Star Wars (2020-2024) #50

Star Wars (2020) (Single Issues)

by Charles Soule, Madibek Musabekov (artist), Leinil Francis Yu (cover_art)

GIANT-SIZED STAR WARS EPIC! A fifty-page extravaganza! JEDI MASTER LUKE SKYWALKER must teach his student BEN SOLO a powerful lesson about the true balance between LIGHT and DARK. He offers up a tale from the days of the REBEL ALLIANCE that touches on ALL ERAS OF STAR WARS HISTORY, and brings this epic run to a thrilling, incredible conclusion!

Genres: Star Wars, Comics, Graphic Novels Comics, Adventure

Kindle Edition

Published September 11, 2024

About the author

Charles Soule is a #1 New York Times-bestselling novelist, comics author, screenwriter, musician, and lapsed attorney. He has written some of the most prominent stories of the last decade for Marvel, DC and Lucasfilm in addition to his own work, such as his comics Curse Words, Letter 44 and Undiscovered Country, and his original novels Light of the Jedi, The Endless Vessel, The Oracle Year and Anyone. He lives in New York.

Reviews

[Saimi Korhonen · Rating 4 out of 5]

"How did all of that happen in just a year?” – ”It was a time of great change. The gaalxy seemed to know it was about to shift into a new shape. People did things they otherwise might not have. Even the Force seemed to be shaking with anticipation.”

4,5/5!

Years after the events of Return of the Jedi, Luke takes his nephew Ben Solo on a walk and tells him a story about an adventure he went on with Leia, Lando, Chewie and the droids.

This issue was a wild ride and a great way to end this comic series. I loved how Soule was able to bring together all the different major eras of the SW timeline – the ages of the Republic, Rebellion and Resistance, as well as the High Republic – to tell one cohesive story with a central message that encapsulates one of the major themes of Star Wars – Luke even spells it out to Ben, who is still young enough by the time he is hearing this tale to fully understand what Luke tried to tell him with it: ”Don’t become evil to defeat evil.” If that's not one of the key points of SW, I don't know what is. As a fan of all these different time periods, I was so happy to see them all represented and honoured. I also like how this issue kind of felt like a fable or a fairytale - you know, a story with a moral at its heart that might not be 100% true. But even if all the events in the comic didn't happen, it's still a valuable story and something we can learn from. I kinda have no problem seeing it as the truth, cause weirder things have happened in the SW universe, but I liked that little wink at the end - was it true, was it not, or just some parts?

Luke is my favorite character in Star Wars. He is my precious boy. I loved seeing him as a teacher in this comic as well as the young Jedi he became during Soule's comic. I also loved how Soule depicted his compassion and hopeful nature – we got that moment of him talking about how he didn't have a reason to believe his father could be saved but he chose to believe it anyway, and of him talking about how everyone can fight in their own way and how everyone, even people you might not think much about, has something to give to the world and the fight for the light. As he puts it, it's not about strength or power but about choosing to to fight: ”It’s about the decision, the choice to say ’Enough is enough, the darkness must end. I will do whatever is within my power to bring the light’." I am a rebel girlie and a softie, so all of that just made me a bit emotional. Cause fuck yeah, everyone can fight, everyone is needed and everyone can choose to do good - that's what SW is all about!

Lastly, as a huge THR geek, I just have to scream about Azlin Rell! I cannot believe he appeared! I am so happy cause he is one of the strangest and most compelling characters of the whole initiative. I was over the moon when Elzar Mann appeared back in the day in this series. I didn't believe we would go back to that planet. So cool. Thank you Charles Soule!!!!

This series has had its ups and downs but I still respect the hell out of Charles Soule as a writer. He has such cool and wild ideas and even though some of them do not always work for me, I applaud him for always trying new things. He clearly understands these characters well and he has given them new depths for which I am grateful. I am especially thankful for the love and care he put into Lando and Lobot - those two mean so much more to me now, after reading this series. Thank you, Mr Soule!

[Myles Gerber · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely fantastic conclusion to this series. Soule is a master at crafting incredible Star Wars stories and it is clear that his love for the series is immeasurable. This issue is one of those rare cases of being a complete story all on its own and the premise is fantastic. I will not say much but the idea of incorporating Azlin Rell and Ben Solo was amazing and rather than being meagre cameos they actually fit into the story quite nicely while also bringing in a sense of cohesion with this series and the wider universe 🌌. Incredible ending. I could not have been happier.

[Steven Shinder · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a finale issue, this really went hard. It felt like it's own standalone story in some ways. It's framed as Luke telling Ben Solo the story as a lesson. It's funny how Ben mentions how surprised he is that so many things happened within the one year between Episodes V and VI, as that's something readers have voiced opinions on. I also like how Lando treats Artoo like a person at this point. Wondering if his mention of how he's good at improvising might be a tongue in cheek reference to the production of Solo. I also like how pragmatic he is in the debate of whether to let the device that might go after Palpatine do its work. Chewie even gets to take action, explaining what his people have suffered, with Threepio translating for him. This was such a great way to cap off this era, and I'm looking forward to Jakku and beyond.

[Norrin Shearer · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great end to a wonderful journey. Charles Soule just gets Star Wars and this issue displayed that perfectly. A great conclusion to the story and I can’t wait to see what’s next!

[David Dalton · Rating 3 out of 5]

A kind of weak ending for me. Not crazy about the last 3 Star War movies. Where will this series go next?

[Jason · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25

[Andy Hickman · Rating 4 out of 5]

* see my review of Star Wars (2020) Volume 9, The Path of Light, Soule.

#50 - The Path of Hope - "I'll eat a mushroom stew, sure.." - Lando. "Everyone is strong in their own way."