'Star Wars' Canon Comics 101 - Where To Start
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With the ten-year anniversary of Marvel’s participation in Star Wars canon approaching, and a major new comic maxi-series set to launch in early October, now is a great time for fans new and old to take a look across those ten years of the canon comics. There are many great entry points and interesting stories set across the Skywalker Saga and even a little beyond to explore, and we at Culture Slate want to encourage fans to do just that. In this list, we will count down ten of the best Star Wars comic miniseries, arcs, or volumes that are ideal for any newcomers to the world of comics!
10. Tales from Vader’s Castle (2018)
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The only non-Marvel entry on this list, Tales from Vader’s Castle is a distinct entry for its overall horror theme, while also being accessible for all ages. Highlights include 1) a story featuring Count Dooku that pays homage to actor Christopher Lee’s performance history in the horror genre, and 2) a story focused on The Ghost crew in a rare showing of those characters outside of the Kanan: The Last Padawan comic series and the Star Wars Rebels Magazine comics. With Halloween just a month away, and a collection of several horror-themed Tales of comic series releasing in early October, now seems the perfect time to check out these scary stories.
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9. Any Age of Star Wars Maxi-series Issue/Collection
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The Age of Star Wars maxi-series that began in 2018 was a unique experiment for Star Wars. Each issue featured a short story centered around a particular character (alternating entries between a hero and a villain) and covered the three eras of Star Wars at that time. For example, Age of Republic saw heroes like Qui-Gon Jinn and villains like General Grievous each get a story, alongside several others. Each Age of subsection in the maxi-series was collected together, but also split into separate Heroes and Villains collections to help with this process. As a result, the Age of Star Wars series offers any newcomers the chance to customize their reading experience to the era and characters they might prefer. There is something for everyone in this large series of comics!
8. Doctor Aphra: Volume 1 – Fortune and Fate (2022)
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This comic volume chronicles the first story arc of the second Doctor Aphra-led comic series, which began in 2020 (though it was collected in 2022 for this volume). Fortune and Fate picks up like all the 2020 mainline series did, after The Empire Strikes Back, and sees the good Doctor as part of a new crew investigating a pair of High Republic relics sought by a member of the Tagge family. For fans of The High Republic, the comic offers a unique look at the era, far from anything established in the three phases of content seen so far. For others, it may inspire any who are left interested in Aphra to go back and read her 2016 comic series or to carry on with the 2020 run (though we recommend jumping back to read her first series if this volume intrigues you).
7. Darth Maul (2017)
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For fans of the prequel trilogy and the ever-intimidating Darth Maul, this miniseries from 2017 is an excellent pick to help get someone started in canon comics. Set before The Phantom Menace, it sees Maul acting against the wishes of Darth Sidious by plotting the heist of a Jedi Padawan captured and held for a criminal auction. He intends to kill this Jedi as a test of his skills, angry at being denied the chance at action against the enemy of the Sith. The comic also features several familiar criminals and bounty hunters such as Aurra Sing and Cad Bane, who are along for the ride with Maul as hired muscle. With elements new and old, there’s plenty to enjoy in this one!
6. Lando (2015)
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This miniseries was released several years ago, but it has proven foundational to later Star Wars stories and events across the Marvel comics. One of the early forays of the amazing author Charles Soule into Star Wars, Lando (2015) tells a story set before The Empire Strikes Back where Lando must steal a yacht as payment of a debt to a criminal. However, things go awry when Lando and his team realize the yacht belongs to someone significant within the Empire and contains a dangerous force that has begun to corrupt the group. Any fans of Lando should definitely check this series out, and if the elements in it intrigue the reader, checking out the other series by Charles Soule on this list is a must.
5. Sana Starros – Family Matters (2023)
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For fans of The High Republic who seek to get into something from the wider Star Wars canon, look no further than Sana Starros: Family Matters. First introduced in the 2015 mainline Marvel comic, Sana Starros has since weaved her way through multiple comic series, and her ancestors play a major role in the era of the High Republic. Family Matters links both to The High Republic through several locations, the MacGuffin at the center of the story, and a notable character, but also features the Empire as prominent villains in a story set between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. The comic truly shines as a weaving of High Republic elements into modern Star Wars and highlights Sana Starros as a unique figure in the canon.
4. Star Wars #1-12, Darth Vader #1-12, and Vader Down (All 2015)
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For Star Wars fans looking to take a deeper dive into the canon comics, going back to where it all began in 2015 makes sense. We recommend only reading part of each series, up to and including the crossover event Vader Down, to help get a complete picture of the events in that crossover. Vader Down is well regarded by fans for its iconic lines by Darth Vader, a unique setting on an arid world with a ruined Jedi temple, and its character dynamics as the characters from the two series meet and clash. If you enjoy these comics and where they start each series, we recommend continuing and reading further into each.
3. The Rise of Kylo Ren (2019)
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The Rise of Kylo Ren is perfect for Star Wars fans who enjoyed the sequel trilogy and want to see more storytelling in or around that era. Set before The Force Awakens, this miniseries tells events from that infamous night described in The Last Jedi, where Luke and Ben traded blows. To avoid any spoilers, it explores the immediate aftermath of these events, showing readers how Ben became a Knight of Ren and how he began severing ties from his life as a Jedi. It also has some excellent full-page illustrations and is another superb entry from Charles Soule.
2. Darth Vader: Dark Lord of the Sith (2017)
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This comic series of 25 issues is broadly seen as top quality by Star Wars fans and is a must-read for any who are first getting into comics, or who may have missed out on its original release. Penned by Charles Soule, the series explores events in the immediate aftermath of Revenge of the Sith and starts with Vader hunting down a Jedi so that he may take and bleed his lightsaber crystal. Other arcs in the series include the Inquisitors, notable for appearances in Obi-Wan Kenobi and Rebels, but the biggest is probably the one to encompass the construction of Vader’s castle on Mustafar. The fan-favorite Sith Lord Darth Momin is also properly introduced in this series, and it is an incredible run that we cannot recommend highly enough, even if it may be a bit daunting as a starting point.
1. Battle of Jakku Maxi-series (2024)
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The Battle of Jakku maxi-series, beginning October 2nd, genuinely appears to be a great series for any newcomers to hop in with. Set after the Battle of Endor and telling a 12-issue story leading up to the titular Battle of Jakku, these comics are scheduled to drop for the next three months as Marvel devotes all of their resources to producing an issue every one to two weeks, wrapping up before the end of this year. Featuring the original trilogy cast and a whole host of new or returning characters from across Star Wars canon, this comic ends the past ten years in a similar way to how it began, with the miniseries Shattered Empire and the first Aftermath novel telling of events in the same post-Endor era. Jump aboard the series train and enjoy the fast-releasing comics and unique era of storytelling ahead!
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