By [ad_1]
The High Republic Adventures: The Monster at Temple Peak #1 has intrigue, adventure and monsters, but feels lackluster nonetheless.
Star Wars: The High Republic Adventures: The Monster at Temple Peak #1 has a lot going for it. An interesting protagonist with an unfolding backstory, a mysterious mission and a talkative droid partner all offer some entertaining high points for the issue, but The Monster at Temple Peak #1 never manages to take full advantage of its benefits. Though the issue never grows stale, it fails to break out of its rhythm into something more gripping.
The Monster at Temple Peak #1 follows ex-Jedi Padawan Ty Yorrick as she searches the galaxy for her next payday as a hired sword. With an uncertain future ahead of her, Yorrick finds herself taking a routine job on the Loreth system, but the task in front of her might not be quite as straightforward as she had hoped. Created by writer Cavan Scott and artist Rachael Stott, The Monster at Temple Peak #1 sets up plenty of intrigue, but lacks the urgency necessary to translate that intrigue into excitement.
The Monster at Temple Peak #1 feels strangely familiar, mostly because many of the elements of the book have been explored by other pieces of Star Wars literature or film. This, of course, isn’t out of the ordinary, but The Monster at Temple Peak‘s debut issue fails to update any of these elements into something new. Much of Scott’s focus with this issue is to introduce the audience to Ty Yorrick and the circumstances of her existence. Unfortunately, while Yorrick is a perfectly fun protagonist to follow, the narrative never picks up enough momentum to give the reader a strong sense of the bigger picture. While Yorrick is given some wonderful room for development going forward, the story meanders rather than drives forward and doesn’t manage to give a clear or promising picture of what’s to come.
The Monster at Temple Peak #1 offers some visually impressive moments, but overall sits comfortably alongside the narrative and similarly never truly finds its footing. Drawn by Stott and colored by Vita Efremova and Nicola Righi, the panels in the issue do their best to inject some energy into the pacing of the book, but only truly manage this during the few action scenes and during flashbacks. The characters all look genuine and charismaticly Star Wars, but there is the same general lack of purpose found in the panels as there is in the script. The colors, characters and ideas are all there, but neither the narrative nor the artwork manages to pull it all together into something more.
While there are very few things explicitly wrong with The Monster at Temple Peak #1, the list of triumphs is equally short. Although the issue is enjoyable, it simply never reaches the potential of which it is capable. This, more than anything else, is the most distracting detractor to the issue. While the debut issue falls short, here’s hoping the future issues of The Monster at Temple Peak manage to electrify their audience a little more.
Star Wars: The High Republic Adventures: The Monster at Temple Peak #1 is recommended for any Star Wars fan looking for more High Republic content to consider. The book is sharp, measured and has plenty of room to grow.While the issue doesn’t quite manage to impress, it certainly shouldn’t be considered a flop either.
About The Author
[ad_2]
