New Star Wars comic reveals what became of Captain Phasma

The first issue of Marvel’s Journey to Star Wars: The Last Jedi — Captain Phasma hit stores yesterday. It’s the first comic to try and bridge the gap between The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi and tells the tale of what happened to Phasma during and after the destruction of Starkiller Base — and it may have given us the first appearance of one of Last Jedi’s new stars.

When we last saw the chromed-out commander of the First Order’s stormtroopers she was being pushed down a garbage chute into a trash compactor. But before Finn and Han gave her the boot, they got Phasma to bring down the energy shields protecting the mega weapon, which allows Poe Dameron to launch the attack that leads to its destruction.

Marvel

The clever part of this first issue of the four-part series is that it takes the form of a contemporaneous audio log, one that Phasma is creating over the course of the comic. There are two narratives at play, however. The first are the words that Phasma is putting on the record, and the second are her actual actions on the scene. It reveals a woman who will do anything to preserve her reputation and her status within the First Order.

Marvel

There is also, potentially, a fun little Easter egg of a cameo for folks who have been keeping track of the press cycle for Star Wars: The Last Jedi. Remember that new, black BB unit that was revealed a little while ago? Well there’s one here, too. While he’s not called out by name, I’m pretty sure who ever this droid is, he’s along for the ride in issue two.

Marco Checchetto’s ink and color work is florid and is equal to anything that Marvel has put out in this cinematic universe since the first few issues of Star Wars: Poe Dameron. Combined with Kelly Thompson’s writing, every frame tends to personify and even extends actor Gwendoline Christie’s painfully brief performance in the original film.

The second issue arrives Sept. 20.