Star Wars Celebration Marvel Star Wars Comics panel
Popverse brings you live coverage from the Marvel Star Wars Comics panel at Star Wars Celebration
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The Popverse team has travelled all the way to Anaheim to attend Star Wars Celebration, and we're having a really awesome time running around the convention floor, attending panels, and checking out (and sharing) all the amazing experiences that Celebration has to offer.
Join us as we sit in on a panel all about Marvel's Star Wars comics. The panel will feature Marvel editor-in-chief C.B. Cebulski and comics creators who are hard at work making the galaxy's greatest comics. We're fairly certain there may be an announcement or two, so comics fans should make sure to stay tuned as we bring you live coverage on this page.
The official panel description from the Star Wars Celebration website reads, “Make mine Star Wars, and make mine Marvel! Join Marvel editor-in-chief C.B. Cebulski and some of Marvel’s top talent for a comics conversation unlike any other. Including all-new announcements and reveals from a galaxy far, far away!"
Popverse will be liveblogging the entire panel as it happens, so keep an eye on this page to follow along with what's happening at Marvel Star Wars Comics live, or come back later to this page to read a moment-by-moment breakdown of all of the best bits of the panel.If you want to follow along with Popverse as we romp around Star Wars Celebration and share the coolest stuff, check out the roundup of our Star Wars Celebration 2022 coverage.
Our live coverage of this event has finished.
Hello and welcome to the Marvel Comics Star Wars Comics panel here at Star Wars Celebration 2022.
We are here at the panel just as Marvel Comics' Editor-in-CHief CB Cebulski has kicked off the panel.
Cebulski is recounting the current Marvel Comics era of Star Wars comics, which began seven years ago.
Here with him are writes Rodney Barnes, Christopher Cantwell, Alyssa Wong, Jody Houser, Cavan Scott, Ethan Sacks, and Charles Soule.
They jump into High Republic era, with them announcing Star Wars: High Republic is relaunching in October for Phase 2. It is written by Cavan Scott, with art by Ario Anindito.
Scott says this is set about 150 years before the events of the prequel trilogy.
A second new High Republic book is being launched - Star Wars: The High Republic - The Blade by writer Charles Soule and artist Marco Castiello. It stars Porter from Phase 1, and launches in November 2022.
Soule: "There's a reason we call it 'The Blade'; it's taking the Jedi martial art and pushes it to the edge.
Next up we're talking about the upcoming finale of 'Crimson Reign', and specifically Jun 2022's Star Wars #24 by Soule, artist Ramon Rosanas, and Madibek Musabekov.
This has a protege of Moff Tarkin, Commander Zara, who is coming for vengeance against the Rebels, and specifically Leia Organa.
Next up they're talking about July's Star Wars #25 - an anthology issue. "I have been really lucky to have been doing a lot of works in Star Wars comics," Soule says. "This script is my 100th Star Wars comic script, which is ALOT. So when I realized that was going to happen, I talked to Marvel/Lucasfilm about it being a tribute to the stories I've sold. This is telling untold stories - a new story set my Vader run, in my Leia run, and new story set during the Rose of Kylo Ren."
Soule recounts how he recruited Steve McNiven to draw a variant cover for Star Wars #25. He originally asked McNiven to draw it but only one character, as the artist was really busy. McNIven agreed, but then a week later came back wanting to draw more. What resulted is a cover with about 15 characters - many of which are ones Soule created or co-created.
Next up is talking about August's Star Wars #26 by SOule and Andres Genolet. "As we know, this series is set just before Return of the Jedi. Luke Skywalker and Leia are a huge part of that. As we're moving through the series, I thought it was time to really drill down into the changes that are seen in RoTJ, and show how they get to that point through the comics."
Next up, talking Doctor Aphra #21 by Alyssa Wong and artist Minkyu Jung. This comes out June 2022. Cebulski calls out that Alyssa Wong hasn't seen any Aphra cosplay at Star Wars Celebration - which leads to several Doctor Aphra cosplayers to step out of the crowd, to the delight of Alyssa Wong.
Wong: In the current APhra run, Aphra has been tracking down this dark organiation called the Ascendent. Not Sith, but have been building tech to replicate the Force. They're kind of like cosplayer Sith.
Wong says in this upcoming arc they'll get to know some of the Ascendent "up close and personal." "Expect a lot of people from Alyssa's past with scores to settle to show up again. Expect it to get weird."
NExt up, we're talking Star Wars: Bounty Hunters #24 by writer Ethan Sacks and artist Paolo Vilanelli.
Sacks calls the Bounty Hunter like a Star Wars version of Marvel's Thunderbolts.
Upcoming issue will include a fight between Bossk and the Knights of Ren.
Sacks says "there may or may not be a very sad moment" in Bounty Hunters #26, but gives no further hints as to what that might mean.
#27 will include a fight about a space station disco.
Next up, talking the Mandalorian comic by Rodney Barnes and Georges Jeanty.
Cebulski calls it one of the best selling comics of the year for Marvel - Popverse has heard about 350,000 pre-orders right now ahead of the July 2022 debut.
Barnes: This has been both the easiest and toughest job I've had. There is a TV show I'm adapting, but how do you plot that hour into 30 pages - a lot of work, but incredibly satisfying work.
Cebulski mentions how colorist Rachelle Rosenberg is a key person in the Star Wars titles, coloring many of the books - giving it a cohesive look across the line.
Next up, talking about the Obi-Wan series by Christopher Cantwell and Luke Ross. It debuted earlier this month, with #2 due out in June.
Cantwell: The fact this is anthology allows us to do 5 separate stories in key moments in Kenobi's life. From his padawan days before Phantom Menace, through to the Clone Wars, the fever pitch moment before Revenge of the Sith, and more.
Cantwell: We tried to do different genres with each issue, to match the story and the different artists for each issue. The same themes and motifs will be threaded through all the issues, and the Obi-Wan journals introduced by Jason Aaron - a great comic writer.
#2 will be a haunted house story. #3 will be a war story ("Putting the Wars in 'Star Wars'). Then #4 is based on Apocalypse Now, and the cost of war - especially on Anakin. In #5, we return to Tatooine for a John Ford-esque western.
Each story is self-contained, and reflects on the movies but also the Clone Wars TV show, and comics as well. "It's been a dream project to work on; it's been great."
Cantwell sells Commander Cody will be a big part of #3.
Now we're talking the Han Solo & Chewbacca series by Marc Guggenheim, David Messina, and Alex Sinclair. #2 in June will "definitely answer who shot first" according to Cebulski, referring to the Greedo/Solo confrontation from A New Hope.
Cebulski says a man claiming to be Han Solo's father appears in the book, and will be a big reoccuring mystery in the book.
They talk about Black Krssantan going from comics into the Book of Boba Fett, and back into comics in Han Solo & Chewbacca #4.
Now we turn to talk about Darth Vader by Greg Pack, Raffaele Ienco, and Carlos Lopez. This will follow the handmaidens of Padme, including Sabe, and what that means for Vader.
Next up they announce a new 10-issue series, Yoda - "a trilogy of trilogies." It launched in October, by Cavan Scott/Nico Leon, Jody Houser/Luke Ross, and Marc Guggenheim/Alessandro Miracolo.
We have a spinoff story about the Marvel Comics' Star Wars: Yoda series.
Scott is wriing Yoda in the High Republic, and features a Yoda we haven't seen offten - him teaching non-Jedi, and non-Jedi younglings.
The second arc by Houser/Ross. "We're telling a story set a few decades before THe Phantom Menace. We're focusing on the period where he was a teacher." The artwork appears what seems to be a young Dooku, when he was being trained by Yoda.
Next up we're tlaking Star Wars: Visions. "Isn't that a cartoon, not a comic?" Yes. Marvel has decided to take inspiration from it, and doing an adaptation - creating an "unseen episode" from it in comic form.
Cebulski says nothing more can be said about the Star Wars: Visions comic just yet.
Cebulski then makes it a point to push comic shops and the comic shop locator for the Star Wars Celebration audience, who are more Star Wars fans than those necessarily knowledgeable in the vagaries of comics distribution.
Cebulski then asks the panel one character you haven't written yet that you would love to do.
Barnes: Jar Jar Binks. "Jar Jar, Ewok buddy comedy. I desperately wan tot tell this story.
Cantwell: TK421 or pre-Dark Forces Kyle Katarn.
Houser: Maz Kanata. She's very into scum and villainy, but has a lot of heart. And I really want to see how she fell in love with Chewbacca.
Scott: Darth Bane.
Scott: I love Mace Windu. I'd love to tackle some of the Phantom Menace era jedi when they were younger.
Soule shouts our the Veers Watch. He'd love to write Commander Veers comics.
Wong says she's like to write Fennec Shand.
NExt comes the question of Star Wars Tattoo - if you have one, or what would you get.
Wong says she'd like to get an Aphra tattoo. Soule says he'd like to get a High Republic Jedi insignia. Sacks says a Millenium Falcon.
Scott says "Jaxxon, really big."
Cantwell says he'd like to get the whole phonetic lyrics to 'Yub Nub' on his chest.
Barnes jokes he'd like to get a Jabba the Hutt.
Next question: which character from Star Wars to you most closely associate with?
Cantwell: Lobot. My wife and I have two boys - young boys. They're really early risers. My wife as the Lando watch where she can turn me on, so I can get up and do what needs to be done.
Barnes: I'm going to go with Jabba again. If I can create a world where I didn't have to move, that would be perfect.
Houser: Grogu, because I'm short.
Sacks brings up having a young connection to Wedge from watching the original trilogy. "He always knew when to leave," he jokes.
Soule says he would like to be considered a hard worker, so he says he'd like to be identified with Palpatine. "He's one dude, and he got it done."
Wong: In the universe, a Jawa. An adorable desert animal that collects trash.
Cebulski says Chewbacca, loyal, and willing to sacrifice for his friends.
Next question is about Star Wars collectibles the writers might have.
Scott says he has a lot of Ewoks stuff.
Soule: I have a few pieces that fans have made, and given to me at shows or sent to me. They're pieces that necessarily don't official memorabilia, so whenever someon goes to that effort... but those are the ones that really touch my heart.
Cantwell relates a touching sotry about a childhood friend gave him a full case of the original Empire Strikes Back action figures as he was moving out of town.
Barnes says he has a really big Jabba the Hutt on his desk.
Houser says she recently got a darksaber as a gift that she enjoys.
Wong says when first started writing Star Wars, the editoral team sent her APhra figures.
And thats it - thank you for joining us today!
And thats it - thank you for joining us today!
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