Welcome, EveryWookiee! It’s DrunkWooky back with a really exciting spoiler article! We have some images from the upcoming Free Comic Book Day 2021 comics, High Republic Edge of Balance (Viz Manga) and High Republic Adventures (IDW)! Check them out below, but seriously SPOILERS AHEAD!
Ok, so FCBD is 8/14/2021 and that is the official street date for these issues discussed below. Before then, we have High Republic #8 and Monster of Temple Peak #1, both set in the High Republic era coming out. So all the firsts below could be overtaken by appearances in those two books on 8/11/2021. Complicating things, it seems these books are already making their way into readers’ hands two weeks before street date. However, the official DrunkWooky ruling is that official publisher date takes precedent over early leaks.
Edge of Balance
The the first Manga volume, Edge of Balance, was supposed to originally release in June 2021. It was delayed to September, making this FCBD issue actually precede that book and moving first appearances to this issue.
Edge of Balance opens on Tak’Lah during the Great Hyperspace Disaster where debris is emerging from hyperspace and crashing into planets (occurred during Soule’s Light of the Jedi Novel). Jedi Master Stellan Gios springs into action.
He made his first unnamed cameo at the end of HIgh Republic 1 before:
Then a single panel named hologram cameo in High Republic 6:
For many collectors this issue will be Stellan’s first full comic appearance.
Then, Jedi Master Arkoff (an awesome Wookiee Jedi Master) and Jedi Knight Lily Tora-Asi are making their way to Banchii with the refugees saved from those emergences. They are discussing balance.
This is the first full comic appearance of Arkoff and first full comic appearance of Lily Tora-Asi.
Lily made an unnamed one page cameo in HIgh Republic Adventures #3 (IDW):
They land on Banchii and this nefarious looking fellow thanks Lily while carrying what I can only assume is a bucket full of Drengir seeds:
High Republic Adventures
In High Republic Adventures FCBD, the whole story takes place during Cavan Scott’s new novel, The Rising Storm, when the Nihil launch a devastating attack on the planet Valo during what should be a peaceful Republic Fair.
Ram Jomaram, a human male Jedi Padawan, along with his droid, V-18, and his Bonbrak companion, Tip all make their first appearances here. While Zeen and Lula attempt to shepherd fair-goers to safety, Ram goes after the Nihil scavenger droids which are also first appearing here in comics.
On his way, a Nihil attacks, but badass V-18 launches hidden missiles at him and his buddies clearing a path.
Next, Jam spots Ty Yorrick, former Jedi and monster hunter atop a Sanval (a badass dragon thing on Valo for the zoological exhibit at the fair). Ty is known to appear in Temple of Monster Peak #1 on 8/11, so this will not likely go down in history as her first appearance.
First appearance of a Sanval.
Jam captures a Nihil scavenger droid, reprogram sit to lead its fellow droids away and gets kudos from Ty.
As I said before on above, Street date on these FCBD issues is 8/14 and release date for Monster of Temple Peak is 8/11. So Ty’s first appearance is up for debate seeing as these FCBD books are already finding their way into consumers’ hands. However, I say official street date carries the day and leaked comics don’t a first appearance of Ty Yorrick make.
Everybody else highlighted above should be a first or first full as long as they don’t show up in 8/11’s High Republic #8 or Monster of Temple Peak.
