April 2022 comics bring many surprises for the entire Star Wars comics run, from the Knights of Ren ransacking Vader’s Castle for Qi’ra, Han finding more twists on his latest heist, the promise of only one survivor on Dr. Aphra’s latest quest, and so much more. There’s still no word on when Dark Horses’ contributions will begin (besides some The High Republic related content in October), so it’s all Marvel below. Check out Star Wars comics’ April 2022 solicitations now! UPDATE 4/13: Several of the comic release dates have changed, with a few slipping into May, June, and even July.
MARVEL
Crimson Reign #4 (on sale 4/27)
Charles Soule (Writer), Steven Cummings (Artist)
Cover by Leinil Francis Yu | Variant Cover by David Nakayama | Sabacc Card Variant Cover by David Lopez | Knights of Dawn Variant Cover by Rahzzah | Warriors of Dawn Variant Cover by Valerio Giangiordano | Enemies of Dawn Variant Cover by Clayton Crain | Syndicate Variant Cover by Khoi Pham | Connecting Variant Cover by Ario Anindito | Traitor of the Dawn Variant Cover by Paul Renaud
THE KNIGHTS!
- THE KNIGHTS OF REN have their role to play in QI’RA’S grand scheme to destabilize THE EMPIRE, and their task is arguably the most important…
- Something crucial is locked away in FORTRESS VADER, and the Knights must steal it.
- A heist on the SITH-controlled furnace world of MUSTAFAR…with the Galaxy as the prize!
Charles Soule has been teasing this issue on Twitter before and now we know it’s finally coming in April. What’s hiding in Fortress Vader that’s so important to Qi’ra’s plans to take down the Empre and its Sith ruler? All I know is, definitely one of the more anticipated issues of the latest Qi’ra focused miniseries!
Bounty Hunters #22 (on sale 4/6)
Ethan Sacks (Writer), Paolo Villanelli (Artist)
Cover by Giuseppe Camuncoli | Variant Cover by Paolo Villanelli | Traitor of the Dawn Variant Cover by Paul Renaud
ALL OUT WAR ON THE STREETS OF CORELLIA!
- Besieged by an entire syndicate of killers, T’ONGA, BOSSK, TASU LEECH, ZUCKUSS, 4-LOM and LOSHA have no choice but to fight their way out through the streets.
- But will all of the crew make it out of CORONET CITY alive?
- Meanwhile, DENGAR strikes…and the Underworld may never be the same!
Dengar is a surprising wildcard to choose for the series, but after the most recent issue showing he’s about to come into T’onga and crew’s crusade as the Crimson Dawn representative, who knows what his plans are. My assumption, at the very least for T’onga and crews’ sake, is they are trying to kidnap Vukorah, the newly self-elected leader of the Unbroken Clan, who is also Dawn-related and against any unification. It sounds like everything will go wrong, which should be entertaining enough!
Han Solo & Chewbacca #2 (on sale 5/18)
Marc Guggenheim (Writer), David Messina (Artist)
Variant Cover by Adam Hughes | Cover by Phil Noto | Variant Cover by Mike McKone
THE HEIST IS ON!
- HAN, CHEWIE and GREEDO have to pull off an impossible heist for JABBA THE HUTT!
- But who can Han trust?
- SPOILER: Han breaks into his target’s safe, but you won’t believe what’s inside!
I’m still eager to learn who the big surprise character will be at the end of the first issue of Han Solo & Chewbacca, but it looks like cliffhangers and surprises will be the norm, as this solicit promises the second issues ends with a safe filled of something unexpected. Honestly, with a series focused on two characters in their plot armored days, these types of surprises should help readers come back for more!
Star Wars #23 (on sale 5/4)
Charles Soule (Writer), Ramon Rosanas (Artist)
Cover by Carlo Pagulayan | Action Figure Variant Cover by John Tyler Christopher | Traitor of the Dawn Variant Cover by Paul Renaud | Variant Cover by Ken Lashley
THE DAWN ALLIANCE – PART 2 OF 3 “The Last Division”
- The fate of THE REBEL ALLIANCE FLEET is at stake, as its last remaining divisions face off in battle against the brutal tactics of COMMANDER ELLIAN ZAHRA and her crew on the TARKIN’S WILL.
- For Zahra, this fight is personal; her revenge will not be complete until every life lost on THE DEATH STAR is avenged.
- Epic space warfare in the true STAR WARS manner!
Finally, the return of Commander Zahra is on the horizon! After being a semi-competent and deadly villain, she took the backseat to the War of the Bounty Hunters crossover and hasn’t been heard from since, but it makes sense she’d be there as the Rebellion looks to make the final push to unite its fleet. This promises some epic space warfare and artist Ramon Rosanas has delivered before so I’m looking to see what he and the art team will have up their sleeves!
Halcyon Legacy #4 (on sale 7/6){moved all the way to July}
Ethan Sacks (Writer), Will Sliney (Artist)
Cover by E.M. Gist | Variant Cover by Rahzzah | Connecting Variant Cover by Will Sliney
LANDO AND HONDO ARE ON A COLLISION COURSE ABOARD THE HALCYON!
- A priceless jewel has attracted the attention of both LANDO and HONDO.
- But who is the mysterious figure who threatens both of their heists?
- And years in the future, CRIMSON JACK makes his move to capture the HALCYON…or destroy it!
So far, there have been some rather ace pairings for this miniseries, but Lando and Hondo take the meiloorun for me (even over the previous issue’s Anakin/Padmé moment), as these scoundrels have a great habit of causing mischief and hilarity in their wake. As for this Crimson Jack, not to be confused or affiliated with Crimson Dawn mind you, he’s actually another pull from Marvel’s Legends past, having been in their original run of comics back in the 70’s.
Darth Vader #22 (on sale 4/13)
Greg Pak (Writer), Raffaele Ienco (Artist)
Cover by Paul Renaud| Variant Cover by Raffaele Ienco | Traitor of the Dawn Variant Cover by Paul Renaud
CRIMSON HAVOC!
- With all secrets smashed and all traitors revealed, DARTH VADER unleashes his endgame!
- But is his target CRIMSON DAWN — or the EMPIRE itself? And where does that leave the heroes and assassins who have fought at his side?
- Plus, a shocking reveal that cuts to the very core of the DARK LORD’S dark heart!
I haven’t been feeling the Darth Vader series recently but with the return of Sabé and all these big promises of endgame reveals and shocking cuts to Vader’s dark heart, maybe I’ll find something to enjoy a bit more soon.
Doctor Aphra #20 (on sale 5/18)
Alyssa Wong (Writer), Minkyu Jung (Artist)
Cover by W. Scott Forbes | Variant Cover by Steven Cummings | Traitor of the Dawn Variant Cover by Paul Renaud
FROM HERE TO ETERNITY!
- DOCTOR APHRA and SANA STARROS confront KHO PHON FARRUS at the heart of an ARCHAEOLOGICAL RUIN!
- But they’re all about to learn the horrifying truth behind the SPARK ETERNAL…
- …and ONLY ONE will escape unscathed!
As always, my concern for Aphra and Sana is through the roof, even more so for Sana these days, and this solicit IS NOT HELPING. AT ALL. Only one of the three can escape? Will Aphra do the big thing and try to help the other two get out? Kho Phon Farrus is a delightful new disaster in the series and as much as they are the ‘villain’ they are really just misunderstood and I’m rooting for them to make it out of this as well. Either way, I really like how this arc is pretty expansive in issue count size.
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