Star Wars: Hidden Empire (2022-2023) #1

Star Wars: Hidden Empire (Single Issues)

by Charles Soule, Paulo Siqueira (Cover Art), Steven Cummings (Artist)

The mysterious syndicate Crimson Dawn and its leader Lady Qi'ra have become the galaxy's most wanted criminals, as Emperor Palpatine realizes the scope of Qi'ra's plans against him and moves to destroy her. But Qi’ra still has tricks up her sleeve, and with the help of the Knights Of Ren and her many other allies, she will not go down without a fight!

Genres: Star Wars, Comics, Marvel, Science Fiction, Graphic Novels, Comic Book

30 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 16, 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

[Nicholas Javier · Rating 5 out of 5]

So much payoff - and it’s only the first issue!

Only Charles Soule could pull all these threads together, keep them exciting and coherent, and even introduce new lore and detail! Qi’ra truly has become formidable, to quote Vader. And the art and writing was so engaging, I felt like I was watching a live show! Can’t wait to see this how all ends!

[Joseph · Rating 5 out of 5]

An exciting first issue! I know many fans have taken issue with the fact that this doesn't have any implications in the Skywalker Saga because, well, it's revisionist history. It's rewriting canon, or rather, filling in the gaps where "none existed to begin with". But fans have forgotten to have fun, and this is certainly a fun arc.

[Elwin Kline · Rating 1 out of 5]

Updated Post Comic Book Series Completion Review:

"I did not like it." - 1 out of 5 star rating.

Worst-in-class Star Wars comic book series right here.

Check out my reviews of each issue, or more specifically the finality of the series found here:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

_____________________
Original Review:

A lot to unpack with this one in a single issue! While I do appreciate the bravery in trying something new and really branching off from something that is 'safe' ... I just question if this going to come together full circle and be a complete and fulfilling story over the five (5) issues total this series entails.

Everything else review related will be spoiler full.


At first I greatly questioned Qi'ra and her age in this... how can she look so young and Palpatine and Lord Vader be in play, which her and Han Solo were super young together in the Solo Movie.

Turns out... she was roughly ~21 in the Solo film, which also landed around 12-10 BBY, on the Star Wars timeline. And a good bench mark BBY wise to mention as well, is Return of the Jedi was around 4 ABY.

So.... this makes Qi'ra at least in her 30's at a bare minimum in this one. Her artwork makes her appear very youthful, which I question a bit. But, there are plenty of super attractive 30 year olds for sure, so I suppose this isn't a far stretch. There's always make-up, fitness, and who knows.... maybe some extension to human life within the Star Wars universe that hasn't really been mentioned but is implied somehow in some way.

Long story short... the Qi'ra to Palpatine and Vader timeline is questionable at first, but after a bit of research works out okay.

< BREAK >

Story wise... like I said above, a lot to unpack here.

There's the Archivist, which isn't my favorite character... but at the same time I don't hate her either. We will see if this series can change my mind one way or another.

The Knights of Ren have an appearance, which cool I guess. I like them for the most part and we shall see if they get some more expanded depth here within the series.

Apparently Maul is totally in the backburner now at this point, with Qi'ra front and center. That's fine, as much as I would have loved to see some more Maul.

There's a new mysterious all powerful device, that can freeze time or something ... and also do the reverse and unlock those frozen in time... There's some unusual plot to free some rogue super-powerful Sith Lords to take out Vader and Palpatine... okay....

That whole deal screams Star Wars: The Old Republic with the Dread Masters. 100%.

In fact, I would be super pleased if it was in fact the Dread Masters we see, which I guess could be what is happening here. If that is the case, than I am really excited to see what happens next.


Looking forward to knocking out this short and sweet series and seeing how it all pans out.

Onward!

[Saimi Korhonen · Rating 5 out of 5]

“She never struck me as the trusting type. My impression was that with the life she led, the only person she felt she could rely on… was herself.”

Hidden Empire issue 1 begins the last story of Charles Soule's trilogy of Qi'ra stories. Qi'ra has stepped out of hiding and is persecuted by Sidious and Vader, who are threatened by her schemes and the chaos she and her people are causing to the Empire. Just like Crimson Reign, this story is narrated by Sava Sun, the Archivist, who was integral in trying to make Qi'ra's vision come true.

This first issue was wonderful. I love the story Charles Soule has told with Qi'ra and I love how he has written her. She is strong, deadly smart and cold when she needs to be, but we also see how her life and all the shit she has been through has made her solitary, unable to trust others and caused some never-healing wounds. Her her plan to overthrow the Sith and end their absolute supremacy makes perfect sense as she is someone who was, for the longest time, subjugated by more powerful people, used as a criminal, a warrior, a killer, and one of her biggest desires was to just have control over her own life and agency. It makes sense she would want to destroy people who have ultimate power over others and, on top of all that, use cruelty and injustice as their main weapons. Qi'ra has done a lot of shady, morally questionable stuff, but the future she is fighting for is an admirable goal.

Archivist's plot line in this story promises to have some cool, more fantastical stuff. I also loved how a major character from the Doctor Aphra comic appears in that storyline, because I think their character is super cool.

I cannot wait for issue two of this series and to find out how Qi'ra's story continues, how her plan unravels, and how, ultimately, her plan fails. We know it will fail, we've known it from the start, but it does not make the story boring at all. I love how Soule has crafted this trilogy and how he's made us root for Qi'ra and feel invested in her plans even though we all know she will not get what she's after. Soule really is a fantastic author!

[Steven Shinder · Rating 5 out of 5]

Leave it to this first issue of Hidden Empire to inject more excitement into this era. Even though we know ROTJ, it's still exciting to see how defiant Qi'ra is against The Emperor and all the forces she has gathered. I really am questioning what her fate will be, and what it means for Maul's legacy.

[Elizabeth (Miss Eliza) · Rating 4 out of 5]

So, this was very verbose, but I liked that. Because I think they finally realized that no one knew what the hell was going on during the "Crimson Reign" and what comics we were supposed to be reading so here was ALL the information for you in one handy location. Though is there really a serious bad ass secret Sith? I'm intrigued.

[Mariah · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars

I like seeing Qi'ra have a bigger role than just the Solo movie. While it's obvious she doesn't take down the Sith, she seems to have big plans for Crimson Dawn and I'm curious to see how everything pans out.

[Adam Barrett · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kinda disappointed. A continuation of a mediocre series. Not really bought into any of the characters. Qi'ra a bit, but she can't decide if she's a leader o a rebellion or a selfish despot. I really don't care. I liked how she and Palpitine saw each other.

[Andy Hickman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Revealing the history of Qi’ra and her attempt to take down the Sith. ***
#1 – A Matter of Time – “In the days of the Galactic Empire, LADY QI’RA .. had entered into a secret war against the two SITH LORDS who controlled the galaxy.”

[Omni Theus · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 out of 5 stars. Nothing interesting or great here. Soule with another pretty soulless effort...

[David Cassady · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn’t really enjoy the writing or the art. Even though it had the Star Wars name, it didn’t really feel real

[Clare Macy · Rating 5 out of 5]

great comic

Great comic, can’t wait for the next one! Charles Soule is the best and I love his writing and work!

[Jason · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5