Top 10 Star Wars comics from the last 10 years

 There are many great canon comic book stories in a galaxy, far, far away since the return of Star Wars to Marvel Comics in 2015. Quite often, moments can have a lasting impact that can shape the way we look at some of our favorite films from The Skywalker Saga.

From the many titles in the library over the last 10 years, I present you a ranking of 10 of the greatest single issues to hit the stands.

10. Star Wars: The High Republic - The Blade #1

A fascinating tale set in the High Republic era, The Blade #1 features the legendary Jedi Porter Engle and Barash Sylvain and explores their early encounters using training flashbacks. It plays like a prequel to The High Republic novels, showcasing an introduction to two Jedi siblings on a strange planet called The Boneworld. Both demonstrate strong yet different aptitudes in the Force. Barash Sylvain (fans of The Acolyte might recognize the name Barash as in the Barashi vow) can read the minds of others. In contrast, Engle clearly establishes himself as insanely talented with a lightsaber. The duo also tags along with Pathfinders to another planet in need 'Gansevor,' and Porter schools another Jedi, Helion Volte, in a sparring session while on the ship. If anything, this list showcases how Star Wars comics from the last 10 years have strong opening arcs as well as strong conclusion arcs.

9. Star Wars (2015) #4

A lot of the stories told in the 2015 Star Wars series will have the reader thinking about the original trilogy as they are set between the events of A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back. Issue #4 establishes that Darth Vader actually went to Tatooine following the destruction of the Death Star as he had learned of Obi-Wan Kenobi’s time spent living there in hiding. His source of information is none other than the planet’s current gangster ruler, Jabba the Hutt, who insists on knowing about the exploits of one Ben Kenobi and will continue to cooperate with the Emperor for a price. Jabba reveals that he had a hand in providing bounty hunter services to Darth Vader, which will prove to come in handy in Empire, hinted at with a cameo from the galaxy’s greatest bounty hunter himself: Boba Fett!

8. Doctor Aphra #25

The original Doctor Aphra run from 2017 was a solid adventure from start to finish, with some pretty big moments near the middle and end of its 40-issue run. Issue #25 features a lot of juicy drama, with Darth Vader in hot pursuit of Doctor Aphra for their complicit knowledge of his self-serving plot to overthrow the Emperor. Aphra planned to use Bor Ifriem (like Rogue One’s Bor Gullet) to erase their memory of Vader’s plan so they wouldn’t pose a threat, except their former lover Magna Tolvan chose to erase their own memory in a sacrifice play to allow the ‘good’ Doctor to escape. After Aphra was able to evade the Empire, it was revealed that the other ‘shape-shifting’ ensemble member was actually the infamous Doctor Cornelius Evazan, from the cantina scene in A New Hope and a brief appearance in Rogue One.

7. Star Wars: The High Republic #5 (2021)

The High Republic era was a successful multimedia launch that brought brand new Star Wars content in the form of novels, comics, an animated series, and a live-action show. During the original run of The High Republic, Issue Five's 'Attack of the Hutts' packed a punch. With the relationship between protagonist Jedi Master Keeve Trennis and former Master Sskeer coming to a head and an alliance forming between the Hutt's Myarga the Benevolent and the Jedi in a bizarre turn of events, this issue written by Cavan Scott has a little something for everyone. The Jedi twins Ceret and Terec reunited while squaring off against both Rancor-riding Gamorrean guards and the dreaded Drengir. The Drengir, who served as an unstoppable force of nature that successfully corrupted Sskeer's mind, was eventually stopped by Keeve, encouraging Sskeer to convince the Drengir that the Jedi were all rotten meat. There is even a sequence featuring Vernestra Rwoh and her padawan Imri Cantaros on Sedri Minor, where she cracks her lightwhip while fighting the Drengir.

6. Darth Vader #1 (2015)

The start of a long recurring title in Darth Vader (2015) #1, written by Kieron Gillen, opens with a bang as Vader descends on Tatooine for his first encounter with the vile gangster Jabba the Hutt. He has been sent there as punishment and more mind games from his Master, Emperor Palpatine, as the sole surviving General responsible for the colossal failure of the Death Star. While there, he enlists the services of several key bounty hunters, including Boba Fett and Black Krrsantan. Vader, tortured by Anakin’s past, makes sure not to leave Tatooine before slaughtering a nearby tribe of Tusken Raiders, proving that his hatred of the sand people of Tatooine has not wavered since losing his Mother to their raids in Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones. The series is very well-written, with a nice set-up to the idea that Darth Vader has his own agenda separate from the Emperor’s and is playing some of his cards close to the chest.

5. Star Wars (2020) #50

Many of the stories told in Star Wars comics have strong endings, including Charles Soule’s 2020 run of Star Wars #50, the flagship series following his epic runs on Darth Vader and his novels set in The High Republic era. This unique issue bridges the original trilogy with the sequel trilogy by having Luke Skywalker tell a story to his student, Ben Solo, at the Jedi Academy, a story that sees Luke and Leia and crew go on a mission to retrieve a dangerous Force weapon called the Grim Rose at a time when all hope seemed lost following The Empire Strikes Back. With Han frozen in carbonite, Lando and Chewy piloting the Falcon, and Luke Skywalker brandishing a golden lightsaber, the gang explores a fungi mushroom-filled planet of Gazian while also sending our heroes to a familiar location. When discovering they must provide a blood sample for the mysterious artifact to select a target, Leia has the brilliant idea to search the archives on Naboo for records of its native Sheev Palpatine. Luke is put to the test as he must battle an old specter of Jedi Alzin Kell’s memories personified while attempting to teach the soon-to-be Kylo Ren that you do not need to turn to the Dark Side in the pursuit of defeating evil. 

4. Star Wars: Darth Maul (2017) #5

When Darth Maul debuted in The Phantom Menace, he was a physical menace but a man of few words. Thanks to a great expansion on the character via appearances in both Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels with influences from Sam Witwer, he gets a surprisingly emotional arc with some great dialogue. Issue Five of the 2017 Darth Maul run uses the comic’s inner monologue to detail Maul’s inner thoughts as he has his first duel with a Jedi Padawan named Eldra Kaitis. There are also appearances from fan-favorite assassins and bounty hunters Aurra Sing and Cad Bane. When Darth Maul returns to Darth Sidious after making his first Jedi kill, Palpatine reveals that this has been but a trial in a long apprenticeship that the readers know will only lead to the great Duel of the Fates and beyond.

3. Star Wars: The Rise of Kylo Ren (2019) #3

Many of the great Star Wars comics are memorable because they can recontextualize how the reader engages with The Skywalker Saga films. Kylo Ren is a major character in the sequel trilogy, but very little screen time, if any, is spent developing the Knights of Ren that he is supposedly drawing his dark side identity. Issue Three of Star Wars: The Rise of Kylo Ren (2019) sees Ben Solo’s transition take shape as he attempts to join the Knights of Ren following the destruction of the Jedi Temple and his first Jedi kill. There are parallels to the 2017 Darth Maul run in that they both commit themselves to the dark side by killing a Jedi. Also, Ben Solo acquires the name Kylo from his enemies, similar to how his father, Han, earned the family name Solo.

2. Doctor Aphra (2016) #40

The original Doctor Aphra run, written by Simon Spurrier, who took over the reins from Kieron Gillen, had a strong finish with threads that lead to The Empire Strikes Back. The conclusion to the "A Rogue’s End" storyline, Issue #40 sees Darth Vader finally catch up with the evasive Doctor Aphra, only to learn that he might not want to mess with a techno-archeologist at an ancient ruin. Vader gets lured and trapped momentarily in a Confessional tree made of solid kyberite with a concentration of the Force, allowing Doctor Aphra to escape him once and for all, taking with them the knowledge of the secret Rebel base on Hoth and sparing for the moment the life of their dear friend Magna Tolvan. Doctor Aphra has a very tragic and emotional arc with a few sprinkles of hope throughout, as most Star Wars stories are known for. Aphra’s shared history with Darth Vader throughout their appearances in Marvel Comics makes them a very intriguing addition to the Star Wars mythos.

1. Darth Vader (2017) #25

As far as finales to epic runs go, Charles Soule’s Darth Vader #25 from his 2017 run is one of the most impactful, and even considers certain implications to The Skywalker Saga by exploring some of the themes and plot threads presented in Star Wars: Episode III- Revenge of the Sith.

With depictions of the unnatural manipulation of the Force through the immaculate conception of Anakin Skywalker, there is a heavy contemplation that Emperor Palpatine’s knowledge of ‘The Chosen One’ prophecy may run deeper than what was originally telegraphed. There is also the classic imagery of young Anakin with Darth Vader’s shadow, which is an homage to the great teaser poster for Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace. The finale plays like a Force dream sequence not unlike Luke’s experience with the cave on Dagobah in The Empire Strikes Back, where Darth Vader (or what’s left of Anakin Skywalker) must confront his greatest desire, which was revealed in Revenge of the Sith to be to save Padme at all costs. The way Giuseppe Camuncoli depicts his internal struggle in each panel makes it painfully obvious that Anakin’s deepest desire to keep Padme alive was what ultimately led him to turn to the Dark Side of the Force and become the one responsible for her death. This satisfying conclusion to the great Charles Soule's run is what makes it one of the greatest single issues in the last 10 years.