Comics A/V Star Wars Adventures & SWA: Forces of Destiny comics (IDW)

Don't forget, there are ten full years between Solo and ANH available for Han/Chewie/Falcon adventures.

If I remember correctly, Ducain wasn't actually confirmed to be the one behind the attackers in Smuggler's Run. Han thought it was, but the story doesn't actually tell us one way or another.

 

For what it's worth:

 

Hold up, the final (and only remaining) Flight of the Falcon story won't hit shelves until April 24th? I wonder what's up with that.

 

After Celebration, so possibly it could be tying-in to something being kept under wraps until then -- especially if the Galaxy's Edge stuff has some ties to Episode IX, and this last issue seems to be finally going to Batuu.

 

Preview for this one is up: PREVIEWSworld / Imgur album

Spoiler: comments

- Shares its framing story with Tales From Vader's Castle and seems to be set during the events of issue #4 (after Lina Graf + Crater split from Skritt + Gee-Three but before Lina splits from Crater).

- Lorana's Labyrinth from Star Wars Adventure Journal! Very nice.

- Another Azumel My favorite nuCanon alien design after the Tognath.

 

Read both issues, Resistance story was... okay, I guess, I do like where Kaz kinda screws up and has to save BB-8. Art was a little strange. I'll admit it's oddly disappointing that Han would defeat Proxima midnight doing the exact same thing in Solo but it is also kinda funny she would fall for it again.

The Jar-Jar/Padme story was decent just cuz I love Derek Cham art (probably my favourite current SW artist right behind the Aphra artists) and, hey, Boss Nass wanted an ancient snack.

I'm calling unreliable narrator all over the Ducain story he tells. It's a little too perfect and things go rather smoothly for him (just Han is all like "Hey, guy I just met, I'll leave you with the Falcon!" and then Ducain just nips it), he becomes a supreme badass for years and then realizes that joining the Resistance is the way to give back to the galaxy. Paints himself a little too good, considering he stole the Falcon from Han. But I really don't think Episode IX will go into how Han lost the Falcon so barring any other story telling this, at least we have *a* story how Han lost the Falcon (although since this is all told from Ducain's POV, there could be future stories that change it). I give up how many years it is. Han is mostly grey hair here, to me that's at most 10 years before TFA and that Han would be that sloppy in his old age. Which, to be fair, he was straight up called on "Your game is old!"

 

The lead story of #19 didn't do anything for me. The back-up story had two things I'm fond of -- Nick Brokenshire's pastel palettes and weird SW biology. Mobile Little Shop of Horrors-esque talking cyclops plants and magnetic rock chimps.

#19's "Dispatches from Wild Space" added one more piece of info to this, naming another character (who I'm hoping will be the lead in #20's back-up story):

Spoiler

"Coming up, we have two more tales from the Clone Wars, these focused on the Jedi, including Anakin Skywalker, Master Yoda, and Barriss Offee!"

 

Both stories of #19 focused on a specific different Battle Droid. I wasn't fond of either, but the first one was a little bit better IMO as it gave me K-2S0 vibes.

Random thoughts: Battle droids (and such) are controlled by a command ship. I wonder why, during The Clone Wars, when Obi-wan/Anakin/random Republic Jedi defeated the main separatist enemy on the battle field that the Republic didn't take control of the command ship and use the battle droids against the Separatists in a different battle instead of sending in Clone troopers. Also, Anakin was a fan of building things. How come he didn't reprogram a battle droid, or even a destroyer droid to take out some of his "friends" before being destroyed as a diversionary tactic?

Or maybe the battle droids were changed to operate independently after the events of TPM? I think a control ship was still involved as Palpatine instructed that they all be shut down immediately in ROTS. I digress. Maybe something like the above has happened in the cartoon and I forgot about it, IDK.

 

I believe it's still canon that the battle droids are decentralized after TPM showed that system to be flawed. The shutdown signal on Mustafar seems to be something different -- a master switch of some kind, regardless of whether droids are slaved to a Central Control Computer or not. Possibly even a priority order, like a droid version of Order 66, that has to be obeyed. Though as Rebels showed, some droids were capable of overriding the signal.

 

And now appearing on a variant cover! @Barriss_Coffee

Spoiler: for size

Another cover for the Flight of the Falcon one-shot:

Spoiler: for size

Love Bazine's expression here. Any guesses as to who the woman in the cockpit with Hondo is? Is it someone from Pirate's Price? I haven't had a chance to read that yet.

 

LOL I love both these covers for completely different reasons. The second one mainly because it's so wacky.

Fingers crossed there's some justice for Barriss's character.

 

Battle droid issue was fun although I'm disappointed with two lone Battle Droid stories the writer didn't take the time to potentially canonize Roger from Freemaker Adventures.

 

He's already canon thanks to the Droidography book.

 

Be nice to know in what way the Freemaker Adventures are canon. Deserves a story of its own somewhere down the line.

 

Revealed at today's IDW panel:

RETURN TO VADER'S CASTLE by Cavan Scott, coming in October;

and Stan Sakai's cover for STAR WARS ADVENTURE ANNUAL 2019!

 

Lando and Jaxxon engage in a staged reenactment of the Gates of Grontessiant with a troop of rampaging Imperial guards? I guess I needed some nightmare material.

 

Star Wars Adventures #24 solicit.

Spoiler

 

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My initial reaction was a "Bleh, another Poe and BB-8 on random Resistance mission?" but looking closer, if it's Rapier Squadron, then this is still when he's in the Republic Navy, which could be interesting if we get a comic with the characters that he served with from Before the Awakening. Maybe also Suralinda in the time she and Poe served together, even though I wasn't really a fan of her character.

 

So that's where Gauer went. The mystery is solved.

 

SW Adventures #20
We get two stories - one with Anakin/Yoda going on a mission during The Clone Wars timeframe and an "Adventure from Wild Space" where Bariss goes on a solo trial where it's not about the destination, but the journey to get there. They were both fine. The art was okay. I didn't really get much more out of it.

 

Preview for the Flight of the Falcon one-shot is up: PDF or Imgur album

Spoiler: comments

omigosh Bala-Tik yesss

So that is Mahjo Reeloo from Pirate's Price.

 

Spoiler

Journey to Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker: Star Wars Adventures

Publisher: IDW Publishing
Author: John Barber, Michael Moreci
Artist: Derek Charm, Tony Fleecs
Format: Kids comic
Description: In a series of original stories, the mighty Wookiees of Kashyyyk must defend their home against the armies of the evil First Order. Plus, R2-D2, C-3PO, and BB-8 team-up on a top-secret spy adventure for the Resistance.
On-sale: #27: October 2019; #28: November 2019; #29: December 2019

 

Concerning "Flight of the Falcon", can someone help me understand the full timeline? I'm a little lost. I didn't read Pirate's Price, which I guess kind of gets summed up at the beginning of this issue, but when does it take place in relation to Ep IX or is that also unclear?

 

It takes place in that time period between TLJ and TROS (with a post-Solo/pre-OT flashback).

 

re: Flight of the Falcon

Spoiler

So Bala-Tik is trying to recoup the money he and his gang lent Solo by taking his ship I'm guessing?