– Spoiler Review –
First the Rise. Then the Legacy {or Reign, technically}. And now…the Fall. Charles Soule is back to complete his current Kylo Ren trilogy with a new 5-issue miniseries, The Fall of Kylo Ren! Issue #1 wastes no time, jumping right into the thick of Kylo’s return to the First Order after his journey in Legacy of Vader trying to kill the past once and for all. While he comes back more confident than ever, and has a devious plan to whip the First Order into shape to mold the galaxy into his vision for its future, are his trials only just beginning? Find out in my review of The Fall of Kylo Ren #1!
Writer Charles Soule’s work with Kylo Ren in the comics has been worth reading for its fascinating insight and character development, providing us a glimpse of how Kylo’s rise from the ashes of Ben Solo was still his choice, despite the voices whispering in his ears, while also pushing him from his quest to the destroy the past towards seeing how even that’s holding him back and he has to choose his future instead. Heck, we got to see Kylo visit the the netherworld of the Force and Force Ghost paradise! And while the Legacy of Vader ended on a ambiguous note, the potential answers and theories left me okay with no concrete confirmations, which of course The Fall of Kylo Ren does not include. So what’s left to cover, with The Rise of Skywalker on the horizon, which this is going to take us up to? By the end of the first issue, there’s some pretty solid groundwork for what could all be coming our way, and I’m intrigued to see where Soule all takes this next leg of the story.
In the Supreme Leader’s absence, the First Order marches on, though squabbling and in-fighting mar its unassailable position of power in the galaxy. In a sense, as much as demilitarizing the New Republic and leaving planets to defend themselves sort of helped pave the way for something like the First Order to spread in darkness, with promises of protection and safety, when the New Republic went poof in an instant, pulverized into tiny atoms by Starkiller Base, it didn’t leave planets in a lurch. Already this makes the First Order’s march across the galaxy a little tougher, as everyone still has the option to have had built a fleet and their own defenses or joined a neighborhood alliance, but the in-fighting between General Armitage Hux and Admiral Enric Pryde means unity is amiss and cracks are showing and causing issues with their conquest regardless. Case in point, an assault on Hetzal Prime does not go well and Kylo, after returning and helping clear out an incursion on one of their ships, forces them to retreat. He dresses down Pryde and Hux, saying they’ve created the disunity in the ranks, and leaves it up to them to prove they are the capable leaders he needs to wield the might of the First Order to change the galaxy as he sees fit.
Which means we get some absolutely petty, in all the fun ways, drama between Hux and Pryde! There’s a great page where they fall over themselves to blame the other for the discord, from Hux claiming Pryde undermines his leadership and spreads rumors through the troops, while Pryde says those beneath him don’t believe in Hux’s authority and he himself has spread rumors about Pryde to discredit him. Hux claims Pryde is like the Empire of old, which he served, but both of them are squabbling and vying for power like it was back in the Empire days. Kylo doesn’t want this, he wants one ultimate authority and no one thinking they deserve more, and tasks the two with taking Hetzal Prime together to recognize this. While the engagement is successful, despite all the precautions and defenses the Hetzalians have devised, Hux’s Dreadnaught has a malfunction and it’s Pryde’s precision and quick thinking which bring down the shield gate to facilitate victory. It earns him the title Allegiant General, as he has in TRoS, and it leaves Hux flummoxed, trying to understand how the ship had an issue and shocked he’s been usurped, laying the groundwork for his flip to just wanting to see Kylo lose and becoming the spy. Yet we learn the Dreadnaught’s issue was purposeful sabotage, a plan devised by Pryde and presented to Kylo, who went along with it, all behind the scenes. Will Hux come to learn this, finally tipping him over the edge? Or is he already over the edge? I really look forward to more of their bickering as the series goes on to see how they further sow division despite the supposed new unity. And boy did I love the irony of Pryde telling Kylo he serves only him, yet we all know he’s a Palpatine fan for life and truly does not serve Kylo. Was this part of Palpatine’s plan, getting Pryde to be Kylo’s second-hand man?
Because speaking of Palpatine, we all know his shadowy specter looms over these events and in a way, he comes to remind Kylo someone is always watching. After this false unity and Kylo’s journey of discovering the past is dead, he doesn’t need to kill it but instead forge his own destiny, his pride gets the best of him and he boasts of this newfound serenity and focus to the helmet of Darth Vader. Yet it speaks back to him, what Kylo believes to be Vader’s spirit, and decides to confirm Kylo’s surpassed his grandfather, telling him he’s done what he couldn’t. But then the voice says he’ll still be watching…with great interest, which is a fun little nod to Palpatine’s line to Anakin Skywalker on Naboo in The Phantom Menace, which has the effect Palpatine hoped: Kylo’s confidence, his pride, is just a little bit shaken, not stirred. We’ll see how much more ol’ Palpatine will say or if he’s just waiting until he sends his little message of his return to the galaxy to really piss Kylo off.
Providing art for this trilogy’s final entry is essentially the team that started it all, with Will Sliney back on art and colors by Guru-eFX, though this time it’s letterer Joe Caramagna. While I do find Sliney’s heads for characters a little too blocky, the emotion, or the lack thereof, he captures always delights. Whereas Sliney did a good job capturing more of the warring emotions on Kylo’s face in The Rise of Kylo Ren, he manages the cold, focused look of Kylo now just as well. There’s a good sense of Kylo’s pride and confidence, a barely suppressed grin as he’s about to try a risky maneuver to take out the shield gate to his meme-worthy shut down of Hux & Pryde’s bickering. Yet there’s the child inside returning, if just for a panel, as “Vader’s spirit” aka Palpatine tells him he’ll still be watching, as he looks younger, more unsure, than he has all issue. Towards the end, Kylo is sitting like Marchion Ro or other zaddy’s on a throne, leg’s spread and his head rest on his fist, totally relaxed, but I felt like the way it’s all presented, it’s another show from Kylo, one he doesn’t truly feel. He looks TOO relaxed for someone who, despite his supposed clarity now, is still torn inside regardless, and I think it was meant to look awkward to showcase he’s a poser in this case. And the fact the throne room is so empty serves to make it clear he’s so alone. All the greys and blacks and navy together here between the floor, the throne, and Kylo’s clothes could bleed into one another too much, but Guru-eFX keeps it from happening with some great shading and fading throughout. I also really liked the verdant and naturally colored buildings and trees of Hetzal Prime behind Kylo, Hux, Pryde, and some stormtroopers celebrating their victory, as it made the stark white of the trooper’s armor and the dull blacks and greys of the uniforms feel out of place and unnatural to Hetzal, like it’ll reject them again eventually. Kylo’s saber, its stark red and flickering shape, cutting across the building in the background, highlights their destruction without having to show them destroying troops on the ground, while Caramagna’s word bubble for Kylo’s victory shout focuses on the blade to draw our attention to what helped them secure said victory. There are two double-page splashes and Caramagna has different ways of guiding us across their angled shapes, as the early one of Kylo cutting through Hetzalians on a First Order ship gets a sound FX push to keep readers understanding his destruction through a hallway, while it’s more about the dialogue and the lack thereof, that helps us go through the one at the end of the second battle of Hetzal Prime.
Here are a few other things:
- Also out the same day as this issue was IDW’s The Twilight Zone #10, which was written by Charles and his daughter Rosemary Soule! Sounds like an interesting story and very fitting for Twilight Zone, while I’m very curious about the series overall given the breadth of creatives involved.
- It was neat to see Hetzal Prime again, as it hasn’t really been mentioned outside of the High Republic era, let alone drawn and featured heavily in anything. Not too surprising their mentality would be to make themselves heavily defended so they could never again be taken by someone like Marchion Ro and the Nihil, no matter who rules the galaxy. And then having the issue end by showing one of their capital ships, fleeing the scene to fight another day, making contact with the Resistance…it’s a nice touch that either opens the door for their return by the end of this comic miniseries or just a fun hint they could’ve been at Exegol with the Resistance and/or the Citizen’s Fleet…or maybe it’s also setting up the potential they could be seen in other stories beyond TRoS…
- As for the opening narration, time will tell if we learn who is narrating this tale, and who they are sharing it with, or if it’s just narration for the sake of narration. Soule’s used the conceit before during the Qi’ra crossovers, so it’s possible it’s actually someone sharing this story…maybe Tava Ren?
- See, the solicitations have revealed a bit of what to expect in the next several issues, which includes the return of Tava Ren, the current leader of the Knights of Ren (which Soule said would all be resolved), as well as some dark side related droid threat Kylo will have to face (though it’s unclear if it’s related to anything like the Scourge from the Dark Droids event).
The Fall of Kylo Ren #1 is a solid start with petty squabbling and a Kylo who needs some humbling.
+ Hux and Pryde pettiness
+ Kylo’s pride and confidence and how short-lived it might be
– Almost a little too packed
Ryan is Mynock Manor’s Head Butler. You can follow him and the website on Bluesky.
LEGACY OF VADER REVIEWS:
Reign of Kylo Ren Vol. 1: #1 | #2 | #3 | #4 | #5 | #6 — Vol. 2: #7 | #8 | #9 | #10 | #11 | #12
THE RISE OF KYLO REN REVIEWS:
#1 | #2 | #3 | #4 / Miniseries Review