By George & Josh Bate
Arguably the most beloved character from the sequel trilogy will return in a newly announced Star Wars comic series The Legacy of Vader.
As revealed by StarWars.com, Kylo Ren will star in a brand new comic series written by Charles Soule and illustrated by Luke Ross. Debuting on February 5, 2025, the story takes place in between the events of Episode VIII: The Last Jedi and Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker.
The official plot description of the new comic is as follows:
“The story begins with a journey to Mustafar, where Ren will descend into Vader’s castle. Later issues will take Kylo to the familiar sands of Tatooine as he tries to unlock the secrets of his family’s past…Set between the events of The Last Jedi and 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.
The publisher’s summary for the first issue is as follows:
“Darth Vader’s shadow extends into the rise of the First Order!
And what face from the past will guide him on his quest?
The reign of Supreme Leader Kylo Ren begins!
Kylo’s dark obsession leads him to Mustafar!
What secrets does Fortress Vader hold for the young tyrant?”
Writer Charles Soule provided some insight into the state of mind Kylo Ren is in in the new comic. “Kylo is truly lost at this particular moment,” Soule reflected. “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. 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 Soule previously penned the comic series The Rise of Kylo Ren, which depicted the origins of how Ben Solo fell to the dark side. Previously, Soule was known for his beloved Darth Vader comic run in 2017. Soule reflected on how The Legacy of Vader is, in some ways, a combination of these two stories and how he is excited to explore a largely unexplored period in canon.
“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 said. “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.”
Check out the cover art for issue 1 by Derrick Chew below….
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