The Star Wars saga is fundamentally about two things — the battle between good versus evil and the morally complex choices made when fighting that struggle. Jedis must be careful of the Dark Side’s temptation. Rebel spies like Rogue One’s Cassian Andor have to weigh the good they do against the cost to their soul. In Marvel Comics’ recently completed War of the Bounty Hunters, writer Charles Soule and the creative team introduced a looming moral quandary to the time between Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back and Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi. The crossover asks, Is the enemy of my enemy my friend?
Soule’s crossover saw the return of the powerful criminal organization, Crimson Dawn, now headed by Han Solo’s former lover Qi’ra. The organization is now more powerful than ever, and they have no love for the Empire. The question remains: what does Qi’ra and her shadowy organization really want? Writer Charles Soule and artist Steven Cummings will begin to answer that question in more detail starting in December with the launch of the five-issue mini-series, Crimson Reign — the second chapter in Soule’s planned Crimson Dawn trilogy.
CBR spoke with Soule about Crimson Reign, his plans for Qi’ra and her allies, and what’s coming up next in Marvel’s main Star Wars comic — chronicling the adventures the Rebel Alliance embarked on between the events of The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. Included with this interview is Crimson Reign #1’s cover, created by Leinil Francis Yu, along with a sneak peek at its first six pages. Also included is an exclusive first look at the pages of Star Wars #19 with artwork by Marco Castiello and colors by Rachelle Rosenberg.
CBR: It’s clear from War of the Bounty Hunters, the Crimson Reign announcement, and this trilogy’s concluding chapter in 2022, The Hidden Empire, that you’re fascinated by the character of Qi’ra, who was introduced in the 2018’s Solo: A Star Wars Story. What made you want to bring her back into the Star Wars universe in such a major way?
Charles Soule: I think one of the keys to writing modern Star Wars (and there are lots of ways to approach it) is to find the characters who still have a lot of interesting questions to be asked and answered about them, despite forty years of storytelling. Some have more meat on the bone than others, and for some, it’s about finding the unexplored era of their lives, drilling down on one set of moments we haven’t yet seen. (That said, you need to be smart about that too — I’m not sure Luke’s life on Tatooine pre-Episode IV is something fans are clamoring for — though I could be wrong!) When you look at it through that lens, Qi’ra is an absolutely perfect character to revisit and build big stories around. She has strong connections to many signature characters from both the Prequel and Original Trilogy eras, there’s a defining on-film appearance by Emilia Clarke in Solo. Her story clearly goes to some wild places we haven’t yet seen. For me, she was an obvious choice.
War of the Bounty Hunters revealed that Qi’ra is now in command of the criminal organization she previously served as a top lieutenant in, Crimson Dawn. War of the Bounty Hunters also suggested that Crimson Dawn has become more than just a criminal organization. So, are the stories you’re telling more about secret societies and cults than they are about criminals and organized crime?
I think it’s a bit of both, really. Crimson Dawn was once run by Darth Maul, and he obviously had strong connections to the Sith. Those underpinnings still remain, in some form. But it’s also a crime organization, working to achieve goals outside the bounds of Imperial law. Crimson Reign will get into a lot of that — how it operates and why.
One of the big reveals at the end of War of the Bounty Hunters #5 was that Ren, the future leader of the Knights of Ren, is part of Crimson Dawn. What can you tell us about his role in Crimson Reign? How does it feel to return to the character?
To clarify — Ren and the Knights of Ren are not part of Crimson Dawn. They are working with Qi’ra and her people, to achieve a shared goal. Ren’s not much of a joiner.
It feels spectacular to get to expand what we know about him and the Knights, especially with his appearance on TV recently as part of the Terrifying Tales holiday special on Disney+ — as a Lego, no less! Will Sliney put a lot into him when we built him, and to see him making his way into larger storytelling is incredibly fun.
What else can you tell us about the core cast and action of Crimson Reign? Who will get some of the spotlight? What kind of trouble will they get into?
Crimson Reign has an interesting structure. It’s five issues long, and in each issue we learn more about Qi’ra’s overall plan by focusing on a specific mission she sends her teams on, with each serving as a spotlight for one group or another. So, in Crimson Reign #1, Chanath Cha and the Orphans get the spotlight. There’s one about the assassins, another about the Knights, etc. Qi’ra wants (among other things) to throw the galaxy into chaos, and these people are uniquely suited to help her do that.
What’s it like telling this story with artist Steven Cummings? What are some of the things he’s added to the story that readers might not be aware of?
I’ve known Steven’s work for a long time based on his art for the Image Comics series Wayward, written by my friend Jim Zub. I loved his work there, especially his character and monster designs, and his meticulous approach to storytelling. All of that is in full effect on Crimson Reign. I’m loving getting to work with him. He does a lot of behind the scenes work to make sure it all lands properly — among other things, he asks tons of questions to make sure he understands not just what we’re doing, but why. He’s been great, and the pages look amazing.
Is Crimson Reign a crossover in the same way as War of the Bounty Hunters was? Because it looks like some elements of the Crimson Dawn story will carry over into the Doctor Aphra and Darth Vader’s series, correct? Are there other Star Wars titles where Crimson Dawn’s presence will be felt?
War of the Bounty Hunters was a full-on crossover, with direct tie-ins. Crimson Reign (and The Hidden Empire) are more like state changes for the Star Wars galaxy — during them, Qi’ra’s activities will cause a lot of other things to happen for the various factions, but it’s not as direct as it was in War of the Bounty Hunters, where all the books were essentially telling one huge story. Qi’ra will definitely be popping up, though — she’s all over my Star Wars book with Ramon Rosanas, for example. There are Crimson Dawn elements in Darth Vader, Doctor Aphra, and Bounty Hunters.
Speaking of your Star Wars title, what are your plans now that War of the Bounty Hunters has wrapped? Which characters in your cast will step into the spotlight?
Well, right now it’s about continuing to move the characters where they need to be arc-wise for how we see them in Return of the Jedi.
For example, Luke still has a lot to learn about being a Jedi. Lando’s not quite a Rebel hero yet. Even the Alliance itself is still struggling to pull itself together after its near-destruction at the Battle of Hoth. I’m doing spotlight issues for the next few — we just got a Leia/Qi’ra issue in Star Wars #18. Issues 19-20 will focus on Luke. Issue 21 is about Shara Bey (Poe Dameron’s mother). Then 22-24 are a huge three-part arc that will wrap up a ton of threads, building to Issue 25… More on that in a minute.
Who are the artists that will bring these stories to life?
Ramon Rosanas had issue #18 out with me, which was gorgeous. Marco Castiello will take on #19-20, and then he and Ramon split #21: it’ll make perfect sense when you see it. And then Ramon will continue his truly exemplary work for #22-24. I know for a fact that drawing Star Wars comics is one of the toughest jobs in the biz — you have to get likenesses right, and then there are so many details to nail to make sure it all works properly in the galaxy far far away. I’m always in awe of what they’re able to do. These issues are as strong as anything else in the run so far.
Finally, as you said, the main thrust of your volume of Star Wars has been bridging the gap between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. So, about how far into the long-form story you’re telling in Star Wars will you be at the start of 2022? Do you still have a lot more to tell?
I’m about to write my one hundredth Star Wars comic script. It’s an unbelievable milestone for me personally, and I’m hoping to do something special in the Star Wars run to mark the occasion. Beyond that, yes, there are some very cool plans for things beyond the third part of my Qi’ra trilogy — but that’s still a way out. Always in motion, the future is!
This story — and all my Star Wars work, really, including my novel Light of the Jedi for The High Republic — has been embraced beyond my wildest dreams. It’s such a wonderful thing to get to do this work, and it wouldn’t happen without the readers. So, as always, thank you.
Written by Charles Soule and with artwork by Steven Cummings and colors by GURU-eFX, Star Wars: Crimson Reign #1 hits comic stands on Dec. 1. Written by Charles Soule with artwork by Marco Castiello and colors by Rachelle Rosenberg, Star Wars #19 arrives Dec. 9.
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