One the galaxy’s best pilots, and originally scheduled to die in The Force Awakens, Poe Dameron’s short but memorable appearance in the film has endeared him to Star Wars fans just as much as Rey and Finn (and given ‘shippers a field day thanks to his bromance with Finn). And if you felt you didn’t get enough screentime to stare at Oscar Isaac’s handsomeness, then the upcoming on-going Poe Dameron comic debuting in April might just be the fix you need. That’s right, Marvel is diving into the sequel trilogy era by following the antics of Resistance fighter Poe leading up to the events of the film (and maybe beyond).
The series will be written by Charles Soule, who entered Star Wars comics with the excellent Lando series and already made me excited about the potential of his Obi-Wan & Anakin miniseries, with art by the illustrious Phil Noto, who last did artwork on the so-so Chewbacca miniseries (where his art wasn’t the so-so part). They’ll be finding ways to flesh out Poe’s charismatic personality, give BB-8 costarring status (when really he should’ve gotten his own series…), having Poe interact with legacy characters like Leia, and spend more time with his fellow X-wing pilots seen briefly in the film. They’ll also be introducing a new First Order villain, a nemesis for Poe, and here’s what Soule has to say about that, “…the way the Episode VII galaxy is set up, there are opportunities for new archetypes almost, and the bad guy we’re working with is going to feel fresh and cool.”
Noto explains some of his process for drawing Poe, which is basically stare at Oscar for days on end by watching his films, “Seeing so much of him on screen, it’s easier in a way to act that part out in my head while I’m drawing: How would Oscar Isaac act in this situation as Poe Dameron?” I might mock his methods, but there’s absolutely no mocking of Noto’s skill and I cannot wait to see how he handles Poe, legacy characters, and this new villain they’re introducing.
We gotten some previous background on Poe, first in the Shattered Empire comic which focused on his parents Shara Bey and Kes Dameron, while the Before the Awakening YA novel covered his story in the lead-up to TFA so I’m wondering if we’ll have some overlap with Poe and BtA at all. However, don’t expect any flashbacks i.e. Soule filling in the 30 year gap between trilogies, as we’ll be focusing on the here and now to understand the amazing pilot better.
I’m looking forward to this first and foremost because Soule has done such a great job writing in all of his works so far, while Phil Noto’s art is hard to go wrong with, but I’m also excited to see the galaxy around TFA expanded more than what was just in the film. Plus, considering this will be an on-going series, could the story catch up to TFA and even go beyond? It would be pretty neat to get some hints at Ep. VIII pop up in Poe Dameron simply because that film is under a year and a half away at this point and Poe‘s first arc might come to a close towards the end of the year, while it’s second arc might be ending near the film’s May 26th release date. One can hope!
Expect to see Poe Dameron on comic book shelves at your local comic shop sometime in April (possibly coinciding with TFA‘s Blu-ray/DVD release?).
(Story via USAToday)
UPDATES: Soule and Noto discuss the upcoming project a little bit more, revealing the first arc will go down some really weird Star Wars places, including a cult. Soule also calls the new villain, who can be seen in the cover art for issue #2, as an, “evil Lando.” I’m interested to see that, even if his overall look isn’t too interesting.
There’ll also be Poe Dameron launch party options for your LCS to partake in, netting you buttons and exclusive covers, when the first issue releases April 6.
Ryan is Mynock Manor’s Head Butler. You can follow him on Twitter @BrushYourTeeth and you can follow the website @MynockManor.
SEE ALSO:
Marvel’s Back: Star Wars Comics 2015 Year-in-Review
Canon Young Adult Novel Review: Before the Awakening
Movie Review: The Force Awakens
Movie Review: Ex Machina
NYCC 2015: New Star Wars Novels, Short Stories, and Comics Announced! (UPDATED)
Korean Original Trilogy Webcomic Now in English
The Force Awakens Soundtrack Pre-Order, C-3PO’s Red Arm Gets Comics Backstory
CANON COMIC REVIEWS:
Poe Dameron
Black Squadron (#1-3) | Lockdown (#4-6)
Kanan
The Last Padawan (#1-6) | First Blood (#7-12)
Darth Vader
Vader (#1-6) | Shadows and Secrets (#7-12) | The Shu-Torun War (#16-19) | End of Games (#20-25) | Annual: #1
Vader Down (crossover of Star Wars and Darth Vader on-goings)
Star Wars
Skywalker Strikes (#1-6) | Old Ben’s Journals | Showdown on the Smuggler’s Moon (#8-12) | Rebel Jail (#16-19)
Annual: #1
Han Solo (mini-series)
Obi-Wan & Anakin (mini-series)
Shattered Empire (mini-series)
Lando (mini-series)
Chewbacca (mini-series)
Princess Leia (mini-series)
Darth Maul: Son of Dathomir (mini-series)