Comic Review – Ty Yorrick Journeys to Dalna in “Star Wars: The High Republic Adventures – Dispatches from the Occlusion Zone” #4
Last week saw the release of the fourth and final issue in Dark Horse Comics’ Star Wars: The High Republic Adventures - Dispatches from the Occlusion Zone miniseries, and below are my brief recap and thoughts on this climactic installment.
The High Republic Adventures - Dispatches from the Occlusion Zone #4 begins with Jedi-turned-monster-hunter Ty Yorrick and her apprentice Drewen having been enlisted by the Republic to track down one of the EX droids that never returned from the titular Occlusion Zone behind the Nihil Stormwall. This adventure brings the pair to the planet Dalna, which has been heavily featured in The High Republic content previously, most recently in author Cavan Scott’s Star Wars: The High Republic - Tempest Breaker audio drama. Here Ty and Drewen arrive to find a Nihil stormcruiser having crash-landed on the planet’s surface, apparently after having collided with the EX droid in question. Further investigation brings the duo into Dalna’s lava tubes, where they encounter none other than Lourna Dee and Tey Sirrek, engaged in a blaster fight against an unseen enemy.
Once the initial dust settles on this union of unlikely allies, we learn that their assailants are refugees from the Nihil, and not Nihil themselves. One is a plant-mage of the Lonto species (first seen in Scott’s 2022 Star Wars: The High Republic flagship comic book from Marvel) who had lashed out in defense when she saw Lourna Dee, who once ranked highly among the Nihil before changing her treacherous ways. The climax sees this young girl, named Vila, continue to use her power to control plants to envelop and smother the others until Yorrick breaks free using the Force and calms her down. Lourna helps these refugees reunite with their families, and the EX droid is brought back to Jedi Master Elzar Mann on Coruscant, where the valuable information contained within is used to plan the next stage of the Jedi Order’s ongoing conflict against the Nihil marauders and their leader Marchion Ro.
I enjoyed this final issue quite a bit, and especially liked how Scott was able to bring together characters who knew of each other’s existence but had not necessarily met in person before. I also thought the evocative, vibrantly colored artwork by Vincenzo Riccardi went a long way in delivering the tone the writer was going for in this story. Plus cameo appearances by Keeve Trennis and Master Sskeer at the end got me really pumped for when Cavan Scott’s Star Wars: The High Republic - Fear of the Jedi comic launches a couple weeks from now. I was pleasantly surprised that Dark Horse was willing to so directly set up the events of a narrative that will play out in the pages of Marvel Comics, but I suppose that just comes with the interconnected territory of the Star Wars franchise, and The High Republic initiative specifically. For Light and Life!
Star Wars: The High Republic Adventures - Dispatches from the Occlusion Zone #4 is available now wherever comic books are sold.