Maythe Force Be With You
Cover artwork for Star Wars

Original generated cover art — not a reproduction of any published cover

CanonOngoingAge of Rebellion

Star Wars

Charles Soule’s fifty-issue run in the gap between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi: a Rebellion in pieces, a Jedi with a severed hand and no teacher, and the slow assembly of the fleet that will go to Endor.

Marvel relaunched its flagship Star Wars title in January 2020 with Charles Soule writing and Jesús Saiz drawing, and ran it to fifty issues, the last dated 11 September 2024. Soule counts the tie-in miniseries War of the Bounty Hunters, Crimson Reign, Hidden Empire and Dark Droids as part of the same run, which makes it seventy issues of continuous story. Issue dates on this page are Marvel’s published on-sale dates; modern Marvel issues carry no printed cover date.

Publisher
Marvel Comics
Published
1 January 2020 – 11 September 2024
Issues
50 issues
Format
Ongoing
Continuity
Current canon
Writers
Charles Soule
Artists
Jesús Saiz, Ramon Rosanas, Jan Bazaldúa, Marco Castiello, Andrés Genolet, Madibek Musabekov, Andrea Di Vito, Steven Cummings, Giuseppe Camuncoli, Will Sliney, Phil Noto
Cover artists
R.B. Silva, Carlo Pagulayan, Jason Paz, Ramon Rosanas, E.M. Gist, Stephen Segovia

The verdict

The most disciplined long-form Star Wars comic yet published: fifty issues that actually finish the job they started.

The gap between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi is the hardest room in Star Wars to write in. Everyone knows where the furniture ends up. Han is in carbonite at the start and out of it at the end; Luke builds a lightsaber offscreen; the Rebellion is scattered at Hoth and massed at Sullust. Marvel's 2015 series spent seventy-five issues in the far roomier gap after A New Hope and still ran out of ideas. Charles Soule took the tighter room and treated the constraints as the plot.

What it is actually about

Soule's answer to "you already know how this ends" is to make the book about how a losing side becomes a winning one. The early arcs are logistics: Operation Starlight is a communications problem, not a battle. Leia is written as a commander rather than a princess, which is the single best decision in the run. Lando is given an arc that earns the general's insignia he is wearing by the time of Endor. And Luke, deprived of Yoda and reeling from Bespin, spends most of fifty issues assembling a philosophy out of scraps — a Jedi with no order to belong to, which is a far more interesting problem than a Jedi with a quest.

The crossover machine

From issue #12 the book becomes the spine of a four-title publishing engine. War of the Bounty Hunters, Crimson Reign, Hidden Empire and Dark Droids each pull Star Wars, Darth Vader, Doctor Aphra and Bounty Hunters into one story. This is the part readers argue about. Bought monthly it is expensive and occasionally repetitive. Read in collected form it is the most ambitious structure Star Wars comics have ever attempted, and it holds: Qi'ra, imported from a film most people ignored, becomes the era's best original antagonist across three miniseries without ever needing a lightsaber.

The art

Jesús Saiz opens the run with a painterly, heavy-shadow look that flatters the post-Hoth mood. Ramon Rosanas carries the longest stretch and is the run's most reliable storyteller. The later Madibek Musabekov issues are the most kinetic. It is not a single-artist run and never pretends to be, which is the normal condition of a monthly book and only a problem if you expect otherwise.

Where it lands

The last issue, published 11 September 2024, is a framed story: Luke Skywalker teaching Ben Solo, years later, about the balance between light and dark. Reaching forward to the sequel era from a book set in 3 ABY is a risk, and whether it works depends entirely on how you feel about Ben Solo. What is not in doubt is that Soule landed a fifty-issue plane on the runway he was aiming at, which almost nobody in licensed comics gets to do.

Structure

Story arcs

How the run divides, and where a reader can get on and off.

  1. #1–6

    The Destiny Path

    Collected as Vol. 1, 10 November 2020.

  2. #7–11

    Operation Starlight

    Collected as Vol. 2, 6 April 2021.

  3. #12–18

    War of the Bounty Hunters

    Tie-in issues to the 2021 crossover; collected as Vol. 3.

  4. #19–25

    Crimson Reign

    Tie-in issues to the 2022 crossover; collected as Vol. 4.

  5. #26–30

    The Path to Victory

    Collected as Vol. 5, 23 May 2023.

  6. #31–36

    Quests of the Force

    Collected as Vol. 6, 26 September 2023.

  7. #37–41

    Dark Droids

    Tie-in issues to the 2023 crossover; collected as Vol. 7.

  8. #42–47

    The Sith and the Skywalker

    Collected as Vol. 8, 3 September 2024.

  9. #48–50

    The Path of Light

    Collected as Vol. 9, 3 December 2024.

Every issue

Issue list — 50 of 50 catalogued

Number, title, cover date and credits. A dash means the field is not verified — not that it is empty.

# TitleCover date WriterArtistCover artist ArcNotes
1—January 1, 2020Charles SouleJesús SaizR.B. Silva and Guru-eFXThe Destiny PathThe first issue of Marvel’s second flagship Star Wars ongoing, opening immediately after the Battle of Hoth.
2—January 29, 2020Charles SouleJesús SaizR.B. Silva and Guru-eFXThe Destiny Path
3—February 26, 2020Charles SouleJesús SaizR.B. Silva and Guru-eFXThe Destiny Path
4—March 18, 2020Charles SouleJesús SaizR.B. Silva and Guru-eFXThe Destiny Path
5—August 5, 2020Charles SouleJesús SaizR.B. Silva and Guru-eFXThe Destiny Path
6—September 16, 2020Charles SouleJesús SaizR.B. Silva and Guru-eFXThe Destiny Path
7—October 7, 2020Charles SouleRamon RosanasCarlo Pagulayan, Jason Paz, and Rain BeredoOperation Starlight
8—November 4, 2020Charles SouleRamon RosanasCarlo Pagulayan, Jason Paz, and Rain BeredoOperation Starlight
9—December 9, 2020Charles SouleJan BazaldúaCarlo Pagulayan, Jason Paz, and Rain BeredoOperation Starlight
10—January 6, 2021Charles SouleJan BazaldúaCarlo Pagulayan, Jason Paz, and Rain BeredoOperation Starlight
11—February 3, 2021Charles SouleJan BazaldúaCarlo Pagulayan, Jason Paz, and Rain BeredoOperation Starlight
12—March 10, 2021Charles SouleRamon RosanasCarlo Pagulayan, Jason Paz, and Rain BeredoWar of the Bounty HuntersTie-in issue to the War of the Bounty Hunters crossover.
13—May 12, 2021Charles SouleRamon RosanasCarlo Pagulayan, Jason Paz, and Rain BeredoWar of the Bounty HuntersTie-in issue to the War of the Bounty Hunters crossover.
14—June 16, 2021Charles SouleRamon RosanasCarlo Pagulayan, Jason Paz, and Rain BeredoWar of the Bounty HuntersTie-in issue to the War of the Bounty Hunters crossover.
15—July 28, 2021Charles SouleRamon RosanasCarlo Pagulayan, Jason Paz, and Rain BeredoWar of the Bounty HuntersTie-in issue to the War of the Bounty Hunters crossover.
16—August 18, 2021Charles SouleRamon RosanasCarlo Pagulayan, Jason Paz, and Rain BeredoWar of the Bounty HuntersTie-in issue to the War of the Bounty Hunters crossover.
17—September 29, 2021Charles SouleRamon RosanasCarlo Pagulayan, Jason Paz, and Rain BeredoWar of the Bounty HuntersTie-in issue to the War of the Bounty Hunters crossover.
18—November 3, 2021Charles SouleRamon RosanasCarlo Pagulayan, Jason Paz, and Rain BeredoWar of the Bounty HuntersTie-in issue to the War of the Bounty Hunters crossover.
19—December 8, 2021Charles SouleMarco CastielloCarlo Pagulayan, Jason Paz, and Rain BeredoCrimson ReignTie-in issue to the Crimson Reign crossover.
20—January 12, 2022Charles SouleMarco CastielloCarlo Pagulayan, Jason Paz, and Rain BeredoCrimson ReignTie-in issue to the Crimson Reign crossover.
21—March 2, 2022Charles SouleRamon Rosanas, Marco CastielloRamon RosanasCrimson ReignTie-in issue to the Crimson Reign crossover.
22—April 13, 2022Charles SouleRamon RosanasCarlo Pagulayan, Jason Paz, and Lee LoughridgeCrimson ReignTie-in issue to the Crimson Reign crossover.
23—May 4, 2022Charles SouleRamon RosanasCarlo Pagulayan, Jason Paz, and Rachelle RosenbergCrimson ReignTie-in issue to the Crimson Reign crossover.
24—June 8, 2022Charles SouleRamon RosanasCarlo Pagulayan, Jason Paz, and Rachelle RosenbergCrimson ReignTie-in issue to the Crimson Reign crossover.
25—July 20, 2022Charles SouleRamon Rosanas, Giuseppe Camuncoli, Phil Noto, and Will SlineyCarlo Pagulayan, Jason Paz, and Rachelle RosenbergCrimson ReignTie-in issue to the Crimson Reign crossover.
26—August 17, 2022Charles SouleAndrés GenoletE.M. GistThe Path to Victory
27—September 7, 2022Charles SouleAndrés GenoletE.M. GistThe Path to Victory
28—October 12, 2022Charles SouleAndrés GenoletE.M. GistThe Path to Victory
29—November 2, 2022Charles SouleRamon RosanasE.M. GistThe Path to Victory
30—January 4, 2023Charles SouleAndrés GenoletStephen SegoviaThe Path to Victory
31—February 15, 2023Charles SouleAndrés GenoletStephen SegoviaQuests of the Force
32—March 1, 2023Charles SouleMadibek MusabekovStephen SegoviaQuests of the Force
33—April 5, 2023Charles SouleMadibek MusabekovStephen SegoviaQuests of the Force
34—May 3, 2023Charles SouleMadibek MusabekovStephen SegoviaQuests of the Force
35—June 7, 2023Charles SouleMadibek MusabekovStephen SegoviaQuests of the Force
36—July 5, 2023Charles SouleAndrea Di VitoStephen SegoviaQuests of the Force
37—August 9, 2023Charles SouleMadibek MusabekovStephen SegoviaDark DroidsTie-in issue to the Dark Droids crossover.
38—September 6, 2023Charles SouleMadibek MusabekovStephen SegoviaDark DroidsTie-in issue to the Dark Droids crossover.
39—October 18, 2023Charles SouleMadibek MusabekovStephen SegoviaDark DroidsTie-in issue to the Dark Droids crossover.
40—November 1, 2023Charles SouleMadibek MusabekovStephen SegoviaDark DroidsTie-in issue to the Dark Droids crossover.
41—December 6, 2023Charles SouleMadibek MusabekovStephen SegoviaDark DroidsTie-in issue to the Dark Droids crossover.
42—January 10, 2024Charles SouleSteven CummingsStephen SegoviaThe Sith and the Skywalker
43—February 21, 2024Charles SouleSteven CummingsStephen SegoviaThe Sith and the Skywalker
44—March 6, 2024Charles SouleSteven CummingsStephen SegoviaThe Sith and the Skywalker
45—April 3, 2024Charles SouleSteven CummingsStephen SegoviaThe Sith and the Skywalker
46—May 22, 2024Charles SouleSteven CummingsStephen SegoviaThe Sith and the Skywalker
47—June 5, 2024Charles SouleSteven CummingsStephen SegoviaThe Sith and the Skywalker
48—July 17, 2024Charles SouleSteven CummingsStephen SegoviaThe Path of Light
49—August 21, 2024Charles SouleSteven CummingsStephen SegoviaThe Path of Light
50—September 11, 2024Charles SouleSteven CummingsStephen SegoviaThe Path of LightThe final issue: a framed story in which Luke Skywalker teaches Ben Solo about the balance between light and dark.

In print

Collected editions — 13

Trades, omnibuses and Epic Collections. ISBNs appear only where verified.

EditionFormatPublisherYearCollectsISBN
Star Wars Vol. 1: The Destiny PathTPBMarvel Comics2020Star Wars (2020) #1–6978-1302920784
Star Wars Vol. 2: Operation StarlightTPBMarvel Comics2021Star Wars (2020) #7-11978-1302920791
Star Wars Vol. 3: War of the Bounty HuntersTPBMarvel Comics2021Star Wars (2020) #12-18978-1302920807
Star Wars Vol. 4: Crimson ReignTPBMarvel Comics2022Star Wars (2020) #19-25978-1302926182
Star Wars: War of the Bounty Hunters OmnibusomnibusMarvel Comics2022Star Wars: War of the Bounty Hunters Alpha; Star Wars: War of the Bounty Hunters #1–5; Star Wars: War of the Bounty Hunters – Jabba The Hutt, 4-LOM & Zuckuss, Boushh and IG-88; Star Wars (2020) #13–18; Star Wars: Bounty Hunters #12–17; Star Wars: Darth Vader (2020) #12–17; Star Wars: Doctor Aphra (2020) #10–15978-1302947835
Star Wars Vol. 5: The Path to VictoryTPBMarvel Comics2023Star Wars (2020) #26-30978-1302932749
Star Wars Vol. 6: Quests of the ForceTPBMarvel Comics2023Star Wars (2020) #31-36978-1302948085
Star Wars Vol. 7: Dark DroidsTPBMarvel Comics2024Star Wars (2020) #37-41978-1302948092
Star Wars Vol. 8: The Sith and the SkywalkerTPBMarvel Comics2024Star Wars (2020) #42-47978-1302954789
Star Wars Vol. 9: The Path of LightTPBMarvel Comics2024Star Wars (2020) #48-50978-1302954796
Star Wars: Crimson Reign OmnibusomnibusMarvel Comics2025Star Wars: Crimson Reign (2021) #1–5, Star Wars (2020) #19–25, Star Wars: Bounty Hunters (2020) #18–24, Star Wars: Darth Vader (2020) #18–24, Star Wars: Doctor Aphra (2020) #16–21978-1302961848
Star Wars: Dark Droids OmnibusomnibusMarvel Comics2026Star Wars: Dark Droids #1-5; Star Wars: Dark Droids – D-Squad #1-4; Star Wars (2020) #37-50; Star Wars: Bounty Hunters #37-42; Star Wars: Darth Vader (2020) #37-50; Star Wars: Doctor Aphra (2020) #35-40; Star Wars: Revelations; FCBD 2024: Star Wars978-1302961862
Star Wars: Hidden Empire OmnibusomnibusMarvel Comics2026Star Wars: Hidden Empire #1-5; Star Wars (2020) #26-36; Star Wars: Bounty Hunters #27-34; Star Wars: Darth Vader (2020) #28-32; Star Wars: Doctor Aphra (2020) #22-31; Star Wars: Revelations978-1302961886

Dossiers

Who is in it

Encyclopedia entries for the figures this run develops.