Published: February 2, 2022
Rating: Rated T
Writer: Charles Soule
Artist: Steven Cummings
Inker: Victor Olazaba
Colourist: GURU-eFX
Letterer: VC’s Travis Lanham
Logo & Book Design: Adam Del Re
Cover Artist: Leinil Francis Yu & Sunny Gho
The synopsis;
THE ASSASSINS!
QI’RA sends two killers to do what they do best to continue with her plan to plunge the galaxy into chaos. The relentless, Force-blinded OCHI OF BESTOON and the mysterious, unstoppable DEATHSTICK each have a target, and nothing will get in their way
The review;
Just before the end of the year, Charles Soule and Steven Cummings decided to end it on a high. The first issue was a masterpiece. A great introduction to what was in store as well as some very well paced segments to keep the story moving at a fast pace and hook readers in. Soule is drawing on all aspects of his Star Wars career, which makes it all the more exciting to see what this series will deliver. This issue, I’m expecting – well, ok, I’m hoping for some answers to the mysteries that Soule gave us last issue; I’m expecting nothing of the sort. Soule always likes to keep his cards close to his chest and I’m sure this comic will be no different.
The issue starts much the same as the previous, with a quick glimpse ‘after the fall’, narrated by the mysterious woman. It’s a reminder that there is something far grander here. ‘After the fall’ could be in relation to the Empire, or to Crimson Dawn, or could be set much further ahead into the future than we believe. Then there is the woman. In true Soule style, we are treated to lots of questions with no clue to the answers.
Qi’ra really takes the show here. It is her machinations that really show what a powerhouse she has become. Soule treats us to her inner thoughts, of how she is able to manipulate all that she has. This is most obvious when she says that everyone is willing to kill for something and she then breaks down the motivations. You can see how well she understands people and how to best use that knowledge to her advantage. By the end of the issue, Soule almost seems to be drawing a comparison to her and the Emperor. He himself was a master manipulator, gathering power until he was ready to make his move. Everything going his way until he was finally defeated. We know that Qi’ra will be defeated much like the Emperor and her journey here seems like an echo of that. Qi’ra’s plans are proceeding just as she would like them, a little too well. Something is going to change that. What it is we don’t know, again, more questions. Will it the Emperor, will it be one of the criminal syndicates?
Soule also gives a lot of focus to the two hunters Ochi and Deathstick. Both assassins, both similar and different in equal measure. They are both driven by fear that has sent them down the dark path they are in, recalling a famous line from The Empire Strikes Back. Seeing how the two operate, the lack of morals and how they set forth their plans is fascinating. There is definitely a cinematic quality to it all. You only have to look at Cummings shot of Ochi looking out over the Works District to get a sense of it.
There is plenty here to please everyone. We see Cadeliah from Ethan Sacks’ Bounty Hunters, a very important moment if you have been keeping up with that series. We get to see the Emperor’s royal guard getting ready and assembling for their lord (can’t lie, one of the coolest things in the issue) and we get to see the Emperor himself, surprised at the event that presents itself to him. It’s all here in the issue but it’s almost done in a very quiet way. There is no big hooray, no big build up, just quiet, methodical, precision of the story been told. In other comics, these events might have taken several issues but Soule speeds it up, echoing the way that Crimson Dawn operates. It reiterates this feeling of a cinematic series and Soule is able to dabble with the pacing with ease, slowing it down for those key moments with Qi’ra, before breezily passing along the assassinations. This really is Soule at his peak; he knows exactly what he wants to achieve and how to do it.
Soule has worked with some of the best artists in the business and Steven Cummings is able to meet that expectation. His panels guide you through with ease, telling the fast-paced story telling with a flow that guides you along as if you were watching a film. He is then able to put on the brakes and revel in the slow moments with Qi-ra. As mentioned, the scene with Ochi on Coruscant and the use of colour is spectacular. GURU-eFX does a tremendous job of bringing Cummings art to life and the panels where Qi’ra is explaining the motivations of a person are a lesson of how to utilise colour perfectly.
This is a very different issue to the first. Issue one was laying a vast array of groundwork in a short space of time. This issue is able to really move at a slightly slower pace, allowing Soule and Cummings to create an issue that feels completely cinematic in its scope. It is (of course) still full of questions, more so in fact with no answers been given by Soule. Yet looking at his works, Poe Dameron, Darth Vader (2017), Star Wars (2020), this is a man who never fails to deliver, who will keep you guessing until the very end. It allows readers to trust (and maybe get a little frustrated with) that we will have our answers, we just might need to wait a while until we get them.
Availability;
Crimson Reign is a five-part mini-series available from Marvel. This issue retails at $3.99 and is available via the Marvel App and all good comic book stores.
