April is going to be a busy month with all the news coming out of Star Wars Celebration Chicago, a new novel in Master & Apprentice, and plenty to come in the comics, including 2 (technically 3) new series beginning! From comic tie-in of the upcoming Galaxy’s Edge theme park, a TIE squadron miniseries tie-in to an upcoming novel, the Age of Rebellion beginning, and Doctor Aphra‘s latest arc coming to an explosive close, don’t let these issues pass you by!
MARVEL
Galaxy’s Edge #1 (on sale 4/24)
Ethan Sacks (Writer) • Will Sliney (Artist)
Cover by Rod Reis | Variant Cover by TBA | Attraction Variant Cover by TBA | Concept Design Variant Cover by Karl Lindberg & Iain McCaig (pictured)
“A CALL TO ADVENTURE ON THE VERY EDGE OF THE GALAXY! THE COMIC TIE-IN TO THE THEME PARK!
BLACK SPIRE OUTPOST has long been frequented by smugglers, merchants and travelers from every corner of the galaxy looking to make their score on the infamous black market – or experience the exotic thrills only the remote world of Batuu has to offer. Beings like the infamous DOK-ONDAR, a proprietor of rare and one-of-a-kind antiquities, thrive on the unique opportunities which abound on the lawless outpost at the very edge of Wild Space! But the evil FIRST ORDER has come to Batuu and the survival of the entire outpost is at stake! The road to Black Spire’s possible salvation might begin in the past…with a job HAN SOLO and his partner CHEWBACCA pulled for Dok-Ondar. The newest chapter of the growing Star Wars saga begins this April with ETHAN SACKS (OLD MAN HAWKEYE) AND WILL SLINEY’S (BEN REILLY: SCARLET SPIDER, SOLO: A STAR WARS STORY) GALAXY’S EDGE – the riveting comic adventure tie-in to the theme park.”
I was hoping the solicitations would reveal a little more about this series than the original announcement did on Monday, but it seems that was not the case. It’ll be exciting what the series reveals about Black Spire Outpost, how closely the art will adhere to what the park will look like when readers get to visit (if they get to anytime soon), and if there will be any secrets within the panels visitors can unlock when at the park, like those ARG (alternative reality game).
Check out the series reviews here!
TIE Fighter #1 (on sale 4/17)
Jody Houser (Writer), Rogê Antônio & More (Artists)
Cover by Giuseppe Camuncoli & Elia Bonetti | Alphabet Squad Variant Cover by Jeff Langevin | Action Figure Variant Cover by John Tyler Christopher | Movie Variant Cover Also Available
“ENTER SHADOW WING! THE EMPIRE’S SALVATION! THE REBELLION’S DOOM!
As the war against the REBELLION stretches on, it is the innocent people of the GALACTIC EMPIRE who are most at risk. An elite squadron of TIE fighter pilots is assembled to help protect Imperial interests and hammer the Emperor’s fury down upon the treasonous and violent Rebel Alliance. But how far is this untested team willing to go to preserve law and order? And are the pilots of SHADOW WING as loyal to the Empire as they seem? This April, JODY HOUSER (THRAWN, AGE OF REPUBLIC) and ROGÊ ANTÔNIO’s (X-MEN RED) TIE fighter tale chronicles the struggles and triumphs of the heroes of the Empire in the last days of civil war — but what about the heroes of the Rebellion? Be sure to pick up the first book of TIE FIGHTER’s sister novel series, STAR WARS: ALPHABET SQUAD by Alexander Freed, from Del Rey Books, on sale this June.”
This is such a great idea, TIE-ing into (that pun won’t ever get old, sorry) a novel with a comic miniseries! Just like the Galaxy’s Edge solicitation, I was hoping TIE Fighter’s would reveal a little more than the original announcement, but alas, it does not. What we do know is Shadow Wing is going to cause quite a lot of trouble for the motley heroes of Alphabet Squadron, so much so it’ll be covered in a trilogy of novels, and here we’ll learn a bit more about this elite TIE group. I don’t normally concern myself with variant covers, besides the concept art ones for the “Age of Star Wars” maxiseries, but TIE Fighter #1 not only has an Alphabet Squadron variant, but also a “Movie” variant?!?!?! What does that mean?? Are we going to meet some of Shadow Wing in Episode IX, like say whomever Keri Russell or Richard E. Grant play? Or is it meant to be a movie poster-like cover, hence the movie moniker? We shall see…
UPDATE: Movie cover isn’t much and it’s a quiet but intriguing start!
Doctor Aphra #31 (on sale 4/10)
Si Spurrier (Writer), Emilio Laiso (Artist)
Cover by Ashley Witter | Greatest Moments Variant Cover by TBA
WORST AMONG EQUALS, PART 6
“WHEREIN: VERY KABOOM”
- Time’s up. DOCTOR APHRA and TRIPLE-ZERO have mere seconds to remove their bomb implants before it’s explodo o’clock.
- With undead bounty hunters, monster trappers and the foulest divisions of the IMPERIAL war machine between her and salvation, is this the end for the amoral archaeologist?
- One thing’s for sure: it’ll come down to who trusts who…and who gets what they deserve…
I’m almost more worried for my favorite rogue archaeologist than I was when Vader showed up at the end of the previous arc! The cover is not helping matters, not at all, but I’ll be very curious to see what comes next, as Aphra without Triple-Zero would be an interesting new era for the series as he’s been around as long as she has, but without something to keep the murderbot from killing her if he happens to survive, will Aphra’s actions/efforts to rehabilitate the murder-happy robot be enough? One thing is for sure, I’ll be dying to read it even if it brings my favorite character’s end! But please…please not that.
UPDATE: What an ending!! What a finale!!
Star Wars #64 (on sale 4/3)
Kieron Gillen (Writer), Angel Unzueta (Artist)
Cover by Gerald Parel | Action Figure Variant Cover by John Tyler Christopher | Greatest Moments Variant Cover by Adi Granov
“THE SCOURGING OF SHU-TORUN” PART 3
- LEIA leads her covert team deep into the heart of the royal palace of SHU-TORUN.
- BENTHIC leads the PARTISANS deep inside the horrific edifice of THE SPIKE.
- A rebel victory could cripple the Empire for good. A little scourging is one thing…but the death of a planet?
In case you missed the news, this is actually Kieron Gillen’s final arc as writer for the Star Wars series! I like the final question of this solicit, as it seems to question just how far Leia is taking this plot against Queen Trios, and by involving Benthic, whom the rebels brought to their side in the “Ashes of Jedha” arc (Gillen’s first), it would seem she wants to go all the way in her revenge. Anger certainly runs in the Skywalker blood, and while I know a lot of people have been worried about this arc’s take on Leia, I feel like we’ll see an ending where she doesn’t go all the way, but maybe someone, like Benthic or Trios herself, will do it for her, leaving her just on the edge like Luke was chopping away at his father on the second Death Star. With this arc ending with issue #67 (which looks like it won’t come in May as I theorized…), Gillen will have said all he wants about these characters, so perhaps a Luke on the Death Star moment with Leia is Gillen’s parting salvo? We’ll just have to wait and see…though in the meantime, these covers by Gerald Parel are gorgeous at least!
UPDATE: Review is in!
Age of Rebellion – Princess Leia #1 (on sale 4/10)
Greg Pak (Writer), Chris Sprouse (Artist)
Cover by Terry & Rachel Dodson | Puzzle Piece Variant Cover by Mike Mckone | Connecting Promo Variant Cover by Giuseppe Camuncoli & Elia Bonetti | Concept Design Variant Cover Also Available | Movie Variant Cover Also Available
“BOUNTY HUNTER PRINCESS!
With HAN SOLO frozen in carbonite in the palace of JABBA THE HUTT, PRINCESS LEIA prepares for a daring rescue by taking on the identity of the bounty hunter BOUSHH. But in order to succeed, she’ll have to prove herself in her new identity to the ruthless bounty hunter BOSSK! With her life and all of her principles on the line, how far will Leia go to rescue a scoundrel? Co-starring CHEWBACCA and LANDO, who almost certainly have a bad feeling about this!”
Speaking of Leia, how about a less ambiguous tale for her, like this one when the Age of Rebellion begins! This and the other April issues of Age of Rebellion already got revealed last week and these solicits aren’t much different than those original announcements either, but after reading this one, it seems this isn’t a direct adaptation of the Forces of Destiny episode covering Leia getting Boushh’s armor. Instead, this looks to test Leia at uphold the new identity, which definitely could run into something less savory than a FoD could show…so maybe this will be just as ambiguous as “The Scourging of Shu-Torun.” Sorry, folks.
UPDATE: Review is live!
Age of Rebellion – Special #1 (on sale 4/17)
Marc Guggenheim, Jon Adams & Si Spurrier (Writers), Jon Adams, Caspar Wijngaard & Andrea Broccardo (Artists)
Cover by Giuseppe Camuncoli & Guru-eFX | Variant Cover by Marco Checchetto | Greatest Moments Variant Cover by Jen Bartel | Puzzle Piece Variant Cover by Mike Mckone
“A ONE-SHOT SPECIAL FEATURING YOUR FAVORITE (AND UNEXPECTED) CHARACTERS FROM THE ORIGINAL STAR WARS TRILOGY!
- Move over, Boba Fett. The most dangerous bounty hunter in the galaxy isn’t who you think. The cold, calculating assassin droid IG-88 had a deadly reputation. Wanted criminals should tremble in fear because IG-88 will stop at nothing to get the job done. But where did it come from? What does it want? Perfection might be a good place to start. SI SPURRIER (DOCTOR APHRA) and CASPAR WIJNGAARD (DOCTOR APHRA ANNUAL) bring the terrifying droid to life!
- The destruction of the Order, the death of his friends, exile — no matter what he has endured, YODA will always be a Jedi. Even in hiding on the isolated planet of Dagobah, far from the evil Empire’s reach, a Jedi’s work is never done. Marc Guggenheim (X-MEN GOLD) and ANDREA BROCCARDO (STAR WARS) will pay the wise, old master a visit!
- The freedom-fighting REBEL ALLIANCE has more than its fair share of heroes — like ace pilots BIGGS DARKLIGHTER and JEK PORKINS. But they’ve been fighting the evil Galactic Empire for a long time and sometimes, even noble warriors like Biggs and Porkins need a little rest and relaxation. Is anywhere truly free from the trials of the galactic conflict? Writer and illustrator JON ADAMS (the New Yorker, LOVE ROMANCES) has the answer!”
As I said in last week’s reveal, I’m really hoping IG-88’s story ties into his upcoming appearance on The Mandalorian, but at least it’ll be nice to get a refresher on the droid before the show airs, though by this issue’s release, we might have seen our first trailer (maybe even first episode for a lucky few) for the series at Celebration Chicago, which could include footage of IG-88! The Biggs and Porkins vacation extravaganza could be a lot of fun, while I’m dying to read the Yoda on Dagobah story, even if it doesn’t live up to the stories in From a Certain Point of View.
UPDATE: Yoda’s story didn’t disappoint!
Age of Rebellion – Grand Moff Tarkin #1 (on sale 4/10)
Greg Pak (Writer), Marc Laming (Artist)
Cover by Terry & Rachel Dodson | Puzzle Piece Variant Cover by Mike Mckone | Concept Design Variant Cover Also Available | Movie Variant Cover Also Available
“THE SOUL OF THE DEATH STAR!
The EMPIRE has built the deadliest weapon the galaxy has ever seen. But even the most ruthless Imperial officer might hesitate before unleashing the DEATH STAR’s power to kill millions in an instant. Behold the secret story of GRAND MOFF TARKIN, the horrors that honed his resolve and the terrifying steps he takes to ensure that the Death Star lives up to its deadly name!”
This expands a bit on last week’s reveal and it sounds like it’ll be the greatest hits of the novel Tarkin? With a little Catalyst and Rogue One thrown in? I’m curious to see where Pak is going with this, and if this is an important new part of the tale.
UPDATE: Review is live of the shirtless Tarkin!
Vader – Dark Visions #3 (on sale 4/24)
Dennis “Hopeless” Hallum (Writer), David Lopez (Artist)
Cover by Greg Smallwood | Variant Cover by Yasmine Putri
THE STAR-CROSSED LOVER!
- DARTH VADER, a name that strikes fear in the hearts of countless across the galaxy…but there is one lonely heart that beats just for him.
- What is it like to be in love with LORD VADER?
- And what fate will befall one who is infatuated with the tall, dark mystery behind the mask?
Considering all the baggage this series carries due to the terrible events and decisions by Editor Mark Paniccia, the idea of a story about a woman who loves Vader comes off a little creepy, more so than had all that nasty business not happened. They could’ve at least gotten a female writer to cover something like this, so we’ll have to see what Hopeless and team pull off here. Maybe we can take solace in knowing these might not necessarily be canon, much like the stories in The Legend of Luke Skywalker, which weren’t all canon because a character was telling the stories and therefore we only had their word for it. Or that won’t be the case here and they are canon. And they do a good job with the story. I have my doubts, but it’s better to hope!
UPDATE: This was even more terrible than I expected.
Solo: A Star Wars Story Adaptation #7 (on sale 4/3)
Robbie Thompson (Writer), Will Sliney (Artist)
Cover by Phil Noto
“THE FINAL SHOWDOWN!
• HAN SOLO is out of options and out of allies, and DRYDEN wants him dead…
• Will BECKETT’s double-cross be Han’s undoing? Will Han do the right thing despite that it could cost him and CHEWBACCA their lives?
• Find out in the thrilling conclusion to SOLO: A STAR WARS STORY, featuring material not seen in the film!”
Basically 11 months to the day of Solo‘s release in theaters, its 7 part adaptation comes to a close, including material you could’ve read in the novel already, though it’ll be exciting as hell to actually see Enfys Nest meeting Saw Gerrera and a little Jyn Erso! What I’ll never forget is Creative Director at Lucasfilm Publishing, Michael Siglan, teasing, “Read this one closely, because you don’t know where this one is going to head to and connect to in the future.” I used to think this might mean like a Solo 2 or continuation of Qi’ra story in comics form, but as we grow closer to this adaptation’s end, I feel like that’s less and less likely if all it’s been adding is what was already seen in the novel adaptation of the film. As always, we’ll have to wait and see.
As part of the True Believers line for Marvel, where they reprint issues and sell them for a $1, some Star Wars comics are joining in April! The issues are: Skywalker Strikes #1, the very first issue of the Star Wars series when it launched in 2015! | The Ashes of Jedha #1, the first issue of Kieron Gillen’s Star Wars series run, which came out in 2017 | Darth Vader #1, a reprint of the first issue of the second Vader series, which just wrapped up in December 2018, Darth Vader – Dark Lord of the Sith | The Original Marvel Years #107 aka a Legends issue from the original Marvel Star Wars comics.
IDW
(these came a few days later)
Star Wars Adventures #21
Cavan Scott (Writer), Derek Charm (Artist and Cover Artist {A}), Nicoletta Baldari (Cover Artist {B})
Not ones to rest on their laurels, Han and Luke embark on a mission to secure equipment for the fledgling rebellion in this exciting tale set just after A New Hope!
- The Original Trilogy gets the spotlight starting this issue!
- Variant cover by Eisner Award winner Michael Avon Oeming, co-creator of Powers!
IDW’s version of a “Age of Star Wars” continues with issue #21, as the last three focused on the prequel era and this begins the original trilogy era issues.
Ryan is Mynock Manor’s Head Butler. You can follow him on Twitter @BrushYourTeeth. You can follow the website @MynockManor.
2019 SOLICITATIONS: January | February | March | May | June | July | August
CURRENT SERIES COMIC REVIEWS:
Doctor Aphra
Aphra (#1-6) | And the Enormous Profit (#9-13) | Remastered (#14-19) | The Catastrophe Con (#20-25) | Worst Among Equals (#26-31) | Annual: #2
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) | Fortress Vader (#19-25) | Annual: #2
Star Wars
Ashes of Jedha (#38-43) | Mutiny at Mon Cala (#44-49) | Hope Dies (#50-55) | The Escape (#56-61) | Annual: #4
Age of Republic (miniseries)