CBR.com had an exclusive interview with Crimson Reign and Star Wars comic writer, Charles Soule. Embedded in that article was a four page art preview of Star Wars #19.
It looks like Luke’s quest to continue his Jedi training is going to lead him to the planet Ilum! The casual Star Wars observer will recognize Ilum as the First Order’s eventual Starkiller Base, but it has a longer history than that. From Wookieepedia:
Ilum had a kyber crystalline core, and had been utilized by the Jedi Order for the Gathering, a rite of passage in which Jedi younglings had to find and harvest kyber crystals for their lightsabers, which had existed for thousands of standard years.
When the Jedi Order was exterminated by order of Darth Sidious, the new Galactic Empire occupied Ilum and began excavating it for its vast supply of kyber crystals, which were to be used in the construction of the first and second Death Stars. The over-mining of the planet caused its core, and later a massive Imperial Trench, to open up along Ilum’s equator.
You can check out the art preview below! Grab a pre-order of Star Wars #19 if you haven’t already, and read CBR’s interview with Charles Soule below as well! Star Wars #19 is out November 24, 2021!
Pre-orders:
Variants:
From CBR:
CBR: It’s clear from War of the Bounty Hunters, the Crimson Reign announcement, and this trilogy’s concluding chapter in 2022, The Hidden Empire, that you’re fascinated by the character of Qi’ra, who was introduced in the 2018’s Solo: A Star Wars Story. What made you want to bring her back into the Star Wars universe in such a major way?
Charles Soule: I think one of the keys to writing modern Star Wars (and there are lots of ways to approach it) is to find the characters who still have a lot of interesting questions to be asked and answered about them, despite forty years of storytelling. Some have more meat on the bone than others, and for some, it’s about finding the unexplored era of their lives, drilling down on one set of moments we haven’t yet seen. (That said, you need to be smart about that too — I’m not sure Luke’s life on Tatooine pre-Episode IV is something fans are clamoring for — though I could be wrong!) When you look at it through that lens, Qi’ra is an absolutely perfect character to revisit and build big stories around. She has strong connections to many signature characters from both the Prequel and Original Trilogy eras, there’s a defining on-film appearance by Emilia Clarke in Solo. Her story clearly goes to some wild places we haven’t yet seen. For me, she was an obvious choice.
War of the Bounty Hunters revealed that Qi’ra is now in command of the criminal organization she previously served as a top lieutenant in, Crimson Dawn. War of the Bounty Hunters also suggested that Crimson Dawn has become more than just a criminal organization. So, are the stories you’re telling more about secret societies and cults than they are about criminals and organized crime?
I think it’s a bit of both, really. Crimson Dawn was once run by Darth Maul, and he obviously had strong connections to the Sith. Those underpinnings still remain, in some form. But it’s also a crime organization, working to achieve goals outside the bounds of Imperial law. Crimson Reign will get into a lot of that — how it operates and why.
One of the big reveals at the end of War of the Bounty Hunters #5 was that Ren, the future leader of the Knights of Ren, is part of Crimson Dawn. What can you tell us about his role in Crimson Reign? How does it feel to return to the character?
To clarify — Ren and the Knights of Ren are not part of Crimson Dawn. They are working with Qi’ra and her people, to achieve a shared goal. Ren’s not much of a joiner.
It feels spectacular to get to expand what we know about him and the Knights, especially with his appearance on TV recently as part of the Terrifying Tales holiday special on Disney+ — as a Lego, no less! Will Sliney put a lot into him when we built him, and to see him making his way into larger storytelling is incredibly fun.
What else can you tell us about the core cast and action of Crimson Reign? Who will get some of the spotlight? What kind of trouble will they get into?
Crimson Reign has an interesting structure. It’s five issues long, and in each issue we learn more about Qi’ra’s overall plan by focusing on a specific mission she sends her teams on, with each serving as a spotlight for one group or another. So, in Crimson Reign #1, Chanath Cha and the Orphans get the spotlight. There’s one about the assassins, another about the Knights, etc. Qi’ra wants (among other things) to throw the galaxy into chaos, and these people are uniquely suited to help her do that.
What’s it like telling this story with artist Steven Cummings? What are some of the things he’s added to the story that readers might not be aware of?
I’ve known Steven’s work for a long time based on his art for the Image Comics series Wayward, written by my friend Jim Zub. I loved his work there, especially his character and monster designs, and his meticulous approach to storytelling. All of that is in full effect on Crimson Reign. I’m loving getting to work with him. He does a lot of behind the scenes work to make sure it all lands properly — among other things, he asks tons of questions to make sure he understands not just what we’re doing, but why. He’s been great, and the pages look amazing.
Is Crimson Reign a crossover in the same way as War of the Bounty Hunters was? Because it looks like some elements of the Crimson Dawn story will carry over into the Doctor Aphra and Darth Vader’s series, correct? Are there other Star Wars titles where Crimson Dawn’s presence will be felt?
War of the Bounty Hunters was a full-on crossover, with direct tie-ins. Crimson Reign (and The Hidden Empire) are more like state changes for the Star Wars galaxy — during them, Qi’ra’s activities will cause a lot of other things to happen for the various factions, but it’s not as direct as it was in War of the Bounty Hunters, where all the books were essentially telling one huge story. Qi’ra will definitely be popping up, though — she’s all over my Star Wars book with Ramon Rosanas, for example. There are Crimson Dawn elements in Darth Vader, Doctor Aphra, and Bounty Hunters.
Speaking of your Star Wars title, what are your plans now that War of the Bounty Hunters has wrapped? Which characters in your cast will step into the spotlight?
Well, right now it’s about continuing to move the characters where they need to be arc-wise for how we see them in Return of the Jedi.
For example, Luke still has a lot to learn about being a Jedi. Lando’s not quite a Rebel hero yet. Even the Alliance itself is still struggling to pull itself together after its near-destruction at the Battle of Hoth. I’m doing spotlight issues for the next few — we just got a Leia/Qi’ra issue in Star Wars #18. Issues 19-20 will focus on Luke. Issue 21 is about Shara Bey (Poe Dameron’s mother). Then 22-24 are a huge three-part arc that will wrap up a ton of threads, building to Issue 25… More on that in a minute.
Who are the artists that will bring these stories to life?
Ramon Rosanas had issue #18 out with me, which was gorgeous. Marco Castiello will take on #19-20, and then he and Ramon split #21: it’ll make perfect sense when you see it. And then Ramon will continue his truly exemplary work for #22-24. I know for a fact that drawing Star Wars comics is one of the toughest jobs in the biz — you have to get likenesses right, and then there are so many details to nail to make sure it all works properly in the galaxy far far away. I’m always in awe of what they’re able to do. These issues are as strong as anything else in the run so far.
Finally, as you said, the main thrust of your volume of Star Wars has been bridging the gap between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. So, about how far into the long-form story you’re telling in Star Wars will you be at the start of 2022? Do you still have a lot more to tell?
I’m about to write my one hundredth Star Wars comic script. It’s an unbelievable milestone for me personally, and I’m hoping to do something special in the Star Wars run to mark the occasion. Beyond that, yes, there are some very cool plans for things beyond the third part of my Qi’ra trilogy — but that’s still a way out. Always in motion, the future is!
This story — and all my Star Wars work, really, including my novel Light of the Jedi for The High Republic — has been embraced beyond my wildest dreams. It’s such a wonderful thing to get to do this work, and it wouldn’t happen without the readers. So, as always, thank you.
You can grab Crimson Reign #1 at the following pre-order links! It comes out December 1, 2021!
Variants:
- Cover A Yu
- Crain Variant
- Anindito Connecting Variant
- Pham Variant
- Rahzzah Variant
- Giangiordano Variant
- Lopez 1:25 Sabacc Variant (TFAW)
- Lopez 1:25 Sabacc Variant (ebay)
- Cummings 1:50 Variant (ebay)
