Comic Review: The High Republic Adventures #18 – Farzala’s Last Stand!
Daniel José Older continues one of the High Republic’s biggest battles to date, and the stakes keep getting higher.
By
May 21, 2025
Dark Horse Comics/Youtini Illustration
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Writer: Daniel José Older
Artist: Harvey Tolibao
Colors: Michael Atiyeh
Publisher summary:
The Battle of Eriadu comes to an explosive conclusion! Jedi Knight Farzala Tarabal leads his fearless allies into a final fight with the Nihil, risking everything in a last-ditch effort to save Eriadu and the Republic! But his opponent, the treacherous Warden, is obsessed with defeating the Jedi, even if it means destroying everything he's fought for. Who will be victorious?
Why it matters: The Battle of Eriadu has turned into one of the most epic setpieces of the entire High Republic initiative. This issue is pure comic book excitement, yet is still anchored on an emotional core.
Dark Horse Comics
Key moments:
Pedal to the metal: This battle has carried through seven issues of THRA plus several other stories, and it shows no signs of slowing down. This issue is high octane excitement in a way that only comic books can deliver.
Heart of the battle: Jedi Knight Farzala has been around since the very first issue of High Republic Adventures in 2021. While he originally felt like a background cast member, this run has shown that all Jedi are important as he becomes the emotional center of the book, with one of the most heart-wrenching sequences of the High Republic.
Nihil insanity: While the battle is both intense and moving, Daniel José Older makes sure to inject some of his trademark levity into this all-ages comic. The crazy Nihil pirates are particularly over the top during this battle, making for a fun enemy to root against.
Dark Horse Comics
The big picture:
The chaos of the Battle of Eriadu is on full display here. What seemed at first to be an isolated mission has turned into one of the most crucial pieces of the High Republic’s final act. Everything Older has written in Adventures is coming together at lightning speed for a bombastic climax.
While the comic continues to be tons of fun, the scope of the battle is weighing it down a bit. The character count seems to have grown exponentially, making certain moving pieces hard to track, especially when you factor in the multi-media approach to the High Republic that has spread the battle across multiple comics, novels, and short stories. However, for the readers who are staying on top of everything, there’s a lot of big picture reward as we start to see how important Eriadu is to the High Republic as a whole.
Despite any misgivings about the breadth of this story, however, Older manages to deliver a truly poignant story focused on Farzala, an unexpected star of Phase Three. There is a weight to this comic that reaches far beyond the breakneck speed and size of the larger arc, and these fantastic characters remain at the center of it all.
Our rating: Good
What’s next: There are only two issues left in this long-running series! The High Republic Adventures #19 comes out June 25.
For a deeper discussion of this issue, be sure to check out this week’s episode of The Cosmic Force podcast!
Oz Davis is a Content Creator at Youtini and co-host of The Cosmic Force. He's kept up with every Canon release since 2014 and has a particular soft spot for lesser-known books like "Servants of the Empire." As part of Youtini's "Dad Batch," he's also developed an affinity for the multitude of Star Wars children's books, and he's always looking to expand his collection.
