Comic Book Review: Trail of Shadows #3
In the latest issue of Trail of Shadows, a new mystery arises. One which requires no answer. And that is simply: who stole Marchion Ro’s shirts? Whoever that person may be, kindly drop a forwarding address so I might send a thank you card.
In all seriousness, Trail of Shadows continues to grow better and better each time, with this latest issue cementing it as my favourite comic run of The High Republic so far.
The story opens back on Coruscant, with Emerick, Sian and Stellan debriefing on the turns their investigation has taken, namely the new complication arising from the mystery weapon they spotted Dr. Uttersond trying to sell behind Marchion Ro’s back. While they believe it’s the same weapon that turned Loden Greatstorm to dust, they realize what they need more than anything else is more information.
The men join Sian at Vaba Blanks, where she will be performing for the first time since her injury. Stellan comments that he’s noticed Emerick and Sian have grown quite close, as she’s chosen to play a jazzy rendition of Shrii Ka Rai to tease Emerick. Before they can unpack that, or change the subject to their nursemaid who used to sing it for them, Stellan receives a call from Avar notifying him of another attack.
When the crew arrives on the Starlight Beacon, it is at this point that Trail of Shadows overlaps with Cavan Scott’s mainline High Republic run, with them encountering Keeve Trennis standing tearfully over the calcified bodies of Terec and Ceret, where she describes her encounter with the Leveler, though her description is as vague as any other they’ve heard.
Though they cannot pinpoint exactly what the threat is, Stellan is adamant that none of it was a hallucination. It’s clear he still carries the trauma of losing Loden in so horrifying a manner with him every day, and I am sure this is going to carry over into Wave 3 as the Jedi come face to face with the culmination of the threat. Especially since they’re still not sure what caused the calcification, or whether it is transmissible through the Force.
In this issue, Older showcases one of the strengths of Project Luminous as a whole: the seamless way in which each story in each medium blends together. After the crew sees Keeve, they later pass by Ram Jomaram who sprints past them in the midst of the Great Jedi Rumble Race, which appears in The High Republic Adventures issue #11 - where Sian and Emerick can actually be glimpsed in the background!
The last we see of Stellan, he and Avar are in for a very tense conversation, with the atmosphere between them feeling so formal and stilted it absolutely lept off the page. I’ve long held the belief that these two have some sort of personal history beyond just growing up together as friends. Emerick things the two of them were in a polyamorous relationship with Elzar. I personally think they had an affair and didn’t tell Elzar. Either way, the stage is set for not only more chilling mystery but some delicious Jedi drama to boot.
On the non-dramatic side, there is the growing camaraderie and warmth between Sian and Emerick, as they grow increasingly close in the face of a mystery that threatens to overwhelm them both. They’re both excellent investigators, but the unprecedented Nihil threat means they are both feeling in over their heads, with other each other to rely on. It’s not often an action-mystery story will stop the action for a quiet moment of understanding and tenderness, but the final panel of the two of them just embracing quietly in the gardens on Starlight is just the calm before the storm that we needed.
Speaking of the Storm.
The Nihil lay fairly low this issue, with Marchion making many a threatening call to Dr. Uttersond while shirtless and in shadow, because the writers know exactly what they’re doing, and so do the artists. Never forget that it was on Daniel José Older’s watch that we got a Marchion Ro face reveal in the first place.
That’s not to say that they did absolutely nothing in the issue. It’s clear things are falling apart from the inside, with Uttersond going behind Marchion’s back and trying to sell the Leveler, and Marchion having Uttersond followed. Things don’t go so well for the Chadra-Fan though, when his ship is boarded by another group in possession of a Path engine, leading Marchion to wonder who, if not Uttersond, has been betraying the Nihil.
The artwork in this issue is some of the most beautiful we’ve seen so far - and I’m not just saying that for Marchion Ro reasons, though really, thank you Daniel José Older and Dave Wachter for that early Christmas gift. Wachter does an incredible job of really conveying the scale of story that surrounds Emercik and Sian. As always, every location feels and even sounds distinct. But this issue in particular was packed with a lot of quiet moments where the artwork stood completely on its own and did so beautifully. The unspoken tension between Avar and Stellan comes to mind as being almost audible in its awkwardness, but the final panel is nothing but peace and silence, all conveyed through lines and colours on a page.
Once again, Older has knocked it out of the park with this issue. I am always appreciative when jam packed stories take the time in the middle to slow down and let the characters - and by extension the readers - process everything that has just happened, and the third issue of Trail of Shadows does so in wonderful fashion, giving us plenty of character growth (with a dash of angst) to tide us over until January.
Trail of Shadows #3: Cold Comfort is available now
