In order to let the past die, Kylo Ren has to confront it. Witness the journey he took between The Last Jedi and The Rise of Skywalker in Star Wars: The Legacy of Vader, a new ongoing comic book series launching in February. Announced earlier today at StarWars.com, the series will be delivered by two of the galaxy far, far away’s most acclaimed storytellers—New York Times best-selling author Charles Soule, who penned Vader’s rise to power in his 2017 Darth Vader run, and artist Luke Ross, known for his work on Star Wars titles like Jango Fett, War of the Bounty Hunters, and Thrawn.
After slaying his master, Supreme Leader Snoke, Kylo Ren is now the leader of the First Order, but recent events including his murder of his father, defeat at the hands of Luke Skywalker, and a surprising connection with the mysterious Rey force him to reckon with what it truly means to be Vader’s heir. As he pursues his dark mission to bring order to the galaxy, Kylo’s madness takes him down a deadly path to discover the truth about his grandfather’s life. From Mustafar to Tattooine, these are the thrilling adventures that enabled Kylo to confront his inner turmoil and meet his destiny!
DARTH VADER’S SHADOW EXTENDS INTO THE RISE OF THE FIRST ORDER! Kylo’s dark obsession leads him to Mustafar. What secrets does Fortress Vader hold for the young tyrant? And what face from the past will guide him on his quest?
Soule, who first teased the series at New York Comic-Con 2024, is excited to return to the Knight of Ren for a story that bookends his previous miniseries, which explored Ben Solo’s fall to the dark side. “When fans talk to me about my Star Wars work, two of my Marvel comic runs come up more than almost anything else: my 2017 run on Darth Vader with Giuseppe Camuncoli and my 2019 series The Rise of Kylo Ren with Will Sliney,” Soule told StarWars.com. “I think both of those worked so well in part because they were set in parts of the Star Wars timeline full of unanswered questions about characters the audience really loves. This new series is not just a combination of those two books, but also a chance to explore an extremely rich section of the timeline that’s almost entirely open: Kylo Ren’s time as Supreme Leader of the First Order between Episode VIII and Episode IX. It’s one of the coolest series I’ve ever worked on, and I am very thrilled that I get to keep following my own path through the Star Wars galaxy with an amazing book like this.”
Set between the events of Star Wars: The Last Jedi and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, Legacy of Vader revisits Kylo’s enduring connection to his maternal grandfather, the Empire’s enforcer Darth Vader, and further explores how the events of Vader’s past guide Kylo’s choices as he leads the First Order.
“Kylo is truly lost at this particular moment. In a very short span of time, he’s faced two of his most significant mentors in combat (one of whom is his uncle), killed his own father, almost killed his mother, stolen control of a galaxy-level military that he has no idea how he’ll use, and of course, found a deep connection with another Force-user named Rey,” Soule continues. “All of that is swirling around in his emotional matrix, making him deeply unstable, angry, frustrated… dangerous. He’s looking for any form of guidance he can get — even if he won’t admit it — and so he turns to just about the only thing he’s got left, the legacy of his grandfather, the Sith Lord Darth Vader.”
“Charles has wanted to tell these stories for a while and we finally have the perfect opportunity,” Editor Mark Paniccia shared. “You’ll be shocked at the revelations he has in store…things you never thought you’d see from Kylo’s AND Vader’s past.
“And Luke Ross has taken his visual storytelling to a new level. The page designs are incredible and flow hand-in-hand with Kylo’s dark and tortured story.”
Check out the main cover by artist Derrick Chew, a variant cover by Annie Wu, and preorder Star Wars: The Legacy of Vader #1 at your local comic shop today. For an exclusive sneak peek and to hear more from writer Charles Soule, visit StarWars.com. For more information, visit Marvel.com.
STAR WARS: THE LEGACY OF VADER #1
Written by CHARLES SOULE
Art by LUKE ROSS
Cover by DERRICK CHEW
Variant Cover by ANNIE WU
Variants by E.M. Gist, Karen S. Darboe, Ramon Rosanas, and John Giang
On Sale 2/5
Images via Marvel
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