From my review in my Space Wizards Book Club newsletter:

A visually stunning, interconnected High Republic side story continues in the third volume of The Edge of Balance manga series.

The Edge of Balance series follows Jedi Knight Lily Tora-Asi, her Padawan Keerin, and her Wookiee Master Arkoff as they deal with the threats of the Nihil and the Drengir on the remote planet of Banchii. Through stunning illustrations, we get these characters’ perspectives of key events in the galaxy of the High Republic era. That means epic battles with monstrous Drengir, fierce fights against the Nihil to protect the people of Banchii and the Jedi Temple, and even a trip to Starlight Beacon to connect with other familiar Jedi.

In Volume 3, both the galaxy and Lily are reeling from tragic loss. These hardships have made Lily a strong, capable, and flexible Jedi dedicated to protecting her planet at all costs. While the Jedi Order struggles against the Nameless threat and the dangers of the Stormwall, Lily’s journey gives us a more intimate tale about facing but not backing down from fear.

Themes of fear and hopelessness are core to Phase 3 of The High Republic. As is the idea of the Jedi going through personal and Order-wide trials to test their dedication to light and life. The Edge of Balance stories may be spinoffs of the core plot, but through Lily and Arkoff we get more examples of Jedi diversity of mind and core Force principles. Throughout the three main volumes, we’ve watched Lily grow out of her stiff seriousness and into a steadfast but flexible Jedi Knight. She still takes after her Master Arkoff, who remains haunted and stoic after what he experienced centuries before on Dalna.

Amidst the darkness and intriguing horror of Volume 3, the adorable Banchiians return to help Jedi Sav Malagan investigate growing threats posed by the Nihil and their Stormwall. Through Sav and the Banchiians, we get some comic relief and more loveable space creatures with sensitivity to the Force.

Volume 3 is also the most interconnected Edge of Balance story yet. Those following the core High Republic story and the Dark Horse comics will be rewarded with a feast of character cameos and connected stories.

With that interconnectivity — and the infrequent nature of publishing manga — comes drawbacks to The Edge of Balance series. These issues are very much spinoff stories to the core High Republic tale. They are best enjoyed and appreciated as complements to completionist readers — those who have mostly kept up with The High Republic novels and comics. They are also best read as a bingeable set.

Overall, Volume 3 is an excellent addition to the series. It weaves core High Republic plotlines and characters into a gripping black and white tapestry. Key questions are answered and more are posed thanks to an action-packed cliffhanger. Don’t worry, there’s at least one more volume coming.

Thanks to VIZ Media for the review copy of this book.

This dad read Star Wars The High Republic: Edge of Balance Vol. 3 by Shima Shinya and Daniel José Older, the fourth manga offering from the massive, interconnected cross-publisher initiative.

Phase 3 of The High Republic has reunited readers with beloved characters introduced back in 2021, and Edge of Balance Vol. 3 does the same. In the year since the destruction of Starlight Beacon Jedi Knight Lily Tora-Asi has defied the Jedi Council’s orders to return to Coruscant, she simply can’t bring herself to abandon the planet Banchii amidst the ongoing threat of the Nihil and the expansion of their Stormwall. Lily successfully reestablishes the Jedi Temple but as the threats continue to grow, including the mysterious presence of beings connected to the Drengir, and even with the return of Master Arkoff, can the Jedi fend off the darkness or will they succumb to the ultimate enemy, fear?

It may just be a case of me forgetting where we left off with Lily in the previous volume, but Edge of Balance Vol. 3 seems to be the most interconnected of this title to date. Of course Lily and other characters present in this title have shown up elsewhere, but really this story’s been contained but I’m glad to see that its scope is expanding in phase 3. I was particularly surprised and delighted to see a trio of characters join Lily and crew on Banshii from Coruscant (I won’t say exactly who here for spoilers’ sake), with one of them having a particular skill with facing fear head on. A more lighthearted b-story featuring Sav Malagán and the birdlike Banshiians provides some comic relief amidst all the darkness. Some familiar Nihil faces also make appearances and make for some seriously satisfying interconnectivity with both the main title run from Marvel Comics and the Adventures title from Dark Horse Comics.

An aspect I always enjoy from the Edge of Balance series is the art by Mizuki Sakakibara who we haven’t seen since Vol. 2 back in 2022. Manga, and Sakakibara’s talent specifically, has a special way of expressing emotion on its pages and I’m reminded once again how lucky we are to have such diverse delivery methods of Star Wars stories. High Republic and Manga fans alike will be drawn in by the stunning visuals in Edge of Balance Vol. 3 which I can only describe as the perfect blend of cute, heartbreaking, terrifying, and action-packed.

Star Wars The High Republic: The Edge of Balance Vol. 3 returns in a big way, don’t miss out on this key portion of the phase 3 storyline. I give it 🧢🧢🧢🧢/5 highly recommend!