Crimson Reign (comic series)

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Galan007
https://i.ibb.co/TbFJdXZ/1.jpg

-Slated for release this December.

Soule is writing, so I'll read. Interesting thing about the cover art is that Ren(former leader of the KoR) will evidently be playing a part in this... Wasn't really expecting to see him again. /shrug

Eli Vanto
Also looks like Tie defenders in the center background. Awesome.

And the promo quote says we can look forward to "epic feats of the Force". Wonder wtf they have in store there?

Underachiever59
Someone has also pointed out the throne Palpatine is in, as well as the window behind him, indicate this is the throne room on the second Death Star. So it's possible at least part of Crimson Reign will take place concurrently with Return of the Jedi.

I am very excited to be getting more content with Ren! He was my favorite part of the Rise of Kylo Ren comic, so I'm really looking forward to more with the character. Don't know why I wasn't expecting to see him further fleshed out, since Soule obviously loves bringing back the character's he's written (Momin being a perfect example).

Total Warrior

Galan007
https://i.ibb.co/Qrst59g/Star-Wars-War-Of-The-Bounty-Hunters-2021-05-of-05-028.jpg

xPRIMEx
Originally posted by Galan007
https://i.ibb.co/Qrst59g/Star-Wars-War-Of-The-Bounty-Hunters-2021-05-of-05-028.jpg
Oh this will be interesting

Underachiever59
I'm really excited for Crimson Reign. Almost entirely because of the inclusion of the Knights of Ren, honestly.

Galan007
Looks like there are a few different members in the KoR's roster.

Sheev
You're right. Looks like at least 3 new knights. Didn't expect that.

And when is this story supposed to be taking place? Because the last issue of Bounty hunter wars concludes with Jabba getting carbonite Han back, so it seems like the timeline here is literally right before ROTJ.

Underachiever59
I think there's a bit of time between Jabba acquiring Han and the Rebels executing the plan to rescue Han. That small window, straight up to Return of the Jedi, appears to be when Crimson Reign takes place (the first teaser image we had for Crimson Reign seemed to show Palpatine in his throne room on the second Death Star, meaning Crimson Reign would be concurrent with RotJ)

Sheev
The DS2 was still around before it appeared in ROTJ, so Sidious chilling on his DS2 throne doesn't necessarily mean this will be taking place at the same time as ROTJ..And I honestly hope it doesn't take place at the same time, because that would muddy the waters.

But I mean there is only 1 year between ESB and ROTJ, so either way we have to be getting REALLY close to the events of ROTJ at this point.

Underachiever59
If I'm not mistaken, it's heavily implied (if not outright stated) that Palpatine's trip to the DS2 was his only time aboard the vessel. It's kind of why Jerjerrod freaks out so much at the prospect of the Emperor arriving.

Galan007
Yeah, Jerjerrod was absolutely shook when Vader told him that Palpatine was going to pay them a visit. I always took that as a heavy implication that Palpatine himself had never actually been to the station prior to his arrival in the film.

Although I'm not sure if the film explicitly states that it was the *only* time Palpatine had ever been aboard the Death Star II, so I suppose it's possible that he might've cruised by at some point before RotJ... But I'm not sure why he would bother, given that the DSII wasn't even fully operational until the events of the film itself. /shrug

That said, I would certainly prefer if the bulk of Crimson Reign weren't set concurrently with RotJ, because yeah... It would potentially muddle things quite a bit, given the purported scope of this event.

Sheev
Originally posted by Galan007
That said, I would certainly prefer if the bulk of Crimson Reign weren't set concurrently with RotJ, because yeah... It would potentially muddle things quite a bit, given the purported scope of this event. My thoughts as well.

Vader is supposed to be integral to crushing Crimson Dawn in this series, and apparently CD has infiltrated every major facet of the galaxy, so that's a lot of weeding out for him to do, if it is also taking place at the same time he was weeding out Luke and the Rebellion in ROTJ..

Galan007
Preview:
https://i.ibb.co/MPKj1bN/1.jpg https://i.ibb.co/yhjJM8s/Crimson-Reign-1-page-2-2x0a.jpg https://i.ibb.co/C82qGjx/Crimson-Reign-page-3-lxa0.jpg https://i.ibb.co/XsQQv6R/Crimson-Reign-page-4-328k.jpg https://i.ibb.co/qjmC727/Crimson-Reign-page-5-28xqo.jpg https://i.ibb.co/58Z8DjR/Crimson-Reign-page-6-28cn.jpg

Underachiever59
Looks promising. I love that the Archivist is based off of Maul's old concept art. Always good to see old concept art finding new purpose

Galan007
Agreed. thumb up

Though Oochi allying himself with Crimson Dawn is something I was not expecting:
https://i.ibb.co/6yt3KXC/Star-Wars-Darth-Vader-2020-017-019.jpg https://i.ibb.co/3ScKh78/Star-Wars-Darth-Vader-2020-017-020.jpg https://i.ibb.co/WGTqd38/Star-Wars-Darth-Vader-2020-017-021.jpg

But the fact that we already know he was allowed to live(and continue serving Vader/Palpatine) after this event, obviously suggests that Oochi's supposed 'treason' isn't as cut-and-dry as it seems.

So either Qi'ra is using some sort of mind-control element on Oochi, similar to what we recently saw in Doctor Aphra:
https://ibb.co/jzd67WX
https://ibb.co/mG1RV97
https://ibb.co/r2WmXW1
https://ibb.co/4pKgNWR
https://ibb.co/kDm8fjC

...Or Vader has ordered Oochi to act as a sleeper agent of sorts, in an effort to further infiltrate Crimson Dawn.

Sheev
I hope it's the latter, because I hate the thought of Qira using Sith tech and the like. sick

Underachiever59
I'm betting Vader sent in Ochi as a sleeper agent. Ochi is really, really fixated on the idea that Vader and Palpatine are flat-out unbeatable. I doubt he'd actually turn on Vader.

Eli Vanto
Ya, I don't see Oochi betraying either of them on his own. He has seen their power first hand and is awestruck by it.

XSUPREMEXSKILLZ
Note as well that the KOR are being asked to kill Palpatine, who is their master. Lots of potential betrayals being set up

Sheev
Very true, but that's also assuming the KOR were already in Sidious's back pocket at this point.

Underachiever59
We could also see how the KOR ultimately came to serve Palpatine in this comic.

Altogether, there's just a ton to look forward to in Crimson Reign. Might be the most excited I've been for a Star Wars comic run in a while.

Galan007
Recent solicit for CR #2 states that Oochi is "Force blinded"... Which makes me wonder if Qi'ra is indeed using some sort of Sith relic to control his mind. mmm

xPRIMEx

Galan007
Yeah, the first issue is supposed to be released next Wednesday.

xPRIMEx
Looks like we might be getting a Knights of Ren vs Vader fight

Galan007
There were a lot of interesting tidbits in the first issue.

From the canonization of Prince Xizor, to the revelation that Qi'ra learned quite a bit from Maul in matters related to the Force and is using the Archivist to extensively explore the ways of the Jedi/Sith(in the hopes of using said knowledge against Vader and Palpatine), to Yoda perhaps playing some kind of role in this, to the Knights of Ren potentially facing off against Vader, etc.

This event should be fun. thumb up

Bedabing
Originally posted by Eli Vanto
Also looks like Tie defenders in the center background. Awesome.

And the promo quote says we can look forward to "epic feats of the Force". Wonder wtf they have in store there?

Galan007
I liked Archivist/Dagobah scene:
https://i.ibb.co/KVpFz85/Star-Wars-Crimson-Reign-2021-03-of-05-018.jpg https://i.ibb.co/JzPDS2y/Star-Wars-Crimson-Reign-2021-03-of-05-019.jpg https://i.ibb.co/k8vHm5Z/Star-Wars-Crimson-Reign-2021-03-of-05-020.jpg https://i.ibb.co/JjHrCv7/Star-Wars-Crimson-Reign-2021-03-of-05-021.jpg


This issue also confirmed that the Empire only destroyed "one of" Yoda's lightsabers(back in Soule's Vader series):
https://i.ibb.co/1v8GgF6/Star-Wars-Crimson-Reign-2021-03-of-05-012.jpg

Which tidies up Luke possessing Yoda's saber in BoBF.

Total Warrior
Who is this purple haired girl?

Galan007
The Archivist before her appearance was altered.

Total Warrior
ah ok sorry i dont know her

Underachiever59
The Archivist (Madelin Sun) is a pretty new character made for the Crimson Reign series of comics. She's a minor Force sensitive who Qi'ra hired to track down a surviving Jedi to use against the Emperor.

Total Warrior
Ah ok thanks. Do we already know that surviving Jedi is?

Underachiever59
She was searching for Yoda. Qi'ra realized Yoda must be alive still, since the Empire never officially announced the Grand Master's death. The only reason the Empire would hesitate to declare Yoda was dead would be if Palpatine was worried Yoda would resurface some day.

The Archivist actually found Dagobah, and knew Yoda was there. But her experience in the cave made her decide it wouldn't be right to actually tell either the Emperor or Qi'ra where Yoda was.

Zenwolf
Originally posted by Underachiever59


The Archivist actually found Dagobah, and knew Yoda was there. But her experience in the cave made her decide it wouldn't be right to actually tell either the Emperor or Qi'ra where Yoda was.

......What? Sorry, but that has to be the dumbest reason ever.

Underachiever59
Originally posted by Zenwolf
......What? Sorry, but that has to be the dumbest reason ever.

I... Didn't tell you the "reason" she decided it wouldn't be right. Just that it wouldn't be right. You're really misinterpreting what I said. Luke decided it wouldn't be right to kill his dad. That doesn't mean Luke's reason to not kill his dad was "it wouldn't be right."


Crimson Reign #3 is a character study (as is every chapter of Crimson Reign so far, and most work Charles Soule has written in general). To give you the reason the Archivist made the choices she did would basically require me to explain the entire comic issue page by page to you. So I summarized. Suffice to say, her experience in the cave on Dagobah gave her a drastically altered outlook on life, philosophy, and the Force. And this altered outlook made her realize handing Yoda over to an Empire she knows to be controlled by a Sith would be the wrong decision. As would handing Yoda over to Qi'ra, who is trying to build a galaxy-wide criminal empire. Hence, "it wouldn't be right to hand Yoda over to Qi'ra or the Empire."

Total Warrior

Underachiever59
You really don't think the Empire could take Yoda if they were given his location? He's powerful, sure, but you know the moment the Empire learns his location, they're sending a whole fleet to bombard his location, then sending Vader down to finish off whatever's left. It's not like the Archivist would have to physically take Yoda to Qi'ra or the Empire. All she would need to do is give a location, which she had.

Galan007
Originally posted by Underachiever59
You really don't think the Empire could take Yoda if they were given his location? He's powerful, sure, but you know the moment the Empire learns his location, they're sending a whole fleet to bombard his location, then sending Vader down to finish off whatever's left. It's not like the Archivist would have to physically take Yoda to Qi'ra or the Empire. All she would need to do is give a location, which she had. The Archivist's ability to track Yoda down in a short period of time really made me wonder how much effort Palpatine actually put into trying to find Yoda after the purge.

Like, I know the Archivist is an exceptional researcher, has in-depth knowledge of Jedi/Sith lore, and is also mildly Force-sensitive... But certainly Palpatine could have done the same IF he truly wanted to.

Underachiever59
Originally posted by Galan007
The Archivist's ability to track Yoda down in a short period of time really made me wonder how much effort Palpatine actually put into trying to find Yoda after the purge.

Like, I know the Archivist is an exceptional researcher, has in-depth knowledge of Jedi/Sith lore, and is also mildly Force-sensitive... But certainly Palpatine could have done the same IF he truly wanted to.

That "If he truly wanted to" is what I feel solves the conundrum. Would Palpatine gladly make sure Yoda died if he happened to learn Yoda's location? Sure. But I'm pretty confident that Palpatine was thrilled at the prospect of the Grand Master of the Jedi Order having to hide out as a hermit, watching the Sith rule the galaxy unopposed. Just a perfect victory for Palpatine, and no real incentive to have Yoda hunted down and killed.

That is, of course, until Sheev learned Anakin's kids survived around the time of Empire Strikes Back. And by then, the damage was already done. Luke was well on his way to learning to use the Force, and Palpatine couldn't have possibly found Yoda in time to prevent him from teaching Luke.



Really, if Yoda died between Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, galactic events probably wouldn't change much, if at all. The whole scene with Yoda was shoehorned into the movie because George Lucas really, really needed to drive home that Vader wasn't lying about being Luke's dad at the end of the previous movie. Otherwise, Yoda's parting wisdom doesn't give Luke anything that benefits him going into the confrontation against Vader and Sidious. The tidbit about his sibling could have been given to Luke after the downfall of the Sith, and Luke wouldn't have been put in nearly as precarious of a position during the confrontation.

Eli Vanto
I agree. It was the ultimate FU to the Jedi for their centuries old grand master to just have to sit there and helplessly watch the Empire rule the galaxy.

Canon has certainly made it clear that the Empire was actively hunting Yoda to a point, but Sidious himself had no reason to put much effort into trying to find Yoda.

Sheev
Originally posted by Underachiever59
That "If he truly wanted to" is what I feel solves the conundrum. Would Palpatine gladly make sure Yoda died if he happened to learn Yoda's location? Sure. But I'm pretty confident that Palpatine was thrilled at the prospect of the Grand Master of the Jedi Order having to hide out as a hermit, watching the Sith rule the galaxy unopposed. Just a perfect victory for Palpatine, and no real incentive to have Yoda hunted down and killed.

That is, of course, until Sheev learned Anakin's kids survived around the time of Empire Strikes Back. And by then, the damage was already done. Luke was well on his way to learning to use the Force, and Palpatine couldn't have possibly found Yoda in time to prevent him from teaching Luke.



Really, if Yoda died between Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, galactic events probably wouldn't change much, if at all. The whole scene with Yoda was shoehorned into the movie because George Lucas really, really needed to drive home that Vader wasn't lying about being Luke's dad at the end of the previous movie. Otherwise, Yoda's parting wisdom doesn't give Luke anything that benefits him going into the confrontation against Vader and Sidious. The tidbit about his sibling could have been given to Luke after the downfall of the Sith, and Luke wouldn't have been put in nearly as precarious of a position during the confrontation. thumb up

In hindsight, Sidious SHOULD have put all of his effort into hunting down Yoda (and to a lesser extent Kenobi) right after the purge. Had he done so, Luke would have never really been able to make the transition into a Jedi and the Empire would have lasted far longer than it did (possible forever)

But arrogance is one of the key traits of a Sith.

Galan007
Issue #4 preview:
https://i.ibb.co/YpjHcW5/crimson-reign-4-page-2-34252.jpg https://i.ibb.co/XFGQc1z/crimson-reign-4-page-3-34252.jpg https://i.ibb.co/Yb2WCsw/crimson-reign-4-page-4-34252.jpg https://i.ibb.co/yd4rzKV/crimson-reign-4-page-5-34252.jpg https://i.ibb.co/M1t6s5K/crimson-reign-4-page-6-34252.jpg

Interesting to see the KoR actually using the Force/TK on panel(even if their combined feat was pretty weak in comparison to what most trained Jedi/Sith can do.)

Also looks like one of the KoR destroyed Momin's mask, unfortunately. Would have much rather liked to see one of them put it on.

Zenwolf
Wow...it takes all of them just to do that?....I mean I guess it fits with their accolades in relation to their Force prowess which is...like next to none but....that's....wow.

Sheev
It's a really shit showing honestly. Takes 7 of them digging deep just to part a small lava flow. That's something I might expect ONE no name padawan to struggle with. Jesus.

Makes a saberless Kylo getting beaten down by them almost laughable. He should have been able to force own the lot of them with ease.

Zenwolf
Originally posted by Sheev
It's a really shit showing honestly. Takes 7 of them digging deep just to part a small lava flow. That's something I might expect ONE no name padawan to struggle with. Jesus.

Makes a saberless Kylo getting beaten down by them almost laughable. He should have been able to force own the lot of them with ease.

I'd honestly kinda struggle to put them even on Force Adept tier with that. I think those Stonepower Force Users that Yoda met could have done that with lesser people.

Total Warrior
Yeah, honestly your average no name Jedi Knight should be stronger than them individually. I really can't start liking this group, they are just so boring and uninteresting to me. But now I want to know how our faithful Vane will proceed

Eli Vanto
Yeah that's pretty bad. Hopefully more emphasis is placed on their passive force powers moving forward, because some of those do seem to be pretty cool- like Vicrul becoming more powerful every time he kills someone.

Zenwolf
Originally posted by Eli Vanto
Yeah that's pretty bad. Hopefully more emphasis is placed on their passive force powers moving forward, because some of those do seem to be pretty cool- like Vicrul becoming more powerful every time he kills someone.

I don't think much will come of that, I mean didn't that sort of ability didn't seem to help against Luke's Padawans. Nor help against Kylo, I mean if the guy got stronger each time he killed someone, you'd think he'd be killing as much as possible.

Unless it's only temporary then I don't think it would be really that useful....at least in the long term.

Still passive powers is about all they could really do, given their description of having crap Force connection.

Galan007
https://i.ibb.co/ySQWgdY/Star-Wars-Crimson-Reign-2021-04-of-05-011.jpg https://i.ibb.co/g7NFC9B/Star-Wars-Crimson-Reign-2021-04-of-05-012.jpg https://i.ibb.co/nQKfKPf/Star-Wars-Crimson-Reign-2021-04-of-05-013.jpg https://i.ibb.co/XX6k8Gk/Star-Wars-Crimson-Reign-2021-04-of-05-014.jpg https://i.ibb.co/0VCshSJ/Star-Wars-Crimson-Reign-2021-04-of-05-015.jpg

https://i.ibb.co/qpK7WbR/Star-Wars-Crimson-Reign-2021-04-of-05-016.jpg https://i.ibb.co/F3vmMTK/Star-Wars-Crimson-Reign-2021-04-of-05-017.jpg https://i.ibb.co/zrn0y5L/Star-Wars-Crimson-Reign-2021-04-of-05-018.jpg https://i.ibb.co/g3k6VKj/Star-Wars-Crimson-Reign-2021-04-of-05-019.jpg https://i.ibb.co/R2yY63Z/Star-Wars-Crimson-Reign-2021-04-of-05-020.jpg

xPRIMEx

Total Warrior

xPRIMEx

xPRIMEx
Better than the Grand Inquisitor too. He got one shot as soon as Vader started trying.

xPRIMEx
Here's an example. The graphic novel adaptation of TROS shows Ben one shotting the KOR, and beating Rey in like 3-4 strikes:

Sheev
Kind of unrelated, but.....

Ren actually tried to fight Vader, but was scared of Luke to the point where he didn't even attempt to engage him and opted to just hand over the High Republic cache and flee instead.

Is this more proof that ST age Luke > Vader?

xPRIMEx

Darth Thor
Originally posted by Sheev
Is this more proof that ST age Luke > Vader?


ST Luke was a total cry baby wuss. I just pretend that was a deformed clone of Luke.

banana3
So the KoR are ass or what

Zenwolf
Originally posted by banana3
So the KoR are ass or what

Seem to be yeah, but not surprising considering they've been referred to as basically thugs.

Eli Vanto
Kind of an anticlimactic end to this series.

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