Star Wars: Crimson Reign #1
AFTER THE DAWN… COMES THE REIGN!
The story that began with WAR OF THE BOUNTY HUNTERS continues here, in the second installment of a trilogy that will reshape the history of the Star Wars Galaxy during the Age of Rebellion.
Featuring the return of beloved characters, shocking twists, epic feats of the Force and a story that will reach from Star Wars’ darkest underworld all the way to the Imperial Palace on Coruscant, Crimson Reign is a Star Wars saga like no other!
Writer: Charles Soule
Artist: Steven Cummings
Letterer: Travis Lanham
Colorist: Guru-eFX
Cover artist: Leinil Francis Yu
Editor: Mark Paniccia
Publication date: December 8, 2021
Coming hot on the heels of the hugely successful War of the Bounty Hunters, a series with great relevance given the current adventures of Boba Fett on Disney Plus in The Book of Boba Fett, Crimson Reign certainly has a lot to live up to. The second in a trilogy of stories from Charles Soule, this shifts the focus from the galaxy’s greatest bounty hunter to the woman who’s appearance in the aforementioned series got everyone talking, Qi’ra. Never let it be said she lacks ambition; whatever forged her into the lethal weapon she is at this time is unknown – a tale that hopefully we’ll see told one day – but as readers we can only thank the Force that Qi’ra is who she is, as her bold and decisive moves make for very interesting reading.
We open with a hologram, activated to reveal an unsettling character known as the Archivist explaining the rise of Qi’ra, from Scrumrat to ganglord, and how she took the motley crew of Crimson Dawn and gave them a purpose. Flash forward to the present and Qi’ra stands before a throng of underworld characters including the Knights of Ren, Ochi of Bestoon and Deathstick. She explains to them the state of the galaxy, as she sees it. How it was forged and ruled by the Sith, and how the only truly free person in the galaxy is Emperor Palpatine himself. Her belief – for the galaxy to live, Palpatine must die.
Wisely, she makes it known that she doesn’t trust any of her associates, and they should not trust her, but they do all share a goal of freeing the galaxy of the Sith, and so the plan begins. Qi’ra travels to visit the Falleen Lord Gyuti of Black Sun, making him an enticing offer. Crimson Dawn will remain small, lean and availabel for the right price to whoever wants to use their services. No favour for any one organisation, only the promise of discretion and excellence. She tells Gyuti now the Hutt council is no more, the Empire is looking for a new, primary associate to deal with in the underworld, and asks that he relay that to Prince Xizor.
Meanwhile, over Dantooine, the duplicitousness of Crimson Dawn is already at play as they covertly destroy a Black Sun processing lab, and as that information gets back to Lord Gyuti we see the Orphans – agents of Crimson Dawn – destabilise other underworld concerns seeding mistrust and pitting them against each other. The Knights of Ren are set to take Vader’s Castle, while Ochi of Bestoon waits, his eyes plucked from his head. We end with a hologram of Qi’ra as the Archivist informs us that this tale is about the fall of Crimson Dawn – this is a tragedy.
As first issues go, this one is a real winner, setting up the stakes and the players while remaining fresh and distinct from the story that went before. We know Qi’ra is lethal, but here she’s in master manipulator mode, moving the pawns around the board and lining them up until they are ready to make their move. Destablising Black Sun is a smart move, as is pitting the gangs against each other, and as Palpatine hears of this destabilising shift in the underworld is is less than impressed.
Qi’ra knows exactly what she’s doing, as does writer Charles Soule who is as secure a pair of hands as you can get in the GFFA today. Steven Cummings lays out an attractive issue, ably coloured by Guru-eFX and wrapped in a cover by superstart artist Leinil Francis Yu. It’s a strong start, one that sets out the stall; now to knock down this coconut shy of a galactic underworld one by one.
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