Sorry to break it to some of you, whether it’s for working or for learning, school is back come September for most people, so hopefully, maybe this list of Star Wars comics you can enjoy between lessons and homework will make the prospect less daunting. We get the first details on the Star Wars: Visions comic coming from Marvel, see the end to another Obi-Wan-centric story, the fight to save Aphra continues, Sabe remains in Vader’s life for now, and so much more, so head below for Star Wars comics’ September 2022 solicitations now!
MARVEL
Star Wars Visions #1 (on sale 9/21)
Takashi Okazaki (Writer, Artist, Cover Artist)
FROM THE CREATIVE MIND BEHIND THE STAR WARS: VISIONS EPISODE “THE DUEL” COMES AN ALL NEW STORY!
- TAKASHI OKAZAKI (Afro Samurai) is continuing his storytelling from the acclaimed STAR WARS: VISIONS episode “THE DUEL,” featuring the Ronin!
- The mythology of STAR WARS infused with elements of Feudal Japan makes this issue a MUST READ for STAR WARS and MANGA fans alike!
There’s been some back and forth on whether the Star Wars: Visions comic, somewhat quietly announced at Celebration Anaheim last month, would be continuations or not, but it looks like the answer is yes! Visions’ first comic starts with an all new story about Ronin, who featured in the short “The Duel,” and it’ll be written and drawn by Takashi Okazakim, a member at Kamikaze Douga. I love the art style will be retained and I’m happy it’ll be written by someone from the original team who made the short, though I’ll be curious to see if it honors what came before in expanding “The Duel,” the mind-bendingly good Ronin novel! Maybe this’ll explore some of Ronin’s past revealed in the book or another Sith hunting mission prior to the one in “The Duel.” I can’t wait to find out and it’ll be great way to help pass the time until Star Wars: Visions Vol. 2 releases in 2023! Until it releases, here’s some concept art they shared:
Star Wars #27 (on sale 9/7)
Charles Soule (Writer), Andrés Genolet (Artist)
Cover by E.M. Gist
“The Good People”
- The Empire’s greatest secret is in the hands of two Crimson Dawn double agents, who are racing to deliver it to the Rebel Alliance to buy themselves safe haven.
- But the Empire knows what they have stolen, and the entire Imperial Navy is in hot pursuit!
Please tell me these two Crimson Dawn double agents are Bothans and these are the Death Star II plans!! Well, I’m okay without these being the plans, but I would love some Bothans, as we are desperately close to Return of the Jedi in terms of timeline so what better place than here and now for some Bothan love? Don’t get your hopes up there will be Bothans though…I’m just theorizing here. I would prefer them to be aliens, at the very least, whomever they are.
Bounty Hunters #27 (on sale 9/14)
Ethan Sacks (Writer), Paolo Villanelli (Artist)
Cover by Giuseppe Camuncoli
A DEADLY MISSION ON THE EDGE OF A BLACK HOLE!
- Desperate for credits, T’onga and the bounty hunters take a dangerous job for the Pykes
- But is Tasu Leech ready to take on…the Kanjiklub?
- And Valance makes a decision that will change everything…
The Bounty Hunters series is currently leading to a finale of its current storylines involving Crimson Dawn, Cadeliah, and more, so this looks to be one of the first steps away from that finale, as it playfully hides the fates of a few characters we still don’t know. I look forward to seeing a black hole in Star Wars comics, something used for great effect in the Alphabet Squadron novels, while I’m curious if we’ll honor some physics here and have a heartbreaking scene like in Interstellar! I don’t think Valance Nation would quite enjoy that…
Darth Vader #27 (on sale 9/21)
Greg Pak (Writer), Raffaele Ienco (Artist)
Cover by Rahzzah
- The alliance between Darth Vader and Sabé has always seemed destined for disaster.
- After all, how long can the Dark Lord of the Sith and the idealistic handmaiden of Padmé Amidala find common ground?
- So as Vader and Sabé enter the final battle against a corrupt Imperial governor, something’s going to break.
- Will it be Vader’s cold resolve or Sabé’s true heart? And how long until Ochi of Bestoon finally makes his move?
The fight against the corrupt Imperial governor has only just begun in the most recent issue, so I’m happy to see it’s not going to be an easy fight for Vader or Sabé…and I’m just glad she’ll be around for more, as she brightens up this series a lot.
Obi-Wan #5 (9/14)
Christopher Cantwell (Writer), Adriana Melo (Artist)
Cover by Phil Noto
- Obi-Wan has closed his journals for now and looks ahead as night falls and the sandstorm that has sequestered him begins to clear.
- But he discovers something unexpected in the hazards of the Jundland Wastes…a squad of ambushed stormtroopers left to die.
- But one still has a fighting chance…and Obi-Wan may very well risk everything to save a single injured imperial stormtrooper that can’t help but remind Kenobi of the clones he served with so long ago.
The Obi-Wan comic miniseries should wrap up in September and its final issue will see him risking his life to save a stormtrooper?! I love the idea and will be intrigued what it does for the man’s soul prior to his fateful mission to the Death Star. Thankfully the final issue provides the series with its first female creative, but it’s just wild it took this long.
Han Solo & Chewbacca #6 (9/28)
Marc Guggenheim (Writer), David Messina (Artist)
Cover by Phil Noto
“CHEWBACCA BEHIND BARS!”
- Chewie is held captive on the prison planet of Gulhadar!
- And you’ll never believe who his cellmates are. None other than Maz Kanata and Boba Fett!
- And whatever happened to the Millennium Falcon?
{Solicitation already released last month} Intriguing that the cover shows Dr. Evazan and Ponda Baba, not the aforementioned Maz Kanata and Boba Fett. I know cover artists like Phil Noto aren’t given all the details before they make these, so I wouldn’t blame him for picking two of the more recognizable ne’er-do-wells to put behind bars with Chewie, though I wouldn’t be surprised they are in prison alongside the three already mentioned considering the last time we saw them, they had been captured. So why is Chewie captured, and with Maz and Boba?! I’m beyond curious to find out why!
Doctor Aphra #24 (9/28)
Alyssa Wong (Writer), Minkyu Jung (Artist)
Cover by Rickie Yagawa
“DESCENT”
- Desperate to rescue DOCTOR APHRA at any cost, SANA STARROS and her CREW’s search leads them to an OLD HAUNT…
- …and two FAMILIAR FACES they might not survive!
- Meanwhile, Aphra delves deeper into the secrets of THE ASCENDANT…and the true origin of the SPARK ETERNAL!
{Solicitation already released last month} I’m still sort of floored by the events of the latest issue, Doctor Aphra #20 (Vol. 2), so reading a solicit of the story yet to come so many months away is soothing. I love how this thread of the Ascendant has permeated the comic, and if you’ve read issue #20, you know it’s been a VERY intriguing tale, full of twist and turns, and I can’t wait to see what the creative team has in store for us next. Who are the two familiar faces? The return of BT-1 and Triple-Zero?! Winloss and Nokk? Panda Baba and Dr. Evazan (who do appear in the Han Solo & Chewbacca cover above)? Should be fun, no matter who! And also I want to know who this fuzzy friend is Aphra on the cover!
The Mandalorian #3 (on sale 9/7)
Rodney Barnes (Writer), Georges Jeanty (Artist)
Cover by David Baldeón|Variant Covers by Ryan Stegman, Georges Jeanty
“THE SIN”
The battered Mandalorian returns to his client to collect his reward and tend to his wounds; complications arise and what should have been a simple task becomes far more dangerous than anyone could have expected.
You can check out our review The Mandalorian “Chapter 3 – The Sin” now! At Celebration Anaheim ’22, it was revealed the preorders for this were massive, so it looks like a lot of you are eager for this comic adaptation…I get the appeal since these don’t seem like they’ll ever be out in physical media like Blu-rays or to purchase separately online, so one way to own the stories forever!
DARK HORSE
Hyperspace Stories #2 (on sale 9/7)
Cecil Castellucci (Writer), Megan Huang (Artist/Cover Artist)
Variant Covers by Michael Atiyah, Jack T. Cole
After the destruction of the Death Star, the Rebel Alliance searches desperately for a safe haven to escape from the iron grip of the Galactic Empire. Luke Skywalker and Leia Organa investigate a mountainous world that could prove useful as a new base, only to discover all is not as it seems. On the run from imperial stormtroopers, Luke and Leia must make a perilous trip across an unforgiving landscape if they are to escape capture, or worse, at the hands of the Empire.
Luke and Leia versus the Empire!
Out of all things talked about with Dark Horse’s return at Celebration Anaheim 2022, it was intriguing to learn the maxiseries of 12 issues will somehow have a connective narrative all the way through. Will be interesting to see how they pull that off!
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.