Comic Book Review: Eye of the Storm #2

Y’all, I think Marchion Ro might be just a tad dangerous. 

I mean, he looks good doing it. But still. This is one scary man. Scarier than any villain I think Star Wars has done so far (yes, even whichever one you were about to bring up). With the second and final volume of Eye of the Storm - also the closer to The High Republic Phase 1 - writer Charles Soule wastes no time in showing us exactly how terrifying the Eye of the Nihil really is. 

Where the first issue gave us a look at the how of Marchion Ro - as in, how he became the man he is now, the second issue is focused on the who. With the Starlight Beacon down, and Jedi Master Obratuk in Marchion’s custody, the Eye of the Nihil cannot let the opportunity to boast about his accomplishments pass him by. In illuminating Obratuk about how he pulled it off, the reader is made privy to that as well. 

Meanwhile, the Republic scrambles to recover from the tragic loss of the Starlight Beacon - confirming in the process that my favourite Jedi is, in fact, dead. I’ll be fine eventually - and goes into overdrive trying to stop Marchion Ro, the man they now know to be the true leader of the Nihil. Chancellor Soh sends her most trusted advisors out to begin reinforcing the Outer Rim. 

For all that Marchion really dislikes the Chancellor, their methods are remarkably similar. In telling Obratuk how he came to acquire the Nameless, he tells him that he elevated the strongest in his ranks, pulled them in and made them feel special, then relied on their loyalty to him and his cause in order to meet his own ends. 

At the end of the day, the Eye and the Chancellor have very similar approaches. The only difference is those who serve the Eye know what they are getting into. There is no expectation of survival or a long life. It makes them more reckless, sure, but it’s also a refreshingly honest way to live. 

It’s also very gratifying to have beliefs I’ve long held about the Nihil - that what they seek is the freedom to live in their own space without interference - confirmed once again. True, their methods to obtaining said freedom are perhaps a little extreme. But I cannot fault any of them for the desire.

The artwork, once again by Guillermo Sanna, continues to be breathtaking. It is no longer the stories stained-glass vibe of issue one, true, but that’s not to say it’s not still telling a story all its own. An interesting choice, I noted, was Marchion’s appearance. As someone who has spent the last year or so thinking about this man’s gorgeous face, I was rather struck by how he appeared in this issue. Not because he suddenly got ugly, but because he has started looking remarkably like his father Asgar Ro. Marchion is becoming increasingly like his father, adopting the man’s methods as his own, taking them further to suit his own cause, and the line between the two men is becoming increasingly indistinguishable. 

The issue ends with Marchion deploying a new weapon - the StormSeed - which prevents Republic ships from accessing ten sectors of the Outer Rim. Sectors the Nihil now claim as theirs, free of Republic and Jedi interference. It’s tempting for many to paint the Nihil as irredeemably evil, and while we still may not have the why of Marchion Ro, it’s impossible to deny that the man is strongly motivated - and not totally wrong either.

Eye of the Storm provides a very satisfying conclusion to Phase 1, while making the waits for Phases 2 and 3 just that much harder. 

Eye of the Storm #2 is available now