Star Wars: New comic release shows what happened after The Last Jedi

The Journey to Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker begins with Allegiance, the first issue of the comic showing the events after The Last Jedi.

While Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is still about two months away, the slow build starts now with the release of a new comic, Allegiance.

Allegiance is part of the Journey to The Rise of Skywalker, giving some information about what happened when The Last Jedi ended. Allegiance’s first issue came out this week and the series already feels like a must read.

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If you’re looking to remain spoiler free, turn back now. There are spoilers below on the first issue.

Allegiance gets you immediately as soon as you open the comic. The scrawl’s first sentence hits you like a ton of bricks.

“Luke Skywalker is dead.”

We knew this. We saw it happen. Yet seeing it in writing makes it clear that Luke gave everything he had on the living world to give the Resistance a chance to fight again.

The Resistance is in trouble though. All that was pretty much left of it left Crait on the Millennium Falcon. Now, General Leia and Rey are working to bring allies into the fold. Poe and Finn — it’s fun to see them team up — are on a mission to get a weapons cache to support the Resistance.

Allegiance starts with sheer devastation. It begins on the planet Tah’Nuhna, home to a peaceful alien race that has been known for its neutrality throughout any war. They don’t pick sides and will help any who seek it.

It’s why they were targeted by the First Order because the Falcon stopped there to refuel and recharge on its way from Crait. The First Order picked up a signal that originated there and investigated.

However, investigate is a nice way of saying they obliterated the planet. They destroyed life on the planet and wrecked so that no one else could or want to live there again.

They annihilated a peaceful race that had nothing to do with the Resistance or the First Order.

This was done to show the might of the First Order. Even with the destruction of Starkiller Base, it still has the means to bring carnage. It also was a message to the Resistance that it will destroy anyone who helps it out, making the Resistance think twice about who they go to.

Leia knows the Resistance needs help, though, and goes to Mon Calamari to visit old allies. Ackbar was killed in Star Wars:The Last Jedi and the Mon Calamari that meet her are not as friendly as she was hoping.

Side note: It still stings seeing Leia even in comic form. Carrie Fisher is sorely missed and her legacy as Leia lives on, but it’s still difficult to see new content with her in it. The Rise of Skywalker will be especially difficult.

While Leia, Rey, Chewbacca and Rose are on Mon Calamari, Poe and Finn are on their own mission looking for a decommissioned weapons depot.

They are on the Wayward Comet refueling station, which is filled with plenty of scum from across the galaxy. While Poe meets with a contact, Finn’s job is lay low.

He’s really bad at it. Really bad.

But you can’t actually blame him because Finn didn’t have a normal upbringing. He wasn’t taught many social norms other than how to mop the floors of a Star Destoyer or weapons training. Finn can’t seem to stay out of the spotlight and this brings trouble.

He’s spotted by shape-shifting bounty hunter who reports them to the First Order. General Hux doesn’t feel like chasing every crumb, but Kylo Ren enters and he is as angry as ever.

I didn’t expect to see Kylo in this issue, but it’s not unsurprising. He’s part of the story. He unkindly supersedes Hux’s directive and tells Hux to follow the lead. Their relationship hasn’t gotten any better since Kylo Ren has become Supreme Leader.

It’s interesting to see the Age of Resistance Snoke comic and Allegiance come out so close together, but it shows two distinctly different versions of Kylo Ren. The first is the abused boy who is groomed and tortured by his handler. The second is an angry, defiant, but confident leader who will stop at nothing to get his way.

As with any comic, the story stopped shortly. Just a mere 30 pages to get us intrigued — and it wasn’t enough.

We don’t have to wait too long. The second issue of Allegiance is on sale next week.

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker releases worldwise on December 20.