Marvel Comics has announced Star Wars: Crimson Reign, a new comic book series starring the character Qi'ra, who was famously played by Game of Thrones alum Emilia Clarke in the 2018 film Solo: A Star Wars Story.
Written by Charles Soule and illustrated by Steve Cummings, Star Wars: Crimson Reign is a five-issue limited series slated to launch this November. Spinning out of the War of the Bounty Hunters event, which first introduced Solo's Qi'ra to Marvel's Star Wars lineup, Crimson Reign promises to "reshape the history of the Star Wars Galaxy during the Age of Rebellion."
"I planned to tell the story we're seeing in War of the Bounty Hunters from the very first pitches I wrote when I knew I'd be taking over the Star Wars title for Marvel," Soule told IGN. "But it was really when I knew I had a secret weapon to deploy storywise that the seeds of Crimson Reign began to take root in my mind: Qi'ra, former paramour of Han Solo and current leader of the infamous Crimson Dawn crime syndicate, as portrayed by Emilia Clarke in Solo: A Star Wars Story film."
Soule explained that while Qi'ra "plays a huge part in War of the Bounty Hunters, that event is really a Boba Fett story. I have a bigger story I'm going to tell with Qi'ra and Crimson Dawn, and it's all connected to the reasons she kicked things off in War of the Bounty Hunters in the first place. You'll learn more about that in the closing pages of War of the Bounty Hunters #5, out in October, and I think fans have no idea how exciting and new this story will feel."
The writer went on to reveal that from the moment he first took the reigns on Star Wars, he wanted to tell new stories set between the events of The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, complete with "new characters from all eras of the galaxy far, far away." "Crimson Reign, which continues what I plan as a trilogy that began with War of the Bounty Hunters, is a great example of how I like to write Star Wars stories," Soule said. "Everything and everyone is fair game, and I think people are really going to enjoy it. Await the Reign."
Star Wars fans first met Clarke's Qi'ra in Solo's opening minutes, when she was introduced as Han Solo's (Alden Ehrenreich) romantic partner back when the two were still living on the planet Corellia. After a timeskip, during which the two were apart, Qi'ra was re-introduced as a member of the Crimson Dawn criminal organization, answering to Dryden Vos (Paul Bettany).
During the film's climax, Qi'ra kills Dryden, allowing Han to escape the crime boss' wrath. At this point, it's revealed that the true leader of Crimson Dawn is Maul, the former Sith apprentice of Darth Sidious/Emperor Palpatine. Qi'ra pins Dryden's death on Tobias Beckett (Woody Harrelson) and sets a course for Dathomir to meet up with Maul, who informs her that they'll be "working much more closely from now on."
Star Wars: Crimson Reign #1 has a main cover by Leinil Francis Yu, which features Qi'ra in the foreground while Darth Vader and Emperor Palpatine loom large in the background. Series artist Cummings also has a variant cover for the issue, which finds Qi'ra front and center, flanked by a number of familiar characters, including Vader, Luke Skywalker, Leia Organa and even Marvel's own Doctor Aphra. Finally, the issue features a connecting variant by Ario Anindito.
Written by Charles Soule and illustrated by Steve Cummings, Star Wars: Crimson Reign #1 goes on sale this November from Marvel Comics.
Source: IGN