The Star Wars tie-in comics finally matter to the Skywalker Saga. Disney purchased Lucasfilm back in 2012, and comic book readers immediately assumed the comic rights would soon go to Marvel Comics. They were right; in January 2015, Marvel launched an ongoing Star Wars book, and from that point on there's been a steady stream of Star Wars content.
Marvel has given the various Star Wars books to some of their best writers and artists, including the likes of Jason Aaron and Charles Soule, but the publishing strategy has always seemed to be relatively flawed. The core problem is that, for all Lucasfilm is committed to a transmedia approach, they seem fairly disinterested in the comics. As a result, the most important tie-in to date (Shattered Empire) was really about Poe Dameron's parents settling down to have a kid shortly after Return of the Jedi. Lucasfilm's most impressive transmedia operation was before the release of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, but the tie-in comics for that were cancelled at short notice for reasons that still aren't clear. As good as the comics may have been, they've largely seemed irrelevant to the Skywalker Saga.
Until now. Lucasfilm is allowing the comics to tell what is surely one of the most important stories of all; the tale of just how Kylo Ren fell to the dark side. Written by Charles Soule (Darth Vader) and with art by Will Sliney (Spider-Man 2099), Star Wars: Rise of Kylo Ren will finally reveal Ben Solo's true story. Previews for the first issue suggest that the main plot will run from shortly after Ben razed the Jedi school to the ground, with three survivors swearing to avenge their fallen Jedi Master Luke Skywalker. The solicit for Kylo Ren #2 confirms that this comic will explain just how Ben wound up going to Supreme Leader Snoke. "With the new Jedi school in ruins and fellow students hot on his trail for the murder of their master," it announces, "Ben Solo flees to the only friend he has left in the galaxy … a man named Snoke."
This is the first time such a major character arc has been told in the comics; previously this kind of content had been relegated for tie-in novels, like James Luceno's excellent Catalyst. Even more significantly, the first issue releases on December 18, right before the theatrical release of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. There's clearly a close synergy between the comic book miniseries and the movie.
Lucasfilm is known to have conducted something of a course-correction after the controversial Star Wars: The Last Jedi and the box office disaster that was Solo: A Star Wars Story. It looks as though part of that was finally deciding to make the comics matter, and that bodes well for the future. Marvel Comics is actually relaunching their entire Star Wars line over the next couple of months, and it looks as though there's a reason; they have a new, deeper relationship with Lucasfilm than ever before, and they aim to capitalize upon it. From this point on, the comics may be essential reading for Star Wars fans.
