Despite understandable civil unrest and a still out of control pandemic, all types of businesses and entertainment are trying to return to some sense of normalcy. September for Star Wars comics definitely looks to be heading in that direction too, catching up with most of the issues set to release prior to the COVID-19 pandemic and Diamond Comics halting shipping. All 4 of the current on-going series push forward with some of their bigger issues, as Luke looks to gain a…yellow lightsaber?; IDW’s relaunches their Star Wars Adventures line to tales set between The Last Jedi and The Rise of Skywalker; Vader visits Padmé’s tomb!!?; and Aphra tries to escape an evil ancient city…so a normal Wednesday for her. Head below to check out all the releases!
I’ve included the original solicitations for these issues with updated release dates and a few new thoughts regarding each one.
MARVEL
Star Wars #6 (on sale 9/09)
Charles Soule (Writer), Jesús Saiz (Artist)
Cover by R.B. Silva | Empire Strikes Back Variant Cover By Chris Sprouse | Yellow Lightsaber Action Figure Variant Cover
by John Tyler Christopher
THE PATH TO JEDI WISDOM…OR A DEADLY TRAP OF THE DARK SIDE?
- THE FORCE led LUKE SKYWALKER to someone who can provide him with great insight into the path to JEDI wisdom…
- But their meeting will change Skywalker FOREVER. Luke thought his duel against his father, Darth Vader, was the ultimate test. But Luke’s trials have only just begun.
- The galaxy needs Luke Skywalker. And a Jedi needs a weapon!
- Meanwhile, Vader continues his search for his long-lost son, and the REBEL ALLIANCE finds itself on the verge of a losing all hope.
We finally return to this post-The Empire Strikes Back story in August and the solicits for both of these issues is making the wait so difficult!
Darth Vader #5 (on sale 9/16)
Greg Pak (Writer), Raffaele Ienco (Artist)
Cover by Inhyuk Lee | Empire Strikes Back Variant Cover By Chris Sprouse
A QUEST FOR TRUTH…A JOURNEY OF DESTRUCTION!
- DARTH VADER’S search for revenge against those who hid his son Luke reaches a terrible climax – at the tomb of PADMÉ AMIDALA!
- What secrets does he learn? And who will pay as a result?
- All the answers are coming – in the ruins of POLIS MASSA – the birthplace of Luke Skywalker!
This series really looks to be going in an extremely impressive and memorable direction so no time better than now to begin getting caught up! Also, and this holds true from when we originally saw this cover: IT’S AMAZING! More covers from Inhyuk Lee across the board, please.
Bounty Hunters #5 (on sale 9/23)
Ethan Sacks (Writer), Paolo Villanelli (Artist)
Cover by Lee Bermejo | Empire Strikes Back Variant Cover by Chris Sprouse
BATTLE OF THE BOUNTY HUNTERS!
- Only one man can stop BOBA FETT from executing his long sought vengeance. But can VALANCE survive the battle of the two greatest bounty hunters of their age?
- Why did NAKANO LASH betray her team during their doomed mission to CORELLIA?
- The answer could ignite an all-out crime war across the underworld and change Valance’s life forever.
This series will be back shortly at the end of June, so getting back into it should be interesting as I’m still very on the fence about the whole thing. At least we know when Lash’s secret should finally be revealed!
Doctor Aphra #4 (on sale 9/30)
Alyssa Wong (Writer), Marika Cresta (Artist)
Cover by Valentina Remenar | Variant Cover by Tula Lotay
RING OF FIRE!
- Trapped and betrayed, DOCTOR APHRA fights to escape the cursed city of VAALE before madness overcomes her!
- Meanwhile, RONEN TAGGE’s sinister plan for the RINGS OF VAALE approaches fruition.
- Will Aphra be able to thwart him in time?
The return of this series lived up to all the hype for me and its release to LCS gets back to normal in July…right around when Aphra’s audiobook releases too! We’ll have a speculation post about that soon, but in the mean time, get caught up on her series now!!
IDW
The Clone Wars – Battle Tales #5 (9/30)
Michael Moreci (Writer), Derek Charm (Covers)
Issue #5 – Derek Charm, Philip Murphy (Artists)
This exciting weekly series explores a time of great upheaval in the galaxy—the Clone Wars! While Obi-Wan Kenobi, Anakin Skywalker, and other Jedi Knights fight against incredible odds, Commander Cody, Captain Rex, and other clones, pinned down for the duration, swap war stories that feature your favorite characters from The Clone Wars animated series, such as Padmé Amidala, General Grievous, and many more!
The finale for Battle Tales, which the entire miniseries was originally meant to finish in April, finally has a release date for the end of September. It’s a bit of bummer we have to wait this long, but it’s already proving to be worth the wait.
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.
2020 Comic Solicitations: June/July | August