With “Phase 2” looming ever closer its about time I catch up with posting these reviews! First up is “Trail of Shadows”, a five issue mini-series that sort of acts as a detective noir in the Star Wars universe, though with a focus on the anti-Jedi fear-creating “Nameless” creatures seen in the latter two thirds of the original Phase. It oddly works really well, so let’s take a closer look!
The lead duo of the story is Jedi investigator Emerick Caphtor and regular human P.I. Sian Holt, with the former put on the case to find out how Jedi Master Loden Greatstorm was turned to stone by the Jedi Council and the latter put on the case by the Republic council for the same reason. While there is no first person narration nor is Emerick wearing a hat and trench coat the nods to the noir detective tropes are still fun to point out, with Sian singing in a dingy nightclub and the two following some clues to a dodgy meeting in a smoky back alley. There is an interesting love twist to the story as well, the two clearly fancy each other by the end of the story but Emerick, as a Jedi, is unable to act on it, though does go a bit further than would be strictly allowed (once again showing the slightly more fluid Jedi Order seen in the High Republic as apposed to the Prequels). Overall Emerick’s more straight sarcasm to Sian’s smirking charm works perfectly.
“Yep, he turned to stone alright… I guess my job’s done!” “We wanted to know HOW he turned to stone…” “OH! Oh right, in that case I’ll be off!”
The other big thing to take away from Trail of Shadows is seeing the Jedi learn more about the Nameless, the creatures that were plucked and planted on Starlight Beacon that drove several Jedi insane and turned them to stone. The duo’s investigation eventually leads them to Dr. Uttersound, the scientist we saw working for the Nihil in the first book, who they managed to capture and interrogate. Some hints to a dark secret in the Jedi’s past and references to an old Jedi fairy tale creature called the “Shrii Ka Rai” are about all we get as Emerick and Sian head to Starlight Beacon when the emergency message rings out, leading to the Jedi Investigator to get a first hand look at the nightmares created by the beast…
Emerick and Sian get caught in the middle of two of the main High Republic characters.
At only five issues there wasn’t much more to it (well, that I can talk about outside of the Spoiler Section anyway) but the relationship and interplay between our two lead characters and finally peeling back some layers to the Nameless after two books and several comics of them being a total mystery made for a great combination.
Overall Thoughts:
Awwww, ain’t they cute?
Trail of Shadows is a great blend of character drama, noir clichés and Star Wars that once again shows just how great and versatile the High Republic range really is. I only wish it were longer!
So the finale is set back on Starlight Beacon and Emerick and Sian try to help any survivors and hope to find and maybe even capture a Nameless, Emerick now sure he can survive this time. They arrive and fan-favourite Jedi Master “Buckets of Blood” is helping other Jedi evacuate, but before they do they head off to find any more survivors and the creature if they can, and they can! Our lead duo come face to face with another Nameless, but this time Emerick begins to resist while Sian, who has no Force powers, is able to see the creature’s true form and even grabs a piece of it.
So even when they’re not inducing fear in Force-users, they’re still bloody frightening!
They’re saved by Uttersound throwing a thermal detonator (and then escaping with a Nameless claw to study) and soon everyone escapes… apart from Buckets, who reveals he grabbed some of the creature’s blood on his clothes so stripes to his underwear before heading off into the smoky background instead of leaving with everyone else for some reason. Fingers crossed that’s not his final end because that would be a pretty poor way to go out…
Anyway, with finally some actual physical proof of the creatures to analyse in Sian’s piece and the blood on Buck’s outfit, Emerick and Sian have completed their mission…
Hogan Reviews 