At first glance, October’s comics might look a little slim, but that’s only because Marvel is having one of it’s quietest months since launching. But IDW is here to pick up the slack, and with one helluva offering: a horror-anthology called Tales from Vader’s Castle. So head below to see why I about jumped out of my skin when I saw Aphra‘s latest cover, a cool connection Charles Soule is making between two of his series, and what spooks are ahead from Vader’s Castle!
MARVEL
Star Wars #55 (on sale 10/3)
Kieron Gillen (Writer), Salvador Larroca (Artist), Guru-eFX (Colors)
Cover by David Marquez (pictured) | Action Figure Variant by John Tyler Christopher | Galactic Icon Variant by Rod Reis
“HOPE DIES” PART 6
• If anyone is to survive this disaster, sacrifice is needed…
• Who’s going to make it?
• If hope dies, what survives?”
Already off to a pretty thrilling start, “Hope Dies” will come to an end in October, destroying the Rebellion’s glimpse of dominance and pushing our heroes towards The Empire Strikes Back. I’m almost more curious to see what comes next than how this arc ends, despite how ominously this solicitation tries to get, as I’m wondering how much longer they’ll keep this series going with TESB in its sights now. Will they give Gillen a nearly 40 issue run like they did Jason Aaron and then either stop this mainline series, shift it to a new era, or reinvent it somehow? Only time will tell, but one thing is for certain by that cover, the rebels are about to be on the run again and it hopefully should keep this series feeling fresh.
Solo – A Star Wars Story #1 (comic adaptation) (on sale 10/10)
Robbie Thompson (Writer), Will Sliney (Artist)
Cover by Phil Noto (pictured) | Variant Cover by Leonard Kirk | Variant Cover by Luke Ross | Movie Variant Cover Also Available
“FEATURING BACKSTORY AND SCENES NOT SEEN IN THEATERS!
After leaving the IMPERIAL NAVY, a young HAN SOLO seeks adventure by joining a gang of galactic mercenaries — including a 196-year-old Wookiee named CHEWBACCA and a notorious gambler named LANDO CALRISSIAN. But there’s more to the story of the galaxy’s most beloved scoundrel than what you saw in theaters. Why does BECKETT trust him? And what is the connection between the woman who stole Han’s heart and one of Han’s closest friends?”
This was actually revealed at SDCC 2018’s Publishing Panel, where Creative Director at Lucasfilm Publishing, Michael Siglan, teased, “Read this one closely, because you don’t know where this one is going to head to and connect to in the future.” The novelization is already adding scenes not seen in the film, and comes out a whole month earlier than this comic adaptation, so will the additions here lead into a sequel to Solo in the form of a comic series, novel, or even the eventual surprise announcement of a film sequel in some shape or form? OR…is it just something to get readers interested in checking out yet ANOTHER adaptation this year from Marvel (joining Thrawn and The Last Jedi)?
Darth Vader – Dark Lord of the Sith #22 (on sale 10/17)
Charles Soule (Writer), Giuseppe Camuncoli (Artist)
Cover by Giuseppe Camuncoli & Elia Bonetti (pictured) | Galactic Icon Variant by Rod Reis
“FORTRESS VADER” PART 4
• The Tale of LORD MOMIN!
• Plans are drawn…
• …a foundation is laid …
• …and darkness rises on MUSTAFAR!”
Also at the Publishing Panel, Charles Soule revealed the “Fortress Vader” arc would actually be 7 issues, one of the longest arcs since Marvel began the comics in 2015. This is a massive storyline he was basically building to from the beginning, and would likely have been its grand finale if it wasn’t comeing back for more after these issues end; Well, Soule’s seemed to tease the series got an extension due to fan demand, so we’ll see if that holds true sometime early next year when this arc wraps up. Issue #22 has quite the surprise: Lord Momin, the head Vader is seen holding in the cover, because for those who read Soule’s excellent, classic Lando miniseries from way back in 2015, you’ll recognize the helmet as the one that slowly warped the minds of Lando’s crew aboard Palpatine’s private yacht. Soule teased this reveal earlier in July, saying he’s had this story in mind since writing the Lando series, and this is a nice tie-in/backstory potential for such an intriguing helmet. This is also a perfect excuse to go read that Lando mini, pronto, as it’s still one of the best Marvel series to date. Can’t wait to hear Momin’s tale!
Doctor Aphra #25 (on sale 10/24)
Simon “Si” Spurrier (Writer), Kev Walker (Artist)
Cover by Ashley Witter (pictured) | Galactic Icon Variant by Rod Reis
CUE THE IMPERIAL MARCH!
• After a lifetime of betrayals, all DOCTOR APHRA’s mynocks are finally coming home to roost.
• Murder-droids, Force-active spores, heartbroken lovers and vengeful lawmen — but they’re all eclipsed by the tall, dark shadow that now falls across her.
• HE IS HERE.
I was basically put in the hospital with last month’s solicitation for Doctor Aphra because it revealed Triple-Zero catches up with Aphra and shortly after follows none other than Darth Vader. Issue 25, a big milestone for the character and series, finally brings Vader and Aphra face-to-face for the first time since Darth Vader #25, back in 2016, when he shot her out an airlock. Over the intervening years, I’ve fluctuated between Vader knew Aphra had a backup plan and thus “killed” her because he had some soft spot for her to the fact that Vader had no idea she would’ve survived his merciless killing and is going to have a negative reaction, much like someone allergic to bees getting stung by one would, and do his best to re-finish the job; I’m currently 60/40 he knew she would survive. I don’t think Aphra with a lightsaber will last long against Vader though, but it sure is a sweet image for a cover, no? There’s no word on this being the end for the series, so it looks like she might survive this encounter with the Dark Lord, but how and why are of great interest to me. If the Aphra series continues, which I don’t see why not considering she’s such a fan-favorite, going to issue #26 would make her series outlast the one she was birthed from, which would be a pretty awesome. In the meantime, make sure you’re checking out the current arc, “The Catastrophe Con,” as it’s heading to some really excellent places, including this coming issue #25!
IDW
The full solicitations aren’t quite out yet as of publishing this article, and I’ll update this once they are, but below I’ve at least shared the info gleaned about Tales from Vader’s Castle, including these awesome variant covers, from the SDCC Publishing Panel:
“IDW is offering some fun looking scares this October with their Tales from Vader’s Castle comics, a weekly 5-issue miniseries written by Cavan Scott, with art by Derek Charm. The set-up is a group of rebels crash-land a ship on Mustafar, and in the shadow of the Vader’s castle, they tell each other stories to raise one another’s spirits as they fight to survive. This honestly sounds like a ton of fun, as it includes tales about, “Hera, Kanan, and Chopper; Obi-Wan Kenobi and Count Dooku; Han Solo and Chewbacca; and, amazingly, even Ewoks,” with a horror twist. The official site has an in-depth interview with Scott And Charm, where they discuss a Dooku vampire story to honor Sir Christopher Lee’s horror-background and how the whole project came about. Extra spooky variant covers, as you can see in the gallery above, are from artist Francesco Francavilla, while the main covers will be by artists Chris Fenoglio, Kelley Jones, Corin Howell, Robert Hack, and Charles Paul Wilson III. That Ewok one is giving me all sorts of chills. I’m ready for some fun, scary Star Wars stories and am really looking forward this miniseries!”
Star Wars Adventures #15
James Gilarte, Michael Moreci (Writers), Mauricet (Artist & Cover)
“When an emergency landing separates BB-8 from Poe Dameron, the astromech droid must make friends with the natives to repair their ship and return home to the Resistance.”
Ryan is Mynock Manor’s Head Butler. You can follow him on Twitter @BrushYourTeeth. You can follow the website @MynockManor.
2018 SOLICITATIONS: July | August | September | November | December
2019 Solicitations Here!
CURRENT MARVEL COMIC REVIEWS:
Doctor Aphra
Aphra (#1-6) | And the Enormous Profit (#9-13) | Remastered (#14-19) | The Catastrophe Con (#20-25) | Annual: #1
Darth Vader – Dark Lord of the Sith
The Chosen One (#1-6) | The Dying Light (#7-12) | The Rule of Five (#11-12) | Burning Seas (#13-18) | Fortress Vader (#19-25) | Annual: #2
Poe Dameron
Black Squadron (#1-3) | Lockdown (#4-6) | The Gathering Storm (#7-13) | Legend Lost (#14 – 16) | War Stories (#17-19) | Legend Found(#20-25) | The Awakening (#26-31) | Annual: #1
Star Wars
Ashes of Jedha (#38-43) | Mutiny at Mon Cala (#44-49) | Hope Dies (#50-55) | Annual: #4
Lando – Double or Nothing (comic miniseries)