Star Wars: The High Republic, Vol. 2: The Heart of Drengir by Cavan Scott

Star Wars: The High Republic, Vol. 2: The Heart of Drengir Reviews

• 
  Scott

  "When Jedi come together, we do incredible things." -- protagonist Keeve Trennis, Jedi Knight
  
  The Heart of Drengir (a.k.a. Star Wars: The High Republic, Vol. 2) picks up and continues immediately from where the previous volume concluded, which I'm not sure was an altogether good thing. Although an action-heavy storyline - including an indelible two-page spread of dozens of light saber-wielding Jedi Knights jumping into battle . . . against an adversary who was about as threatening as Audrey II in Little Shop of Horrors - it seemed to run on just a little too long, although (believe it or not) a few out-of-left-field sex jokes made me chuckle. Much better - which was consistent with the initial volume - was the starring role of young Jedi Knight Keeve Trennis, who again narrates the two storylines. At one moment in the first tale she politely badgers a Jedi Master named Maru to jump into the fray to assist her cohorts, sounding very much like an eager rookie cop asking a crusty but avuncular veteran sergeant to be able to hit the streets to make that very first arrest. With a dollop of serendipity Trennis then actually goes on a deep undercover mission in the second unrelated story (warning: it features a graphic and somewhat disturbing scene of an anthropomorphic rabbit-like creature being burned alive AND then shot to pieces by the villain), disguised as a flinty space pirate.
• 
  Jim C

  This collection is part of the multimedia series that includes novels, comic books, and audiobooks. In this one, we still follow Keeve Trennis and other Jedi as they continue their battle with the Drengir and the Nihil.
  
  I have read many of the different offerings for this overall arc and I haven't been the biggest fan. The problem for me has been the connection to the characters. I don't have as much as that problem with these comic collections including this one. In fact, I am starting to have a nice connection with the main character. As for the story I liked the second half more than the first half and I am really curious to where it is going. The second half deals with the Nihil and what I feel like is more of a threat to the galaxy. My rating also reflects the artwork. There were some issues and pages where I loved the artwork. There were some where I did not.
  
  I liked this collection and it did entice me that I want to read the next collection. I haven't been able to say that a lot with this series so this collection did accomplish something more than other offerings. Maybe there is hope for the overall event after all.
• 
  Robert

  More solid High Republic content here from the irrepressible Cavan Scott. It ended on a cliffhanger, of course, so here I am anxiously awaiting the next TPB already.
  
  
• 
  Siona St Mark

  Hmmm this was just okay if I’m honest. Like I’m sure this isn’t the end of the Drengir (sp?, as usual) but I just don’t understand why Disney would presumably have them be defeated after what, ten issues? Idk I love the idea of the High Republic, but the execution has not been great
• 
  manu

  I adore Sskeer and Keeve, and the Orla, Reath and Cohmac cameos were super fun. It just felt all really rushed, and the big operation to defeat the Drengir took just a couple pages. Kinda disappointing.
• 
  Benji Glaab

  Descent current Star Wars title. Kind of light on the character builds. Reminded me of watching a Saturday morning cartoon so maybe this would be better for the younger audiences.
• 
  Ben Brown

  A rock solid continuation of the “High Republic” comics line, “The Heart of the Drengir” sees writer Cavan Scott building upon the foundations he laid down in the first arc, while also ably tying in the ongoing storyline of the comic with the events of the broader “High Republic” event. It’s an impressive balancing act, both paying off certain threads left hanging from the previous arc and setting up future storylines in a way that never feels contrived or half-baked. Bring on Volume 3.
• 
  Emma

  Star Wars: The High Republic, Vol 2 was an action-packed installment that kept me hooked from start to finish. I really enjoyed getting some answers to outstanding questions not addressed in the High Republic books as well as seeing more of Keeve, who is one of my favorite High Republic characters.
• 
  Drew's ambitious reading

  Okay how am I supposed to wait for the next volume?! That ending made me screamed!! Lol! Great sequel! Excited and dying for volume 3
• 
  Adam Fisher

  Taking place mostly before The Rising Storm (which seems so long ago for me) this volume deals with Avar Kriss's assault against the Drengir. Using the skills of Jedi Knight Keeve Trennis, they are able to locate "The Great Progenitor", which is a giant creature from which all Drengir stem from. With the help of Orla Jareni (sob... read The Fallen Star), they are able to capture the creature and contain him onboard Starlight Beacon. ( WAIT!!! Was this giant thing onboard when Starlight fell???)
  Continuing...
  The last two issues have Jedi Trennis and Terec trying to infiltrate the Nihil (after the events of the Republic Fair). They are caught and exposed to the Jedi destroying creature we hear about in Fallen Star. Ceret, Terec's twin begins to turn to ash, claiming his brother "is gone", though we don't see that happen.
  Anxious to see what happens next in the comic. The High Republic stuff is outstanding!
  Strong recommend.
• 
  Daniel

  This was the best Star Wars comic volume I’ve read in a long while. Excellent story, excellent art, and excellent character work.
• 
  Jamie Connolly

  I'm still reading this. And it still sucks. Not as awful as before. But it's still really really really bad. I'm not really sure why I'm still reading. I keep forgetting to take it off my pull list do it keeps showing up and I can't just not read a perfectly good comic. No matter how much it sucks. And this comic sucks. It sucks bad. 2 stars.
• 
  Vanny (reading.halfling)

  Was eine gute Fortsetzung! Irgendwie hatte ich tatsächlich nicht so sehr damit gerechnet, dass so viel aus dem vorigen Hohe-Republik-Comic aufgegriffen wird. Doch das ist hier der Fall – viele Personen, Handlungen und Beziehungen zwischen den Charakteren werden aufgegriffen, was es ein wenig lebendiger macht, finde ich. Die Handlung war so spannend, ich konnte den Comic tatsächlich nicht einmal aus der Hand legen, sondern habe ihn in einem Rutsch durchgelesen. Jetzt heißt es warten, bis der nächste Band erscheint!
• 
  Paul Viebranz

  This is a bit rambling; sorry!
  
  Marvel's Star Wars: The High Republic Vol. 2 - Heart of the Drengir continues where we left off in Vol. 1, with an infested Sskeer and a very worried Keeve Trennis recuperating on Starlight Beacon, while Avar Kriss maintains a very uneasy alliance with the Hutts to combat the (literally!) growing threat of the Drengir.
  
  This arc is only three issues long. They're all written by series writer Cavan Scott, and while the third issue is drawn by Ario Anindito, who did the preceding issues and at least the next two after this, Georges Jeanty, whom I remember from Dark Horse Comics' Buffy: Season Eight, stepped in to pencil the first two issues here. Jeanty's style is a relatively stark contrast to Anindito's; the latter maintains a relatively close resemblance to life-like human faces, while Jeanty... does not. It's much more stylized art, and while that isn't quite as big a detriment here as it was in Buffy, where many of the characters were meant to mirror real life actors, it just feels off compared to the clean portraits I'd grown used to (and loved!) from Anindito.
  
  But the art is hardly a dealbreaker-- indeed, it only really feels notably different in the human faces, and many of the characters here are not human to start with!
  
  Now the story... I thought the first issue of High Republic started strong, with headstrong Padawan Keeve Trennis abandoning her Jedi Trials in order to help others. And in the following issues, I've really loved Keeve's bond with Sskeer. One of the most compelling characters in the whole publishing initiative, the Trandoshan Jedi seems to drive the lion's share of the plot. Which is fine, but... where does that leave Keeve? I have to admit that while I like her well enough, apart from cursing some, I don't have a very strong idea what kind of person she is other than a younger Jedi Knight. I feel as though after this many issues, I ought to have a clearer idea who Keeve is as a character. Perhaps it's the sheer amount of new characters across The High Republic, and that most of them are Jedi, but Keeve does not stand out all that much to me outside her relationship with her former Master.
  
  That being said, I will reiterate that I love Sskeer, and their team dynamic is very satisfying. So although a vague protagonist is not a great starting point, there is a lot more to like in this series.
  
  I will never not love large groups of Jedi working together for the common good, and this arc has that in spades.
  
  In the context of the larger High Republic narrative, I think it's really interesting to have, on the one hand, in these comics, the Jedi allying themselves with criminals (the Hutts) in order to take swift action out on the frontier, and stamp out the threat of the Drengir; but on the other, in The Rising Storm, Race to Crashpoint Tower, and Out of the Shadows especially, we find the Jedi on arguably a MORE slippery slope: allying themselves more and more closely to the Republic, and becoming ever more embroiled in politics, foreshadowing their decline and eventual demise in the Prequel Trilogy. The notion of outlaw justice versus (indefinitely delayed) action by committee is intriguing here, and I am dying to see Avar Kriss, Marshall of Starlight Beacon, reunite and compare notes with her old friend Stellan Gios, member of the Jedi High Council, and posterboy for the Jedi AND the Republic. I suspect that they would have some pretty strong disagreements regarding how one another is handling their affairs, and while it was easy enough for the Jedi to turn their blades against the Hutts (for light and life!), I'm curious to see if the choice to ally with them in the first place has any lingering consequences outside Kriss's reputation in the Order.
  
  It was nice to see Orla Jareni again, as well as Master Cohmac Vitus and his Padawan, Reath Silas. It's really cool how the characters weave organically in and out of stories, and it was done very well here.
  
  Although... regarding the time jump between the first two issues of the arc, finding Keeve staying behind on Starlight Beacon while Sskeer, Avar, and others were out fighting the Drengir was jarring. That's kind of what I mean about Keeve... was it her decision to stay behind? It felt more passive than I'd have liked, and I'm hoping that she starts facing trickier choices than "Should I save Sskeer?" to which the answer will undoubtedly always be "yes."
  
  EDIT: I did not realize this volume also includes the third story arc of the series, the two-issue Shadow of the Nihil story, following Keeve and Terec undercover as Nihil operatives. Even though this was only two issues long, it gave Keeve a new challenge-- how far can she go pretending to be a Nihil before she crosses a line she can't take back? -- and ultimately, she fails. And badly.
  
  The return of Lourna Dee into the main fray was exciting, and for her to possess the Leveler not only provides a direct tie-in to The Rising Storm, but also proves the devices horror beyond any doubt. It has killed Loden Greatstorm, and utterly incapacitated Terec and Ceret, cutting them off from the Force altogether.
  
  Keeve out on her own is the kind of shake-up I wanted in the last few issues, so I'm ending this volume very happy.
• 
  Robert

  It reads like a rejected green lantern storyline - all trouble threatens the whole universe and only us and our magic whatsits can save it through the power of unpronounceable names and hand-waving becauses.
• 
  Emma

  ABSOLUTE INSANITY !!!!!!!!!!! i love these characters so so so much i can’t wait to read the next volume but also if anything bad happens to any of them i’ll be distraught
• 
  Ryan Hixson

  Star Wars: The High Republic, Vol. 2: The Heart of Drengir by Cavan Scott is an action packed adventure that is brutal at times with really great imagery. This volume has 2 main storylines the war with the Drengir race and going undercover to stop the Nihil's next attack. I was really pleased with how the Drengir storyline ended, and how it could effect the Star Wars Universe. The Undercover to join the Nihil will take the reader into the next volume, it ends in a cliffhanger. We get introduced to a new Jedi Orla Jareni who is a Wayseeker who follows her own path and not just the one the Jedi Temple says she can. I liked the character but I wanted more since they don't stay long, but believe the character could do more in the Star Wars Universe. Since Cavan Scott wrote the novel The Rising Storm we have the big event in that book set up as a catalyst for events in this book. The ending of the Drengir saga was exciting in a very Jedi way. The Nihil story line has a good twist. The heart of these issues is still the padawan and master relationship between Keeve and Sskeer. Star Wars: The High Republic, Vol. 2: The Heart of Drengir collects issue 5 -10 of Star Wars: The High Republic by Disney and Marvel Comics.
  
  The Plot Summary: Keeve tries to separate The Drengir who has taken over her master Sskeer. After days of fighting with it the only solution she can come up with is let it infect her so she can talk to him with the force. Te Hive mind of Drengir does not like this and tries to take Keeve out. Meanwhile Aver Kriss and the most unlikeliest ally the Hut syndicate goes planet to planet in the outer rim trying to drive the Drengir away. Keeve and one of the force twins go undercover to join the Nihil, which is smart because the other force twin can feel every action with the force, until he's cut off, with a device we know the Nihil developed.
  
  What I Liked: the epicness of The Drengir taking over a Rancor and making it theirs to use against the bad guys. This book as some great art panel that I really enjoyed, for my Wordpress review will try to find and awesome one with Avar Kriss losing to the Drengir. I still really like the Keeve and Sskeer master and padawan relationship, it is still the best part of the book by far. The cliffhanger of them finding out why Sskeer is losing the force. I like the Hutt and Jedi relationship and how tense it becomes at times.
  
  What I Disliked: The Way new Jedi Orla Jareni who is a Wayseeker was used, she has such a cool look and one or two moves but doesn't add a lot to the story. I liked what I got of the character and wanted a lot more. (Orla Jareni is the Jedi in white on the cover). I wanted more of force twin who are barely in these issues, for a second I was like did they die since they were not in this book until the end.
  
  Recommendation: This graphic novel series still has the most so far in the High Republic series, and it is good action with consequences and meaning. I rated Star Wars: The High Republic, Vol. 2: The Heart of Drengir by Cavan Scott 4 out of 5. I did enjoy the first volume a little bit more but felt the standard and action were kept up. I liked the Art in Volume 2 better.
• 
  Yanik

  I wasn’t a big fan of the first 5 issues of the High Republic comic line, though I enjoyed the novels.
  I was fairly sure I just wasn’t a fan of Scott’s style, so hadn’t high hopes going into this.
  
  Indeed, the first three issues, 6-8, I was reaffirmed in this idea. The writing was cringey, the characters had barely any time to display their personalities and the Drengir story wasn’t making much sense to me. Besides that, the art appeared to have taken a quality hit and some of the portraiture was pretty kriffing bad.
  
  But the last two issues, 9-10, made a lot of amends. I really enjoyed the Nihil story line and it had me hooked. Seeing the Nihil characters from the books visualised was great and the art picked up again; still not as good as in the first few issues but way better.
  I’m really looking forward to how the mission will fold out and how the relationships between the jedi will be tested.
  
  So, a big divide, but at the very least, Scott has given me more assurance that he can deliver.
  It makes the rest of the High Republic that much better.
• 
  Tyler Jenkins

  How could I not give this five stars?! My favorite High Republic character is right on the cover. Keeve Trennis is also quickly becoming a favorite of mine, she’s a character I heard about in the novels but because her story was being told here there was never much information about her in the novels. Same with her master Skeer and Master Avar Kriss who appears in every novel in name or in person but her main story is here. It’s nice to see the faces of so many of the names I’ve been reading. This one also gives us a lot of the Drengir story line that is jumped around in the novels so it was nice to see them and get the bigger story. I’m so mad it’s taken me so long to read these comics.
• 
  caty g

  An awesome continuation of The high Republic series! The characters are so compelling, and I loved the focus on Avar this time around and how she is going to extra lengths to gain victory. Keeve is so interesting to explore as well, especially knowing where she may end up eventually. And that cliffhanger was simply brutal. Come on, Cavan.
• 
  Rebecca

  I found volume two to be a good companion to The Rising Storm but at times this one was a little difficult to follow because of the jumping forward in the story and back.
  But as always I enjoy the High Republic. Look forward to more!
• 
  Katie

  Great continuation of the previous comic collection. The stakes are high, and Scott delivers well.
• 
  Lena

  it’s a shame the twins weren’t in the books
• 
  Jay DeMoir

  Meh. I keep giving the high republic a chance but keep finding myself let down. But the ending was pretty great & ended on a cliffhanger so that was cool
• 
  Justin

  was hoping for a three star, but this was a struggle to follow or care about without having read the novels. so it’s probably meant to just be a supplementary comic?? idk, but it was like okay.
• 
  Isabella

  Rating: 2 stars
  
  You can tell I was up at 3:30 in the morning reading this book when I saw the word “excitement” (bolded, nonetheless) and was completely certain it said “excrement”
• 
  Shane Ver Meer

  That escalated quickly. If you aren't hooked by this one, then you won't be!
• 
  Mangrii

  3,25 / 5
  
  Cumplido ya el año desde el inicio de esta era de La Alta Republica en Star Wars, los eventos empiezan a tomar cierta forma y tener una mayor interconexión los unos con otros. Que varios escritores hayan compartido el proceso de creación de la Era, que dura alrededor de doscientos años entre aproximadamente el 300 ABY y el 82 ABY, trabajando codo con codo, cada vez se va notando mucho más. Una era de Star Wars donde la expansión y exploración del Borde Exterior cada vez va teniendo mayores amenazas y peligros que afrontar, tanto para los Jedi como para la República.
  
  Uno de ellos son los Drengir, que ya conocemos en el primer volumen de The High Republic y en la novela En la oscuridad de Claudia Gray. En estos nuevos cinco números de la serie, los tres primeros se encargan de dar fin al arco Drengir. Por tanto, continuamos con un Sskeer infestado y una Keeve Trennis preocupada recuperándose en el Faro Starlight mientras la maestra Jedi Avar Kriss mantiene una incómoda alianza con los Hutts para combatir la creciente amenaza en el Espacio Salvaje. Tres números que dan título al volumen construidos sobre los cimientos establecidos en el primer arco, a la vez que vincula la historia con eventos más amplios de The High Republic, como la Feria de la República en Valo.
  
  Sin embargo, creo que el punto fuerte de este segundo volumen (que recopila los números #6-10) de los comics de The High Republic llega con el que será, el tercer arco de la serie: La sombra de los Nihil. Siguiendo a Keeve y Terc encubiertos como agentes de Nihil para intentar detener su próximo ataque, suponen un paso adelante en la historia de esta Alta Republica que establece una mayor conexión con el personaje principal y la que a mi parecer, es la gran amenaza de esta era: Los Nihil. Sin embargo, no creo que sea el final de los Drengir. Se complementa este volumen con Tormenta creciente de Cavan Scott y el audiolibro Tempest Runner que será publicado en formato guion.
  
  Los artistas del volumen, George Jeanty (#6-7, 10) y Ario Anindito (#8-9), vuelven hacer un gran trabajo en los cómics de Star Wars. Orientados mucho más a la acción, existe cierto contraste entre uno y otro, sobre todo marcado por la caracterización de los rostros. Los colores de Annalisa Leoni, Rachelle Rosenberg y Carlos López le dan a este universo una sensación animada, colorida, que proporciona suficiente impacto visual para lo que cuenta. Y de nuevo, para cerrar el volumen, otro buen cliffhanger, al puro estilo Marvel, para dejarnos enganchados hasta el siguiente tomo recopilatorio. Y lo consigue.
  
  Reseña en el blog:
  https://boywithletters.blogspot.com/2...
• 
  Keith

  I've been reading this for so long that I hardly even noticed when I'd finished it. This isn't a swipe against the issues within, which are mostly pretty fun. The problem (and the reason for my middling rating) is that Heart of Drengir gets the short end of the stick with regard to the overall High Republic production schedule, as well as Cavan Scott's interest in tying all of his personal contributions to the project together as tightly as he can. In just five issues, it is bisected by the events in at least two other major parts of the overall storyline (Scott's novel
  The Rising Storm and his audiobook
  Tempest Runner), as well as a slew of other writers' crossovers and short stories.
  
  Said another way, for these five issues to make any sense you've gotta be buying pretty much everything else Star Wars-y that's plastered across multiple medias. While Star Wars fans are by nature completists, this interdependence ultimately just doesn't scream "flagship Star Wars comic," which is how this series was billed when it began.
  
  Even as one of the afore-mentioned High Republic completists, I found that reading HoD was so choppy that it was kind of hard to enjoy it. In addition to its events being reliant on a pile of other books, its own storylines jump around in time (and SPAAACE) seemingly just for dramatic effect. Like, it's a cool book! It's got Hutts fighting carnivorous plants, and space pirates, and the art is generally consistent and good. But fitting all of Scott's publications together the way he intended kind of gives me a headache, and the stories in this collection aren't self-contained enough to be read on their own.
• 
  CzasoStrefa

  Zachwycona książkową serią Wielkiej Republiki, skusiłam się na komiks dotyczący właśnie tamtych wydarzeń. Prawdę mówiąc, nie byłam do niego zbyt przekonana. Jednak fakt, że Cavan Scott jest odpowiedzialny za scenariusz, nakłonił mnie do sprawdzenia, co się dzieje w tym zeszycie. Zachwycił mnie swoją książką Burza Nadciąga, która również wchodzi w skład The High Republic. Jednak tutaj trochę się zawiodłam. Historia opowiada o tym, co wydarzyło się w innej części galaktyki, w czasie wyżej wspomnianej powieści. Mianowicie Avar Kriss walczy z przerażającą rasą Drengirów. Ma u swojego boku Huttów. Niecodziennych sprzymierzeńców Jedi. Jednak główną rolę gra tu młoda rycerka, Keeve Trennis. Dziewczyna szuka przywódczyni roślinopodobnych przeciwników, mając ciągle z tyłu głowy chorego mistrza i mroczne wizje. To by była pierwsza część komiksu. Nie przypadła mi do gustu. Zaczynając od postaci Avar Kriss, której nie mogę polubić od początku serii, a kończąc na głównej bohaterce. Jest to mistrzyni Jedi. Ale jest tak nieskazitelna, piękna i idealna, a do tego najpotężniejsza chyba w całym zakonie. Oczywiście musiała ruszyć sama na największego bossa wśród Drengirów, a potem szok i niedowierzanie… przegrała. I tu na pomoc rusza jej Trennis, nasza protagonistka. Jeszcze przed chwilą przeżywała kryzys wiary w siebie. Jak to ona nie daje rady, zawodzi wszystkich. Niesamowite, że po rozmowie z Orlą Jareni (uwielbiam ją w książce W ciemność) natychmiast się podnosi i – ba – ratuje najpotężniejszą mistrzynię z pnączy Wielkiej Protoplastki. Komiks nie najgorszy, ale również nie wybitny. Twarda kreska z mocnym lineartem nie wpisała się w moje gusta, zwłaszcza w małych kadrach. Kolorystyka natomiast wszystko nadrabiała. Była wręcz kosmiczna! Jeśli lubicie serię Star Wars Wielka Republika, warto wziąć tę pozycję pod uwagę. Serce Drengirów pokazuje wydarzenia, które są tylko wspomniane w wiele razy wymienionej przeze mnie książce Burza Nadciąga. Będzie świetnym uzupełnieniem całego cyklu. Mimo lekkiego zawiedzenia, czekam na kolejną część.
  Więcej na: CzasoStrefa