kriss stepped on my face I would probably thank her. Basically she is the female Jedi Rey should have been. ...Ok I can't help myself, here are some pictures:
  
  
  Oh she so beautiful
  
  Ah look at her go!
  
  Yeah! Kill all those baddies
  
  Looks a bit like Padmé in this picture but whatever
  
  This one is from this graphic novel (I would show others, but spoilers) and look at her kick ass!
  
  Ok that's the last one.
  
  Now that I look up pictures of Kriss, turns out she is that blonde female Jedi on the cover of that High Republic book published last year... maybe I do want to read it after all...
• 
  Miss Susan

  pretty standard comic adventure. i'm disappointed they gave us a tradoshan jedi and were immediately like he's peacing out soon 😘 i wanna see more non-human jedi, what's the point of a space opera with barely any aliens
  
  3 stars
• 
  manu

  I have caved in and am reading these because the books just kept referencing stuff. But I refuse to rate them.
  PS: Drengir are considerably more leafy than Into the Dark led me to believe