Now the sole leader of the notorious gangster group Crimson Dawn and free from the shackles that held her down, Qi’ra sets off on a quest of power for her and her gang that’s sure to upset the existing order of the underworld and stretch all the way to the Emperor. But once she starts making moves among the shadows in the galaxy, she realizes that her quest will not be easy, as the shadows begin to push back.
Writer Charles Soule & artist Steven Cummings begin to chart a new and intriguing path for Qi’ra in the well written, finely drawn Crimson Reign #1.
As a Star Wars fan it’s important to learn the art of embracing the good and the bad. We love Empire Strikes Back, we tolerate Attack of the Clones. We want to protect Grogu with every fiber of your being, we’ve learned over time that Jar Jar is not that bad. Much like with the sides of The Force, it’s a balancing act. What makes it harder is a movie like Solo: A Star Wars Story because the good and bad things in Solo make for what to me is the definition of a mixed movie. A definite good, and frankly underrated aspect of the movie is the concept of Crimson Dawn. Qi’ra was left at the end of Solo with promising things laid out in front of her. Whether we see her future play out on screen remains to be seen but when she made her surprise return to canon in War Of The Bounty Hunters #1 I, like many other hopeful fans, couldn’t contain my excitement. You embrace the good and the bad as a Star Wars fan but what really fuels our fire is the prospect of what’s to come next, the potential of it all. Qi’ra is a character full of potential and the creators of this miniseries know it.
THE WORDS OF THE WHILLS (The Writing)
Charles Soule continues to cement his place as an A-list writer of Star Wars literature. Spinning off the pages of War Of The Bounty Hunters (which he wrote) this miniseries shows Qi’ra in a whole new light. The shackles of the love/power triangle that she was in in Solo are now well in the rear view. There’s plenty of fortune to be made during this tumultuous time in the galaxy and it’s a welcome change to see Qi’ra being proactive about her gangster ambitions.
Soule follows the steps of a classic bringing-the-team-together comic as Qi’ra at the beginning of the book but flicks off the dominos quickly and the story is on the run. I’m pumped for what’s to come next.
THE ART-OOO
Even though Marvel’s Star Wars comics have been printing for a few years now their quality continues to be in the upper echelon of titles on the spinner rack. That’s in no small part due to artists like Steven Cummings who are selected to draw Star Wars comics. Cummings’ resume includes several titles from Marvel and DC comics and quite a few manga titles. His manga roots are seen in flashes in the issue especially during the action scenes, and that’s not a bad thing. It’s actually very much in the spirit of Star Wars whose cinematic canon is inspired by Japanese movies. Maybe it’s my newfound love for all things Star Wars and Japanese animation fusion thanks to Star Wars: Visions but if anything I hope Cummings digs into those roots even more in future issues. This is his first foray into Star Wars comics and I love what I see.
A small piece of trivia: Steven Cummings also drew a Star Trek comic way back in ‘08 so this makes him one of a very small pool of creators who has walked both the Trek and Wars worlds
Crimson Reign #1 (2021)
Writer: Charles Soule
Artist: Steven Cummings
Final Rating: 8/10
