Published: December 25, 2024; January 8th; 15th; 22nd, 2025
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Rated: T
Writer: Alex Segura
Artists: Jethro Morales & Leonard Kirk
Colour Artists: Jim Campbell
Letterer: VC’s Joe Caramagna
Cover Artist: E.M. Gist
The synopsis for #1;
A DARK FORCE STRIKES AT THE HEART OF THE JUST-FORMED NEW REPUBLIC AND SERVES AS A REMINDER THAT THE GALAXY IS FAR FROM A SAFE PLACE!
• Chandrila – under attack!
• The rise of a familiar villain – driven to the edge of sanity!
• LANDO CALRISSIAN and a ragtag team of pilots are attacked by an unexpected fleet!
• The return of HAN SOLO?!
The synopsis for #2;
A BRAZEN ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT LEAVES THE HEROES REELING – AS A DARKER TRUTH IS UNCOVERED!
• LUKE, LEIA and HAN are reunited – but under dire circumstances!
• What’s left of the Empire must react to a new threat – on the eve of the BATTLE OF JAKKU!
• A traitor revealed!
• The heroes are faced with an ominous new threat careening toward them – with JAKKU as the target!
The synopsis for #3;
THE BATTLE OF JAKKU UNLEASHED!
• LUKE must enter the underworld to strike a deadly bargain!
• THE SPICE RUNNERS OF KIJIMI play a deadly wild card – with shocking consequences!
• As unseen forces move to disrupt the BATTLE OF JAKKU, the NEW REPUBLIC must fight a war on two fronts!
• LUKE takes on the new threat directly – putting everything at risk!
The synopsis for #4;
THE BATTLE OF JAKKU RAGES ON!
• THE BATTLE OF JAKKU – as never seen before!
• THE NEW REPUBLIC must make a painful choice that puts ACKBAR’s forces at risk!
• LUKE SKYWALKER faces off against the deadliest menace to the Republic – and the Empire!
• A historic character makes their first appearance ever!
The review;
Gallius Rax is rallying the remnants of the Empire for one final fight against the New Republic in order to re-establish control over the galaxy. All eyes are on Jakku. As Mon Mothma and Admiral Ackbar prepare their forces to engage, another threat emerges as it’s revealed that Grand Moff Adelhard is still alive. And he’s planning his own attack at Jakku. Without the firepower to take on two enemies at once, it seems the battle is over before it has truly begun.
As the final part in The Battle of Jakku trilogy, Last Stand leads up to the fight itself. It seamlessly ties in with Aftermath: Empire’s End and Segura has added many aspects of that novel into these comics. There’s Rae Sloane’s destruction of Gallius Rax, Commander Hux stealing the Eclipse, Leia and Han preparing for their baby – Ben Solo, and even Gallius Rax’s infamous speech as he rallies the Empire before ultimately betraying them. It’s done in a way that if you haven’t read the book then they are just interesting moments, but for those who enjoyed Empire’s End they are obvious references.
After surviving his escape, Adelhard is a changed man. And not for the better. He’s been betrayed by the very order that he devoted his life to serving and now he has nothing. Everything he has stood for has been a lie. It’s a shocking realisation and it has made him snap. This isn’t about order or making a new, better Empire. Adelhard simply wants revenge. Watching his descent into madness truly suits his character and Segura has written his fall perfectly. Adelhard has been cold and calculating to a fault. So, when he loses everything that he sought to control, he loses control of himself. It makes him impulsive, reckless, and dangerous.
Adelhard is now focused on destruction – of everything. He outwardly attacks other Star Destroyers and is hellbent on bringing down the New Republic. But while the previous series have shown the Grand Moff making allies, he’s forgotten to maintain his connections. His increasingly erratic behaviour causes the Spice Runners and bounty hunters he hired to become dubious. Segura then brings together characters from across The Battle of Jakku series into such a thrilling arc that pays off because there’s been so much build-up to these moments.
Although Alaytia and the Spice Runners of Kijimi have been in the background, their allegiances have been unclear until this arc. Having a multitude of double agents certainly makes for some exciting twists and with Adelhard blinded by revenge, he doesn’t see it coming either. And his ultimate downfall is the Liberty. What is the Liberty? That’s theSuper Star Destroyer stolen by underworld criminals in Empire’s End. While it was a fun idea in that book, it was left pretty open-ended. Under the control of pirate queen Eleodie Maracavanya it seemed like it was going to become a travelling home world for scum and villainy looking to put down some roots. So having this be the distraction that Luke and Rynn need to board Adelhard’s Star Destroyer is just genius and completely unexpected.
While this isn’t the first time the Battle of Jakku has been described – it’s vividly depicted as a free for all in Lost Stars and Empire’s End – getting to see it as artwork by Morales just hits differently. It’s an absolute mess of ships on both sides. Every fighter, cruiser, and Star Destroyer is just sending volley after volley of blaster fire at anything. There is no order, just chaos. As the New Republic start to gain a foothold there are some incredible panels of Star Destroyers violently spearing through orbit to meet the sands of Jakku itself.
There’s also a brilliant moment that shows Rae Sloane’s final victory against Gallius Rax. After he betrays the Empire in the name of his plans, it’s Sloane who hunts him down to finish him off in hand-to-hand combat. She’s got broken fingers and ribs at this point, but she still ends up victorious. While the focus of this series has been the struggles of the New Republic, it’s also been brilliant having snapshots into the Imperial machine. Even Gallius’ famous final lines,‘Find a new demesne. Start the game over,’ as he instructs Sloane to form the beginnings of the First Order.
As the Galactic Concordance is signed between Mas Amedda and Mon Mothma, so Leia finally gives birth to Ben Solo. Ending this series on such a hopeful, family note feels like a true Star Wars finale, and I’m glad Segura chose this moment. It’s reminiscent of Han, Luke, Leia, Lando, and Chewie celebrating at the end of Return of the Jedi, but this time the Battle of Jakku truly heralds a longer lasting peace for the New Republic.
The Battle of Jakku: Last Stand is an incredible conclusion to what has been a brilliant set of mini-series exploring this tumultuous time in the galaxy. It’s brought to life moments from across the books and added a host of complicated political machinations as different groups try to seize power in the tide of war. Getting to witness the Battle of Jakku as a comic series has been absolutely thrilling, especially seeing a few tiny moments that are iconic from Empire’s End. Alex Segura, Leonard Kirk, Jethro Morales, Jim Campbell, VC’s Joe Caramagna, E. M. Gist, and everyone else who has worked so hard on this mini-series deserve all the credit for capturing the final heartbeats of the Imperial machine as hope wins out against tyranny and the New Republic is finally victorious.
Gallery for #1;
Gallery for #2;
Gallery for #3;
Gallery for #4;
Availability;
Star Wars: The Battle of Jakku is a 12-part maxi-series. Last Stand is the third and final 4-part mini-series within it and is published by Marvel Comics. Each issue retails at $4.99 and are available online from comiXology and your local comic book store.
The post Comic Review: The Battle of Jakku – Last Stand #1 to #4 appeared first on Jedi News.
