Comic Review: The Fall of Kylo Ren #1 (of 5)

A new series in a time where there are very few actual Star Wars comics being released. It means that the ones that are, need to be on the top of their game to keep readers coming back. So far, this has been happening. Less comics, more quality it would seem. Into this foray comes the third instalment of what is being referred to as the ‘Kylo Trilogy’. Let’s get the most obvious thing out of the way, I’m not a huge fan of the sequels. I wanted to, I tried to, but they just missed that special spot for me. And that’s ok! I have the Legends books that have been – and I think always will be – my sequel Star Wars and I’m more than happy with all that has to offer. So, a comic in the sequel era is not too enticing to me. Yet there is one thing that this series (and the two before it) has going for it: Charles Soule. This writer gets Star Wars. He understands how it works; he knows how to write and goodness me, does he know how to do character development. While the sequels miss their mark, anything Soule does – even things in the sequel era – are must reads. This trilogy of comics has been astounding and i have been really able to enjoy them immensely. Yes, it isn’t ‘my timeline’ of Star Wars, but it is a thrilling ride, and it is more of what I wanted to see from the sequels. A grandson who is haunted by the legacy of his grandfather, that he can’t escape it, no matter how hard he tries. So, we come to the opening comic of the finale of this trilogy. One that needs to recap for those who are new yet not shut out the ones of us who have followed all along. As mentioned, it is written by the wonderful Soule, who I don’t even know where to begin with: Poe Dameron, Vader, The High Republic, I mean I could go on (and that’s me ignoring his tremendous other writings, including The Endless Vessel)! Joining him is Will Sliney, who is returning after illustrating the Rise of Kylo Ren. Like Soule, Sliney’s Star Wars work is vast, and he is another artist who knows how to illustrate Star Wars well. The two, back together at last, I certainly wouldn’t miss it! So, let’s dive in and see where this is all going to start from.

We start with a very brief recap from Soule – no more – then are thrust straight into a space battle. This felt completely like Star Wars: the recap might as well have been the floating words, then the space battle, topped off with Kylo going about with his lightsaber. It feeds off the nostalgia of A New Hope in buckets, then mixes it up with the ending of Rogue One. When first reading it, I almost felt like Luke in The Empire Strikes Back – “there’s something familiar about this place”. The planetary shield, so like the one at Scariff. Kylo’s entrance, so like Vader’s in Rogue One. A small band up against an Empire. You can see how this is all meant to give that feel, that Original Trilogy feel. This whole comic has an Original Trilogy quality to it – heck – it’s why I love reading Soule’s work so much. I don’t know what his preferences are on the Sequel Trilogy, but you can tell he loves the original movies. What better way to allow every Star Wars enjoy the story than make it feel like the originals.

Soule has been doing this a long time and although the Original Trilogy vibe comes through again and again, he also doesn’t forget where some of his fans have boarded onto the Star Wars train: The High Republic. Soule was one of the five creators to start the immense project; Sliney in fact illustrated the first few issues of the comic series. It took me a moment to recognise the planet that is been fought over: Hetzal Prime. Of course, Soule brought in a reference from long ago (Star Wars timeline wise) and it is wonderful to see a return to this place.

The similarities with Rogue One, the shield is supposed to be like the one from the film, and it is there to illustrate a rivalry: Hux and Pryde. The two are competing, tearing the First Order apart by trying to take control of it. The two are constantly fighting but Soule comes to this from a different angle, the old and the new. Pryde has years of experience whereas Hux is much fresher. Hux believes his ideas are better and the past should be ignored. I mean; to be fair, we all know how Kylo feels about the past! But Soule does this as a show of young versus old and it works, really works. While on the surface, we see that listening to those more experienced is a sensible thing to do, it helps you win battles. But going deeper than this, Pryde is not just a better tactician, he is also an old Imperial. He knows how things were done back then and brings it the forefront here. He will sabotage and bring about other downfalls so he can succeed. It is something that ultimately doomed the Empire and does the First Order. But it is not frowned upon by Kylo, the man leading the First Order, but encouraged. We see that Kylo is more like the Emperor than maybe he would want to be. I’m hoping Soule will dive into this more in the coming issues.

The art by Sliney is what you would expect. The two-page action shots flow beautifully, in Sliney’s wonderful style. The movement at an angle works so well and directs your gaze perfectly. Faces are more stylised for this, but I actually really like it for Kylo. The only one that perhaps jolted me slightly was Pryde. He is played by Richard E Grant in the movie and there are times when Sliney absolute gets the face perfect, at other times I feel like I’m looking at a completely different character.

The ‘voices’ of the characters are superb. When Soule writes Kylo, you hear Kylo. When Soule writes Hux, you hear Hux. Soule has always had the knack of writing perfectly what the characters would say, allowing us, the reader, to hear them so clearly in our minds. Which brings us to one character we can hear well – Vader. As we leave Kylo for this instalment, we see him conversing with his grandfather. It is not too long – you never want to overuse Vader – but it provides a beautiful character moment for the character that really feels like Star Wars. It is the perfect way to end Kylo’s viewpoint in this part of the story.

I’m not a sequel fan but I am a Soule fan and he does not disappoint. There is a feeling of Star Wars throughout this comic that allows any fan to enjoy this. The harkening back to Rogue One and A New Hope is very welcome but also allows for a deeper look into the struggle between old and new. While old may have come out on top in this opening issue, I’m sure we shall see the new come back with a vengeance. I said at the start that Marvel seems to be giving us less but of better quality and Soule does not break that here. This is fantastically written as you would expect from a Star Wars veteran. I’m very excited to see where he will lead us next.