– Spoiler Review –
After nearly 5 years and 50 issues, Charles Soule’s Star Wars (Vol. 2) run comes to its grand finale, where perspective from the future gives context to the past, summing up a memorable series with a thoroughly entertaining and surprising tale.
It’s sort of hard to fathom right now we’re almost to the 5-year mark since Marvel relaunched everything, especially given the real-world events, from a pandemic to wars, have made the time stretch even further. Even crazier to think, as I celebrate the Manor’s 10 years anniversary this year, in 2025 it’ll be 10 years since Marvel kicked off the canon comics. To arrive at another finale for a Star Wars mainline run, one packed with big, galaxy-shaking events as crossovers took over again and again, what could Charles Soule, along with the art team of Madibek Musabekov, Rachelle Rosenberg, and Clayton Cowles, do to honor all their work and put into perspective 10 years of comics? The latter part isn’t really on this team to deliver, that’s more for the upcoming maxiseries The Battle of Jakku, but the perspective it offers on the series’ “present” via the framing story taking place in the “future,” aka Jedi Master Luke Skywalker teaching Ben Solo at his academy on Ossus, gives it a grander scope which feels like it encompasses more than just this series. By having such scope, Star Wars #50 (Vol. 2) handily manages to give the entire run a fitting finale, which felt more earned than the ending of issue #49, with this retroactively assisting it and lifting it up as well. There’s seriousness within to achieve this, but also some tongue-in-cheek too, like when Ben Solo is so surprised so many things happened within only a year, something myself and many others have harped on this era of comics for, which makes this issue sound almost like a conversation with fans and reviewers alike, not exactly agreeing with some of our common refrains but acknowledging it, at the very least. The This tale in issue #50 has plenty of versatility, surprises, and big moments which are all hallmarks of what’s come before, but I like its tighter focus on the core group of characters, putting Lando, Luke, Leia, Chewie, and even Artoo and Threepio back in the spotlight in a way which recalls where this all started. We could’ve gotten the planning session for the rescue of Han Solo or something which tied into other stories which also take place in this era, but instead we got another big adventure and I don’t think I can imagine anything less from Soule and team, as this ends up feeling like a “thank you for reading” instead of “here’s simply more to read to close this out.”
In the series’ “present,” the issue joins Luke Skywalker revisiting the memory-holding fungus planet Gazian, which previously allowed him to speak with Jedi Master Elzar Mann of the High Republic era (a moment which made my Top 5 for 2022), as he attempts to learn about defeating the Sith from its many visitors throughout history. This time he finds himself talking to Azlin Rell, another Jedi from the High Republic era, though one who fell to darker practices after a debilitating run-in with the era’s dangerous Nameless creatures, unnaturally prolonging his life as he hoped to unlock their secrets, so of course he offers Luke something dangerous and unproven to help in the fight against the Sith. It’s called the Grim Rose, a device which will, through arcane Force sorcery, kill whoever’s genetic material you give it, though the ultimate reality of how it does it is where things get more complicated. But before we come to understand the depth the device will go or before it’s even used, Luke and friends debate about whether or not to even pursue it, they go on a fun and intriguing adventure to a frozen world to find it, visit a prequel planet to secure a sample of their target and Lando finds a surprising ally along the way, and lastly the debates recommence before even using it. Much like Greg Pak and Phil Noto’s closing arc on the initial Star Wars (Vol. 1) run, Chewbacca rises to prominence during this story, as while everyone debates about whether to use the device or not, without fully knowing how it works, he steps up and drops in the sample of Palpatine’s blood, kickstarting the process instead of waiting for them. Threepio translates Chewie’s explanation: he wants the Emperor dead if it means he can finally see his family again, his exile from them the Empire’s fault for all these years. It’s a solid reason and allows him to have his moment in the story, as he’s often not given tons of agency and this gives him more than any other character in the scene with him. As the device begins to work its arcane magic, Luke notices it’s working its way through people who are connected to the Emperor to find him and kill him, only for Threepio to finally put all the pieces together with its instructions thanks to Luke’s insight: it will not only kill the Emperor…but all those whose paths it crossed to get to him. The debate begins again, with Lando making the case for them to let it run its course, their deaths nothing against what the Emperor has done, and many of them could likely be terrible people, but Luke and Leia can’t get behind it, especially with Alderaan’s destruction an ever present memory (and the issue’s chapter titles using dialogue in the moments leading up to its destruction keep it top of mind for us too). Since they can’t stop it, they decided to return to Gazian with Luke for him to ask for help on what to do, and in talking with Azlin again (after a nice surprise of seeing Lor San Tekka, especially since Luke and he haven’t met yet!), Luke understands they can at least redirect it, using one of the planet’s long-dead inhabitants to defuse the device and stop all the senseless deaths.
Star Wars #50 (Vol. 2) visits the framing story, where Luke’s telling Ben Solo this adventure, often throughout these events, with the apprentice interrupting here and there, and at the end, curious what’s even the point of the tale. We already knew Soule had a great handle on both Luke, which this series has cemented time and time again, and Ben Solo, thanks to the miniseries about the young Jedi’s fall, and I love how he’s able to capture them both at this specific time with hints of what’s to come sprinkled in. With Luke, it seems like he’s not aware of Ben’s conflicted feelings, but as the story goes on and he reveals the point he’s trying to make, I’d hazard a guess he has his concerns already about the boy. As for Ben, he’s interested to learn the tale, even if it doesn’t have his father in it, but his lack of patience offers a glimpse into the conflict within, how much more does he trust in Luke’s teaching’s versus Snoke/Palpatine’s manipulations. When Luke reveals the point he’s trying to make with this story is about not becoming evil to defeat evil, the message works across several levels, from a valuable lesson for readers to take into the real world, a summary of what Lando, Luke, and Leia have all experienced across their various storylines in the series (Leia vs Zahra, Lando in his trial, and Luke healing the kyber crystal), to something hopefully giving Ben Solo pause about his current path. The layers are what really gives this issue such a grand scope and such a fitting ending, as the morality point feels like something that could’ve applied to many other stories across this era of comics as well, but it really captures everything Soule seemed to be trying to convey since the start of this one and even with the big crossover stories he brought to the table with Qi’ra’s return or even the Dark Droids stuff. The sense of finality is satisfying in Star Wars #50 (Vol. 2), even as the comics gear up for The Battle of Jakku and then whatever Marvel has up their sleeves next, as this feels like the right cap to this era of storytelling.
Rachelle Rosenberg and Clayton Cowles have been our usual suspects all along, on colors and lettering respectively, while Madibek Musabekov has provided art for a good portion of the series, and this is certainly one of the best teams to bring such a grand story to life! In the future, Musabekov’s Ben looks appropriately moody, his face often looks to be frowning, his hair long and shaggy and deep black to match his mood, yet it seems like no real darkness has settled in at this point as he smiles here or there or looks interested in the story. Ben isn’t always directly looking at Luke, getting up and pacing even at one point, showcasing his impatience and lack of comfort from Luke’s gaze, almost as if he’s worried the Master might see through into the conflict within. There’s a certain level of intention in Luke’s gaze at the very end, when he hammers home his story’s point, which gives us the clue he’s actively concerned for his nephew, though the following panel, where Ben’s looking off in the distance, as if he has a lot on his mind after what Luke says, shows the point isn’t being missed. I loved the tranquil scene on Ossus between Ben and his Master, as the big tree and calm sky make it seem like a peaceful place, but as the story goes on, it’s clear the time of day is passing, as Rosenberg follows a familiar pattern to the color of the sky, though the story ending after the sun has set, a rich purple to the sky with more darkness and shadows to the scene, are a subtle yet chilling hint at what will happen between these two in the not so distant future. Whereas the future is a rather serene story, with much of the subtler aspects of the art telling the real story, Madibek and team go big with the wild events in the present, but also have plenty of small moments too. For the Grim Rose device itself, it looks like a simple, yet big square box, with writing in concentric circles and a sun-like image in the center, with ornate spikes shooting out from it. This initial look isn’t too out of the ordinary, but it definitely feels like it almost doesn’t belong, a feeling which only grows when it’s activated, as it begins to float and emit an eerie purple, one that matches the colors for the possessed droids in the Dark Droids storyline, while the sound FX design Cowles employs almost looks like something you can peel off the page like a sticker, with strange crackly lines, all of which helps denote how unnatural and dangerous it can be. There’s a double page spread where we see all the souls it’s beginning to find and connect with on its path to Palpatine, the entire spread submerged in the off-putting purple, while Cowles’ word bubbles pull us around the scene yet let the bizarre device and the many faces around it do a lot of the talking about what is actually happening. Of course the world of Gazian and its fungal memory apparitions are always fascinating visuals, but Azlin Rell, with his sunken eye sockets, which we see black blood bleed out of at one point, and mad smile really amp up the unsettling nature of the world and its inability to let go of those who visit, though we already knew Musabekov had the chops to make even the most normal person creepy thanks to his work during Dark Droids. Cowles really plays up Luke’s clash within the fungus and the struggle it is to rescue him with the SFX used for Azlin’s clashing saber and Artoo and Chewie’s yells to pull him back and his prize back up. It’s not all fights in the fungus and evading ties on an ice planet in the present, as there’s small moments too, like Lando’s encounter with the record’s clerk. Musabekov delivers some great expressions in the scene, as her boredom and disinterest, hide the later sly mannerisms she employs when revealing her willingness to help him. It felt like, to any casual observer, they were having a normal, friendly conversation so no one would think anything of their encounter, but her words and actions revealed so much more about her, painting her as a surprising and useful ally.
Here are a few other things:
- It’s wild to think I didn’t even spend much time in this review on the team’s trip to Imperial controlled Naboo! I loved this scene and Lando’s conversation with a record’s clerk that shows anyone can be powerful and important given the chance. And the whole plan with Artoo using big Imperial excavation machines on the ice planet was a hoot, as he’s always coming in clutch somehow.
- The Battle of Jakku begins next month! Consisting of three different miniseries at four issues each, the nearly weekly release schedule looks to see it either end by December or very early in January. Recent comic solicitations from October and November so far shine a light on what to expect, so peek ahead if you dare or get ready to strap in for the ride when it all begins October 2.
- Jake Bartok, whose made some amazing fan-art pieces over the years and will be providing the official covers for Dark Horse’s The High Republic Adventures – Dispatches from the Occlusion Zone, put up a lovely little tribute piece for Soule’s run!
- Soule himself revealed he might consider doing a retrospective on the series, given it’s over 70 issues he’s worked on including the crossovers, via his newsletter and I can imagine, if you’re reading this review, you’d love to see something like it too!
- Manor writer Chris pointed out the Grim Rose was similar to some themes in Soule’s recent The Endless Vessel novel, so now is a good time as ever to remind fans to go pick it up, as it’s quite the fascinating read!!
- While it’s something fans have called him for decades, I took to calling Han Solo in carbonite during the War of the Bounty Hunter crossover the Han-sicle (later spelt Hansicle), as it was just less to type out and sounds funny, so it was fun to see the term used in-universe.
Star Wars #50 (Vol. 2) is a thank you to its readers in all the best ways, with one final great adventure and a glimpse of what can be in the future of comics and the Saga’s storytelling. Thank you, Charles Soule and team!
+ Putting the focus back on the main L-Squad team
+ Future framing story adds perspective and has its own dark hints
+ Expressive clerks, subtle sun set, creepy revelations about dangerous artifacts and more stun from the art team
Ryan is Mynock Manor’s Head Butler. You can follow him on Twitter @BrushYourTeeth. You can follow the website on Bluesky, Twitter @MynockManor, and Instagram @mynockmanor.
STAR WARS (Vol. 2)
The Destiny Path: #1-6 — Operation Starlight: #7-11 — War of the Bounty Hunters: #12-18 — Crimson Reign: #19-24 — Special Issue: #25 — The Path to Victory: #26-30 — Quests of the Force: #31 | #32 | #33 | #34 | #35 | #36 — Dark Droids: #37 | #38 | #39 | #40 | #41 — #42 | #43 — Trial of Lando Calrissian: #44 | #45 | #46 | #47 — #48 | #49