Three-Month-Old Comics: The June 22 Edition - Part Two (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

Newburn #8:  To save Emily, Newburn has Sumire's boyfriend (i.e, the Yakuza head's actual murderer) take the fall for the Albano nephew's murder and turns over Sydney (i.e., Emily's academy classmate involved in the death of said nephew) to the Albanos to satisfy their need for revenge.

To be honest, I'm not sure I buy either outcome.  The Yakuza head's (i.e., Sumire's husband's) murder remains unsolved, and it seems weird the Yakuza would be OK with the other criminal elements believing that they just let their head's murder go unavenged.  Moreover, the Albano head seemed pretty bound and determined in both this issue and last issue to get both Sydney and Emily.  The Albano family even sent guys to kill Emily outside the police station, which, as I said last issue, was reckless at best (and ridiculous at worst).  Newburn watches the Albanos torture and presumably murder Sydney, so maybe he struck some sort of a deal with them.  But we're never told why they would accept it.  For that matter, we're never actually told how Emily and Sydney were involved in the nephew's death.  Emily claims that it was an accident, but we have no further details.  [Update:  I eventually realized that I somehow missed issue #6, which shows us how Emily accidentally kills the Albano nephew to protect Syd.]

Along the way, Newburn loses his shit on McGinty when she balks at the deal he strikes with Sumire's boyfriend.  With Newburn telling her that he runs the town, Zdarksy definitely seems to imply that Newburn may have officially gotten too big for his britches.  I don't see the upcoming next volume as going well for Newburn.

New Mutants #26:  Now this issue I love.

Following Rahne as she hears combat sounds, the team (such as they are) comes across an aged Illyana wielding a Warlock arm.  As the team watches, she takes out a horde of demons infected with the techno-organic virus and then invites the team into her fortress.  

Inside, aged Illyana reveals that she's from a future where S'ym breaking the Soulsword left her and her teammates indefinitely trapped in Limbo.  Her versions of Dani, Madelyne, and Rahne have all died, though she's survived because Warlock arrived from Earth after Krakoa fell.  She discovered that Warlock's essence wounded the demons who attack her fortress every few weeks, so she crafted a spell around that.  Both she and Warlock are weakening, though.  She hopes to take out the horde's mysterious leader and return to Earth, but she doubts she can do that given the current state of their powers.

Our Illyana sees the flaw in her plan.  She has aged Illyana challenge S'ym (the horde's "mysterious" leader) and use Warlock to take control of his techno-organic virus when he touches her.  She destroys S'ym and de-viruses the horde.  Our Illyana uses S'ym's core to create a Soulsword temporarily, and she and the team decimate the de-virused horde.  

In the epilogue, aged Illyana declines to go with the team so she can address her own losses.  The team goes to find a way to fix what's preventing Illyana from summoning the Soulsword permanently.

In addition to the excellent plot, which finally does something with Illyana as a person for the first time in a long time, the art is excellent.  This arc is really righting this series' footing after it's spent so much time adrift lately.

Star Wars:  Crimson Reign #5:  Soule is smart enough to make clear that Qi'ra didn't think that she was going to defeat the Emperor in a fair fight.  

As Qi'ra knew he eventually would, the Emperor puts two and two together and realizes that Crimson Dawn is responsible for his and Vader's recent setbacks:  the Hutt Council's attack on Vader's flagship, the Syndicate War, Zahra's failure to take out the Rebel Fleet (a stretch), his Royal Guards' assassination.  The Emperor brings in Director Barsha, the head of the Imperial Security Bureau division focused on the criminal gangs, to confirm that Crimson Dawn is behind these moves.  (It's clear Barsha will play an important role in the next event because his face is covered in shadows.)  The Emperor then launches his counterattack.

Knowing said attack was coming, Qi'ra puts into action her next plan.  She sends the Knights of Ren with the Archivist to use the Screaming Key they took from Vader's citadel to activate some sort of creature, which I'm guessing will provide Qi'ra with a connection to the Force, either directly or indirectly.  (Based on the Emperor and Vader's conversation, Maul told Qi'ra about the creature.  The Archivist herself didn't believe it was real.)  Qi'ra then activates her network to create chaos for the Empire, announcing it as her Hidden Empire.

I'll be honest, I'm not sure this story need a third arc.  Sure, it was interesting to see what Qi'ra had planned after "Star Wars:  War of the Bounty Hunters."  It seems difficult to believe, though, that she's going to accomplish anything more than annoying the Emperor with guerrilla-war tactics now that he's focused on her.  I guess we'll see.

X-Men #12:  This issue is pretty great.  

I love the possibility that Dr. Stasis isn't Mr. Sinister but Nathaniel Essex, who despises Mr. Sinister for taking Thunderbird's DNA and polluting himself with mutant genes.  (Did we know that he took Thunderbird's DNA?)  Of course, as Cyclops says, I use "the possibility" here because it's anyone guess whether this guy really is Essex.  That said, it doesn't really matter; he thinks that he is.  To be fair, he does seem significantly less crazy than Sinister.  He apparently also has a secret mission to save a boy, but he'll get to that after he destroys the X-Men, natch.  

Later, Cyclops and Synch meet with Ben Ulrich to give him back his notebook and confirm that mutants are immortal.  As Scott said, if the X-Men don't stand for the truth, they're just another Council "and the world has enough of those."  Heh.  Cyclops is anticipating his actions may cost him a spot on the roster, which prompts a discussion about who'll stand for re-election at the upcoming Gala.  At this point, it's Cyclops, Marvel Girl, Synch, and maybe Wolverine.  Meanwhile, Essex has his own plans for the "fall of the mutants" at the Gala, which involves a woman. 

Oh, also, the ladies defeated Cordyceps Jones and saved trillions of lives in the process.  Lorna may have found a handsome man to kiss and/or slap.  You should really read the issue to see why that line is so fucking funny.

Man, it's a good time to be a X-Men fan.

One-Month-Old Comics: The April 27 (2022) Edition (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

Amazing Spider-Man #1 (April 27):  [Sigh.]  I haven't posted in a while because I dreaded reading this issue.  "Beyond" was so great, and I was worried that Wells would need to do something to ruin that status quo just for dramatic impact.  Unfortunately, he does.

Obviously, I'm OK with Peter facing challenges.  In fact, I'm intrigued by Wells' idea that something happened to Spidey six months ago (as we see at the issue's opening) and, due to the trauma, he's on the outs with everyone.  Aunt May has moved into a smaller apartment after bankrupting herself paying Peter's medical bills, Peter stole something from the Fantastic Four that has them not speaking to him, Randy had to pay Peter's rent when he fell off the face of the Earth:  it isn't good.

Moreover, the Spider-Man part is interesting.  Tombstone is running New York's organized-crime syndicates, and the Rose wants a "product" from him as well as territory that Tombstone isn't willing to give.  (Tombstone refers to the "Kingpin" being gone, and I'm not sure if he means Kingpin himself or Butch.)  Later, it turns out the "product" is a Goblin Glider, and Spidey interrupts the deal.  When the Rose's seemingly gamma-powered enforcer named Digger (who everyone else seems to know but I don't recognize) attacks Spidey, the deal goes bad.  The Rose's men grab the glider and bolt.  

The problem is that Tombstone guaranteed the Rose's men's safety since they met in Harlem (his territory), so, as Hammerhead tells Tombstone, the Rome and Tombstone are now at war.  Clearly making a move, the Rose has his goons blow up Tombstone's apartment.  Tombstone later approaches Peter and tells him to tell Spider-Man that Tombstone is coming after him, since he has to take out Spider-Man to win back his reputation.  Peter's excited by the fact that he (i.e., Spidey) has something to do, which weirds out Tombstone.

Again, all this stuff is fine.  Great, even.  But, Wells crosses the line for me when, yet fucking again, he breaks up MJ and Peter.  To make matters worse, MJ tells Peter to stop calling her and has children (or at least step-children) with some guy named Paul.  Fuck that shit.  Seriously.  I've been reading Spider-Man for 40 years and I am so fucking over fake MJ drama.  I just can't.  I can't even finish this review.  I know that I'll just be gritting my teeth until the inevitable moment when they're reunited.  I need a drink.

Knights of X #1 (April 27):  I didn't read "Excalibur" and I haven't been too thrilled with Howard's previous work.  I'm mostly here for a reunited Rictor and Shatterstar.  But, this issue shows a lot of promise.  

Howard does a great job of laying out status quo without too much exposition.  We learn that Saturnyne has lost her title as Omniversal Majestrix to Merlin, who's using supersized Furies (who look like Sentinels) to hunt down "witchbreed" (i.e., mutants).  King Arthur serves as his general given Arthur's belief that mutantkind stole his son, Mordred, from him (since Mordred is witchbreed).  Betsy and the Captain Britain Corps are rescuing Otherworld's witchbreed (including Joshua) and bringing them to the Lavender Citadel, where Saturnyne stews over the loss of her throne.  As the portal to Krakoa is closed, Betsy seeks help from Roma, but she doesn't have troops to spare, as her fey were some of Merlin's first victims.  But, given the fey's powers come from stories, she tells Betsy that she can send her to Krakoa one time to gather knights for a quest.

On Krakoa, Betsy assembles a team of former Excalibur members who agree to help her.  She and Rictor work with the Five to resurrect Mordred, but, since they're using an Otherworld - and not Cerebro - recording of his personality, they're not sure who they'll get.  However, it doesn't seem to matter when Mordred's body disappears once he's resurrected.  To make matters worse, Jubilee doesn't appear on the other side of the gate when the team crosses it, as it seems that it's Shogo's, and not her, quest.

With only seven allies (Bei the Blood Moon, Gambit, Meggan, Prestige, Rictor, Shatterstar, and Shogo), Betsey and company go to find Kylun at Meggan and Prestige's suggestion.  When they find them, they enter an initial skirmish with Arthur's forces, only for a young Mordred to appear and help them.  With a full team, the quest reveals itself:  Betsy and company have to find the Siege Perilous.  But, Merlin has other plans for it, as he believes that they can de-mutant Mordred (I think) if they send him through the Siege.

It seems like a lot, but, as I said, Howard does a great job throwing all this information at us without it seeming like a slog.  Although I'm here for Rictor and 'Star lovin', I'm also totally down with this plot.

Past the Last Mountain #1 (April 27):  This series is the flipside of "The Realm:"  here, the humans won a war with magical creatures 50 years ago.  At this stage, it's unclear if the magical creatures invaded Earth (like in "The Realm") or if we're dealing with a different Earth where the races always coexisted.

In the present, a troll escapes from the Westfield Penal Preserve in Montana, where the U.S. government is keeping the creatures who survived the war as well as their descendants.  A troll named Abby escapes.  Neil, the Preserve's new director, and Trevor, one of the Preserve's zoologists, quickly realize she did so as a distraction.  From a nearby cliff, Abby's son Simon watches an agent kill her when Abby threatens Trevor.  His companions, Kate (a Faun) and Willa (a dragon), are escorting him to the mythical "Dragon Lake," which Simon (and apparently Abby) believes leads to freedom.  Kate doesn't believe so, but, for some reason, she's fulfilling Abby's wish to get Simon there.  Agents eventually discover the trio's camp only for Willa to reveal that she's fire-capable, despite Trevor previously telling the agents that they had removed her fire glands.

As good as the main story is, it's the series of short "war stories" at the end that make this book.  We watch as humans and creatures struggle with their relationships as the U.S. government suddenly declares creatures the enemy in 1972.  The authors hint that the government's declaration wasn't entirely unprovoked as the United States alone seemed to experience, as one character says, "griffin terrorism, the Centaur Liberation Army, the..."  Given the United States' isolation in the wake of its declaration, this series also has "Undiscovered Country" parallels.

In other words, it's a solid debut.  Allor and Joyce do a great job of presenting us with both an emotionally engaging story and a fully realized world.  I'm definitely coming back next issue.

Star Wars:  Crimson Reign #4 (April 27):  Like Sergeant Creel, I feel like it's almost criminal that Marvel hasn't given us more focus on Ren and his Knights.  My disappointment is particularly acute here, as both Qi'ra and Vader allude to the Knights' illustrious past and now faded glory.  Ren sees a chance to win back some of that honor by working for Qi'ra.  That said, the job involves breaking into Fortress Vader on Mustafar to steal the "Screaming Key," which opens a door whose whereabouts only Qi'ra (and notably not Palpatine or Vader) knows.  But, Qi'ra plan for Ochi's assassination of the Emperor's guards fails to keep Vader off Mustafar, and he appears at the end to take out the Knights.  They escape with the key, but they're now on the Emperor's hit list.  Given that Ren's impetus for taking this job was, in part, striking the Emperor before the Knights made their way up said list (for their shadow-using powers), I'm not sure the Knights are heading to the bright future Ren hoped to see.

New-ish Comics!: The Top-Shelf February 9 & 16 and March 2 & 9 Edition (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

Star Wars:  Darth Vader #20 (February 9):  Vader's campaign to rid the Empire of Crimson Dawn collaborators goes badly-ish here.  He uses a list that Sabé planted for him to find, and only half the people on it actually were Crimson Dawn collaborators.  Then again, as the Emperor notes, it isn't terrible that people are afraid that Vader is going to come after them one day, collaborator or not.  Administrator Moore and Ochi discuss how lucky they were not to be on the list, but their luck may change when Sabé arrives and informs them that she's their new handler.

Dungeons & Dragons:  Mindbreaker #5 (February 16):  Zub almost had me here, as I really did think that Krydle was going to successfully ditch the group to figure out how to resolve his infernal contract.  (The team learned about it when Lord Bel's minion arrived to remove the illithid "squirmer" from Krydle's mind before it killed him.)  But, the team lives to ride another day, much to my joy.

Star Wars #21 (March 2):  This issue is great in no small part because the premise is great.  Soule makes it clear that he's been building this story since we were first introduced to Zahra and the Tarkin's Will.  

For example, we learn that the large portions of the ship that remain damaged from the Death Star explosion are obviously also off the scanner network, allowing Shara to move undetected.  Moreover, the Imperials left their dead colleagues' bodies where they fell (for "inspiration"), which allowed Shara to steal a Stormtrooper uniform.  But, Zahra is too good and suspects that the Starlight Squadron pilot that her men allegedly killed is alive.  She orders a sweep of the ship's damaged portions, and Shara realizes that she has to escape.  

Since she needs a hyperdrive-enabled ship, Shara disables a Lambda-class shuttle so that it gets moved to the maintenance hangar, from which it's apparently easier to escape.  But, Zahra is hiding in the shuttled, excited to capture her so that she can torture her.  When Kes realizes that Shara didn't escape on the timeframe that her message to him promised, he and the remaining Pathfinder and Starlight Squadron members pledge to get her, despite Mon Mothma's orders for them not to go after her.

I'm very excited to see where we go from here.  It's essentially going to replicate Leia's escape from the Death Star in "Star Wars" with a different team, and I'm here for it.

Star Wars: Crimson Reign #3 (March 9):  Soule somehow manages to make an exposition-heavy issue gripping as the Archivist searches for Yoda on Qi'ra's behalf.  

When she initially meets the Archivist, Qi'ra asks how the Jedi disappeared from the galaxy so completely.  Although the answer is obvious - fear - the Archivist's discussion of it really underlines what we've come to see in "Star Wars:  The Mandalorian," where the Force is essentially a myth.  Qi'ra asks the Archivist to recruit Yoda to help with her cause, to overthrow the Sith. The Archivist tracks down Bail Organa's former pilot, who's in Imperial custody after the Empire captured the Tantine IV.  She has to use mind-reading technology to get the information from him, and she eventually goes to Dagobah...and decides not to tell anyone, despite the power and wealth that either Palpatine or Qi'ra would give her for the information.  

Again, it's an exposition-heavy issue, but it's a fascinating tour through the galaxy far, far away.  This story is exactly the sort of one that I hoped we'd get when the "Star Wars" comics launched.

Star Wars:  Han Solo and Chewbacca #1 (March 9):  Holy shit.  I knew something was happening here when Han mentioned his father, which I don't think that I've ever seen him do.  After all, if Han remembered that his father built ships for the Corellian Engineering Corporation (CEC), why wasn't his father raising him?  Why was he a White Worms scumrat?  It seems like we're going to get the answer when the CEC employee Han is pumping for information says that he's Han's father!  Dun-dun-DUN!  Beyond that excitement, this issue is pretty much how I wanted it to be.  Jabba sends Chewie and Han on a mission to Corellia to steal an urn containing his nemesis' ashes, but the catch is that Greedo has to go with them.  That'll turn out well.  Moreover, it has a cool-looking "corpo lawman" named Buck Vanto, who's sent after Han after he helped pull a heist on the casino planet of Galator III (a heist that started the issue).  In other words, color me excited.

Also Read:  Newburn #4 (March 2)

Two-Month-Old and One-Month-Old Comics: The Top-Shelf January 12 and February 2 Edition (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

Undiscovered Country #18 (January 12):  Holy fucking shit.  I have so many thoughts about this issue that I don't know where to start.

[Deep breath.]

OK, I'll start with the end of the Possibility chapter.  Drumkit leads the team from the scene of battle as the team's doppelgängers (that Ace created last issue) fight Possibility's denizens.  Ace gives Drumkit the song that it wants from him (a lullaby that his mother used to sing him), and Drumkit lets them go.  Valentina calls her superheroic doppelgänger for help, and Captain Valentine takes the team and the Anything Engine to the Yearning.  Of course, it turns out Uncle Sam is one of the Crossroad Devil's minions and makes it clear that the team either helps the Devil or dies.  Chang notes that, in diplomacy, when you can't strengthen your position you remove the other side's leverage, so he destroys the Anything Engine.

At this point, I really had no idea where we were going.  A disheartened Devil leaves, his minions retreat, and the team is left alone on the boat.  The best part of this development is that everyone acknowledges that it was ridiculous to assume that they could create a masterpiece in the first place.  (Ace admits that he was just going to rip off "Hamilton.")  It's rare to see a comic acknowledge that a premise was flawed from the start without drifting into pet peeve #3 territory.  Here, the flaw was the plan, not the excuse.  Ace also acknowledges to Valentina that he was distracted while trying to write his masterpiece and kisses her.  Seconds later, the ocean opens and they fall into another interstitial place.

Before we worry that Snyder and Soule got sappy and love was the key, a new Uncle Sam explains that Aurora intentionally had no control over Possibility, since art needs freedom.  But, Aurora and he acknowledged that it all got too wild in there, so they rescued the team without the key.  (Or, Ace and Valentina's kiss was an American masterpiece, and, for some reason, Aurora is too afraid to admit that.)  At this point, I was worried that we were going to continue along our previous path, moving to another zone, la la la.  Instead, shit gets real.

A newly costumed Destiny Man arrives and murders Uncle Sam.  He explains that he saved the team from Aurora, and, given what they learned in Possibility about Aurora's machinations, it's hard to dismiss that possibility immediately.  But, Charlotte is emphatic in reminding everyone that Destiny Man is a monster, and he acknowledges as much, saying that destiny changes a man.  He then removes his helmet to reveal a handsome young man on one side of his face and a monster on the other one.  Charlotte and Daniel (who gets hotter and hotter the fuller his beard gets) are shocked to see that he looks like their father, and he reveals that he is their younger brother, Alexander Graves.  Dun-dun-DUN!

Alex makes it pretty clear that he's nuts ("And when two people love each other very much...") and claims that America is his birthright, that he was literally bred to rule it.  He's been trying to work with Aurora, but he's done with that now.  Before he can continue, a tornado arrives ("Just like 'The Wizard of Oz,'" Alex quips), and the party is split:  Charlotte and Valentina find themselves in History; Ace, Chang, and Janet are in Hegemony; and Alex and Daniel seem set for some quality bro time in an unrevealed place.

Honestly, this issue really helps to move us to where I hoped we were going.  We've spent too much time just traipsing through zones.  Splitting the party and introducing a new Graves sibling aren't just wise plot moves:  they're also symbolic of American storytelling tropes, from Dungeons & Dragons ("Don't split the party!") to Star Wars.  It also speeds up the series' timeframe, as we seem to be approaching some sort of denouement.  Snyder and Soule are getting us there organically, as it feels like the team's arrival has set off a series of events that Aurora increasingly can't control.  We still don't know whether she was the one who arranged for the team to come to America, but, if she did, she might be regretting that decision about now.

Star Wars:  Bounty Hunters #20 (January 12):  The plot involving the Mourner's Wail and the Unbroken Clan is getting almost ridiculously complicated.  In fact, it's getting hard to believe that T'onga is going through all this effort for no personal gain, as far as I can tell.  Unbeknownst to her, her job is even more difficult now that Vukorah has killed Cadeliah's grandfather and taken over the Unbroken Clan, aligning it fully with Crimson Dawn.  Vukorah's bodyguards inform her that the only people left in the Unbroken Clan's fortress as people loyal to her, so I'm not sure that Cadeliah is going to be able to just waltz into the place and unify the syndicates in the way that T'onga hopes.  All that said, the best part of this series is Bossk and Tasu Leech's interactions, particularly as Tasu's brutality shocks even Bossk.  ("You're starting to worry me, kid.")  I'd be fine if we ditched Losha, T'onga, and Zuckuss and focused on these two nutjobs for a while.  Speaking of Zuckuss, I'm relieved that he finally rescued 4-LOM.  Sure, he has to cut off 4-LOM's head to do so, and I'm not really sure how he reprogrammed 4-LOM not to kill him simply by doing so.  But, details, details.  4-LOM's response is great:  "May I assume from my condition that we did not collect on the Boba Fett bounty?"  It's nice that not every love story in Star Wars ends badly.

Star Wars:  Crimson Reign #2 (February 2):  Soule reveals Deathstick and Ochi's targets in this issue, and they're doozies.  Deathstick arranges for the Empire to storm the Rebel bas where Cadeliah is hiding and kidnaps her in the ensuing chaos.  Meanwhile, Ochi uses poison to take out all of Palapatine's Imperial Guard soldiers all at the same time.  I'll be honest that I've lost track of how and when everyone learned about Cadeliah's existence.  I think that Vukorah initially learned of Cadeliah because Nakano Lash tried to negotiate her surrender, but I can't remember if Lash informed her that Cadeliah was the Mourner's Wail and Unbroken Clan heir.  Also, assuming that Vukorah knew, I assume that Vukorah is the one who told Qi'ra.  Given all the crosses and double-crosses, I need some sort of chart at this point.  At any rate, I actually think Qi'ra's strike against the Emperor is the most interesting development, since I'm betting it's also what precipitates her fall.

Also Read:  Star Wars #20 (January 12); Dungeons & Dragons:  Mindbreaker #4 (January 19); Newburn #3 (February 2)

Three-Month-Old Comics: The Top-Shelf December 1, 8, 15, 22, and 29 (2021) Edition (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

Star Wars:  Bounty Hunters #18 (December 1):  This issue is interesting for how it change the status quos of both Valance and T'onga, but the execution isn't all that elegant.

Sacks confirms that Vader has fully upgraded Valance, including replacing his failing heart, which stopped beating on the operating table.  In exchange, he wants Valance to lead the "Dark Squadron" and eliminate Crimson Dawn's spies within the Imperial Navy.  When Valance balks, Vader reveals his upper hand:  Valance's new cerebral processor allowed the Empire to download all his memories, and Vader threatens to eliminate the Rebel base where Yura and Cadeliah reside if Valance doesn't comply.  But, Vader twists the knife even further.  (Of course he does.)  The issue begins with a flashback to street-rat Valance encountering his hero, Captain Tarl Sokoli - the Spine Dragon of Anaxes - who liberated Valance's home, Chorin City, from the pirates who ran it.  Valance's first target for Vader?  Captain Sokoli, alleged Crimson Dawn spy.

Meanwhile, T'onga and her crew blow off some steam taking out criminals trying to shake down the owner of the cantina where they're drinking.  T'onga isn't just upset over Valance's apparent death:  she also believes that Cadeliah's location died with him.  During the fight, Zuckuss stops T'onga from killing one of the criminals on Losha's behalf, reminding T'onga that Losha needs to build her own standing within the crew.  T'onga is devastated when Losha reveals that she loves the bounty hunter's life and doesn't want to return to their farm.

As I said, I like where the plot winds up going, but the process getting there is rough.  The art is choppy at best, an upsetting setback after the improved art that we've been seeing on this title.  Moreover, Sacks has Lieutenant Haydenn, Darth Vader's adjutant, deliver a long recitation of Valance's past that isn't just boring:  it does the opposite of what she intends.  Whereas she keeps stressing Valance's childhood dreams of becoming an Imperial hero like Sokoli, she spends most of the time (by necessity) reminding Valance how the Empire repeatedly fucked him.  When Valance points out that fact, she can only meekly offer that at least the med droids saved his life - if not his humanity - the second time that he almost died in the Empire's service.  I assume that Sacks included this trip down bad-memory lane for new readers picking up this title after "Star Wars:  War of the Bounty Hunters."  But, it's weird that he did so in a way that actually undermined the plot.  He only manages to get Valance to agree to Vader's "offer" after Vader threatens Yura.

Despite all that, I'm still interested to see how Valance handles this assignment.  If you're reading "Star Wars:  Darth Vader," you know that Ochi himself is a Crimson Dawn spy.  I wonder how long it'll take for Valance to get into cahoots with Ochi.  I'll be honest that I'm not too interested in T'onga and her crew, but I'm content to see where Sacks goes with them.   

Star Wars:  Darth Vader #18 (December 1):  This issue makes very little sense.  It's chaos, in art and script.  I mean, I get the plot:  Ochi hires a group of assassins to take out a Crimson Dawn-sponsored religious figure on Vincorba.  When they're successful, Vader conscripts them into service.  On Calior, the "chief regional auditor" throws in his lot with Crimson Dawn to squeeze more profits from the local populace, and three vigilantes whose families Crimson Dawn killed prepare to sacrifice themselves to stop him.  (For reasons that aren't clear to me, the auditor's Crimson Dawn bodyguards are accompanied by Stormtroopers?  Maybe they don't know Crimson Dawn is the enemy?  As far as I can tell, Pak never explains that part.)  But, Vader arrives, and they happily throw in their lot with him.  Weirdly, the issue ends with Sabé, now working for Crimson Dawn, discovering the midwifery droid on Polis Massa that Vader found in issue #5.  I'm making the issue appear a lot more sensical than it felt reading it.

Star Wars:  Crimson Reign #1 (December 8):  This series is obviously a coda to "Star Wars:  War of the Bounty Hunters," but Soule does a solid job of establishing it as its own story.  He does so by immediately revealing Qi'ra's ultimate goal:  the elimination of the Sith.

The issue begins with Qi'ra addressing her troops:  the Knights of Ren, Chanath Cha and the Orphans, and Deathstick and Ochi of Bestoon (the assassins).  She explains that they're all some of the few sentient beings in the galaxy aware of the Sith's existence.  She laments that the galaxy should be arranged as a mountain range, with many entities exerting control, but it's instead arranged as a pyramid, with Darth Sidious monopolizing control.  She wants to end that.  With the knowledge that she gained working at Darth Maul's side when he ran Crimson Dawn, she has a plan.

Qi'ra's agents kick off the plan by spreading rumors among the criminal syndicates that the Empire is looking to replace the Hutts as its exclusive concessionaire given the Hutt Council's attack on the Empire.  (I still don't understand why Bokku the Hutt agreed to commit suicide essentially on Crimson Dawn's behalf, but it explains why Qi'ra had him launch the attack in the first place.)  Qi'ra then dispatches the Orphans to take out various syndicate operations without a trace, launching a Syndicate War:  since none of the syndicates could identify who attacked its operation, they each attacked all the other syndicates.  Palpatine is displeased with the war, sending for Vader, as Qi'ra obviously hoped.

Meanwhile, Qi'ra dispatches Deathstick and Ochi to take out high-value targets and the Knights of Ren to steal an artifact from Fortress Vader.  She also has her Archivist researching the Jedi Order as allies or bait.  But, the Archivist, who serves as our narrator, informs us that this story is a tragedy, and it seems pretty clear that Qi'ra will pay a price for her plan.  But, she also seems the only person capable of making this play, a play that I've often wondered why other people didn't make.  As such, even if we know the ending, I'm intrigued to see how close Qi'ra comes to taking out the Sith.

Star Wars #19 (December 8):  As someone who just recently finished battling his way through "Star Wars Jedi:  Lost Order," I gasped when Luke arrived on Ilum.  Synergy!

In "Star Wars Jedi:  Lost Order," you play a Padawan who survived Order 66.  After he's forced to reveal himself to the Empire to save a friend, a fallen Jedi finds and recruits him into her quest to find a holocron listing the names of the galaxy's Force-sensitive children before the Empire does.  Given the game takes places 14 BBY, I've been hoping to get a sense, from a novel or a comic-book series, of how complete the Empire's control over Jedi sites is by the time of the original trilogy era.  I'm thrilled that we're finally going to get that story.  I'm also thrilled that it's Soule telling it.

After his encounter with Vader during "Star Wars:  War of the Bounty Hunters," Luke decides that he's got to leave the Resistance to complete his training, since he's going to have to face Vader at some point.  He begins with a list of Jedi sites that Artoo found in an Imperial archive.  He begins his search at Ilum, and we learn that the Empire has complete control over the planet.  (In "Star Wars Jedi:  Lost Order," it had just started taking over Ilum.)  Luke continues his journey, eventually arriving at the River Moon of Al'doleem, the first place that he finds where Star Destroyers aren't completely surrounding it.

After failing to use the Jedi Mind Trick on two Stormtroopers, Luke wanders Am'balaar City.  He encounters a mechanic who recognizes his lightsaber, and we learn that the man is Colli, who we first met in "Darth Vader" #4 as a child.  At the time, he was helping his parents fix Kirak Infil'a's ship, which, after Vader killed Kirak, his parents used to save him and his sister.  Given that debt, Colli leads Luke to the Mount Pasvaal monastery, explaining that the Imps have been looting it for decades.  Luke contemplates entering the monastery lightsaber a-blazin' to prove how powerful he is but, like a Jedi, instead summons his focus and successfully uses the Jedi Mind Trick to have two Stormtroopers bring the site's most valuable artifact:  a holocron with a Yoda training recording.

In other words, I'm tickled pink with where we're going here.  We haven't touched on Luke's need to augment his training for a while, and I'm glad that we've returned to it.

Newburn #2 (December 15):  With this issue, a few themes begin to emerge.  First, it's obvious that Newburn has a lot of people waiting for him to fall.  Emily herself admits that part of her attraction to the job is to see how the movie ends; as one of the interviewees at the start of the issue says, it's definitely going to end.  Second, it's equally obvious that a lot of the people waiting for Newburn to fall are jealous of both his access and his smarts.  The Tribune editor's anger is so disproportionate to the offense - as if journalists don't routinely use mob contacts - that it's clear that he's really just annoyed that Newburn - at least for now - has a better deal than him.  Finally, although Newburn may eventually get the wrong end of his deal, Emily's interviewees make it clear that, like his previous partner(s), she'll likely get there first.

Star Wars:  Darth Vader #19 (December 22):  I'm generally not a fan of the flashback sequences that happen with such frequency in this series.  However, Pak uses them to great effect here.  Vader is committed to ridding the galaxy of Crimson Dawn because it undermines order.  Pak uses the flashback sequences to remind us of the moments in the prequel trilogy where Anakin came to the idea of imposing order, particularly after he failed to prevent his mother's death.

The interesting part about this issue is that Vader feels more reckless.  He's treating the assassins and Revengers working for him as expendable.  Vader usually does that, but he usually doesn't abandon his agents to their fates before they're no longer useful.  Here, he treats them like chum, which makes it feel like he's taking this mission too personally.  (He appears to kill, on a whim, the other two assassins besides Deathstick and Ochi who are working for him.)  

My only real complain about this issue is that it ends with Vader accessing Crimson Dawn's database from the base that he and his team assaults, conveniently giving him a list of all Crimson Dawn's agents within the Empire.  I doubt Qi'ra would make that mistake, to be honest.

Star Wars:  Bounty Hunters #19 (December 29):  Valance succeeds in killing his former hero, now-Admiral Sokoli, in this issue.  

Lest we get too upset, Sacks shows us a moment when a grown Valance and Han Solo run into Sokoli as he's getting ready to teach a class at the Academy.  Sokoli treats Valance with disdain:  he doesn't remember liberating Chorin City and apologizes for leading Valance astray (given his obvious disappointment in the Empire) particularly since Valance's injuries make it clear that he's never going to fly again.  

In the present, Valance uses his Tie Defender to crash into Sokoli's ship.  He explains his story to Sokoli, who dismisses him as "one of those young converts from some backward planet [he] saved."  Before Sokoli can kill him, Valance kills Sokoli.  Sachs twists the knife when he shows us a flashback to a thrilled Valance meeting Sokoli on Chorin.  In the epilogue, we learn that Vader didn't really believe Sokoli was a Crimson Dawn mole:  he was disappointed with Sokoli complaining about the Empire, and he thought that killing him was a good test for Valance.  He now considers Valance ready, which can't be good for Valance.  

Meanwhile, T'onga and her crew decide to go after 4-LOM so that he can track Cadeliah's locations through Valance's previous communications.  I'm sure that'll go well, too.

Also Read:  Dungeons & Dragons:  Mindbreaker #3 (December 15)