Marvel’s Star Wars comics got a bit of a shake-up when Editor Jordan D. White and Assistant Editor Heather Antos (seen above in cameos from a panel in Star Wars Annual #2) both announced they are leaving in March. Having been around since the 2015 launch of Marvel’s reclamation of the Star Wars line, it’s both expected, but still a surprise to see these two moving onto other projects. They’ll be replaced by Mark Paniccia. Full details below!
It was Heather Antos who announced her departure first, with a surprise move completely away from comics and Marvel to become the Editor-in-Chief for Unikrn, an esports betting site.
PLOT TWIST!
In today’s chapter of the Heather Antos Chronicles, I’m making a leap from Marvel comics to video games & esports as editor-in-chief of @UnikrnCo!
Some more info here: https://t.co/LcELdh07QI
— Heather Antos (@HeatherAntos) March 9, 2018
But she was quick to tease this move opened up a new opportunity for her, which meant Star Wars and comics fans would see her again soon! Writer, artist, or what have you, I can’t wait to see how she’ll return!
But Star Wars & Comics fans never fear!
I promise this isn’t the last you’ve seen of me — with every door that closes a window pops open for some very cool announcements 😉
— Heather Antos (@HeatherAntos) March 9, 2018
Considering these two were such an inseparable pair, it only felt inevitable that Jordan D. White would be next, and a few short weeks later, he too announced his leave of Star Wars; But unlike Antos, he was moving within Marvel to oversee their X-Men comics.
Now, I get to go back to just being a fan of the Galaxy Far, Far Away, and I look forward to reading all the comics that new Star Wars editor @MarkPaniccia puts out!
— Jordan D. White (@cracksh0t) March 19, 2018
Their replacement is solely Mark Paniccia, who’s been the X-Men editor for quite some time. UPDATE 4/18/18: It seems Christina Harrington, an Assistant Editor for Marvel’s X-Men line, is the new Assistant Editor for Star Wars comics (as per Poe Dameron #29 credits). At least they are keeping the gender balance, though we can dream of a day when it’s both led by women! UPDATE 10/13/18: It’s actually Tom Groneman who has taken up as Assistant Editor, and he’s been an earnest, fun new voice to the comics. As for Mark…that’s a whole different story.
Doctor Aphra #18, out 3/28/18, was Jordan and Heather’s final work on the series, so expect a few more goodbyes as their final issues in the remaining series are published. I have to give a giant thank you to these two, as they’ve curated a damn good slate of Star Wars comics that not only had me coming back to my local comic shop week after week, but has helped me dive deeper into the wonder that is the comics medium. The character of Dr. Aphra is my favorite aspect of their legacy, but they’ve had numerous other memorable moments and series, from Vader learning he had a son, Sana “Solo” Starros’ big introduction, the first Lando miniseries, Kanan maxiseries, and the two Vader series runs, to name a few. Sure, there were a few misses and missteps, but the hits far outweighed anything I disliked. It’s sad to see them go, but I knew they couldn’t stay around forever, and now it’ll be interesting to see where Star Wars comics goes under Mark Paniccia.
Ryan is Mynock Manor’s Head Butler. You can follow him on Twitter @BrushYourTeeth. You can follow the website @MynockManor.
CURRENT SERIES COMIC REVIEWS:
Doctor Aphra
Aphra (#1-6) | And the Enormous Profit (#9-13) | Remastered (#14-19) | Annual: #1
Darth Vader – Dark Lord of the Sith
The Chosen One (#1-6) | The Dying Light (#7-10) | The Rule of Five (#11-12) | Burning Seas (#13-18)
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) | Annual: #1
Star Wars
Ashes of Jedha (#38-43) | Mutiny at Mon Cala (#44-49) | Annual: #3