Star Wars, Vol. 4: Crimson Reign

Star Wars (2020)

by Charles Soule, Marco Castiello (Illustrator)

Luke Skywalker's quest for answers takes a dangerous turn! As the Rebellion tries to pull itself together for a last-ditch effort to defeat the evil Galactic Empire, Luke realizes it's time to take the next step on the path to becoming a Jedi. But the Jedi order is gone, so where can Luke turn to find the legacy he so desperately needs? The voice of Master Yoda will be a key piece of instruction in his journey, but Yoda will not teach the lesson Luke must learn. And this lesson will take - and give - more than the young Skywalker could ever have imagined! Plus: After a mission gone wrong, ace Rebel pilot Shara Bey - mother of Poe Dameron - was left stranded on a Star Destroyer. And now her time is running out! Collecting STAR WARS (2020) #19-23.

Genres: Star Wars, Comics, Graphic Novels, Marvel, Science Fiction, Fiction, Fantasy

160 pages, Paperback

First published September 13, 2022

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

[Khurram · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. I am really enjoying this period of Star Wars. Set in the year between Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. I also love the continuity with the Crimson Dawn and a nod to the High Repunlic era.

I really like Leia, but I have always felt Luke not had the same shine put on him apart from a couple of moments. Issues 19 and 20 have Luke once again on the path of becoming a Jedi. I am looking forward to seeing how Luke gets a green Lightsaber by Return of the Jedi.

Issues 20 - 24 is the long-awaited showdown between the Rebellion and Commander Ellian Zahra. What part will Crimson Dawn play? Watch where these books crossover.

Issue 25 is a special issue containing 4 mini stories. Staring Anakin and Obi Wan, Darth Vader, Kylo Ren, and Poe delivers a Eulogy of a character who was born and brought up in the Disney books and comics but killed off without a moments thought in the Rise of Skywalker. The book finishes with a thumbnail varient cover gallery.

[Oscar · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a way for Commander Zahra to go out! 3.75 🌟

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

More a continuation of Luke and Leia's stories from the preceding volume than a true tie-in to Crimson Reign but definitely an enjoyable one in which Soule deftly links the events and people showcased between the events of The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi to both the High Republic and the Sequels Trilogy era.


Ruthless Imperial Commander Zahra is an engaging antagonist for Leia and her "offscreen" death means she is all-too likely to appear again in one of Soule's SW comics methinks

[Anna Quilter · Rating 3 out of 5]

The main thrust here is the motivation for the Battle of Panisia.
Rebel Shara Bey is trapped and just about surviving aboard the Imperial Destroyer Tarkin's Will.
That's the ship of bloodthirsty Ellian Zahra.
So against Rebel orders Kes-Shara's husband leads the Starlight Squadron to attempt a rescue.

[Dakota Morgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

These Crimson Reign tie-ins are surprisingly superb, mostly because they entirely ignore what's going on in the Crimson Reign mini-series. In this fourth volume of Charles Soule's run, we see Luke exploring Jedi history and Leia clashing with (vile!) Commander Zahra. It's stellar!

The Luke-focused issues are fascinating, mostly because they reveal more Jedi pre-history than has previously been allowed in nu Star Wars lore. Specifically, Luke goes to a living plant world where his subconscious is sunk into the depths alongside a long-dead Jedi - who proceeds to give Luke the rundown on what's come before! It's also a nice lesson for Luke about light and dark and whether he even needs to be a Jedi at all. This is smart, compelling stuff that strays from the hard-and-fast light side GOOD dark side BAD concept that a lot of Star Wars falls prey to.

The other issues are just as excellent, largely because of their compelling action and surprising pathos. Soule expertly crafts a mousetrap of events that lead to a huge confrontation between the Rebellion and Commander Zahra. Zahra really gives Thrawn a run for his money in the clever (brutal) way she engages the entire Rebel fleet - and nearly wins. And, of course, she's "killed" off screen. Mixed in, we get much more depth to Shara and Kes's relationship - they finally feel like real humans, not just scenery!

I suppose Qi'ra does kick off the above events, so in that regard, the tie-in was extremely worthwhile. As a standalone Star Wars volume, Crimson Reign is easily one of the best.

[Benji Glaab · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5🌟going to round up because I enjoyed the 25th and think it was a class act on Charles Soule's part to pull all the great creators he's worked with over the past nearly a decade on Star Wars titles.

[emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

star wars 20 is a work of art i love u elzar mann i love u high republic (also shara slayed in the rest of the issues)

[Adam Fisher · Rating 4 out of 5]

As always, the main title of Star Wars is where the best stories are at. (With the exception of huge story standalone books). This one is a Crimson Reign tie-in but barely focuses or Qi'ra or the Crimson Dawn at all. But I do love the connections to the newer post-VII stuff, as well as the (currently publishing) High Republic materials. Brings everything in together nicely.
Highlights/summaries:
- Luke leaves the Rebellion for a little while to pursue his jedi training, feeling like if he doesn't develop that side of him, he won't be able to help as much. (There is a scene of him failing to do a Jedi Mind Trick that is kind of funny) Exploring known Jedi sites in the galaxy, he comes across a Jedi holocron with some of Yoda's lessons in it (why doesn't he mention this in RoTJ?). This leads him to the "Living Sea of Gazian", where sinking into the loose rocks has him meeting High Republic Jedi Elzar Mann, a Force impression of him. (We last saw him trying to help after the fall of Starlight Beacon, but still alive.) Master Elzar teaches Luke to not lose hope despite the current darkness of the universe. The Jedi will still be able to speak to him and give him guidance. He also indicates that there are many Jedi "impressions" on Gazian who can help. Luke comes out of the rocks with what appears to be an ancient Jedi text. (Now I just have High Republic questions!)
- Two other stories blend together: the rescue of Shara Bey and the fight and defeat of Commander Zahra. Shara Bey (mother of Poe Dameron) is undercover and stranded onboard ISD Tarkin's Will, the flagship run by Commander Zahra. She is funneling info to the Rebellion, but is caught and captured. Kes Dameron, her husband, leader of Starlight Squadron, showing to be much like his son will be, takes the Squad against the wishes of Leia and goes to rescue her. Not wanting to lose their best pilots and seizing a great opportunity, Leia takes the whole Rebel Fleet in pursuit. Shara is rescued, and the ISD is destroyed and crashed on the planet of Panisia. Going to the planet to fight one on one, Leia fights Zahra, but defeats and traps her there after some help from Chewie and others.
- Issue #25 is included and has 4 short stories: Anakin and Obi-Wan lightsaber training, Vader losing a lightsaber fight to Palpatine, Kylo Ren's frustration about his loss to Luke on Crait, and Black Squadron mourns the loss of Snap Wexley after the Battle of Exegol (which I think is the first time we have seen any content post Episode IX!)

Overall, a very good Volume. Looking forward to seeing what else the crossover Volumes for Crimson Reign have, as well as what is next with Hidden Empire.
Recommend.

[Ahdom · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the main line. Soule always seems to get it right. It is so great to fill in the gaps in canon during this time period. It's exciting to get closer to the events of Return of the Jedi and uncovering the power plays going on throughout the galaxy as we get closer to familiar events. I am looking forward to seeing how the Crimson Reign ends in the other lines, as well as seeing what comes next!

[Matthew Ward · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars. Zahra is such a fascinating character. The chess match between the Rebels and the Empire is one that should get old over time, but with Charles Soule writing this series, it still feels as fresh and exciting as ever.

[Omni Theus · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 out of 5 stars

[ambyr · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some really good Luke stuff in this one (although its tie to the Crimson Reign crossover is tangential at best). And the Leia & Qi'ra meet-up was great. My favorite bit, though, was Obi-Wan lecturing Anakin about why he couldn't have a kyber-powered blaster in the flashback at the end. No wonder meeting Ezra twenty years later annoyed you so much, Vader.

[Steven P Engel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn’t enjoy this one as much as the previous three, but it was still a lot of fun.

[Mateusz Surowiec · Rating 4 out of 5]

Leia is a goat

[Cale · Rating 3 out of 5]

Don't be misled by the crossover in the title - this only has a glancing relationship to the Crimson Reign series. Instead the focus is on two shorter stories - Luke tracking down Jedi locales and having conversations with someone whom I'm assuming is a High Republic character is okay if not particularly action packed. The second story, about the rescue of Shara Bey, is the real meat of the story and has lots of action, intrigue, and a villain that actually does some truly villainous things. While the resolution feels a little cheap, overall it's a well told story that does a lot with its pages and is the better portion of the collection.

[Shaun Stanley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Star Wars Vol. 4 Crimson Reign collects issues 19-25 of the Marvel Comics series written by Charles Soule with art by Ramon Rosanas, Marco Castillo, and Madibek Musabekov.

Luke Skywalker goes on spiritual quest to learn more about the Jedi and hopefully find Jedi artifacts to continue his learnings. Meanwhile Rebel pilot Shara Bey is stranded on Commander Ellian Zahra’s Star Destroyer Tarkin’s Will. Her husband, Kes Dameron, and General Leia Organa will launch a rescue mission with the aid of Crimson Dawn intelligence.

As with most of the other Star Wars ongoing series , this was a very light tie in to Crimson Reign. This is by the best entry out of all the tie in books. There are a bunch of different stories told here, but they do not feel rushed, pointless, or disjointed. From a manufacturing standpoint, it finally feels like the books are being printed on thicker pages with better covers. The books feel so much flimsy than they have in the past.

[Tyler Jenkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

See “Crimson Reign” review for in depth thoughts.

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

Surviving on a Star Destroyer. Some daring moves for a starship. The reasons why light sabers are used by the light and the dark.

[Max · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Nova · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 STARS FOR ELZAR MANN

[Chris Lemmerman · Rating 4 out of 5]

As Crimson Dawn make their play for galactic dominance, the Rebellion licks its latest wounds. Starlight Squadron deal with a loss as Commander Zahra closes in, and Luke attempts to learn some Jedi secrets even as the galaxy burns.

This volume of Star Wars is billed as Crimson Reign, but like the main "event" mini-series, it doesn't really worry too much about a status quo and instead carries on the threads that Charles Soule has already set up for himself. Starlight Squadron and Commander Zahra have been around for a while now, and their little plotlines come to a head quite nicely, involving a few unexpected set-ups like the fate of Kes Dameron, and a nail-biting resolution to boot.

Also included is the anniversary issue 25, which looks back on all of the books that Charles Soule has written for Star Wars, not just this main title, with four or five short stories with different characters that all manage to say something even with their reduced page count.

Marco Castiello pencils the first half of this volume ably enough, before Ramon Rosanas returns for the latter half. I'll never be the biggest Rosanas fan, but he does well here as always. The anniversary issue features art from lots of Soule's previous collaborators, including Phil Noto, Will Sliney, and Giuseppe Camuncoli, plus Rosanas again for good measure.

Crimson Reign may be in the title, but you'd be remiss to think this is just some dodgy event tie-in. Star Wars continues apace, and with Soule at the helm, it's always heading in the right direction.

[Wojtek Breitenbach · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jak na razie najlepszy tom serii Star Wars. Warto to kupić i przeczytać, zwłaszcza dla dwóch ostatnich zeszytów

[Ian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book 4 of the second run of Marvel's main Star Wars comics (not to be confused with the 'Crimson Reign' core crossover, also by Soule - Marvel really need to get better at naming their series/trade paperbacks).
Luke sets off on a pilgrimage to learn more about the ways of the Jedi, whilst Leia and the Rebel fleet are left to confront the Star Destroyer Tarkin's Will and its ruthless commander Ellian Zahra.
Also included are four short tales which serve as a celebration of Charles Soule's 100th Star Wars comic.

Unlike 'War of the Bounty Hunters', I actually quite liked the main crossover story of 'Crimson Reign' but one of the worst things about the former of those two stories was how badly the tie-in stories fitted around it, feeling arbitrarily plonked into the main narrative. Here it's sort of the opposite, with this book barely being a tie-in to the crossover at all. I rather prefer that, but it does make the title of this book all the more irritating as a result.

To begin with I was really enjoying reading Luke's quest to try and find out more about how to be a Jedi but then it ran into two major problems for me.
The first one is that Luke encounters a spiritual echo of a Jedi from the High Republic and it's such a painfully blatant, and frankly nonsensical, attempt to give additional credibility to the High Republic publishing line by linking it to the classic era that it immediately becomes cringeworthy.
The other problem is that Luke jumps around the galaxy desperately trying to seek out ways of getting more Jedi training, leaving the massive plot-hole of why he didn't just return to Yoda. We know from 'Return of the Jedi' that he doesn't until then, but it's always been hinted that he was just too busy searching for Han and fighting for the Rebellion to return to his training. Here, however, he specifically takes time out to get some more Jedi training but never once considers just going back to the Jedi Master whose location he already knows.

The second half of the book focuses on the Rebel fleet and their ongoing battle against Commander Zahra. It's pretty good overall and, between torturing Shara Bey and immolating the entire population of a Rebel camp, Zahra is a fittingly nasty villain.

Finally, there's Soule's victory lap of his Star Wars back-catalogue to celebrate his 100th comic in the Galaxy Far, Far Away. The stories are short, largely pointless, painfully self-indulgent and don't really add anything to the Star Wars mythos.

* More reviews here: https://fsfh-book-review2.webnode.page *

[Subham · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good one and has multiple stories and maybe some of the moost exciting stuff Soule has written!

So the first set of issues is Luke learning the path of the Jedi again and I like how he goes to some planet and encounters a person who leads him to one of the holocrons of Yoda and this connects to the DV run Soule did where Vader fought the jedi on "barash vow" and took his saber and I loved seeing the connections!

And then the story of him going to the planet "Gazian" and encountering "Elzar Mann" and this connects to the high republic and for people reading it all, this is a great pay off and connects it all so well together granted that Soule is the only guy atm to have written across all eras, but still its fun to see how he connects it all together but Luke learns imp. things to do and this continues his Jedi journey and that had me excited!

The other big story is Leia and the rebels vs Commander Zahra and the crew of Tarkins will, and meanwhile Starlight Squadron is on their way to rescue Shara bey and this story is excellent, its been building for so many issues now and you can feel the tension and it won't be easy even f the rebels have the cards basically and the fights and sacrifices are just epic here, and its one of those well done stories that really Test Leia and her resolve and like who she is, because it calls on her character and questions her morals and this is a great character examination done by the writer and the whole story is so awesome! Also props to Soule for making Shara-bey so awesome!

In all this volume has so much going on and connects to the events of CR slightly but continues telling the story its been telling for a lot of issues now and pays it off in multiple angles and is one of the most exciting SW stuff out atm!

[CzasoStrefa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Walka między Imperium a Rebelią nadal trwa. Młody Skywalker szuka odpowiedzi, a generał Organa wyrównuje dawne porachunki.
Niedawno powitaliśmy nowy crossover ze świata Gwiezdnych Wojen, nazywany Szkarłatnymi rządami. Z przyjemnością zabrałam się za jego drugi tom. Jest to zarazem czwarta część historii opowiadającej o poczynaniach Sojuszu Rebeliantów.
Jaki udział będzie miała Qi’ra?
Po wydarzeniach z Wojny Łowców Nagród i wybuchu walki między syndykatami, w Galaktyce zaczyna panować chaos.
Luke Skywalker, czuje się coraz bardziej zagubiony na drodze do bycia Jedi. Trudno się o nich uczyć, skoro wszyscy nie żyją, a Imperium zadbało o to, by wiedza o wielkich rycerzach została pogrzebana wraz z nimi. Chłopak jednak nie poddaje się tak łatwo. Odnajduje interesującą planetę, na której poznaje Elzara Manna. Mistrza Jedi z czasów… Wielkiej Republiki. Jak to możliwe?
Czasem odnosiłam wrażenie, że główna antagonistka, czyli Ellian Zahra, jest albo głupia, albo przesadnie pewna siebie.
W komiksie pojawiło się za mało Luke’a. Stanowczo za mało. Leia na szczęście jakoś to rekompensuje. Warto wspomnieć, że większość akcji skupia się na działaniach wojennych ogółu. Niestety mamy tutaj typowy motyw „bohaterowie walczą w słusznej sprawie, a przeciwnicy są źli dla zasady”. Za mało było również Szkarłatnego Świtu.
Kreski artystów jak zwykle są imponujące. Nie mam żadnych uwag.
Przyznam, iż czuję delikatny niedosyt. Spodziewałam się więcej Qi’ry i Świtu, a także Skywalkera. Dostajemy w sumie dużą ilość walki w przestrzeni kosmicznej. Została ona jednak dobrze poprowadzona i interesująco napisana. Uważam, że warto sięgnąć po Star Wars: Szkarłatne Rządy. Dowiecie się z tego więcej o Rebelii i co nieco o Szkarłatnym Świcie.

Więcej na: CzasoStrefa

[Teresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

3-4 ABY

This graphic novel is the fourth volume in the 202 main series run for Star Wars conaining issues #19-25, number 25 of which is a special compilation of shorts. Issues 19 "Dangerous Turn" and 20 "Dangerous Lessons" feature Luke temporarily leaving the Rebel Alliance to go on his own venture. He seeks Jedi artifacts from locations of which R2 was able to sieze for him, though most of the places are already gone or under heavy imperial control. When he does find something, it leads him to a place he isn't expecting and may find some knowledge that could be quite intriguing. Issues 21-24 are all about Leia and Commander Zahra, who has taken control of the Imperial Star Destroyer, Tarkin's Will. Leia's bitterness runs deep, and when Qi'ra makes an offer Leia can't refuse, she will do anything in her power to bring down Zahra.

I love the artwork, as usual, and the story was fully intriguing. I like where Luke is going out on his own to find knowledge, but I can also see some possible reprecussions to his knowledge-seeking when he might not be ready. Leia's conflict, along with Shara being captive on the Tarkin's Will, and the villlainous Zahra make for a great story as the Rebel Allians fights for another day.

[David · Rating 2 out of 5]

So, confession time first.

I picked this up recently, started reading it, got myself a bit lost and then found out I had missed a series in-between (collected in Star Wars: War of the Bounty Hunters).

Back I went, picked that up, and put his on hold to read that entry.

This now makes a bit more sense!

It also follows on more from the previous collection, with this being a compilation of issues 20-25 of the main-line Star Wars series, and with this bringing to a close the story of Imperial Commander Commander Ellian Zahra.

There's also an attempt to 'bring-in' characters from other Star Wars media spin-offs: most noticeably, Qi'Ra from the film 'Solo' but also Poe Dameron's parents. Final issue in the collection (issue #25) has nothing to do with the main-line characters (Luke, Leia, Han, etc) but is instead a compilation of 4 mini-stories starring (1) Obi-Wan and Anakin, pre RotS (2)Darth Vader (3)Kylo Ren and (4) Poe Dameron.

[Tom · Rating 3 out of 5]

After taking a 6+ month diversion for War of the Bounty Hunters, we finally get back to Shara who has been quietly trapped behind enemy lines this whole time. I guess this is the downside of juggling all these plot threads. Honestly, when this came back up, I only vaguely remembered how this had happened in the first place. As a particular fan of last-man-on-earth stories, this scratched that itch, so I would have liked to have seen that story expanded.

Other notes: I really liked the living sea. Just the concept in general of a field of mushrooms (some of the largest organisms on our planet, after all) being strong with the force is enough to hook me, but of course, it's also an opportunity to take Star Wars to a slightly more psychedelic place, which is always fun. The High Republic tie-in is handled well, here. If you're on board, it's fun, and if you don't care, it's not a big deal.

Also always worth noting that it's fun to see Rex show up in things.

[Jamieson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Though technically part of the Crimson Reign crossover event, this mostly just a continuation of the current Star Wars ongoing series from Marvel. The story's good with two main threads. The first is Luke and R2-D2 hunting down Jedi sites and artifacts. It's fine, but not much exciting to it. The second, and more interesting thread is the rescue of rebel pilot Shara Bey from the Tarkin's Will, an Imperial Star Destroyer commanded by Ellian Zahra who had been Tarkin's protégé and has been recently hunting the fragmented rebel fleet. It's a decent story that ends that particular arc. The only major ties to the Crimson Reign storyline is a short visit between Leia and Qi'ra where Qi'ra hands Leia the location of Tarkin's Will and offers to be a supplier of everything to the Alliance.

Having the crossover be less invasive is nice. I'm getting these from my library and not in any particular order (among the different series) and having light linkings between the series is much better than the previous crossover (War of the Bounty Hunters) where major events happened across series' and if you didn't read the issues in release order (i.e. have all five trade paperbacks in your hand at once), there were times when I got a bit confused. Crimson Reign is a lot less connected and, in my opinion, better for it. Going back to this collection, the story's solid and the art is good. So, while not a hugely awesome or outstanding arc, it was good and worth reading if you've been following this series.

[Noah Vance · Rating 5 out of 5]

Continuing re-read. HERE WE GOOOO. This is where it’s at—Soule is firing on all cylinders. Luke goes to Al’doleem and learns about Kirak Infil’a and his fight with Vader and is given the location of the Gazian Sea, an amazing location that is 100% going to have to be used again, especially after what happens to Luke there. And then we’ve got the spectacular resolution to the Zahra and Shara Bey arcs that really did a great job of carrying the “war” side of Star Wars while Luke gets to play in the Forcey worcey spiritual side of things.

This is just what I want from Star Wars comics. Big stories with tons of characters and callbacks and plots that can’t really be done on-screen due to budgets and actors and whatever else. In this volume alone we’ve got cameos from Rex/Nik Sant, the Damerons, Wedge Antilles, countless book and comic background players, and frickin’ Elzar Mann from the High Republic. It’s the best.