TV audiences have only just had their first taste of Star Wars' High Republic era with the first season of The Acolyte, but Marvel has been running comics set in that time period for the last four years. In a panel at this year's San Diego Comic Con on Thursday, however, the publisher announced that it is bringing the current phase of the series to an end.
Star Wars: The High Republic – Fear of the Jedi #1 is the first issue of a new ongoing comic that will wrap up Phase III of The High Republic by answering a long-standing question: what scares the Jedi? It's written by regular Star Wars comics scribe Cavan Scott, and drawn by Doctor Aphra artist Marika Cresta. Notably, the series will feature Jedi Master Kelnacca, the Wookiee Force user who featured prominently in The Acolyte.
Here's Phil Noto's main cover for the first issue.
"The galaxy-spanning finale of the High Republic begins here!" reads Marvel's synopsis for the new series. "As fighting within the Nihil Occlusion Zone intensifies, Jedi Master Keeve Trennis is set upon a path that will change her life forever. Guest-starring The Acolyte's Wookiee Jedi Master, Kelnacca, alongside fan-favorite characters from Star Wars: The High Republic novels, audio dramas and comics!"
Marvel clearly has endings on its mind at the moment. In October, the publisher will also launch Star Wars: Battle of Jakku – Insurgency Rising, a new limited series set after Return of the Jedi. The four-issue run, written by Alex Segura and drawn by Leonard Kirk, Stefano Raffaele, and Jethro Morales, is the first of three planned series that will tell the full story of the final battle of the Galactic Civil War and will feature big-name heroes like Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia, as well as new characters.
It will also reveal "key insights behind the aftermath of the Battle of Endor and the Empire's demise, including the Emperor's secret contingency plans, and introduce the shocking power-hungry threats that emerged during this time of uncertainty!"
Star Wars: Battle of Jakku — Insurgency Rising #1 will be published fortnightly starting on October 2. Star Wars: The High Republic – Fear of the Jedi #1 will be published in February 2025, with a precise date still TBC.
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