Ahead of the SDCC publishing panel on July 25, the official site decided a few reveals were in order, starting with our first glimpse of what’s to follow this current era of comics: The Battle of Jakku maxiseries! Judging from the cover and the description, it looks like the comic will incorporate the defunct mobile game Star Wars: Uprising, as well as the Aftermath Trilogy, to solidify the lead up to the final battle of the Galactic Civil War. We also got covers for some upcoming The High Republic releases early, so between the maxiseries and the covers already being revealed, I expect we’ll be in for quite the treat at this panel!
Since 2015, Star Wars comics from Marvel has largely centered on different eras in the timeline, marching ever forward from the era between A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back to The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi most recently, which is coming to an end this September. In October, Marvel’s heading past Return of the Jedi, though the full extent of what their plans are isn’t clear yet but maybe will be by the SDCC panel on July 25. For now though, we have not only an Ewoks miniseries to look forward to, but the newly revealed The Battle of Jakku maxiseries, written by Alex Segura (Poe Dameron: Free Fall, Return of the Jedi – The Rebellion #1), with art by Leonard Kirk (Darth Maul: Black, White & Red #3), Jethro Morales (The High Republic – The Blade), Stefano Raffaele (Darth Maul: Black, White & Red #1)! The Marvel blog article clarifies Battle of Jakku – Insurgency Rising is one of three miniseries under the Battle of Jakku moniker as part of the maxiseries, so we might find out about the remaining stories at SDCC, but Editor Mark Paniccia teased, “Within the chaos and destruction of all three minis there are elements that hint to what comes next.” UPDATE: Due to a listing for the trade paperback release of the full maxiseries, we know the two other miniseries names (thanks to DrunkWooky for finding it): Republic Under Siege and Last Stand. And it sounds like we’ll get ALL 12 issues before the end of 2024! END UPDATE As for what we do know, Battle of Jakku – Insurgency Rising is set after RotJ in the year leading up to the final Galactic Civil War battle on Jakku. There has been a good chunk of content set in the year before Jakku, but it was all while they were still finalizing details on the sequel trilogy and stories in the Mando-verse (The Mandalorian, Ahsoka, and upcoming films), so now there’s some more stability in this era storytelling-wise, it’ll be neat to see the comics sort of bring it all together and maybe build on some of its own lingering threads and stories at the same time. The Battle of Jakku maxiseries starts on October 2 with Battle of Jakku – Insurgency Rising‘s first issue, while it’s fourth will be out November 6, so fans won’t have to wait long to see what’s next. Here are the solicitations for all four of Insurgency Rising‘s issues:
ISSUE #1 out October 2
IN THE WAKE OF THE BATTLE OF ENDOR, CAN LUKE, LEIA AND THE NASCENT NEW REPUBLIC STAVE OFF AN UNEXPECTED — AND DEADLY — NEW THREAT?
A DEFIANT IMPERIAL takes center stage — and goes on the offensive against the NEW REPUBLIC! LEIA makes a startling discovery in the forests of ENDOR! Who are the mysterious and deadly ACOLYTES OF THE BEYOND?! What is the new villain’s connection to DARTH VADER? All this as the post-Return of the Jedi storytelling BEGINS!
ISSUE #2 out October 16
The New Republic faces deadly adversaries! Mon Mothma and Leia must make a difficult decision to deal with a defiant Imperial hell-bent on preserving the legacy of Palpatine and Vader! Luke hunts for a lost Jedi relic but makes a startling discovery! The underworld simmers with intrigue as an unholy alliance is formed! A ragtag group of New Republic heroes sets out on a mission—and their return is not guaranteed!
ISSUE #3 out October 30
Kes Dameron faces death in the grip of a fearsome Imperial Threat! Who is the mysterious Reyna Oskur—and what does her influence over the Defiant Imperial mean for the New Republic? Does the Defiant Imperial have an Inquisitor by his side?! Our villain consolidates his power—but at what cost? An iconic, familiar face arrives to save the captured heroes!
ISSUE #4 out November 6
Chaos reigns as the Defiant Imperial comes face-to-face with the heroes of the New Republic! Luke vs. a new Inquisitor! The Imperial survivors consolidate behind the Defiant Imperial—putting the just-formed New Republic at risk! Kes Dameron and his team try for a daring escape—but meet an unexpected hurdle! The Galactic Civil War takes a startling twist—and bad omens arise for the future of the New Republic!
As I mentioned before, judging by the cover (and the subtitle of Insurgency Rising) we’re sort of getting a potential Star Wars: Uprising adaptation, as the prominent Imperial looks exactly like Governor Ubrik Adelhard, the game’s main rogue Imperial antagonist, though the solicit stops short of naming him and calling him the “Defiant Imperial” instead. Uprising was a mobile game that didn’t last for long yet was set to unveil a part of the official canon story, with its servers shut down before it could complete the story. It dealt with Adelhard shutting down the Anoat sector and the efforts of those within to free it from his oppression. The assassin Deathstrike, who was featured in the Bounty Hunters comic series, first came from the game. And the Aftermath Trilogy, in one of its many interlude chapters, showed Bespin’s Cloud City, which is part of the Anoat sector, free from Adelhard’s Iron Blockade, so they must know how it ends, meaning we might see a full, definitive version of the game’s events in this maxiseries. Also speaking of the Aftermath books, the Acolytes of the Beyond were first introduced there, causing chaos on planet’s like Corellia, but it was until Shadow of the Sith where we learned more about what happened to them, even seeing a few of its members come to light in some of the creepier Sith-ly stories in recent memory. We don’t know how the New Republic dealt with them, per se, so this comic could help flesh out how the galaxy dealt with their brief yet deadly grasp at power. And it seems like Luke Skywalker has some interesting things to do on his own, from hunting down artifacts and battling a new Inquisitor?! How and why?! Kes Dameron will get to play a big part, so hopefully some Shara Bey as well, while more Mon Mothma is always a great thing. Seriously, the more I learn, the more I get hyped for this next big event! Hopefully we’ll hear even more about at the upcoming panel!
Also on the official site, we got some new covers for upcoming content. We’ll start with the cover for The High Republic Adventures – Dispatches from the Occlusion Zone #2, by Jake Bartok! The series is four issues long, telling tales set during the publishing initiative’s Phase III, covering a different set of characters in each issue, as well as different creative teams. Issue #2 features Ruu and Crash Ongwa and it’ll be written by…ALYSSA WONG!! They are so back in the High Republic and we’re all the better for it, while they teased on Twitter we’ll see someone unexpected in it! A different High Republic character we already know? Someone else who has a longer life than we originally knew? Can’t wait to find out! The other High Republic cover, by the artist Haining, is for The High Republic: The Edge of Balance – Premonition, out April 8, featuring Yoda! Is that a Nameless in the background? And is the Jedi Master, mostly absent from fieldwork besides in Phase II, getting out into the field more?! He’s a big part of the manga entry’s story, see the blurb:
With the High Republic in turmoil, the galaxy has been plunged into darkness as the fearsome Nihil continue their destructive advance from the Outer Rim!
As brave Jedi Knights fight to protect the Jedi Temple on Banchii in the battle against the Nihil, Jedi Master Yoda must find a way to protect the younglings who call the planet home. But the fearsome Marchion Ro, the Eye of the Nihil, has other plans for the Jedi Master, and those in his charge, as he unleashes his most terrifying weapon against the champions of justice yet…
Outside of the High Republic, a new collection of the graphic novel adaptations from Dark Horse, along with a cover, was announced, while we got a cover for an upcoming Encyclopedia via DK. I’d argue to keep expectations in check for SDCC, but for them to announce stuff like The Battle of Jakku now, beforehand, either means they didn’t have enough time due to Star Wars Outlaws segments taking up a lot of time or…they have a lot of goodies in sort…or both! We’ll find out soon enough!
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.