Review: ‘Star Wars: Revelations’ Gives Answers, but Should Have Been an Email
This period of Star Wars comics set between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi is nothing if not ambitious. Star Wars: Revelations is out this week and previews what lies in the future for Marvel Star Wars in 2023, as per its mission statement.
The thing with all these comic specials is that they need to justify their existence. Sometimes these types of issues just come and go without much more than a whimper, and other times they are worth the price of increased admission. Revelations falls somewhere in the middle, doing its job in answering questions and setting up a number of cool story threads. Ultimately though, I can’t help but feel this whole thing could have been better served as an email or whatever the kids say these days.
Spoilers ahead for this issue. Also minor spoilers for Hidden Empire, Star Wars, Darth Vader, Bounty Hunters, and Doctor Aphra ahead…
The framing device of the issue is the Eye of Webbish Bog summoning Darth Vader for a chat; the dark lord being not too pleased to be woken up from his bacta-induced nap. The Eye has some visions of the future that they think Vader should see, all taking place from their warped perspective.
As a quick refresher, the Eye is stationed on Mustafar and was slated to appear in The Rise of Skywalker before being cut. It would have been the on-screen vessel in which Kylo Ren received the wayfinder to find Exegol. Now it’s here to give Vader a look into what’s on the horizon for the galaxy.
For what I mean by this issue being better served in an email, just look at the first tease. As far as Revelations is concerned, Darth Vader is just going to be what the last issue already set up. The rest of Padmé’s handmaidens are after Vader, meanwhile Sabé is in too deep. Newly christened as a servant of the Empire, she is given a fancy new suit similar to what you’d see an Inquisitor wear. And that’s it. Your typical comic solicitation gives more information.
Thankfully, some new stuff is coming. First up is the setup of a droid revolution. In a far-off place, Legends deep cut Kligson’s Moon plays host to Ajax Sigma, a droid that once “dared to be free.” Long ago, Ajax led an insurgency that was unceremoniously put to an end by Jedi of the High Republic.
However, Ajax’s neural core was preserved and lived on, eventually landing in the hands of Han Solo and Chewbacca. Our favorite pair of scoundrels buried it, only it will soon be conveniently found by some who still believe in Ajax’s cause. The core has now been put into a new body, and we’ll see what happens with that.
The shenanigans of the Spark Eternal are up next, and good news! The madness of Doctor Aphra will actually matter, as it will tie into what’s happening in Charles Soule’s Hidden Empire. While Aphra fights for control of her body from within, the Spark has bigger plans. While not explicit here or in the last issue of Doctor Aphra, it’s implied the Spark conspires to use whatever lies inside the Fermata Cage for their own designs.
In fact, the biggest bomb of the issue is the reveal of what ancient Sith Lord is being held by the Fermata Cage, the primary mystery coming out of Hidden Empire #1. Forget dreams of ancient Old Republic Sith as it’s actually someone Vader knows all too well. Seeing more of Vader and Palpatine’s conversation from the end of that first issue, the Emperor reveals that the cage holds captive the architect behind Vader’s Castle. This means Darth Momin is poised to make his return.
Given the challenge Momin presented to Vader in the “Sith magic” form he was in (however you want to describe it) during Soule’s Darth Vader run, what kind of havoc could he cause if he is completely reborn? Pair that with the dangerously unpredictable Spark Eternal, and that is a concoction not to be taken lightly for Vader and Palpatine.
Back to email business though with the Bounty Hunters tease. Vader is done with Beilert Valance, who he forced into servitude at the end of War of the Bounty Hunters. Tasked with the job of ending the human-cyborg is Iden Versio and Inferno Squad. We also got a brief tease of Valance’s reunion with Bossk and the rest of the central bounty hunter crew, which naturally ends in a brawl. The Inferno Squad setup is wonderful to see, but that page was already given to us in previews leading up to the issue.
Lastly, our Star Wars preview takes us to Kligson’s Moon to follow up on that thread from earlier. Luke feels a disturbance which leads them there after their venture through No-Space. They run into the reanimated Ajax Sigma, where it and Luke have a brief confrontation before parting ways.
Side note, I’m trying hard to not criticize the heck out of Luke’s depiction, which seemingly consists of Mark Hamill’s present day features plastered onto his younger face. The result is straight-up unholy. Moving on…
We begin to close the issue with a whole spread, teasing some more things. We see Palpatine pull out his lightsaber, but Qi’ra is also seen standing over a fallen Emperor. Aphra is also pictured kissing Domina Tagge, because of course she is. Luke, who magically washed the wrinkles off his face between a single page of different artists, is holding two crystals that seem suspiciously kyber in nature. Will we finally see him craft his green lightsaber and could he be tempted by the dark side again before Return of the Jedi? The Eye states several times these visions are jumbled and there isn’t much sense to be had in them, which in itself was my experience reading this issue.
After fighting off some random Mustafarians, the final revelation is that the Eye’s visions are indeed coming true. Vader lives out his Hidden Empire conversation with the Emperor, tasking him with the retrieval of the Fermata Cage before Qi’ra can free Darth Momin.
Star Wars: Revelations desperately needed a tease of what comes after the Hidden Empire crossover, but oh well. When I think of it as Hidden Empire issue #1.5, Revelations is mostly lovely. Inferno Squad versus Valance is a great direction for Bounty Hunters. Meanwhile, Ajax Sigma seems like a solid choice as a brief antagonist for Luke and the gang as they burn some time while Qi’ra challenges the Empire with Momin potentially in her corner. The Spark Eternal being not far behind adds another layer to the core story. I’m all on board with the Hidden Empire chapter of the story so far and Revelations tees up some probable home runs in the months to come.
Writer Marc Guggenheim and the team of artists crafted an issue that classifies as a big deal. However, it never elevates itself beyond feeling like a Marvel newsletter in your inbox. Thus, I will sadly not be marking this “email” as a priority. I will happily acknowledge its existence and its guidance in the work meeting the next day, but it’s not going be dignified with any kind of response upon receipt.
RATING: 6.5/10
Nate uses his love for Star Wars and movies in general as a way to cope with the pain of being a Minnesota sports fan. When he's not at the theater, you can usually find Nate reading a comic, listening to an audiobook, or playing a Mario video game for the 1,000th time.
