Forget April showers, April 2020 Star Wars comics bring us something far better, like the return of the Doctor Aphra series, IDW’s The Clone Wars miniseries, and Vader teaming up with…one of Padme’s handmaidens?! These story threads will definitely lead to bountiful May tales, that I can guarantee!
UPDATE: Due to the growing pandemic, comic distributor Diamond Comics has halted shipping starting in April. Marvel won’t be releasing issues digitally and IDW certainly won’t unless it’s on a store shelf, so it’s very much up in the air when these comics will end up seeing the light of day. It’s an unfortunate, but understandable move and I’m sure all these series, including the Aphra relaunch and Battle Tales miniseries, will be more than worth the wait! UPDATE 2: Battle Tales is tentatively out in June now instead, per the always trusty Florian of Jedi-Bibliothek. UPDATE #3 (5/3/20): With Diamond comics resuming shipping in late May, we’ll see only 3 of the below issues out before the end of June: The Clone Wars – Battle Tales #1 on May 20, Doctor Aphra #1 (Vol. 2) on May 27, and Bounty Hunters #3 on June 24, with the rest of April and beyond’s comics releasing at unknown times. We’ll have updates on the Manor as soon as we learn more!
MARVEL
Doctor Aphra #1 (on sale 4/1/2020)
Alyssa Wong (Writer), Marika Cresta (Artist)
Cover by Valentina Remenar | Variant Cover by Ashley Witter | Variant Cover by Chris Sprouse | Variant Cover by Valentina Remenar
NEW CREW, NEW MISSION!
With the Rebel Alliance back on the run after their defeat at the Battle of Hoth, it’s never been a more dangerous time for outlaws, scoundrels and the errant rogue archaeologist to make their way in the galaxy. But after a string of bad luck and near escapes, DOCTOR APHRA is back on the job! She’s been keeping a low profile – jobs are scarce and credits scarcer. But the promise of the score of a lifetime is a chance too good for her to pass up. And to find the cursed RINGS OF VAALE, Aphra will need a crew of treasure hunters the likes of which the galaxy has never seen before! But RONEN TAGGE, heir to the powerful Tagge family, also has his eyes on the prize. Do Aphra and her team stand a chance at fortune and glory?
Doctor Aphra #2 (on sale 4/29/2020)
Alyssa Wong (Writer), Marika Cresta (Artist)
Cover by Valentina Remenar | Variant Cover by Sara Pichelli
BEWARE THE MAD CITY!
DOCTOR APHRA and her new team have tracked the RINGS OF VAALE to a mysterious planet filled with primordial horror. What’s worse, the rings may be cursed…a malediction that could already be tearing Aphra’s crew apart. Will they escape the terror of the cursed planet with the precious rings or succumb to the creeping madness pervading the ancient world?
An interview with writer Alyssa Wong went live on the official site prior to the solicitations being released and I was more than floored over the exciting and fun new direction she seems to be taking the series! These don’t offer much more details than what she revealed, nor much more for me too geek out about like I did in my article about the announcement, but I’m just glad we have the details on where the galaxy’s favorite rogue archaeologist goes next. I love the sound of this adventure for the Rings, the new cast should be a blast to meet, I’m curious if/when we’ll see favorites like Tolvan or the murderbots, and whether or not Ronen Tagge has anything against Aphra for ‘helping’ Vader take out Casio Tagge. April can’t come soon enough!
Star Wars #5 (on sale 4/22/2020)
Charles Soule (Writer) Jesús Saiz (Artist)
Cover by R.B. Silva | Empire Strikes Back Variant Cover by Chris Sprouse | Variant Cover by Patrick Zircher
The next steps on Luke Skywalker’s search for Jedi wisdom begin here!
- Following a mysterious vision he received on CLOUD CITY, Luke travels to a lost planet looking for a woman he believes may hold the key to his Jedi future and that of the entire Rebellion.
- But will he arrive at his destination in time to learn what he needs… or will the evil DARTH VADER get there first?
Soule’s Star Wars relaunch began on the first of the year, offering a heavy character focus and intriguing glimpse of what our heroes get up to after the events of TESB, including Luke’s fractured feelings after Vader’s revelation. The next issue drops next week, so maybe there’s a hint regarding this woman in there, but I’m extremely curious to learn what Soule has planned here! If there’s any writer to trust, and an artist to closely watch as Jesús Saiz’s already detail-heavy, appropriately grim looking work, it’s these two.
Darth Vader #3 (on sale 4/15/2020)
Greg Pak (Writer), Raffaele Ienco (Artist)
Cover by Inhyuk Lee | Variant Cover by Aaron Kuder | Empire Strikes Back Variant Cover by Chris Sprouse
GHOSTS OF VADER’S PAST!
- In his quest to destroy everyone who hid the existence of his son, Luke Skywalker, from him, Darth Vader has formed an unlikely partnership with an eerie shadow from his previous life.
- Now they return to Naboo where a powerful new host of vengeful ghosts awaits them.
- Delve deeper into Vader’s past than you thought possible with this shocking tale of tragedy and revenge!
This series hasn’t even begun yet and I’m already getting over my apathetic feelings towards another Vader comic! From what we saw in last month’s solicits, Vader seems to find himself running into one of Padmé’s old handmaidens, or at least this and the last issue’s covers seem to tease, and now they seem to be working together and visiting Naboo?! Like, what even is this series?!? What really got me excited for this series, though, was the preview of the first issue over at the official site, revealing a deep and psychological-bent to Vader being scorned by his son.
Bounty Hunters #3 (on sale 4/8/2020)
Ethan Sacks (Writer), Paolo Villanelli (Artist)
Cover by Lee Bermejo | Variant by Michael Golden | Empire Strikes Back Variant Cover by Chris Sprouse
DUEL TO THE DEATH…AS THE SCOREKEEPER WILLS!
- Bossk confronts Valance in the ultimate heavyweight battle…and only one bounty hunter will remain standing when the dust clears.
- The mysterious Nakano Lash finally resurfaces, threatening to plunge the underworld into an all-out war between two of the most powerful criminal syndicates in the galaxy.
- Every bounty hunter, including the fearsome BOBA FETT, is after Lash. But what truly drives Fett to hunt down this particular quarry? Is it for the payday or…vengeance?! What exactly happened to Boba, Valance and Lash on that ill-fated mission so many years ago…?
While Valance and Bossk in a duel to the death is exactly why I feel like, at the very least, this series won’t be for me, learning more about Lash’s secret, able to rock the criminal underworld, and what happened between her, Fett, and Valance in the past does begin to pique my interest.
The Action Figure Variant Covers #1 (on sale 4/29/2020)
John Tyler Christopher (Artist)
Cover and Variant Cover by John Tyler Christopher
Get the ultimate Star Wars action figure collection — in one single, giant-sized comic book! As a child, John Tyler Christopher spent his days playing with Luke Skywalker, Darth Vader and his beloved Boba Fett. As an adult, Christopher has spent the last five years drawing the greatest heroes and villains of the galaxy far, far away in a stellar series of Action Figure Variant Covers to Marvel’s Star Wars titles — which have become as sought-after among fans as the original toys! Now, almost 100 of Christopher’s covers — featuring everyone from Ackbar to Zuckuss — are assembled, in all their full-size glory, in this instant collector’s item issue. And you don’t even have to agonize over taking them out of the box!
Get all of John Tyler Christopher’s excellent action figure variant covers in one place!
IDW
IDW announced Star Wars Adventures: The Clone Wars – Battle Tales for April, a 5-issue anthology miniseries where a group of clones, under siege, swap some of their favorite tales. I’ll update this with the solicits when they drop, but for now check out my article about the announcement!
UPDATE: The solicits came in, but they don’t reveal anything else about the series.
The Clone Wars – Battle Tales #1-5
Michael Moreci (Writer), Derek Charm (Covers)
Issue #1 – Derek Charm, Arianna Florean (Artists)
Issue #2 – Derek Charm, Megan Levens (Artists)
Issue #3 – Derek Charm, Valentina Pinto (Artists)
Issue #4 – Derek Charm, Davide Tinto (Artists)
Issue #5 – Derek Charm, Philip Murphy (Artists)
This exciting weekly series explores a time of great upheaval in the galaxy—the Clone Wars! While Obi-Wan Kenobi, Anakin Skywalker, and other Jedi Knights fight against incredible odds, Commander Cody, Captain Rex, and other clones, pinned down for the duration, swap war stories that feature your favorite characters from The Clone Wars animated series, such as Padmé Amidala, General Grievous, and many more!
Ryan is Mynock Manor’s Head Butler. You can follow him on Twitter @BrushYourTeeth. You can follow the website @MynockManor.
2020 Comic Solicitations: January | February | March