The day Qi’ra made her grand — and surprise — return to Star Wars years after Solo: A Star Wars Story, it seemed the world, it seemed the fandom collectively paused to appreciate the moment.
War of the Bounty Hunters, a Star Wars Marvel comics crossover event that launched in 2021, reintroduced the Crimson Dawn boss at a new point in the timeline — when Han Solo was encased in carbonite, and it seemed everyone wanted to claim him as theirs for the keeping.
Writer Charles Soule — who just recently celebrated publishing his 100th Star Wars comic — revealed this week that Qi’ra will return once again in the upcoming comic series Hidden Empire, which will release its first issue this November.
The series will be written by Soule and illustrated by Steven Cummings. It’s the third installment of the writer’s “unofficial” Qi’ra trilogy, which also included the five-issue miniseries Crimson Reign. Just like the previous series, Hidden Empire will include five issues.
Speaking with StarWars.com, Soule explained more about the series, touching on the importance of concluding Qi’ra’s “trilogy” in a satisfying way.
"“Hidden Empire is set between Episodes V and VI. So, there are things this story can do and things it can’t. That said, I think it will deliver a deeply satisfying conclusion to Qi’ra’s arc here, and readers will understand how her choices in this story impacted events all across the Star Wars galaxy at this time. As with many of the comics and novels and ancillary stories beyond the films, the idea is to deepen the experience and understanding of the characters.”"
Many Star Wars fans have been begging for more Qi’ra since it became clear plans for a Solo sequel weren’t likely. But the arc of Qi’ra’s story in Soule’s comics over the past year or so is just as good as what you might expect to see on-screen. This comic looks like a must-have for fans of the character who want to know where she might end up next.
Hidden Empire will be available from Marvel Comics beginning in November 2022.
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