How To Save Star Wars Comics

 Marvel's Star Wars comics have been the place to go for good and sometimes even great Disney era stories. Vader Down is one of the best storylines ever written for SW comics. I won't mention Screaming Citadel but you can get the TPB of that at Ollie's for $2.99. It's better that you forget that crossover happened. But that is the problem with Marvel Star Wars comics: crossovers. Crimson Reign has no end in sight. War of The Bounty Hunters just wrapped up, so now back to yet ANOTHER crossover event. Sigh. Well it needs to change. So here is what needs to happen for Marvel Star Wars, and yes it includes a Legends story idea for Marvel & Dark Horse Comics!

Marvel

1. End the main character focused Star Wars monthly series.

We are getting close to ROTJ in this series, and while Marvel may want to continue this series, or start with a 3rd series that continues Luke, Han & Leia's post Endor adventures, there is already Canon stuff we know that happens. The Aftermath Trilogy, Shattered Empire, Battlefront 2, these happened. While these are my favorite characters, I think it's time Marvel wraps their story arc up. We know where their paths lead. Having a mini series format, like Dark Horse used would be a good idea. How does Luke meet Lor San Tekka, how do Leia and Han sense Ben Solo might be too much like his grandfather? A monthly series depicting these events wouldn't be a good idea. But making them a miniseries would be. The stories can flow without being burdened by the other stories letting them stand on their own.

2. The only Star Wars monthly series needs to take place between ROTS & ANH!

Charles Soule proved how awesome Vader is, in Marvel's 1st extensive look into him post ROTS. Even Dark Horse didn't do a lot of stories in this time frame for Legends so it is largely unexplored territory in Star Wars. Sure we know Vader, Palpy, Bail Organa and Mon Mothma will survive. With Soule writing this series, this could be a huge hit for Marvel. The story possibilities are endless, maybe even setting up stories where Kanan Jarrus & Hera Syndulla meet Sabine Wren & Zeb while Bail Organa and Mon Mothma start setting up what will one day become the Rebel Alliance.

3. End the Crossovers NOW!!

Crossovers once in a while (every 2-3 years) aren't a bad idea. But lately Marvel has milked this cow too much. The talent on the current monthly series, Bounty Hunters, Darth Vader & Dr Aphra are good and need to be free to tell their own stories! Not be bound by some event which takes away from their own stories. Especially when taking into account the 4th suggestion.

4. Quit using the OT era Comics to explain the Sequel Trilogy!!

In the Darth Vader comics he goes to Exegol. In the latest issue of Crimson Dawn Vader encounters the Knights of Ren and only kills one of them. Enough!! Yes I know the sequels happen, but we don't need more plot hopes exposed from it taking place in the OT. How come Anakin's ghost doesn't tell Luke about Exegol, or now the Knights of Ren?! To better explain the sequels they should use the time post Mandalorian era to explain the sequels. Rise of Kylo Ren was a good story line, and it seems that the Knights of Ren are known to the Sith as Vader tells them. Maybe a Knights of Ren comic miniseries or Disney Plus show is in the works. But let the OT stand in its time. Quit using that era to explain the sequels! Sure have some story connect what will be the First Order will become but it should be just bread crumbs. Vader knowing the Knights of Ren & Exegol is just too much.

5. Allow the true and final 1980's Marvel wrap up story be told!

A couple years ago Star Wars 108 hit stands and we got a good Star Wars Legends era story. But from reading the creator interviews with the writers, there was a bigger finale planned. Well, with interest in SW Legends at a high point it may be time to go back and tell this story! It wouldn't interfere with the current stories and the Legends banner could easily show to readers this is a different reality (more on that when I cover Dark Horse).  It's time to make the intended 1980's Marvel finale happen!

That solves Marvel. Now onto what Dark Horse needs to do with the young readers comics:

1. Single issue=single story. IDW had 2 stories per issue, and well, it was a mess. Stick with a single story, as most of those stories were the standard 22 pages when completed.

2. For High Republic comics focus on one character! Marvel did this with their HR series, but Dark Horse did this first. For the prequel era Star Wars monthly the focus was on Ki-Adi Mundi for a while, then it shifted to Quinlan Vos. Repeating this would help High Republic.

3. Make Star Wars Infinities a monthly anthology series! Infinities gave us 'What if' type Star Wars stories. Stories in the old DH Star Wars Tales strayed from the then Canon (Skippy The Jedi Droid comes to mind). This could be a great point for new writers and artists to tell stories in the same vein as Star Wars Visions. So many 'What if' stories in SW are possible and this could really get popular with fans!

4. Jedi Apprentice comic series. Whether it is Qui-Gon/Obi-Wan or Obi-Wan/Anakin this needs to happen!! Disney hasn't really gone over a lot of stories from this era, but Legends did and they are enjoyable, even to older readers.

5. Young Jedi Knights the series. Under the Legends or better yet Infinities banner a comic series depicting Jaina and Jacen Solo with stories similar to the Young Jedi novels would also be a good idea. I recommend Infinities over Legends as I would like to not see Jacen turn to a Sith Lord and don't want him or Anakin Solo to eventually die.

6. Legends mini series! Slap Legends on a book or a comic book it sells. But there are incomplete Legends stories, such as Jaina Solo-Fel starring in the Sword of the Jedi Trilogy that got canned when Disney took over. Adapting this story would be a great way to help give fans some closure. But it also keeps that era and stories alive, and make Disney and Dark Horse some money.