It feels like we're ramping up towards the 25th anniversary of The Phantom Menace which is only a few weeks away. April is closing out with two prequel era stories as well as The High Republic this week in Star Wars comics. Let's get into it!
Darth Maul – Black, White & Red #1
The Black, White & Red series is back, following in the footsteps of 2023's Darth Vader miniseries with the same title. This time around, the horror-inspired comic is all about Darth Maul hunting down a rogue prison ship with a dangerous Force cult on it called the Final Occultation. What's cool about the Black, White & Red issues is their more artistic focus. Each issue has a different writer and artist as a showcase of many different voices bringing something to the character. Issue #1 is written by Benjamin Percy, illustrated by Stefano Raffaele, and the cover artist is Alex Maleev.
Jango Fett #2
After a precious artifact is stolen from Glee Anselm leaving the galaxy on the verge of war, the only person who can stop the fighting is... Jango Fett!? He's not the only on looking for the artifact. His rival Aurra Sing is hot on his tail to tip the tides. Jango Fett #2 is written by Ethan Sacks, Luke Ross does the artwork, and the cover artist is Leinil Francis Yu.
The #StarWarsComics due out the week of April 22 include:
— Star Wars Splash Page (@SWSplashPagePod) April 18, 2024
April 23 _ Star Wars by Gillen & Pak Omnibus and #DoctorAphra (Vol. 2) Vol. 7 “Dark Droids” (32-40)
April 24 _ #TheHighRepublicAdventures Phase III #5, Darth Maul: Black, White & Red #1 (of 4), #JangoFett #2 (of 4) pic.twitter.com/5jehJqQbYh
The High Republic Adventures #5
Jumping from Marvel Comics to Dark Horse Comics, we last left off on The High Republic Adventures with Lula, Zeen, Kantam Sy, and their allies in a daring race against time to find their missing friends on a Nihil prison ship. However, to sew more chaos, the villains release their friends and all their captives into space, forcing the Jedi to choose between bringing these evil doers to justice once and for all or saving the lives of their loved ones. For an all ages comics, writer Daniel José Older has not been pulling punches as this series has been relatively heavy so far. The illustrator is Elisa Romboli and the cover artist is Harvey Tolibao.
Star Wars: The High Republic - Shadows of Starlight
And finally to wrap up April, we look at the final trade paperback coming out on April 30. The High Republic - Shadows of Starlight compiles the four issue miniseries from last year following up on various characters after the fall of Starlight Beacon. This miniseries balanced both the dark and gritty times with glimmers of hope for the future. Written by Charles Soule with the artists for the four issues being Ibraim Roberson, Marika Cresta, Jethro Morales, and David Messina.
That wraps up the month of April. Next month will see a special for The Phantom Menace, Free Comic Book Day releases on May 4th, and many more, so check back each week for this week in Star Wars comics!