With the on-going War of the Bounty Hunters crossover, every month looks packed for Star Wars comics, but August’s solicitations seem to have to unpack than the months before. There’s a big convergence of High Republic characters in a big, upcoming battle with the deadly Drengir, a battle royale with Jabba the Hutt, Darth Vader, and Boba Fett, Luke Skywalker has gone missing…again, and holy forking shirtballs Doctor Aphra and Sana Starros come face-to-face with Vader! Yup, there’s goes my anxiety levels for the next few months. Head below for all of August’s Star Wars comics solicitations!
{I’ll make sure to update this with release dates/story order for War of the Bounty Hunters crossover issues by 5/20/21 when the full solicitations release!}
UPDATED with correct order for the War of the Bounty Hunters crossover issues and IDW’s solicitations)
MARVEL
The High Republic #8 (on sale 8/11)
Cavan Scott (Writer), Ario Anindito (Artist)
Cover by Phil Noto | Variant Cover by Ario Anindito | Variant Cover by Georges Jeanty
THE BATTLE AGAINST THE DRENGIR REACHES ITS THRILLING CLIMAX!
- AVAR KRISS has gathered a team of JEDI to take the fight to the DRENGIR deep in WILD SPACE, but KEEVE TRENNIS is nowhere to be seen.
- Are other forces at work on the Drengir’s deathworld?
- Guest-starring a host of High Republic Jedi! COHMAC VITUS! REATH SILAS! THE STAR HOPPER PADAWANS!
By August, the second wave of The High Republic’s first Phase will be a few months old and we’ll be heading towards whatever’s next for the era’s story. It looks like it’s going to be something big, as the comics get to host a big convergence of characters as the Jedi try to stop the Drengir once and for all! I’m most concerned about Keeve’s whereabouts, and what it might mean for Sskeer, though the idea Cohmac Vitus and Reath Silas (Into the Dark), the Star Hopper Padawans (The High Republic Adventures), and Wayfinder Orla Jareni join forces with Avar, here in the pages of this series, is great highlight of what this era can do with its connected story! This issue will also see the return of the current series artist, Ario Anindito and he created an great variant cover to celebrate the moment.
Bounty Hunters #15 (on sale 8/4)
Ethan Sacks (Writer), Paolo Villanelli (Artist)
Cover by Giuseppe Camuncoli | Wanted Poster Variant by David Nakayama | Lucasfilm 50th Variant Cover by Chris Sprouse
WAR OF THE BOUNTY HUNTERS: “THE GATHERING”
- VALANCE and DENGAR travel to CANTO BIGHT as a relentless assassin stalks them!
- T’ONGA starts to recruit a bounty hunter crew with some familiar — and fearsome — faces!
- Plus TASU LEECH returns! But whose side is he on?
Talk about a big gangster putting together a crew….but this time it’s T’onga, alive, well, and thriving if this solicit is anything to go by! I’ll be interested to see what other familiar faces she helps bring to WotBH’s story, while more Tasu Leech should be a fun way to help continue fleshing out the character. Plus, more Canto Bight, with these hunters, could make for a glamorous brawl.
War of the Bounty Hunters — 4-LOM & Zuckuss (on sale 8/?)
Daniel Jose Older (Writer), Kei Zama (Artist)
Cover by Mahmud Asrar | Variant Cover by Kei Zama | Variant Cover by Superlog | Wanted Poster Variant by David Nakayama
ZUCKUSS BATTLES 4-LOM! WAR OF THE BOUNTY HUNTERS TIE-IN!
Together, lethal droid 4-LOM and Gand Findsman Zuckuss make an unparalleled bounty hunting team. Yet a brutal battle with Boba Fett has divided them. Lost and alone on the crime-infested streets of Nar Shaddaa, Zuckuss faces down an utterly transformed 4-LOM…but why is his old friend out for blood? The answer may lie in the past, from an early mission that helped forge their formidable partnership. Daniel José Older and Kei Zama’s one-shot is the second of four action-packed “War of the Bounty Hunters” tie-ins about the criminal underworld’s most notorious hunters and scoundrels, all told by the best STAR WARS writers and illustrators in the galaxy.
Looks like Older is here to break up the band…the 4-LOM and Zuckuss band, that is! It’s hard to imagine these two bounty hunters, so inexplicably linked for so long, to be at each other’s throats, so I’ll be interested to see what Older does with this tale in his Marvel Star Wars debut!! He previously wrote about this odd pair in From a Certain Point of View – The Empire Strikes Back! If the first two one-shots were written by The High Republic authors, maybe we’ll see Claudia Gray and Cavan Scott take over for the final two?
War of the Bounty Hunters #3 (On Sale 8/11)
Charles Soule (Writer), Luke Ross (Artist)
Cover by Steve Mcniven | Variant Cover by Declan Shalvey | Wanted Poster Variant Cover by David Nakayama | Trading Card Variant Cover by John Cassaday | Action Figure Variant Cover by John Tyler Christopher
WINNER TAKES ALL!
- Terrifying, implacable Dark Lord of the Sith DARTH VADER has laid claim to HAN SOLO, who is frozen in carbonite.
- But the great, exalted JABBA THE HUTT also believes that Solo is his property. It’s the galaxy’s baddest gangster versus the Empire’s most powerful enforcer, and neither is backing down.
- BOBA FETT is caught between a Sith and a Hutt…and it’s WINNER TAKE ALL.
It’s kind of hard to believe this isn’t the finale to the War of the Bounty Hunters crossover; it still has until October for the end! This crossover just started here in May, with the Alpha issue and Star Wars #13’s Prelude issue, so it’s hard to fathom how it goes from there to here, but hey, the more I see about this story, the more I get more excited for what may all come. As a reminder, we’ll have a monthly round-up of all the WotBH events to keep everyone on top of the expansive story!
Star Wars #16 (on sale 8/18)
Charles Soule (Writer), Ramon Rosanas (Artist)
Cover by Carlo Pagulayan | Wanted Poster Variant Cover by David Nakayama | Lucasfilm 50th Anniversary Variant Cover by Chris Sprouse | Variant Cover by Jan Duursema
“MISSING IN ACTION”
- LEIA ORGANA, CHEWBACCA and LANDO CALRISSIAN battle BOBA FETT for the ultimate prize — HAN SOLO!
- But they are not the only people who have come to the remote world of JEKARA seeking the smuggler. DARTH VADER, JABBA THE HUTT and more are in the mix as well… Jedi LUKE SKYWALKER may be the Rebels’ only hope…
- …but WHERE is he?
Where is Luke Skywalker, indeed?! In the most recent issue, Artoo just divulged details on Jedi Outposts from The High Republic era that he got from the Death Star, so either he’s off doing that, hoping it gives them something to help get Han Solo back, or there’s something else going on. Can’t wait to find out…I just know it won’t be Ahch-To yet!
Doctor Aphra #13 (on sale 8/25)
Alyssa Wong (Writer), Minkyu Jung (Artist)
Cover by Sara Pichelli | Wanted Poster Variant Cover by David Nakayama | Lucasfilm 50th Variant Cover by Chris Sprouse
“GUEST OF HONOR”
- DOCTOR APHRA finds herself face-to-face with the one person she hoped she’d never see again!
- For once, she might not be able to talk her way out…
- Meanwhile, JUST LUCKY and ARIOLE confront a familiar presence of their own!
The stream of expletives I shouted when I saw this cover is far too long to type out, but suffice to say “Oh shit” was a common, re-uttered one. Aphra has managed to stay out of Vader’s radar since the finale of her first volume, but writer Alyssa Wong is bringing the two back together in what will once again cause me tons of anxiety…can’t wait! And let’s hope Sana’s hops are enough to keep her out of harm’s way here too!
Darth Vader #15 (on sale 8/25)
Greg Pak (Writer), Raffaele Ienco (Artist)
Cover by Aaron Kuder | Wanted Poster Variant Cover by David Nakayama | Lucasfilm 50th Variant Cover by Chris Sprouse
“THE ASSASSIN’S CHOICE”
- Mere months ago, OCHI OF BESTOON was the assassin who dared to take on DARTH VADER himself in the fiery lava pits of MUSTAFAR.
- Now Ochi serves Vader as his most loyal agent during the WAR OF THE BOUNTY HUNTERS. Who is Ochi of Bestoon? What are his true goals? And how have the secrets of EXEGOL shaped him forever?
- Also featuring the next great reveal about BOKKU and the Hutt Council!
Ochi fans, which so far I haven’t been one unless I begin to read his dialogue more like it’s delivered by Deadpool/Ryan Reynolds, should rejoice with this issue as it’s going to be a big, deep dive into his story. More intriguingly for the entire War of the Bounty Hunters crossover, this Bokku; are they the “shadowy” force that’s been teased for months now? One of the other major players invented for this tale? And what do they have to do with the Hutt Council? Regardless of the answer, diving into the Hutt Council sounds like it could be a fun time, especially considering we know Boba Fett will likely be getting involved with them again in the upcoming The Book of Boba Fett, so maybe this is more of a set-up for that show than we realized…
IDW
The High Republic Adventures – The Monster of Temple Peak #1 (8/11)
Cavan Scott (Writer), Rachael Stott (Artist and Cover Artist)
Follow former Jedi turned saber-for-hire monster hunter Ty Yorrick in her first comic appearance in this all-new High Republic miniseries by Cavan Scott and Rachael Stott!
Ty is a brave yet superstitious monster hunter, traversing the galaxy with KL-03 and her trusty rune-stones fighting the deadliest monsters on any world. After dealing with an escaped Drewen being transported to the Republic Fair, Ty heads to Loreth, where local pioneers have tasked her with taking on the fearsome Gretalax that terrorizes them. She takes the mission but can’t shake the feeling that something is amiss with the Force.
Saber-for-hire Ty Yorrick will make her first appearance in June’s The Rising Storm, also from Cavan Scott, though this is a prequel to that story. We first learned about her some time ago, but we truly got introduced to her, saw a few pages from The Monster of Temple Peak, and even got a Characters of the High Republic video last month! She’s already an intriguing character with an interesting past I can’t wait to see explored, and without saying much, having begun reading The Rising Storm recently, I can say I’m already a big fan! As a reminder, this is part 1 of a 4-part miniseries (originally announced as a graphic novel).
The High Republic Adventures #7 (on sale 8/18)
Daniel José Older (Writer), Harvey Tolibao (Artist/Cover Artist)
As the galaxy prepares for its Republic Fair, Qort and Farzala are sent on a diplomatic mission to negotiate with the Hutts, who have joined them in the fight against the Drengir. But relations turn sour, and it’s going to take all of their training to get them out of the situation!
Writer Daniel José Older, New York Times bestselling author of Star Wars: Last Shot, and artist Harvey Tolibao bring IDW into The High Republic, a massive crossover spanning comics and prose!
Little Qort and sarcastic Farzala negotiating with the Hutts?! While I’m not surprised things go sour, I have no doubt it’ll be the Hutts fault because these two little rascals are perfect and must be protected and definitely can’t do anything wrong. Fight me. 😉
Also, it’s Free Comic Book Day in August this year and there are some Star Wars goodies to enjoy. There’s a The High Republic Adventures FCBD issue and then a The High Republic: The Edge of Balance/Guardians of the Whills dual FCBD issue. The Edge of Balance is the manga out in September and Guardians of the Whills is a comic adaptation of the middle-grade novel about Baze & Chirrut set before Rogue One!
2021 Comic Solicitations: January | February | March | April | May | June | July
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.