Review: Issue #7 of The High Republic Adventures sets the series up for a packed second act

It is not often that The Adventures of the High Republic produces a flop. But with issue #7, writer Daniel José Older and artist Harvey Tolibao are not at their best. It’s a strange, not “true to form” work that fails to showcase the strengths of its talented creators.

If I were to describe The Adventures of the High Republic Issue #7 in one word: “abrupt.” Not in the sense that the comic is too short, but in the sense that events happen abruptly. One minute the characters are discussing it, then the comic cuts to another group of characters doing that, and then it cuts back to the other characters where this happens as well. And there’s very little to no fanfare or explanation for some pretty big events. All in all, I feel like the creators are packing so much into this second story arc that it should slow down or focus on one thing at a time.

Spoilers follow below…

I will first comment on the artwork. In Phase III of The Adventures of the High Republicmany guest artists have taken the spotlight and created stunning pages for this series. Issue #7 sees the return of lead artist Harvey Tolibao. However, the artwork created is not typical of Tolibao’s work, as it can be difficult to see at times. There are many shots where the faces look unnatural and protruding. And while Tolibao’s art has always been busy with many different characters and components, this issue feels to There are a lot of line drawings and ink on each page, making it difficult to focus on a particular spot.

Unfortunately, the story in issue #7 isn’t particularly impressive either. There are two storylines in this issue, but I think both deserve their own comic. Issue #7 continues the storyline of the one-shot comic. Crash landing with Krix. And while it’s exciting to see where Krix’s character goes, I wish there was a separate miniseries focusing on his story.

As it is now, Krix’s storyline feels rushed and crammed into this issue. When he tries to meet up with the Nihil again, he makes hasty decisions that I would like to spend more time on. Not to mention that it also makes the main storyline with Lula, Zeen and their friends feel rushed. At one point, Lula and Zeen are talking about their wedding – which, by the way, slow down. And then the next moment the group is attacked and chased by the Nihil who just happened to show up. I think this issue would have been better if they had narrowed down and focused on one storyline.

The way this series is shaping up, I’m still excited to see what happens next. But at the same time, I’m worried that the creators are cramming so much into the second half of the series. If this series ends like Phase I did somewhere around issue #13, I hope it slows down a bit to do justice to these stories.

Score: 4/10

NEXT:

Many thanks to Dark Horse for providing the advance copy used in this review. The Adventures of the High Republic Issue #7 is now available at local comic shops and on digital store shelves.