By February 2020, Star Wars as a whole will be in a new era with the end of The Rise of Skywalker in December 2019 and the announcement of what Project Luminous is all about in January, while The Clone Wars will return on Disney+ for one final bow. As for the comics, Marvel will launch the next volume of Darth Vader, Ben will be even closer to becoming Ren, and Luke, Leia, and Lando (the L-Squad!) are going back to Cloud City to get…Luke’s hand???!? Check out February’s Star Wars comics below!
MARVEL
Star Wars #3 (on sale 2/26/20)
Charles Soule (Writer), Jesus Saiz (Artist)
Covers by R.B. Silva | Empire Strikes Back Variant Cover by Chris Sprouse | Variant Cover by Ema Lupacchino
RETURN TO CLOUD CITY!
- The end of the war and the final defeat of the REBEL ALLIANCE are inevitable as the cunning IMPERIAL COMMANDER ZAHRA unleashes her fury against the splintered and scattered survivors.
- But where have the Rebellion’s greatest heroes gone when their cause needs them the most?
- LUKE SKYWALKER’S only hope at becoming a JEDI KNIGHT was lost during his battle with DARTH VADER…and so he, PRINCESS LEIA and LANDO CALRISSIAN must return to CLOUD CITY to find it! But Leia has her own covert mission to accomplish there…and Lando’s mysterious reason for returning could very well ruin their only chance at success!
Wait wait wait…you’re telling me Luke, Leia, and Lando are going back to Cloud City to look for the Skywalker saber…last seen attached to his hand?! I guess the previews for the very first issue of this relaunch did focus on the hand with saber falling into the abyss; does this mean will get to see Maz’s journey to procuring the saber, like a bunch little vignettes at the end of each issue for the saber’s path to her? I’d hope so! We know he won’t find it, so this would be a great place to start the saber’s journey! As funny as everyone going back to search for Luke’s hand is, I’m way more intrigued to see what Lando and Leia hope to achieve by returning there. Is Leia trying to get details on carbon freezing or something to do with the new baddie, Commander Zahra? Is Lando attempting to help his friend Lobot (which he hasn’t been successful with yet in canon, as seen in Last Shot) or looking for some stash of credits? This week’s finale to the first era of the Star Wars series, with issue #75, reinvigorated my excitement for the series and these solicits are only ratcheting it up even more!
Darth Vader #1 (on sale 2/5/20)
Greg Pak (Writer), Raffaele Ienco (Artist)
Cover by Inhyuk Lee | Variant Cover by Raffaele Ienco | Variant Cover by Tony Daniel | Variant Cover by Mike Del Mundo | Empire Strikes Back Variant Cover by Chris Sprouse | Movie Variant Cover Also Available
“JOIN ME, AND TOGETHER, WE CAN RULE THE GALAXY AS FATHER AND SON!”
THE TRAGEDY OF DARTH VADER CONTINUES!In the shattering climax of The Empire Strikes Back, Darth Vader infamously reveals his true relationship to Luke Skywalker and invites his son to rule the galaxy at his side. But Luke refuses — plunging into the abyss beneath Cloud City rather than turn to the Dark Side. We all remember Luke’s utter horror in this life-altering moment. But what about Vader? In this new epic chapter in the Darth Vader saga, the dark lord grapples with Luke’s unthinkable refusal and embarks on a bloody mission of rage-filled revenge against everything and everyone who had a hand in hiding and corrupting his only son. But even as he uncovers the secrets of Luke’s origins, Vader must face shocking new challenges from his own dark past.
Writer Greg Pak and artist Raffaele Ienco unleash Darth Vader on his dark quest of vengeance and discovery this February! With covers by InHyuk Lee!
A rage-filled revenge and/or bloody mission doesn’t help my lukewarm interest in another Vader-centric series, but three factors are leaving me cautiously optimistic: 1) After Greg Pak’s excellent ending to his short Star Wars run, I’ve got some faith this could turn out well! 2) Vader learning “secrets” of Luke’s past could be intriguing 3) And who or what shocking challenges from his past will appear? If this is anything like Soule’s Vader series, we could be in for another treat despite my misgivings. The cover by InHyuk Lee already looks great, but I’ll be curious to see Raffaele Ienco’s work and how that plays into this dark, revenge-filled tale.
UPDATE: Issue #1 is here and I totally regret my misgivings!
(Vader appears on each of February’s 3 Marvel comics’ main covers, highlighting how much content we get with him already…)
The Rise of Kylo Ren #3 (on sale 2/12/20)
Charles Soule (Writer), Will Sliney (Artist)
Cover by Clayton Crain | Variant Cover by Stefano Landini
BEN SOLO, KNIGHT OF REN?
- Soon, BEN SOLO’S path will end in a place of fire and blood, and a shadow will rise to take his place. He is with the KNIGHTS OF REN now, and they will welcome him, if he can pay their price.
- But before that destiny is fulfilled, a battle must be fought at an ancient JEDI Outpost on the planet ELPHRODA – between Ben and those who know what he could have been… and fear what he might become.
- Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering. Everyone here is afraid – Ben Solo most of all!
After the solicit for January’s issue, this series has been on the thoughts and minds of a lot of fans, as this looks to answer some burning questions about Ben Solo’s fall. If killing the Ren the Knight of Ren considered their leader even gets Ben in the door to being their leader, what is the price he must pay?! As for who Ben is battling, all bets from me are on the students from Luke’s academy who chase after him, as revealed in the previous solicit.
It’s very interesting to consider issues 2-4 all release after The Rise of Skywalker, as I wonder if the film’s outcome will change the way we look at these issues now via their solicits without having seen the film. Either way, this will be a cannot miss series!
Update: Issue #3 sets up for an emotionally charged finale!
IDW
Star Wars Adventures #31
Michael Moreci, Cavan Scott (Writers), Arianna Florean, David M. Buisán (Artist)
Cover A by Arianna Florean | Cover B by David M. Buisán
Explore the galaxy in light of events depicted in The Rise of Skywalker! In this issue, the spotlight falls on Rey!
Includes a special installment of Tales from Wildspace, where the crew of the Star Herald swing into action themselves!
These continue to sound like they will take place after TROS, but considering January’s issue was Kylo Ren focused, it would be a big surprise they allowed a solicit for an IDW comic, or any publisher, spoil the upcoming film.
Ryan is Mynock Manor’s Head Butler. You can follow him on Twitter @BrushYourTeeth. You can follow the website @MynockManor.
2020 Comic Solicitations: January