Summer is in the air, flowers are in full bloom, and you are probably just like me, trying to avoid allergies and get to your local comic shop to pick up the latest Star Wars comics! June 2023’s Star Wars comic solicitations foretell quite the month, from Anakin and Yoda going toe-to-toe with Megadroids (a name as Star Wars as it gets), the excellent Sana Starros miniseries takes its final bow, Aphra’s hanging out with Luke, Vader’s hanging out with….Aphra, and Luke is hanging out with…..a different doctor? Wait…what? I try to make sense of it all in solicitations of June 2023’s Star Wars Comics below!
We don’t have them yet, but thankfully the Pride Month variant covers are returning once again for June! After the amazing work on the variants for Black History Month and Women’s History Month, I have high hopes for the returning Pride ones!
MARVEL
Darth Vader – Black, White & Red #3 (on sale 6/28)
Jason Aaron, Daniel Warren Johnson, & Marc Bernardin (Writers), Leonard Kirk & Daniel Warren Johnson & More! (Artists)
Cover by Mike Del Mundo | Variant Cover by Carmen Carnero | Variant Cover by Nic Klein
DANIEL WARREN JOHNSON HELPS BRING DARTH VADER TO LIFE LIKE NEVER BEFORE!
- MARC BERNARDIN brings us along with Vader on a mission you won’t soon forget!
- PLUS: The penultimate chapter of JASON AARON & LEONARD KIRK’s Vader deconstruction!
After a promising start, I should’ve known not to get my hopes up, as the this is now two issues in a row without a new marginalized creative attached to it, instead more male creatives again. There’s still some intriguing stuff likely to come from this, but when it can be anyone telling any type of Vader story, how about a little diversity.
Yoda #8 (on sale 6/7)
Marc Guggenheim (Writer), Alessandro Miracolo (Artist)
Cover by Phil Noto | Variant Cover by Takashi Okazaki | Star Wars Pride Variant Cover by Javier Garrón
MASTER AND APPRENTICE!
- The SEPARATIST army has a new super-weapon: THE MEGADROID.
- But can YODA and ANAKIN SKYWALKER destroy an entire factory full of them?
- The events of this issue directly overlap with STAR WARS: REVELATIONS! See how IT’S ALL CONNECTED!
Yoda and Anakin fighting something called a Megadroid is as Star Wars as it gets, so I absolutely love this for them and us getting to read it. Otherwise, I’ll be curious to see how this ties into Revelations, as Anakin and Yoda made a brief appearance early in the issue without much context, though since Marc Guggenheim wrote the one-shot, he’s got a whole good reason for it, I’m sure!
Sana Starros #5 (on sale 6/14)
Justina Ireland (Writer), Pere Pérez (Artist)
Cover by Ken Lashley | Star Wars Pride Variant Cover by Betsy Cola
THE STARROS FAMILY INFILTRATES AN IMPERIAL DESTROYER. WHAT CAN GO WRONG?
- SANA STARROS and bounty hunter DEVA LOMPOP have boarded the KING’S RANSOM to save one of their family.
- But once they find out they’ve been betrayed, the STARROS CLAN will never be the same!
Having just read and reviewed the second issue, it’s heartbreaking to know this series will be over in three months…it’s just been so damn good I don’t want it to end. But it sounds like it’ll go out with as much style and excitement as the first two issues graced us with, so there’s some comfort there! I feel like the betrayal is coming from a place that isn’t Phel, as it seems to easy it would be him, but there’s nothing wrong if it’s the obvious choice.
Return of the Jedi – The Empire #1 (on sale 6/7)
Jody Houser (Writer), Jethro Morales (Artist)
Cover and Virgin Variant Cover by Ryan Brown | Connecting Variant Cover by Lee Garbett | Variant Cover by Leinil Francis Yu | Variant Cover by Tom Reilly
WHAT WOULD YOU DO IF THE EMPIRE TOOK OVER?
- As operations begin to take shape on the moon of ENDOR, a technician must figure out how to live under the control of THE EMPIRE.
- But if he can’t stay out of trouble, what will the Empire do with him?
- Continuing the 40TH ANNIVERSARY celebration of RETURN OF THE JEDI, JODY HOUSER & JETHRO MORALES pull back the curtain of the Empire like never before!
The next entry in the Return of the Jedi anniversary one-shots, The Empire #1 looks to be another interesting view on the film, as it’s always fun to see the ramifications of the big galaxy-wide fight from the POV of those characters not seen on screen. And it’s great to see Jody Houser again, as her time on the Yoda maxiseries will wrap up in May but she’s already got the next gig in Star Wars all lined up. And speaking of different POVs…From a Certain Point of View: Return of the Jedi has been announced!
Bounty Hunters #35 (on sale 6/21)
Ethan Sacks (Writer), Lan Medina (Artist)
Cover by Marco Checchetto | Return of the Jedi 40th Anniversary Variant Cover by Chris Sprouse | Star Wars Pride Variant Cover by Lucas Werneck | Boba Fett Variant Cover by Alex Maleev | Durge Variant Cover by Inhyuk Lee
A NEW ERA FOR THE BOUNTY HUNTERS!
- In the aftermath of the battle with INFERNO SQUAD, VALANCE and T’ONGA are joined by the most dangerous bounty hunters in the galaxy…
- KHEL TANNA!
- DEATHSTICK!
- DURGE!
- …and BOBA FETT?!
The solicits for May 2023’s issue weren’t messing around, a new roster is here for the Bounty Hunters series and it’s got quite the list of names! While I’m glad to see T’onga returning, which I hope means Losha too (since we do know she lives past RotJ), and Valance was a given, the new names are very exciting! For starters, Khel Tanna felt like she had more gas in the tank for Star Wars stories after the recent end of the Han Solo & Chewbacca maxiseries, so I’m happy to see that’s the case; Deathstick’s had a few good moments in Qi’ra’s many machinations, but this should place her more front and center, which is perfect; Durge left quite an impression on fans in his Clone Wars microseries appearances and his most recent return to canon was far too short (but very fun), so I’m glad there’s more on the way; and Boba Fett seems like a no-brainer, but I wonder how T’onga’s going to feel about that… Consider me hyped for the next era of the series.
Doctor Aphra #33 (on sale 6/28)
Alyssa Wong (Writer), Minkyu Jung (Artist)
Cover by Junggeun Yoon | Return of the Jedi 40th Anniversary Variant Cover by Chris Sprouse | Star Wars Pride Variant Cover by Phil Jimenez | Variant Cover by David Marquez
LUKE SKYWALKER! A LOST JEDI TEMPLE! AND A GRAVE MISCALCULATION!
- APHRA has convinced LUKE that she can help him find long-lost secrets of THE JEDI!
- But she has other plans for him that include……DARTH VADER!!!
Aphra having more adventures with Luke Skywalker and them both raiding a lost Jedi Temple is like, ticking off soo many boxes I can’t handle it! Of all the people to visit a Jedi Temple, Aphra’s probably the best, as while she won’t have as much sacred respect as he will, it’s a good perspective for him to have and she’ll probably know better than anyone alive what the stuff they could uncover might be. How she ropes in Vader though, and why, is a big question mark. The bigger question mark? How Aphra is in this series and the Vader series this month, while Luke is with Aphra and yet with a different Doctor in the Star Wars series. I’m going to need some timeline clarification soon…(see below)
Star Wars #35 (on sale 6/7)
Charles Soule (Writer), Madibek Musabekov (Artist)
Cover by Stephen Segovia | Action Figure Variant Cover by John Tyler Christopher | Return of the Jedi 40th Anniversary Variant Cover by Chris Sprouse | Variant Cover by Phil Noto | Star Wars Pride Variant Cover by Phil Jimenez
LUKE SKYWALKER…IN THE CLUTHES OF DR. CUATA!
- The would-be JEDI’S LIGHTSABER is all but destroyed!
- Enter KYBER CRYSTAL expert DR. CUATA! Only he can repair it…but at what price?
- Luke’s life will hang in the balance…and only ANOTHER JEDI can save him!
See what I meant about timeline clarification?!? In the Aphra series, Luke has the yellow lightsaber and is exploring Jedi Temples with her, but here he’s elsewhere, lightsaber destroyed, waiting on a Jedi to save him (who?!), and with a whole different Doctor…I’m really intrigued by this storyline, but I’m a little confused on when everything is taking place. I’m going to assume since Aphra is at issue 33 and this is issue 35, TECHNICALLY this takes place AFTER the Aphra series, especially given the solicit for the Vader series…(also see below)
Darth Vader #34 (on sale 6/14)
Greg Pak (Writer), Raffaele Ienco (Artist)
Cover by Leinil Francis Yu | Variant Cover by Khoi Pham | Return of the Jedi 40th Anniversary Variant Cover by Chris Sprouse | Star Wars Pride Variant Cover by Luciano Vecchio
VADER UNBOUND!
- The DARK LORD OF THE SITH has called upon the galaxy’s greatest archaeologist, DOCTOR APHRA, for help.
- He’s lost control of THE FORCE, and only APHRA knows what can tame his path of destruction…
- But will an archaic KYBERITE weapon only lead to more devastation?
…see why I might feel safe in assuming the number of the issue might be the best bet to ascertain how and when this is all taking place? According to this, Aphra’s now hanging out with Vader, and while she seems to be bringing him to her Jedi Temple raiding party with Luke in her own series, this does feel like the next logical step if Luke leaves her and ends up with the Dr. Cuata mentioned in the Star Wars series solicit. Regardless, as much as I might’ve called for less Vader in the comics, having Aphra and Vader together again should hopefully feel like the good ol’ days, so I’m curious to see what Greg Pak and artist Raffaele Ienco can do with this pairing!
The Mandalorian Season 2 #1 (on sale 6/21)
Rodney Barnes (Writer), Georges Jeanty (Artist)
Cover by David Nakayama | Variant Cover by E.M. Gist | Variant Cover by Ken Lashley | Variant and Virgin Variant Cover by Rickie Yagawa | Star Wars Pride Variant Cover by Paulina Ganucheau | Concept Art Variant Also Available
SEASON 2 OF THE HIT DISNEY+ SERIES IS HERE!
- GROGU AND DIN DJARIN return in “CHAPTER 9: THE MARSHAL”!
- The Mandalorian is drawn to the Outer Rim in search of others of his kind.
- Following rumors of another Mandalorian, he instead comes face-to-face with MARSHAL COBB VANTH wearing very familiar armor!
- Mando and Grogu have stepped into a situation bigger than they realize!
- Following the tradition of Season 1, RODNEY BARNES and GEORGES JEANTY reunite to bring Season 2 to life once more!
Between the popularity of the show and likely popularity of the comic, it’s not a big surprise The Mandalorian’s comic adaptation continues. Jeanty provided art for the entirety of the first season adaptation and while he’s back, he’s joined by Steven Cummings as well, one of my favorite Star Wars comics artists, as he made top honors in my 2022 Star Wars Comics Year-in-Review! Regardless, I once again won’t be reviewing the comic as I’ve already reviewed (and am reviewing) each episode of the show.
DARK HORSE
Hyperspace Stories #8 (on sale 6/28)
Michael Moreci (Writer), Any Duggan (Artist/Cover Artist)
Darkness spreads across the galaxy.
As the First Order grows in power, Supreme Leader Snoke dispatches Kylo Ren and General Hux to the planet Karaxis to enforce his will upon the populace. As Ren hunts a fugitive through the wilds, Hux works to find a new, cruelly inventive way of enforcing compliance. But how far can the Karaxians be pushed, before they have nothing left to lose?
Originally solicited for May. With this being the final issue of the villain focus for Hyperspace Stories, I’m very intrigued to learn what will happen in the final four issues of the maxiseries…will it be a hero and a villain pair every other? Ones were the heroes and villains have to work together? Either way, a little more time with Kylo and Hux should be quite intriguing as this sounds reasonably dark for an all-ages series!
The High Republic Adventures #8 (on sale 6/28)
Daniel José Older (Writer), Toni Bruno (Artist)
Cover by Harvey Monticillo
The Jedi Order tries desperately to bring peace to the streets of the Holy City as the Battle of Jedha nears its climax. Meanwhile, Sav Malagán tries to keep Maz Kanata’s crew together long enough to rescue their captain from the clutches of Arkik Von.
Padawan and pirates, working together. May the Force be with us all.
While this issue keeps getting pushed, like much of Dark Horse’s contributions so far, I’m still thrilled for the finale of this amazing series to reach us. Even so spread out, Older’s writing and Bruno’s art has made for some of the most fun and touching content to come out of Phase II.
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.