If you’re a trade-waiting reader, you too might feel the need to skip the wait for volume 2 and hunt down individual issues instead. These last two issues end in a major cliffhanger that had me immediately re-reading issues #6-#8 of the series to keep the story momentum going. Anyone who has read Path of Deceit will quickly suss out who is behind the riot that starts, but Balance of the Force still does a great job building these antagonists quickly and effectively as slimy agents of chaos. When the action breaks out, I truly felt the chaos on every page while feeling genuine feelings of anger towards the parties who had sparked the sudden violence. The bantha fodder hits the fan in the most climactic way, to the point where I practically forgot about the character shortcomings and unreached potential of new factions. Thankfully, once you hit the final two issues of Balance of the Force things get really exciting. There is hope that the second half of the Phase II comic will give readers more background on these groups, but in this first volume they’re essentially just set dressing to keep this story from being overrun with only Jedi. Instead, these new religions feel like the start of an interesting idea that is never finished. There are very small bits of lore dropped in moments of dialogue about some of these Force groups, but those moments are few and far between. If, like me, you’ve read the novel Path of Deceit, you’ll at least have a deep understanding of the Path of the Open Hand - who play a pivotal role in Balance of the Force. If, like me, you were hoping Balance of the Force would take the time to give the other Force believers a similar kind of depth, you will be disappointed. Just like the new characters, these new Force factions aren’t explored nor fleshed out as much as I was hoping. Unfortunately, this potential isn’t realized within the five issues of Balance of the Force. I love the idea of exploring how the Matukai, Lonto, Yacombe, or Fallanassi each worship the force and how those ideas align with or clash with the Jedi, and the potential laid out in this five issue arc is positively tantalizing. Star Wars fans have known about groups like Guardians of the Whills (who also feature heavily in this story) and the Nightsisters, each with their own perceptions of the Force, but this is the first time in the new canon that the Force is being examined like a religion instead of a mythical element. It’s here that both this comic and Phase II as a whole has the most potential. It’s not just new characters that are introduced-entirely new groups of Force users, followers, and cultists make their debut in Balance of the Force. Phase I of The High Republic did such a phenomenal job making readers fall in love with a new cast of characters, and though it might be unfair to compare the two phases, it’s nonetheless a disappointment that the characters here feel so flat. None of these characters are so severely flawed that they warrant any disdain, it’s just that they’re little more than vehicles for plot development. There’s also Master Leebon and Jedi Knight Oliviah Zevaron-both of whom are little more than background characters- and Padawan Matthea “Matty” Cathley, a somewhat awkward, somewhat endearing Padawan eager to ensure the Jedi are welcome among the various Force religions on the holy planet of Jedha. Instead, Jedi Mac comes off robotic, cold, and hard to root for, seemingly representative of blinding, egotistical self-centeredness the Jedi are accused of by other force factions on Jedha. An interesting premise for a character, to be sure, but one that feels mostly unexplored or leveraged. Jedi Vildar Mac, for example, is a troubled Jedi with a traumatic past who struggles to keep his fears in check.
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