– Spoiler Review –
It’s clear Charles Soule’s run of the Star Wars series has been building to this moment, as the rescue of Shara Bey, the plan to finally unite all of the Rebel Fleet, Commander Zahra’s ruthlessness, and even Qi’ra’s return to the galactic stage come to a head in issue #22, setting up for what’s sure to be an epic-sized conclusion over these next few issues.
At the end of the War of the Bounty Hunters crossover, Qi’ra and Leia finally met, talking about the future of their organizations but far more about Han Solo, for better or worse, causing the highly anticipated meeting to both delight and disappoint. In issue #22, they meet again, and while they do discuss Chewbacca and his reaction to Han’s situation, it’s far more focused on their future together on the galactic stage, without missing a beat on the whip-smart, cleverly worded dialogue that made their last meeting as much of a physical and psychological fight as if they had come to fisticuffs. In Soule’s Crimson Reign miniseries, where we see inside Qi’ra’s plans to take down the Sith ruling the galaxy, she mentioned she had a use for the Rebellion, whether they’d like it or not, and issue #22 has her coming to Leia with two gifts, as it were. Leia’s obviously hesitant to believe anything Qi’ra says, let alone work with her, but Qi’ra has two things which are too tempting for Leia to pass on: the location of the final division of the Rebel Fleet and an operative that can put Commander Zahra in the Rebellion’s sights. In return, Qi’ra offers to take over their supply chain to offer a cheaper, more secure line of supplies instead of relying on other black market goods. I loved this conversation more than their last, from the give and take, fake admonishments from both sides, Qi’ra’s promises she wants to be friends and gain Leia’s trust with her flowery language, to Leia’s no-nonsense rebuttals, and it really makes me hope we’ll get to see more of them together in the future, regardless what happens to Crimson Dawn and Qi’ra’s plans (one can dream of Emilia Clarke and non-CGI younger Leia talking in some live-action production!). While Leia can’t pass up these opportunities, it does mean Qi’ra can cause issues for the Rebellion, cutting off their supplies at any moment, so it’s a precarious position for the Rebellion to be in, basically in the palm of her hand for whenever or whatever she might need from them in the future. While we don’t see what Qi’ra feels about the situation afterwards, Leia and Amilyn Holdo manage to share a few words, where Leia believes it all makes sense to go along without needing to trust Qi’ra, but also how much better she feels with Amilyn around (they even flirt a little again, thankfully), knowing she’ll be there to help watch over and coordinate with Qi’ra’s supplies. While I’d like more Amilyn, just having her here no matter the length of time is better than none at all.
Allowing this comic to also explore Chewbacca’s reactions to Han’s currently cold conditions has been an underrated part of the series, as obviously these two have formed a strong bond over the years, no matter how short it technically is in Wookiee years. Chewie’s letting out his anger and frustration, being unable to get Han free at the moment, via a training simulation pitting him against all the worst case scenarios at Jabba’s Palace. It’s not going well for him yet, as he’s overwhelmed in the simulation we see, and hopefully it’s part of the reason why he goes along with the eventual plan in Return of the Jedi, realizing the strength in numbers and stealth approached to get his pal back from Jabba’s slimy clutches are the better bets. After everything that happened in War of the Bounty Hunters, when Qi’ra and Leia come to chat with him here, his only response for Qi’ra is a finger on his bowcaster’s trigger, anger bristling in his eyes, as while she points out it’s not totally her fault Han’s in Jabba’s hands, it is her fault she didn’t have him returned to them outright so he’s willing to take his grudge out on her. I hope this isn’t the only time we get to see Chewie dealing with Han’s situation, as like I said, I’d like to see him eventually come around to the plan as we see it in RotJ.
Thankfully, well, maybe not really, we didn’t have to wait long to see what Zahra does with Shara Bey after capturing her last issue, and I only say not really since it means Shara being tortured. She’s holding out, like you’d expect her to, but once Zahra brings in a holo of little Poe Dameron, claiming she knows where Shara’s son is hiding with her father, it breaks the resilient woman and I don’t blame her. It’s not totally clear what exactly Shara gives up, if she tells Zahra about their new encryption codes or not, though it almost feels like it might not matter much by issue’s end. Kes Dameron, the Pathfinders, and Starlight Squadron, devising a plan without a superior’s knowledge at the end of last issue (like son like father), are all in transit to Zahra’s ship, Starlight providing a diversion for a U-wing based boarding party with Kes and the Pathfinders. Zahra’s way too smart for the plan, picking up their actual goals, eager even to be the one who finds Kes’ team in the bowels of the ship, though when a tip comes in regarding the location of the final Rebel Fleet division, she leaves some TIEs behind to catch the division off-guard. That same tipper is how Qi’ra knows the division’s location so shortly after Zahra appears, the rest of the Rebellion’s fleet appears. This is some fun crossover with Soule’s Crimson Reign miniseries, as issue #2 had Deathstick locating the division, calling in the tip to the Imperials (a very funny scene), and then stealing a young girl named Cadeliah in the chaos (an important character to the Bounty Hunter series we see in a cameo), though I didn’t initially understand the Star Destroyer which appears above the division’s hiding place was Zahra’s in the Reign issue, but rereading it makes it clear due to the signature wound on the ship. Most Imperial Commanders or Generals we’ve met would’ve been scared at the ambush of the Rebellion’s fleet, but Zahra’s cut from a much different, Tarkin-inspired cloth, as she’s actually…happy, or well excited, saying she couldn’t have planned things better herself. Well, if she has the codes from Shara, she can use that to her advantage to intercept or mislead communications, which might be all someone like her needs to have a fighting chance, though she also has a group of Rebels on her ship and she can use their lives almost as a hostage situation to hold off attacks. I’ll be curious to see what this cunning commander has up her sleeves and I’m glad Soule’s introduced an enemy with such longevity and potential, as Star Wars (2015) ran into a problem with far too many incompetent and quickly defeated Imperials that the stakes were often non-existent in the series.
It’s not just Soule’s dialogue and story beats for Commander Zahra that makes her so imposing and her calm reaction to everything so unnerving, but it’s really owed to the art team of Ramon Rosanas, Rachelle Rosenberg, and Clayton Cowles. Rosanas draws Zahra as if she’s happy and at peace as she tortures Shara, her content look as she tells Shara she’ll confess unnerving to say the least, almost as if she relishes this moment more than her usual commanding duties, Rosenberg’s colors on Zahra staying bright against the dim, depressing red of Shara’s section of the torture chamber, while Cowles’ lettering for the exhausted, ashamed Shara as she agrees to talk, the words so small inside the bubble, show how thoroughly Zahra just won. There’s a lot of Tarkin in the way Rosanas draws her this issue too, from the panel of her holding up one finger to her contemplating the fight ahead of her with her hand on her chin, cementing the link between the two characters and how much his training has bred who she is today. It only adds to spooky confidence she has, staring down the fleet, but it also serves to remind us of Tarkin’s confidence before he fell aboard the Death Star, though unlike her teacher, she’s not placing too much confidence in a technological terror. I will say, and maybe it was just me, but Shara in captivity was giving me Korra from The Legend of Korra-vibes, from the blue top to the hair, and I’m curious if that was intentional or not, as it recalls the scenes where Korra is brought low by villains, pointing towards Shara as someone who might be broken but isn’t out in the moments ahead. I loved Rosenberg’s colors for Amilyn’s hair, a bright orange, and it shows the vibrancy and variety of the character in her few panels here, to the point I knew who she was before we even saw her face. I loved the scale of the page with the Pathfinders in the broken section of Tarkin’s Will, the swirling blue of hyperspace in the background, showing how much they have to face and the new challenge ahead of escaping.
Here are a few other things:
- You’ll get to celebrate 2022’s Star Wars Day, May the Fourth, with the 23rd issue of this series, but the wait for issues 24 and 25 have lengthened due to delays across the comics board. Issue 24 is now out June 8 and the big, era-spanning special issue 25 won’t be out until July (originally solicited for June). With the way dates have been shifting, that could change, but as of this writing this is where everything should land for now…let’s pray don’t alter any further!
- When I say era-spanning issue, #25 is going to be something really special, even more so for fans of Soule’s previous works, as the issue will have stories that connect to his Poe Dameron series, Vader run, Obi-Wan & Anakin miniseries, and The Rise of Kylo Ren story, while bringing back the artists he worked with as well! There hasn’t been anything quite like it so I’m really looking to it. You can read the solicit for the issue in June’s, but remember it’s out in July now.
Leia and Qi’ra duel with words, Chewie deals with his anger, and the fight for the final Rebel division, pitting the group against the cunning Zahra, makes for a packed and exciting Star Wars #22 (Vol. 2).
+ An even better than the first Qi’ra/Leia meeting
+ Dealing with Chewie’s feelings briefly
+ Imposing & unfazed Zahra
+ Art really highlights Zahra/Tarkin connection
Ryan is Mynock Manor’s Head Butler. You can follow him on Twitter @BrushYourTeeth. You can follow the website on Twitter @MynockManor and Instagram @mynockmanor.
STAR WARS (Vol. 2)
The Destiny Path: #1 | #2 | #3 | #4 | #5 | #6 / Arc Review — The Will of Tarkin: #7 | #8/Arc Review — Operation Starlight: #9 | #10 | #11 | #12 — War of the Bounty Hunters: #13 | #14 | #15 | #16 | #17 | #18 — Crimson Reign: #19 | #20 | #21