Valance Beilert is razor-focused, not so much on serving Lord Vader, but keep Cadeliah safe while T'Onga and Losha's band of bounty hunters -- Zuckuss, Tasu Leech and Bossk -- are striving to make sense of a criminal underworld upended by the return of Crimson Dawn in a taught and action-intense Bounty Hunters #19.

In Star Wars Adventures #13, the IDW series' penultimate issue, Rey, Finn, Chewbacca and BB-8 ferry a Resistance asset who's being pursued by a pernicious bounty hunter in the employ of the First Order. The second story, by Danny Lore, is a suspenseful and well-paced narrative of three Jedi Temple caretakers who discover Darth Vader has arrived and is heading for them.

Also, giveawaway time! We're asking listeners to send us a couple of sentences via DM on the Twitter and Facebook account or an email to starwarssplashpage@gmail.com to offer their thoughts on where the next phase of The High Republic comics could go. Winners will receive print copies of THR #1-10 and The High Republic Adventures #1-9, on us, thanks to the generosity and largesse of Jared Cantor.

Upcoming Star Wars comics:

Dec. 28 | Star Wars (Vol. 3), Vol. 3, “War of the Bounty Hunters,” TPB (Collects #12-18)

Dec. 29 | Bounty Hunters #19, Star Wars Adventures #13

Jan. 5 | Doctor Aphra #17

Jan. 11 | Bounty Hunters, Vol. 3, TPB (Collects #12-17), The Weapon of a Jedi TPB (Collects #1-2)

Jan. 12 | Star Wars #20, Eye of the Storm #1 (of 2), The High Republic Adventures #12, Bounty Hunters #20

Jan. 19 | The High Republic #13, Doctor Aphra #18, The High Republic Adventures — Galactic Bake-Off Spectacular

Jan. 25 | Ghosts of Vader’s Castle TPB (Collects #1-5)

Jan. 26 | Trail of Shadows #4 (of 5)

Feb. 2 | Crimson Reign #2 (of 5), The High Republic #14, Halcyon Legacy #1 (of 5), Star Wars Adventures #14

Feb. 8 | Star Wars Legends: Rise of the Sith Omnibus (Collects Star Wars: Jedi -- The Dark Side #1-5, Qui-Gon & Obi-Wan -- Last Stand on Ord Mantell 1-3, Jedi Council -- Acts of War 1-4, Star Wars (1998) 0-6, Darth Maul 1-4, Episode I: The Phantom Menace 1/2, 1-4, Anakin Skywalker, Queen Amidala, Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi and material from Star Wars Tales 1, 3, 5, 7, 9-10, 13-14, 20 and 24)

Feb. 9 | Darth Vader #20, Trail of Shadows #5, The High Republic Adventures #13, Crimson Reign #1 (of 5) 2nd Printing

Feb. 16 | Eye of the Storm #2 (of 2)

Feb. 22 | The High Republic Adventures, Vol. 2, TPB collecting #6-8, the 2021 Free Comic Book Day story and the 2021 Annual

Feb. 23 | The High Republic #15

March 2 | Star Wars #21

March 9 | Halcyon Legacy #2 (of 5), Crimson Reign #3 (of 5), Han Solo & Chewbacca #1

March 15 | Star Wars Legends: Legacy, Vol. 4 ( Collects Legacy (2013) #1-18 and material from Star Wars Tales #19 and Star Wars Visionaries)

March 16 | Bounty Hunters #21, Doctor Aphra #19

March 23 | Darth Vader #21

March 30 | Star Wars #22, Halcyon Legacy #3

April 12 | Trail of Shadows TPB (Collects #1-5), Darth Vader (Vol. 1) Omnibus (New Printing) (Collects #1-25, Annual #1, Vader Down and Star Wars (Vol. 1) 13-14)

April 19 | The High Republic, Vol. 3, “Jedi’s End” TPB (Collects #11-15)

April 26 | Star Wars (Vol. 2), Omnibus (Vol. 1) New Printing (Collects Star Wars #1-37, Darth Vader (Vol. 1) #15-15, The Screaming Citadel, Doctor Aphra (Vol. 1) #7-8 and Star Wars Annual #1-3)

May 3 | Star Wars Legends Epic Collection: Tales of the Jedi, Vol. 2 (Collects Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi – The Golden Age of the Sith #0-5, Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi – The Fall of the Sith Empire #1-5, Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi #1-5, Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi – The Freedon Nadd Uprising #1-2); Star Wars Legends: The Empire Omnibus, Vol. 1 (Collects Republic #78-80, Purge, Purge — Seconds to Die, Purge — The Hidden Blade, Purge — The Tyrant’s Fist #1-2, Darth Vader and the Lost Command #1-5, Dark Times #1-17, Dark Times — Blue Harvest #0, Dark Times — Out of the Wilderness #1-5 and Darth Vader and the Ghost Prison #1-5)

May 17 | Star Wars Legends Epic Collection: The Clone Wars, Vol. 4 (Collects Free Comic Book Day 2005: Star Wars #1, Star Wars: Darth Maul – Son of Dathomir #1-4, Star Wars: Republic #74-77 and 81-83, Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith #1-4, Star Wars: Tag & Bink II #2, material from Star Wars Visionaries #1 and Star Wars Tales #4

May 24 | The High Republic -- Edge of Balance, Vol. 2 (Manga)

June 7 | Bounty Hunters, Vol. 4, "Crimson Reign"

June 14 | Darth Vader (Vol. 3) Vol. 4, "Crimson Reign"; Doctor Aphra (Vol. 2) Vol. 4, "Crimson Reign"

July 5 | Crimson Reign TPB (Collects Crimson Reign #1-5)

July 12 | Galactic Starcruiser: Halcyon Legacy TPB (Collects Halcyon Legacy #1-5); Star Wars Legends Epic Collection: The Empire, Vol. 7

July 19 | The New Republic Vol. 1 Omnibus (Collects Star Wars: Mara Jade - By the Emperor's Hand #0-6, Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire - Evolution #1-5, Star Wars: X-Wing Rogue Leader #1-3, Star Wars: X-Wing Rogue Squadron #1-35, Star Wars: X-Wing Rogue Squadron Special #1, Star Wars Handbook #1 and material from Star Wars Tales #10, 12, 15, 23

Aug. 2 | Star Wars Legends Epic Collection: The Menace Revealed, Vol. 3 (Collects Star Wars #36-45, Star Wars: Jedi Quest #1-4, Star Wars: Jango Fett #1, Star Wars: Zam Wesell #1)