Star Wars (2020) #22 - Comic Review

After making contact with Princess Leia, Qi’ra, leader of Crimson Dawn, tells Leia that she has gifts to give. Qi’ra is willing to help the Rebel Alliance find Imperial Commander Zahra as well as the remaining hidden Rebel cell! While the skeptical Leia discusses options with the fearless leader, we find Zahra herself viciously interrogating Shara Bey in order to find out everything she can about the Rebels, including the codes they use to communicate with each other. Unbeknownst to both parties, Shara’s husband Kes Dameron and his crew are on their way to rescue her, and they might just get caught up in plans bigger than anyone can imagine. Star Wars (2020) #22 collects all the pieces and players together and sets them on the path to an epic confrontation!

Writer Charles Soule ratchets up the tension and political intrigue with Star Wars (2020) #22 in the most exciting of ways. There are so many different plans in motion and characters with their own agendas at play in this issue. The best part is knowing that eventually they all must converge somehow and the comic issue becomes an absolute nail biter just waiting to find out how and when.

The visual artistic team for Star Wars (2020) #22 consists of artist Ramon Rosanas, colorist Rachelle Rosenberg, and letterer VC’s Clayton Cowles. The group gets a fantastic issue to sink their teeth into as the story follows multiple characters and multiple locations for them to visualize on page. The standout of this issue is the simulation that Chewbacca has made of him going into Jabba’s Palace to rescue Han Solo. It’s an action packed couple of pages with gorgeous colors full of intensity and emotion.

The main cover for Star Wars (2020) #22 comes from artists Carlo Pagulayan, Jason Paz, and Lee Loughridge who bring us an awesome cover of Chewbacca under heavy fire and roaring at his unseen adversaries. This issue also comes with a handful of variant covers, the first of which is the always stunning Lucasfilm 50th Anniversary variant. Chris Sprouse, Karl Story, and Neeraj Menon dazzle us with a wonderful rendition of Rey and Kylo Ren from The Rise of Skywalker, complete with Ren’s mended helmet. The second variant is another recurring cover, this time from John Tyler Christopher, who’s back with an action figure cover of a Rebel Commander from the battle of Endor. Rod Reis’ cover is a gorgeous piece devoted to a slew of characters including Leia, Chewbacca, and Qi’ra, among others, and Rahzzah gives us a near menacing portrayal of a sneering Chewbacca for the final variant!

Star Wars (2020) #22 sets the stage for the inevitable battle between Imperial Commander Zahra and the Rebel Alliance. It’s a tense and twisting issue that leaves you on the edge of your seat. So fire up your X-wing fighters and fly on down to your local comic shop to pick up a copy today!