I wish this was an April Fool’s joke, but April 2023’s Star Wars comics bring another Darth Vader focused comic, but fear not, there’s plenty of other comics goodness to enjoy! In fact, there’s the big, grand finale to Qi’ra’s momentous return trilogy in Hidden Empire, The High Republic’s Phase II comic finds Jedi trying to save their own, Sana Starros rides a rancor (!!!), Inferno Squad blazes up Bounty Hunters, Ewoks take center stage in a one-shot, and so much more! Head below for April 2023’s Star Wars comics solicitations!
MARVEL
Hidden Empire #5 (4/5)
Charles Soule (Writer), Steven Cummings (Artist)
Cover by Paulo Siqueira | Connecting Variant Cover by Steven Cummings | Travel Variant Cover by David Lopez | Battle Variant Cover by Declan Shalvey|
CHAOS REIGNS!
- The epic conclusion to the trilogy begun with WAR OF THE BOUNTY HUNTERS and CRIMSON REIGN!
- At last, Qi’ra will reveal herself to the Sith.
- At last, she will have her revenge.
Can’t believe this April heralds the grand finale to Qi’ra’s big comic return. It’s wild to think it’s built to this, Qi’ra facing down Emperor Palpatine and Darth Vader, with a wide array of allies and plans, including the mysterious Fermata Cage…how will it all conclude?! Considering we know her two big targets survive but this solicit seems to promise she’ll have her revenge…what could it mean? All I know is, regardless I want Qi’ra to survive to return again another day. If the Sith can do it…so can she. Maybe she’ll be the one locked in the Fermata Cage, stuck waiting for someone to rescue her…
Otherwise, I’ve been loving the Battle Variant covers and this one features Aphra with the Spark Eternal against Vader…in what looks like the Amaxine Station, which is where the Drengir blight was locked away until unwittingly unleashed during the High Republic era, while also where Ben Solo met Snoke after the events at Luke Skywalker’s school, both projects Soule has been involved in. Curious place to reference…
Star Wars #33 (on sale 4/5)
Charles Soule (Writer), Madibek Musabekov (Artist)
Cover by Stephen Segovia | Action Figure Variant Cover by John Tyler Christopher | Variant Cover by Alan Quah
UNTETHERED!
- Luke Skywalker’s connection to the Force has been disrupted; one of his most powerful tools in his journey to become a Jedi is gone.
- He must undertake an epic quest to find what he has lost…or he, and the galaxy, will fall to darkness.
As I talked about in the March solicitations, Luke’s previous Force-related journeys have resulted in some of the series’ best, so I am very intriguing to see the scale of this “epic quest” before us readers and Luke himself! Considering this disruption in the Force is from Qi’ra’s plans with the Fermata Cage, I’m curious how and when it’ll be less of a problem, or it’s up to each Force user to reconnect themselves as best they can.
Sana Starros #3 (on sale 4/19)
Justina Ireland (Writer), Pere Pérez (Artist)
Cover by Ken Lashley | Variant Cover by Jen Bartel
PARTY CRASHERS!
- Sana has just run into one of the roughest bounty hunters in the galaxy: DEVA LOMPOP!
- But what does she want with Sana?
- And why is Sana on a RANCOR?!
SANA ON A RANCOR! REPEAT: Sana is ON A RANCOR!!! How?! Why?! We’ve seen how much fun rancor-riding can be, and if anyone else could do it, I believe Sana Starros could indeed. Also, her coming up against Deva Lompop, a creation of Ireland’s that’s a long-lived species whose been seen in the High Republic and in the recent War of the Bounty Hunters event, should make for a hectic-filled good time (she was on the cover of the previous issue, by the way)…as for what she might want, Deva interacted with Avon Starros 200 years ago, so maybe something to do with something we haven’t yet seen in THR?
The High Republic #8 – Phase 2 (on sale 4/12)
Cavan Scott (Writer), Andrea Broccardo (Artist)
Cover by Rafael De Latorre | Variant Cover by Marguerite Sauvage | Variant Cover by Mico Suayan
TERROR ON THE DUNES OF BLOOD!
- One Jedi lies dying in Jedha’s frozen desert, and another is missing. Can Vildar, Matty and Tey escape the siege of Enlightenment in time to save them both?
- And all the time, the Leveler waits in the shadows, desperate to feed.
- Plus, the identities of the mysterious raiders are revealed.
The solicitation for issue 7 asked who will die in the freezing Jedha desert and now we have a semi answer from this solicit: two Jedi…but not Vildar or Matty. Having listened to The Battle of Jedha, we can eliminate the Jedi from there…so is it Oliviah Zeveron and her Master, Leebon?! Either way, we just saw the Leveler entered the chat in issue #4, while I’m curious if the raiders will be the mysterious Brothers of the Ninth Door, featured in the audiobook.
Bounty Hunters #33 (on sale 4/12)
Ethan Sacks (Writer), Paolo Villanelli (Artist)
Cover by Giuseppe Camuncoli | Lucasfilm Anniversary Variant Cover By Chris Sprouse
DARTH VADER’S INFERNO SQUAD STRIKES!
- The DARK LORD has ordered one of the EMPIRE’S deadliest commando units to take out VALANCE, BOSSK, 4-LOM and ZUCKUSS!
- Meanwhile, assassin droid IG-88 has his sights on another high-value target. But who is he after and who hired him?
- Featuring fan favorites from the hit video game, STAR WARS: BATTLEFRONT II!
Most recently teased to be hunting the Bounty Hunters’ anti-heroes in the Revelations one-shot, the wait won’t be much longer for them to finally appear: Inferno Squad! Before Iden and team go on their fateful adventure in Battlefront II’s story-mode, we’ll get to see more of their time under the Empire’s thrall…good luck to the team! And in case you’re concerned since they aren’t on the cover and not mentioned in the solicit, remember T’onga and Losha are alive past RotJ, as seen in Halcyon Legacy, and even should be in the issue, per writer Ethan Sacks on Twitter (and make sure you’re following him on there too).
Doctor Aphra #31 (on sale 4/26)
Alyssa Wong (Writer), Minkyu Jung (Artist)
Cover by Rachael Stott | Return of the Jedi 40th Anniversary Variant Cover by Chris Sprouse
THE PARTING GLANCE!
- Is this the end of the line for former allies APHRA and TOLVAN?
- DARTH VADER’S least favorite archaeologist must face a cold hard truth that will shake her to her core!!!
- Can she forgive herself for the chaos she’s about to unleash upon the galaxy?
SHUT UP. I honestly can’t take this solicit. End of the line for Aphra and Tolvan though they just found each other again?! A cold truth which will shake her to her core?! And she’s going to unleash more chaos on the galaxy?!?! Nope, no, nope, can’t handle all this about to happen. But I can handle that gorgeous cover by Stott!! My one guess for the chaos…the revolutionary droid that looks to be the core of the next comic crossover event, the Revelations one-shot again. Also, as a heads up, issue #30 is now dropping in April so I imagine this issue will actually hit May 2023, but there could be a double-dip on Aphra…we’ll see! UPDATE: Currently the release date has us enjoying double the Aphra in April, hopefully it sticks.
Yoda #6 (on sale 4/19)
Jody Houser (Writer), Luke Ross (Artist)
Cover by Phil Noto | Variant Cover by Lee Garbett | Variant Cover by Takashi Okazaki
DARK VISIONS!
- A fearful vision has infected the students at the Jedi Temple, leading to a violent confrontation that could spell doom for the would-be Jedi.
- Will Yoda sense the danger in time, or will he lose one of his students forever?
We’re not quite done with Cavan Scott’s opening story about Yoda in the High Republic era, but I am eager to get started on Jody Houser’s after everything I’ve been reading about it in these solicitations. And by February 2023 and its May 2023 solicits, we’ll have our first glimpse at the next arc of the maxiseries!
Darth Vader #33 (on sale 4/26)
Greg Pak (Writer), Adam Gorham (Artist)
Cover by Leinil Francis Yu | Variant Cover by Khoi Pham | Return of the Jedi 40th Anniversary Variant Cover by Chris Sprouse
UNBOUND FORCE – Part One!
When the Dark Lord of the Sith loses control of the Force, nothing is safe — not even his own Executor-class Star Dreadnought. But in the face of total destruction, Commander Sabé finds an opportunity. Does Vader’s untrammeled onslaught expose a vulnerability? Or is it just another doorway to the terrifying tyranny of the Sith?
I LOVE this cover!! Like wow, the covers have been great lately and this continues the series’ trend. As for Vader losing his control of the Force and causing havoc…I’m intrigued, mostly, but I’m more surprised and interested to see Sabé’s still around, considering the most recent issue of the series finds the other handmaidens teaming up with Vader to save her and the solicit for issue #32 teasing they’ll be making their final choices in the fight for Sabé’s soul.
Return of the Jedi – Ewoks #1 (on sale 4/12)
Alyssa Wong (Writer), Lee Garbett, Caspar Wijngaard, Kyle Hotz & Paulina Ganucheau (Artists)
Cover by Ryan Brown | Virgin Variant Cover by Ryan Brown | Connecting Variant Cover by Lee Garbett | Variant Cover by Peach Momoko | Variant Cover by Kyle Hotz | Variant Cover by Chrissie Zullo
TALES OF THE EWOKS!
- On the moon of Endor occupied by the species called Ewoks, a group of these stout creatures has gathered around the fire to recount tales of triumph, defeat…and horror!
- In the art-forward manner of storytelling, watch an eclectic group of artists interpret the stories from the unique minds of Ewoks in a manner only they can envision!
- This can’t-miss issue for STAR WARS fans of mirth, merriment and artistry is the book you’ve been craving!
The last time Alyssa Wong broke out from the Aphra series to write a one-shot, we got the absolutely awesome War of the Bounty Hunters – Boushh #1, and now she’s writing about EWOKS?! Expect one helluva treat, especially since it seems this will rely a lot on the skills of the various artists involved to bring her version of Ewok tales to wild life! This is the second issue of the Return of the Jedi anniversary series which is made up of different one-shots celebrating the film!
DARK HORSE
Hyperspace Stories #7 (on sale 4/12)
Michael Moreci (Writer), Andrea Mutti (Artist)
Cover by Cary Nord
Boba Fett.
The name strikes fear across the galaxy; the most skilled and ruthless bounty hunter alive, who always gets his prey. But on the planet Ridley, Fett finds a job unlike any he’s taken in his long career. But other bounty hunters have taken notice, and soon the Mandalorian finds himself defending himself and his client from Bossk and his gang of ruthless Trandoshan hunters!
For the first time since Hyperspace Stories began, Michael Moreci takes on writing duties with this issue, and he’s pitting Boba Fett vs Bossk, old teammates and now adversaries. I’ll be curious what this job will be that’s unlike any before it, while I hope Moreci can keep up the rest of the team’s great work on pairing characters together which pull out insights into both.
The High Republic Adventures – The Nameless Terror #3 (on sale 4/19)
George Mann (Writer), Eduardo Mello (Artist)
Cover by Ornella Savarese
In a desperate bid to escape the Nameless, the Jedi pathfinders form an unlikely alliance with the disciples of the Path, and the two groups venture down into the depths of the ruined spaceship. As they descend down toward the engines, old tensions begin to flare, and the Jedi discover they have more than a single monster to fear in the darkness.
It’s quite the surprise to think the Path of the Open Hand and the Jedi will team up, but when I imagine the Nameless, without anyone holding the Rod of Seasons around, don’t discriminate in who or what they attack, I can see the Path teaming up if it means survival. But what will it mean for them if they do and the Jedi are the ones to help them? We saw the answer for Marda Ro at least in Path of Deceit, doubling-down on her beliefs, but maybe these Path members will be different?
The High Republic Adventures #6 (on sale 4/26)
Daniel José Older (Writer), Toni Bruno (Artist)
Cover by Harvey Tolibao
As the Battle of Jedha rages around her, Sav struggles to keep her identity hidden as she tries to find a way to free Maz Kanata from the clutches of the Dank Graks. The only problem is, running with the Graks is the only thing keep Sav safe! Don’t miss the next thrilling chapter of Fire in the Holy Heart!
In the most recent issue, I was sort of hopeful the series would do its own thing overall and avoid the Battle of Jedha, but at least it seems to be focusing still on its characters and their struggles so if it helps add sense of extra tension and drama for them, I am all in!!
Ryan is Mynock Manor’s Head Butler. You can follow him on Twitter @BrushYourTeeth. You can follow the website on Twitter @MynockManor and Instagram @mynockmanor.