I’ve lived my entire life in Wisconsin, so I know a “Midwest Goodbye” when I see one, as I’ve been stuck in them far too often (in fact, I may be writing this while stuck in one, they take that long). This year I did my best to bring one to a close over Thanksgiving, edging slowly to the front door, my feet getting frozen along the way as new conversation engagements came my way, but I still got to the door handle and, over the period of 5 minutes, managed to get it open and finally bring the process to an end. For the era between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, 2023’s Star Wars comics felt like that moment in the hallway by the door, as it’s clear we can’t spend that much more time in this era, but even if you spoke for hours at the event with everyone, suddenly 100 new topics need to be discussed despite you holding all the leftovers your fridge can handle, getting stuffy with a warm winter jacket on while the heat’s cranked up to 74, leaving one to wonder when this event will ever come to a close despite standing at the exit. The era was spiced up with a healthy side of horror by the end of the year, and a few series’ endings were announced, but it still seems like there’s no hope for the exit door opening in 2024 despite another round of goodbyes, though the promise of Prequel-focused stories is a nice change of pace for 2024. 2023 wasn’t all about an era we’ve been in for years now, though those series had some of the most memorable scenes of the year, as the High Republic brought a divisive Phase to a close and blew minds with starting the next, Dark Horse’s anthology explored favorites of all eras, Star Wars: Visions comics kicked off with an artful treat, and characters from Sana Starros to Yoda took center stage in their own series. A Midwest Goodbye only starts because one is with family and friends and, as much as every person involved wants the night to end, you don’t go quietly into the night if you didn’t enjoy your time together. So without further ado, here’s the Star Wars Comics 2023 Year-in-Review!
— Spoilers for comics released in 2023 —
Here are the things I liked the most/thought worked the best from the comics in 2023:
A) The Crossover Diaries – Part 1: Spooky Change of Pace
Outside of Star Wars comics, those I do read are typically self-contained, creator-owned series, like Saga, Ascender, Undiscovered Country, and more, so I’m not used to big crossovers or event series which litter the pages of DC, Marvel, and other connected universes. We had our fair share of crossover events in the early Star Wars comics, but they were spread out and limited to a series or two sharing a story, so this era’s multiple crossover events, one after another, was quite the stark change of pace, and it both helped and hindered the series involved with them. Qi’ra’s return and the trilogy of stories with her at the forefront were entertaining and cool stories to see unfold in the comics, but as Hidden Empire was ending, hearing ANOTHER crossover was on the way still felt exhausting. Couldn’t these series just tell their own story for a little bit? And how much could all fit in this 6-month period (the amount of time between the end of Episode V and start of VI) anyways? Whereas these were big stories about Qi’ra’s big plans about taking down the Sith, the next crossover, Dark Droids, was instead set to take a more horror-focused approach as a Scourge washed across the galaxy, taking over droids into its collective consciousness, with it eventually finding ways to take over cyborgs and all organics as well. It didn’t take long for Dark Droids to prove itself with both a far different tone, as horrific images of mangled droids or puppetted cyborgs consumed the main miniseries and connecting series, and the more intimate scale of scope, as much of what we saw on the pages revolved around many of the main characters seeing their friends fall to the Scourge and have them attempt to rescue them, led to tons of emotionally trying and exciting issues. Compared to all the story which came before, it was a welcomed change of pace, even if it still felt like too much at this point, and the connected series had a much easier time of telling their own story alongside the main events, weaving in and out in a more digestible manner for readers, especially those like myself who aren’t accustomed to/biggest fans of crossovers. I’d still hope this is the last crossover for this era of comics, but if the next era of connected stories contains some, I’ll be a little more prepared. As much as Dark Droids ended up proving itself a fun change from what came before, it still fell short in other areas I was concerned about, so head below to the “Didn’t Think Worked” section for Part 2 to find out more.
B) It’s the Little Things
Hyperspace Stories set itself apart from previous anthology-like all-ages series by claiming it would have a connected story. As we got closer to the finale, I grew worried the unknown item hidden in a Wookiee doll wouldn’t feel worth all the hubbub across its 12 issues. When the reveal landed, a map of ancient Jedi sites in the galaxy, it was initially deflating, as without promise of a follow-up or any knowledge Luke Skywalker might use it, a shrug of the shoulders was all I could muster. But that was missing the point, as these stories are often not about the destination (or MacGuffin object), but rather the journey. So what was the doll’s travels through this series all about then, if the object wasn’t what was truly important? The franchise has been rallying behind “hope” since Rogue One made sure we knew Rebellion’s were built on it, punctuated by Princess Leia herself, so it was only fitting said royalty delivered Cecil Castellucci, Amanda Deibert, and Michael Moreci’s modus operandi: “joy.” There’s no doubt I often found joy in the pairings each issue focused on, as the first three issue’s usage of the motif led to a mention in my 2022 year-in-review, but the doll often did so for those who held it: Viiveenn, whose father gave her the doll, has a cheerful Life Day after Rey gives it to her; Evans Basch in the finale thrives on its good luck charms in the Battle of Endor; and even Wrecker of the Bad Batch gains comfort from having a new dolly. It’s easy to get caught up in how these comics contribute to the larger canon, especially in such a connected era of crossovers, so it’s a nice reminder while it’s always a fun feature of the stories we get to read in a galaxy far, far away, never forget about the little things that brought us joy about these stories in the first place.
C) High Republic Brings Life and Life to Readers Again and Again
As long as its many luminous creators have stories to tell in it, the High Republic era looks to shine a bright light on the comics and the other mediums it touches as well. 2023 was a bit different than the proceeding two for the era, as its many outputs contained a tighter focused than previous runs, reading like self-contained stories that left some confusion if one was reading all of the Phase II: Quest of the Jedi content. Despite this, it’s the characters which shone through, be it the trifecta of Tey Sirrek, Vildar Mac, and Matthea “Matty” Cathley coming to rely on and trust in one another, Porter Engle and Barash Silvain’s familial bond, Barnabas Vim and Vix Fonnick’s questing to solve a mystery, or Sav Malagán and the most supportive pirate crew in any universe, the era was full of heartening tales which certainly pushed their corners of the plot forward, while never stumbling away from putting its characters first. When Phase III: Trials of the Jedi kicked-off in late 2023, the focused changed into big, surprising galaxy-setting moments, but there was no denying the electricity it caused to be back with the familiar Phase I characters fans really grew attached too. Considering we hadn’t really seen or heard from Phase I characters since late 2022, it speaks volumes to their impact with how much fans exploded upon their return, especially when it came to Elzar Mann and Avar Kriss drama as they deal with the loss of their polestar, Stellan Gios, or Zeen Mrala’s quest to find the woman she loves, Lula Talisola, missing and presumed dead. On top of all the above, the LGBQTIA+ representation constantly found new heights it felt only Alyssa Wong in their Doctor Aphra series could hit, introducing readers to the many definitions of relationship, attractions, or lack-there-of, leading to an amazing series of articles exploring the depths of The High Republic Adventures – Phase II’s conversation with readers about these very things, from a voice in fandom we were all too lucky to join the Manor this year. By allowing the comics to set the stage, filling in some blanks in the year between Phase I and Phase III in-universe while also hinting how Phase II fit into the larger puzzle, and showing how natural representation can be part of any story, the High Republic once again showed it wants all mediums to tell important parts of its multi-year story and it’s well-worth an attempt to try and read it all.
D) I’ll Praise These Revelations
Comic solicitations are a time honored tradition in comics, for better or worse, to help build up hype for fans and for retailers alike, and I’ve come to enjoy posting them and seeing the reactions online when they drop. But what if they came to life, what if, instead of marketing-heavy speak or hyperbole, we got to see those teases of what’s to come on the pages of a comic? Revelations (2022) #1 was a great idea with poor execution, with a disjointed attempt to link everything together and some questionable art in places, that was too wrapped up in explaining how the era of crossovers was to continue rather than giving each series a chance to shine. Revelations (2023) #1 learned from these mistakes, acting instead like the comic solicitations come to life, giving us a more vibrant view of stuff coming down the line than ever before, allowing each series their moment to make a statement on why you should read them/keep reading them. Instead of leaving me cold on the prospect of more from this era, 2023’s edition left me excited for more, especially new series like Mace Windu and Jango Fett. Solicitations are fun and I look forward to them every month, but if these Revelations can be much the same every year, I’d look forward to them as well.
Here are the things I didn’t think worked and how to fix them:
A) Let the Sith Lord Die, Redux
We could debate until the heat death of the universe on ways it could’ve been done differently, be it a shorter run of issues like those that came before, not placing this much content in such a short era of time, or any other idea, but it’s here and still going: Darth Vader (Vol. 3). There’s no denying it’s been repeating the same beats with different circumstances and without much change in character development, yet it has found interesting topics or characters to cover, especially the handmaidens’ return and everything specifically with Sabé in later issues, but the repetition, as the mastermind behind Eleven-ThirtyEight so wonderfully put it is, “…a grab bag of stuff to pass the time until the other series get to RotJ.” Spinning wheels for the sake of spinning them is never enjoyable, no matter who the character is. But the on-going series wasn’t alone this year, as the miniseries Darth Vader: Black, White & Red also released, which packed in 9 different stories about the Sith Lord from a variety of writers and artists, though besides some wild art, also didn’t provide much for the character besides showing off his memorable design in unique situations. Between the two series, and remember I was already calling for an end of Vader-focused comics in the last year-in-review, I feel completely burnt out on more Vader content now, as we’ve eschewed the less-is-more approach of 25 issue runs, hallway scene stealing appearances, or World Between Worlds visions, and it’s affected the visage so carefully held around him for decades, leaving me to reiterate a point as well: I seriously hope wherever the comics go after this era is over, the Sith Lord is left behind. IF they ever decide to visit Vader again, I think the future lies in younger Anakin Skywalker training with Obi-Wan or Force Ghost appearances after his death, as while we’ve had series trying to deal with his impact on those around him or because of his actions, now let’s see it long after he can’t physically do anything. But anything more with him in the suit, in his Sith Lord days? What’s left to mine from that besides more of what we’ve already gotten? It’s time to look to the future and leave this Sith Lord in the past, making him a boogey man once more.
B) Do We Need Instant Replay?
I’m likely in the minority, but I’ve never liked the idea of Star Wars comics adapting film or TV shows. It’s not because such an adaptation might be bad at it or something, rather I just feel like it already has the visual medium, so maybe reserve this space for something which hasn’t been visualized yet; otherwise expand on the original source in a meaningful way with deleted or extended scenes for additional context (like a novelization typically would). Up until the announcement of physical releases for seasons of the Disney+ shows, at the very least I argued comic adaptations would be the only way to own a physical, unalterable version in an era where it can be edited behind-the-scenes without us even knowing (goodbye, The Mandalorian’s Jean Guy), but with that mostly moot, I’m back on my fathier and the top of Umate mountain about this subject. In 2023 we had both The Mandalorian’s second season comic and the Obi-Wan Kenobi show comic, while January 2024 adds an adaptation of the Thrawn: Alliances novel, which feels three too many. I’m fine with the Thrawn: Alliances since this gives us a chance to see pivotal moments visualized for the first time, though it would’ve been cooler to have a new story about the Grand Admiral and his time in another galaxy instead of trying to ride Ahsoka’s coattails, but the other two show adaptations don’t add anything to what we already have on screen. Instead, what about stories about other familiar characters, new stories with these characters from the shows, or having more underrepresented characters taking the stage? What about new creatives bringing new visions to the larger story? I get these adaptations are safe money to some degree because they have a built-in audience which might be broader than other comics can claim, while also there’s a lot to be said on how these adaptations are potentially a boon for deaf fans, those with visual impairments, or other impairments which make watching something on a screen a problem, but if we’re back to having literal tracing of screenshots of a show, returning us to something we’ve avoided for a good few years, is this worth sacrificing resources on just for an easy buck? We all know a familiar name or character isn’t enough to make a show or a movie worth watching, especially if its being rushed through/easy routes being taken to make it, and the same goes for reading too.
C) The Crossover Diaries – Part 2: I, Robot…Maybe?
When Revelations (2022) #1 came out, it teased the then upcoming Dark Droids storyline before it’d been properly revealed, but the hints left me both excited and nervous about what was to come. Mainly, I was most concerned about the crossover being able to deal with Star Wars’ already shoddy discussion and representation on droid sentience, which Manor writer Chris delved into with an expert analysis over at Eleven-ThirtyEight (too bad the Saga hasn’t followed through on his hopes) and James Whitbrook at io9 vividly dissected after The Mandalorian’s third season choices with a droid storyline/Din Djarin’s regression on droids (case in point how they haven’t followed through). But in a story where droids are the opening target, and a droid sentience is the one openly taking them over, you’d figure there’d be something which might reveal a window into how the galaxy feels about droids and how droids feel about their place in all things, right? As much fun as I had with the Dark Droids crossover’s tone and what it brought to the other series’ stories, beyond some scenes with droid revolutionary Ajax Sigma and the Scourge’s many rambling conversations with itself on what it’s doing, the crossover didn’t take a swing at really looking at what it means for droids who have broken free of their programming or our heroes/villains caring much about the droids they hurt along the way. It came close in its finale, but it seemed to punt on the full discussion, saving it for another time, which fits with the era since sentiments on droids don’t change, but still felt like a shortcoming of the series. In fact, the one miniseries focused solely on droids and their POV, D-Sqaud, didn’t even let them finish their section of the story in their own series/focus, regulating them to background players in the main story’s finale instead. On top of it all, as each series ended their Dark Droids arcs, it was abundantly clear the galaxy (and the comics) was ready to move on and forget about it all, not allowing for any real fallout or discussion about the droids afterwards. There’s a field of organics experimented on, with droid parts replacing many of their own, left on Epikonia. And what about all the kitbashed droids with human parts? Who’s cleaning that all up? We may never know. And yet, Return of the Jedi is SO near, the focus rightly is moving towards the immoveable event. Could Dark Droids have been done better in a different era, especially in the way the main miniseries ends with the promise such an event could return? Potentially, but one thing is for sure, it certainly could’ve benefited from more time. I’m not saying it needed to be more issues, per se, but laying more seeds and maybe let the story simmer for a few months in the background, potentially picking it up after RotJ when the Scourge goes full out, could’ve given us more reason to be invested in Ajax Sigma or felt like the timing of the Scourge’s large-scale operations made sense. Sure, this might be the appetizer to the return of Ajax/the Scourge, but without any promise it’ll actually happen, I’m not judging this on what could happen in the future, but what did now. Especially with Ajax, a character built-up to have so much importance, he only appears a few times, including to “save the day” and a confusing, still-not-sure-where-it-fits encounter with Luke, and yet there’s so much potential with his free droid society and learning more about his past, but his history is only regulated to a back-up story which doesn’t add much to what we already knew. In fact, Ajax inescapably felt like a character made just for this story, for one sole purpose, rather than one who existed in this world and ended up being vital to the story. With Qi’ra, this wasn’t a problem given her history in books and film, and an extended lead-up or more with Ajax could’ve raised the galaxy-wide stakes of the story. But, if everyone’s just going to move on anyways, would it have mattered?
D) Diversity Update: Echo Chamber
Another year we revolve around the sun, another year where we need to talk about the disparity in diversity behind and on the page. In January 2023, I released my detailed work on tracking diversity in Star Wars comics since 2015 as I finally saw an effectual change in the data for the first time in 2021, though up until then my work only warranted little mentions in Eleven-ThirtyEight’s Minority Reports since the results didn’t vary compared to the larger data, and I wanted to dive into the why of it and how such a change could be sustainable. It took longer to write and put together than I wanted, so I didn’t have 2022’s data included, but I had my suspicions based on what we knew was coming out during the year, though I was hopeful for 2023 at least. But what does hope have to do with data? Not much, as after compiling it all together, numbers-wise 2022 was worse for parity while 2023 brought us the second most marginalized characters to date, but when male characters jump 47% from 2022 to 2023 and marginalized only 30%, there’s nothing to celebrate. As you can see above, I included a graph from my Diversity in Comics article which sums up the parity levels up until 2021 with the total number of characters and creatives, but if you haven’t read my previous article or followed the ETE’s Reports, here’s a quick summary of how the data is collected:
“Characters are only counted as long as they have a speaking role and are named (though recognizable characters thanks to art that don’t get named but at least speak get counted), while if their gender/species is obscured somehow (helmeted, wearing armor, etc.), the assumption is made they are a White Human Male (WHM herein) due to it being the literary norm for far too long. That leaves us with 4 distinct categories for character data: WHMs, non-WHMs (so everyone else), which factor into the diversity scores; and Male, and Marginalized Groups (MG herein, which for our purposes includes female, trans, non-binary, etc. ETE used Male/Non-Male in their parity discussion), which result in parity scores.”
In the said above graph, you can see a correlation between the number of marginalized creatives and MG characters, as if there’s an increase in said creatives or a steady number, the character numbers reflect that, which is much of what I concluded in the previous article: more marginalized creatives the better for parity. The numbers support this, year after year, even if something like Dark Horse’s Hyperspace Stories, despite have two marginalized creatives, had only 17% MG characters, though primarily featuring on-screen characters would help bring those numbers down. For this section of the year-in-review, I took both 2022 and 2023’s data, though I counted droids for the first time due to their prominence in many stories for ’23 like Dark Droids (though I didn’t count a droid appearance if they were just in the background or fulfilling what amounted to basic programming), but even when you remove them, the percentage change is minor (+2% for parity, -1% change for diversity). So here’s the resulting graph for what’s happened since 2021’s data:
2022 dipped as expected in MG character numbers, but 2023 saw an uptick for marginalized characters and creatives, yet look at the spike for male characters! What exactly happened? While both MG and Male creatives jumped 57 and 58 percent respectively from ’22 to ’23, when the total MG creatives is only 22 and the total Male creatives equals 103 (the second highest on record, 106 being the most in 2019), the only way forward to better bridge this gap remains as both simple and yet difficult to achieve: more marginalized creatives. 2024 has my hopes down a ton due to the three new Marvel series’ announced (Mace Windu, Jango Fett, Thrawn: Alliances) only having ONE marginalized creative between them, the Hyperspace Stories original graphic novel line only has 2 MG characters out of a total 9 entries, while add in the fact Alyssa Wong and Doctor Aphra (Vol. 2) will only have one issue to contribute, my expectations are sitting at the planet core of Naboo. I’ve sat here and typed out these numbers and factoids for some time now, but beyond holding those who create accountable, what good has this done? As we buy more Vader comics, and special “treasury editions” of related male character works (definitely not buying that!), we perpetrate the cycle, so I feel like the only way I’ll ever have something worth writing about with this data that isn’t negative stems from my wallet. But against Marvel/Dark Horse and many a fans’ completionist mindset, mine included though that’s whittling over the years, could we ever muster enough wallets closed to help push these stories in a more diverse direction? And add in the reality more diversity either way doesn’t guarantee a good or bad story, though the quality of the representation matters regardless, would those wallets find their way open again if there was a glimmer of something better on the horizon, even if it meant more of the same we’ve been stuck with? I’ll do better with my wallet, going forward, and will never stop pointing out ways to improve, but history can feel defeating at times. Maybe 2025?
{For full transparency on my data collection, you can see the raw numbers and data sets for 2022 and 2023}
Top Creatives:
Top Three Writers:
Alyssa Wong: Doctor Aphra (Vol. 2) | Return of the Jedi: Ewoks #1 | Revelations (2023) #1 – “Tall Tales”
I’ll try not to be a broken record, but it’s hard not to see why we’re here again, talking about Alyssa Wong’s work, given the rollercoaster they’ve put readers on in the Doctor Aphra series, but this year they added another notch in the belt with the Return of the Jedi: Ewoks #1, a true celebration of the comics medium in an unforgettable way. I’m so used to and expecting of dialogue bubbles and sound FX to litter the panels of comics, it’s always a bit jarring or surprising when there isn’t a single bubble in sight, yet it’s what has made several works this year very memorable, with none more than Wong and team’s Ewoks issue. There’s a perfection connection between Wong’s writing and Paulina Ganucheau, Kyle Hotz, Caspar Wijngaard, Lee Garbett, Java Tartaglia, Rachelle Rosenberg, and Joe Caramagna’s work, as each one finds a way to fit both the Ewok storyteller but also the intentions of the story as well, with cute to frightening effects. It’s a celebration of the medium and not to be missed, especially if you love the cuddly cute, deadly murderous Ewoks. In the Aphra series, which we found out will end at issue #40 like the first volume did, Wong brought to a close its longest storyline by having the team of exes finally helping Chelli Aphra be free of the Spark Eternal, but what came after was even more unforgettable, as issue #31 is one of the all-time greats, ever, for not only how it pushed queer representation in meaningful and impactful ways (even more than Wong’s past work in the series!), but for how it gave readers a chance to see these characters finally sorting through their feelings about one another, focusing on them instead of plot, and resolving many arcs and threads, yet opening more. Letting the characters carry every issue, their decisions or lack thereof leading to new developments, even in the backdrop of two more crossover events, is something which has set this era of Aphra stories apart not just from what came before, but everything else around it. Whatever comes next for the character, there will be something monumentally chaotic and beautiful to live up to after this run by Wong wraps up. May there be many other stories for them to tell in years to come, no matter the character or era.
Charles Soule: Hidden Empire | The High Republic – The Blade | Star Wars (Vol. 2) | Dark Droids | The High Republic – Shadows of Starlight | Revelations (2023) #1 – “A Trick of the Mind”
No one has left quite a mark on Star Wars comics in the last few years than Charles Soule, spearheading this era’s connective tissue with crossover after crossover, but 2023 was a big year for him as he not only stuck the landing with Qi’ra’s trilogy finale, brought us something horrifically fresh to follow in the Dark Droids story, provided some fascinating Force lore with Luke’s travels, and showcased Lando’s growth, but he also presented a whip smart tale about one of the High Republic’s best Jedi lightsaber wielders and his familial connection to a friend plus ushered in Phase III of the initiative with a miniseries opening fans’ eyes to what all transpired in the year between Phases and what was yet to come; This doesn’t even count the great short tale in Tales of Light and Life or his next original novel, The Endless Vessel, or many of his other comic works. Despite juggling so many eras, stories, and ideas, there’s one core ingredient to his work which always shines through and it’s how deeply he understands what makes Star Wars interesting and compelling in the first place. There’s a reason Qi’ra’s tale of destroying the Sith sees its many characters make their own choices to forever change the events within, why Luke Skywalker’s journeys into understanding the Force always result in both a new understanding of the Force but another mystery as well, how Lando’s many skills both help and hinder his quest to save his friend, or that Barash Silvain came to understand another way to move forward after their failure by taking her Vow (wrapping up years of seeding this storyline), as Soule knows the Saga’s great setting is just a tool for stories about the people in it and the connections, or lack thereof, they make with those around them and the found families they foster.
Justina Ireland: Sana Starros
It’s not hard to look at any Star Wars story and find a found family at its core, be it Poe, Finn, and Rey or Sav Malagán, Maz Kanata, Dexter Jettster, and more in a pirate gang, and it’s one of the Saga’s themes I hold dearly to my heart and soul. But how often do we get tales of a functional family that’s blood, not found, and is it even allowed in the Saga given the messed-up family dynamics we typically get? When we found out Sana Starros’ first solo story would take her to the Starros Clan home and we’d meet some of her family, I was surprised and quite intrigued to meet them, especially given how Justina Ireland had written Avon Starros in the High Republic era stories, making her my favorite non-Jedi character. Most of my interest in meeting them stemmed from the curiosity of following the story of a family that wasn’t the Skywalkers or Solos or other “famous” names, but rather one on the margins that mattered just as much, especially to those around them and who cared for them. While the Starros Clan has fallen from grace a bit from their ancestor’s actions, as Ghirra Starros aligned with the Nihil, and are in rougher times when Sana comes home, there was one thing very clear throughout Ireland’s run of the series: they still looked out for one another, choices be damned. One big case in point his Sana’s cousin Aryssha, who married and is having a child with an Imperial officer, someone who literally storms their ancestral home to retrieve his wife. Sure, there are angry words exchanged about the choice and situation, but Sana, Grammy Thea, Aunt Mevera (Aryssha’s mother), and Auntie Deva Lompop (bound to the family due to a vow with Avon centuries ago) come together and hatch an elaborate (see: not really) plan to rescue Aryssha. Along the way, Sana’s penchant for being wound up and on edge is explored, her family learns to come together despite some differences, and she comes face to face with brother after he left for the Empire many years ago. Even in the little bit we did get between Sana and Phel, the results beg for so much more, as there’s no Force trickery in her brother’s choices to join the Imps but instead childhood issues and lingering traumas, with Sana’s response to him throwing off the carefully constructed story he’s made for his choices. Digging into ways the galaxy’s big events effect even the smallest families is an interesting area to explore and Ireland is one I hope will get to do it time and time again. In a sea of comics tied into crossover or High Republic events, it was refreshing to see a story about a family just trying to make through the galaxy together, as much as they can despite the circumstances, and it’s through Ireland’s grounded story and engaging characters which makes one immediately want more.
Top Three Art Teams:
Artist Peach Momoko: Darth Vader: Black, White & Red #1 – “Inescapable” | Star Wars: Visions – Peach Momoko #1 | Women’s History Month Variant Covers 2023
Silent films, which were without dialogue but had musical accompaniments, were replaced by “talkies” largely by the late 1920’s, but there have been homages to the format every so often, like 2011’s Oscar-winning The Artist. In a way, one could look at comics as the ultimate “silent films,” as there is no dialogue actually spoken outloud nor is there any music, just what you might be listening to in the background or imagining in your head. In both of Peach Momoko’s stories, she takes it even further, completely removing dialogue boxes and letting her evocative, surreal, haunting, and yet gorgeous artwork do all the talking. With “Inescapable,” haunting is only half of it, as the images she’s put to page will last with readers for a long time, like the wild eyeball TIE-fighter I had nightmares about after the issue. For her Visions one-shot, as much as I would’ve liked some dialogue for her unique take on the galaxy far, far away, it’s all there on the page. In fact, she delivered a masterstroke in the format, as somehow she takes an already silent medium and makes it feel like everyone is holding their breaths, even us readers, until pandemonium erupts on the following page in the fallout of one person’s drastic action. In an era of comics where we might have too many examples of where too much of something can hold it, and the comics, back, Peach Momoko shows less is more without even a word.
Artist Pere Pérez, Colorists Dono Sánchez-Almara & Fer Sifuentes-Sujo, Letterer Travis Lanham for Sana Starros #1-5:
Sana Starros has always had a grumpy, almost cold exterior, looking tense and coiled up, ready to spring at any moment, since the moment we first met her back in 2015. She’s grown a lot as a character since then, but a lot of what makes her so memorable is her tough personality hiding over the heart underneath, so in a miniseries focused on her and her family, especially one focused on her taking a break for herself, making sure both the gruff exterior but the softness inside were on display were vital aspects. In the Aphra series, artist Minkyu Jung has this down, but could a new artist do the character justice? Pere Pérez answered the call, and then some, in his work for the Sana Starros miniseries, giving writer Justina Ireland’s script not only have tons of energy, but lots of character for each of the new Starros family members we meet. In fact, this was one of the best aspects of Pérez’s work, as there’s a distinct sense of personality in the clothes and hair stylings of Grammy Thea, Aryssha, and Aunt Mevera wear. Mevera makes Sana look like the kindest person in the galaxy, with a red motorcycle like jacket with sleeves rolled up over a belted blue dress and hair with dreads and styled short on one side, she looks like a cross between a rebellious youth and the very cool, but angry aunt. Aryssha is more romantic than the rest of her family, which carries through in her flowing, bright dresses and often smiling demeanor, as well as the straight, long hair. Grammy Thea’s design leaves no questions on how she’s a matriarch of the family, though little aspects hint at her rebellious past with little ways she’s always ready for action, like her propped up by a bandana and her hand/lower arm in wraps like a boxer, but yet fool most who would meet her. Phel Starros, proper and military-like with his stances and buzzed hair, brings across his reliance on the story someone else has told him, or he’s told himself, to make his actions against his own family feel justified. And Sana herself, in her signature outfit with the green scarf/miniskirt over her black, form fitting wear, always feels as coiled up and ready for action as she says. Throughout the series, action scenes have dynamic, unique panels to them, keeping each scene fresh and exciting, and made me wish more artists used similar options. My favorite overall page is where Chadra-Fan Opera rips through the speakers of a ship, subduing stormtroopers, letting the Starros’ win the day, and being the first thing new members of the Starros clan hear, as Lanham’s splitting sound FX tears through the page and these events like another unorthodox panel break. All in all, this team took Ireland’s script and brought its vibrant family-led story a visual feast, with as much personality as the Starros clan deserved.
Artist Luke Ross, Colorist Alex Sinclair, and Travis Lanham Lettering for Dark Droids #1-5:
Since 2018, Star Wars comics has provided a little dose of horror for fans of all-ages thanks to writer Cavan Scott and his Vader’s Castle series with IDW and the current “Tales from” with Dark Horse, providing us with spooky and unique art for the many creepy tales. Marvel Comics has largely stayed away from such aesthetics for their stories, but with the start of the Dark Droids crossover, they went full-on horror, and quick, but unlike what came before, it could be a little more mature and it wasn’t going to be a tall tale, so it had to be both outlandish but grounded. But who would bring such a unique, horror-centric story to life under such parameters? Prior to his work on the Dark Droids miniseries, Luke Ross has become more and more prominent in Star Wars comics, and deservedly so, as his and the team’s work for Obi-Wan #2 in 2022 made for a Top 5 moment that year, so I had my hopes up he’d deliver on the Scourge’s machinations and horror it all promised. Issue after issue, no matter how one felt about how the story all wraps up, Ross, colorist Alex Sinclair, and letterer Travis Lanham found grotesquely interesting ways to explore the Scourge’s fractured mind and its plans to take over not just the metal, but the meat (aka organics) too, pushing the envelope to the edge but never over. There was the astromech with two human arms jutting out from its mid-section. The Scourge’s changing appearance, from the cape of wires to the multi-armed back. The spiky Scourge One, a bastardization of a Star Destroyer which allows Uglies from Legends to give the High Republic designs a run for their money. There’s the unnerving silent scene where Scourged droids round up the population of Epikonia to begin experiments. The early parts with Threepio looking extraordinarily creepy, his usually hindered movement looking for stilted and abnormal. It wasn’t all horror which impressed, but it was the way the coloring shifted when we had scenes that weren’t with the Scourge/Scourge Prime itself, especially when Ajax Sigma started appearing, as the haven of self-aware droids was basked in shiny, glowing, almost heavenly color, a move which laid the groundwork for little bit of a twist in the finale. And the lettering by Lanham was vital to keep the fractured mind of the Scourge seem so off-putting, jumping us across legions of droids or between the Scouge itself and its council of personalities, making it really feel like a giant collective controlled by a single mind. Ross’ flexibility means I’m sure we’ll see his work, and rest of this team’s, for years to come.
Top 5 Moments (in no particular order):
Trippin’ on Kyber (Star Wars #35 {Vol. 2}):
When Charles Soule’s focuses on Luke Skywalker and his journeys in the Force during this era, we’ve been treated to some very memorable moments, as his exploits have made this list now three different times now! Without a clue how to build a lightsaber properly, Luke ends up on Christophosis and alongside new friend Gretta and the mysterious kyber expert, Dr. Cuata. Luke will have Cuata’s help if he returns him a favor…attempt to cleanse a red kyber crystal, and if Luke knows as little as he does about lightsaber building, he knows even less about the process of cleansing crystals, even after some guidance from Gretta and her Fallanassi background. There’s a ton of interesting lore about kyber crystals this issue, building on Soule’s foundation from showing us the first ‘bleeding’ in comics by Darth Vader, but what transpires when Luke attempts to restore the crystal is nearly as wild, as he first finds himself in the halls of an ancient Sith Lord, leaving one to wonder what exactly could such an encounter do if the Sith Lord did something to Luke (and we’re going to find out in upcoming issues of the series!), and then he unintentionally invades Vader’s meditation space before he’s unceremoniously pushed out. Given a clear kyber, he attempts to connect with it next, taking him to a space similar to how Ezra Bridger talked to Yoda in Star Wars Rebels, and the two are able to connect and the wise old Master helps him through his current issues with the Force. But before he went on this second trip, connecting with the pure kyber, we see its color turn: GREEN! Beyond all the new kyber lore and weird places Luke finds himself, and all the ramifications of such meetings and what they mean for the young Skywalker, the issue ALSO includes him receiving his green kyber for the lightsaber he’ll come to construct and use up until the fateful day with his nephew. It’s one of those issues where you wonder how Soule was able to not only do so much in one go, but also how he was given the chance to show such a vital moment as well.
Be Careful What You Wish For (The High Republic Adventures #1 – Phase III):
As I’ve said on the site before, I grew up on and still cherish the idea of cliffhangers, from shows like LOST, Alias, to The O.C., as what came with the unknown was the thrill of theorizing until the next season returned, discussing and building up the events which happened and what could come next. I got a lot of patience from this broadcast only, no streaming era, while also learning to appreciate when I was wrong and doing my best not to be disappointed when I was (which was and is still frequent). In this day and age, it’s still part of the process, but the instant season drops bring out quickly diminishing thrills and the amount of shows and films can be overwhelming, but fandoms still find a way to make characters and events live beyond what happens on the screen or page on social media. In the terms of The High Republic content, Phase II’s trip to the past might not have been everyone’s cup of caf, prolonging our wait to find out the fates for many fan-favorite characters by Phase I’s end, but I don’t think this moment would’ve hit as hardly if we didn’t wait as long as we did for Phase III. It still would’ve been memorable due to the many questions it leaves us with, but as fans have mythologized their feelings about what came next for Phase I characters, especially when it comes to Lula Talisola’s fate and Zeen Mrala’s confession of her feelings for her friend, and it only makes writer Daniel José Older’s answer all the more shocking. The answer to these cliffhangers had high expectations to beat and somehow Older and the art team of Harvey Tolibao, Michael Atiyeh, and Tyler Smith & Jimmy Betancourt manage to turn our expectations to dust like a Jedi around some Nameless, as the revelation Lula was not only alive but playing warlord hit like a ton of bricks, an emotional wallop of a surprise both because they were finally reunited, and even got to kiss after all these years, but also because it opened endless questions about Lula’s choices. We’d only have to wait another month for the next issue, but when it feels like that wait is actually a whole year, the team has done something right.
Sana Starros Gives Doctor Aphra Her Hardest Mission Yet (Doctor Aphra #31 {Vol. 2}):
As I mentioned earlier in Alyssa Wong’s Top 3 Writers section, issue #31 of Chelli Lona Aphra’s latest series of shenanigans is such an emotionally packed, character-driven spectacle, it’s refreshing on so many levels to let any larger plot melt away and these people try to figure themselves, and one another, out. It’s packed full of Top 5 worthy moments, but I think the one which best sums up its contribution, though special mention does have to go to the various levels of LGBTQIA+ representation it brings, than when Sana decides to take a break for herself and charges Aphra with figuring herself out if she truly wants to be with her. Moments before, Magna Tolvan is blisteringly honest with Aphra, about how they’ll always choose something else first; Lucky proposes to Ariole, being patient on an answer; and Detta Yao and Kho Phon Farrus come together to do dangerously stupid things. But for Aphra and Sana, it’s a devastating moment for the former and a freeing moment for the latter, as Sana goes on to have her own excellent miniseries where she does take the time for herself (amidst family drama), and Aphra goes on to distract herself until she can’t anymore. To have these two end up together in this issue would’ve been a disservice to readers and these characters due to Wong’s excellent plotting and understanding of them, and ultimate feels relatable as relationships are never easy and big gestures don’t always fix the real problems. It’s the little things that count, in the end, and this little moment only served to encapsulate all that came before and set up what was to come next on Chelli Lona Aphra’s journey. And in fact, what did come next in the series’ penultimate issue at the end of 2023 nearly upstaged this moment, leaving me in tears, but without this one, we’d never have gotten the one later on.
The Greatest Teacher Is?(Yoda #10):
Yoda’s exile on Dagobah is shrouded in much secrecy, and if the Obi-Wan Kenobi show proved anything, the diminutive Master could’ve had some journeys along the way. Over the last couple years, we’ve gotten glimpses into Yoda’s time in the swamps of his new home, though normally short and always full of the once grand Jedi Master dealing with the eternal struggle against the dark. Specifically, he’s often seen dealing with or acknowledging his and the Order’s failures during the events of the Prequel era, be it in conversations with Ezra Bridger or the time he ends up trapped, physically and mentally, while returning from a hunt for sustenance. And while the Yoda maxiseries shares this thematic throughline in its framing story, which sees Yoda avoiding a pesky Force Ghost’s insistence he must be ready for what’s to come, it finds a way to keep it fresh by focusing on a few other lessons the Jedi Master must remember before he confronts his lingering feelings of doubt and shame over what happened. Issue #10 takes place strictly on Dagobah and him finally acknowledging Obi-Wan, following him to the cave of darkness for one final lesson. We get some dazzling imagery here, from a handless, vampiric Count Dooku, Keeve Trennis from the High Republic era haunting him for her fate, and a trove of dead faces and skulls he feels responsible for, burying him. A friend he made long ago shows up, reminding him of something very important: “…the greatest teacher, failure is,” a line which will echo down the line and hit at the right time for Luke Skywalker decades later. It’s been an instant classic nugget of wisdom from Yoda and watching him come to understand it fully, practice it himself here and break free from his failures, adds extra weight to the line since it’s shown to us how powerful the lesson is, not just told it. And while I feel like the idea behind the lesson is something I’ve known and done my best to practice before, much like us returning to Yoda and him struggling with his actions while he’s in exile, it’s powerful to revisit something important and recast it in a new light, strengthening its message, not dampening it.
Sav Malagán Finds Her Home (The High Republic Adventures #8 – Phase II):
Even without the absolutely unforgettable and inspirational essays by James Dillion, as I mentioned earlier in the High Republic praise section, Sav’s journey in Older’s The High Republic Adventures – Phase II is one any fan can find a feeling of coming home, of comfort, and acceptance in. It’s so lovingly crafted by Older, it’s hard not to feel like you’re one of the crew in the final issue, standing next to Sav, as she announces aka comes out to Maz Kanata’s Castle’s crowd that she’s both a Padawan and a Pirate! In the prequel era, this wouldn’t be possible for Sav, as the Order would be as rigid as her original Master is with her, once again pointing out the advantages this Golden Age of the Jedi has not only for the galaxy, but for its members as well. Even for someone who is cishet (aka cisgender and heterosexual), I can easily relate to Sav’s journey of self acceptance and finding friends, a family even, to be accepted amongst, but it’s not lost on me on how much this means for queer fans, who look for and need a community far more than I ever will. This all plays out in the pages of an all-ages comic, not concerned with neutering its messaging so it’s more palatable for such a range of fans but letting these themes and ideas cook instead, placing them in every corner of a panel but remaining unspecific enough anyone could take what they want from them. Sav’s time with the pirates, getting to learn their complicated lives, goals, and feelings, opened her up to a better understanding of herself, on how she doesn’t have to only be a Jedi or a Pirate, but that she can be both, that life is full of varying shades, and accepting what you want to be is the most powerful one. As I said earlier, much of the High Republic’s Phase II was focused on these character moments, distancing itself from focusing on big events, and while it didn’t always work to the Phase’s advantage, this is a prime example of it working and of how the people in the galaxy far, far away matter just as much as the next big moment.
Honorable Mentions: Qi’ra Lives (Hidden Empire #5) | Popo’s Shot Silences the World, and the Sith (Visions – Peach Momoko #1) | Enemies to Frenemies Save the Day (Bounty Hunters #41) | Quinlan Vos v Cad Bane (Hyperspace Stories #9) | Peekpa’s Tale (Return of the Jedi – Ewoks #1)
Legendary Lines of the Year:
Concise, to the point rancor training:
And yes, tell me, where did you hear those words, from an unfounded fan theory?
Final Thoughts
2023 brought to an end TWO crossover events, yet regardless of more galaxy-wide events, it managed to focus on the people, and sometimes droids, affected. It’s cool to see Luke Skywalker make the trench run, Jyn Erso and Cassian Andor transmit the plans which help decode this weakness, and Clone Wars truly begin after a little investigation on Geonosis goes haywire, but one thing that always keeps pulling us back to Star Wars are the many beings behind those events, both good and bad, willing and unwitting. Those people, human/non-human/droids, are what prompts “Glup Shitto” threads and brackets on social media, collections of action figures/books/comics with their appearances, and intense passion as their stories reach climatic or cliffhanger ends. 2023’s Star Wars comics were a return to that focus, as while the past few years have had it too, they were often too rolled up in the bigger events they forgot who was at the center of their stories, but 2023 saw most of the series, even as some came rushing towards an end, make it all about the characters we’ve been reading about for four years now. The High Republic’s second Phase was more about the characters than the events, Dark Droids largely let the other series cook, Sana and Yoda were explored in their own special ways, and the odd pairings of the Aphra series went through some tumultuous emotional moments and started to find their voices to express their feelings for one another. The connection? Their characters’ shined through louder than ever before because they felt like people anyone could relate (or hate) to, helping push back against those lingering Midwest Goodbyes…for now.
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.
All comic images are credited to Marvel/Dark Horse/Lucasfilm
Comic Years-In-Review:
2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022