May the Fourth and Revenge of the Fifth may have passed for this year, but that doesn’t mean we, or the pop culture landscape, are done with Star Wars. With a new volume of Marvel’s Star Wars ongoing launching this past Wednesday, writer and Star Wars fan Matt Lazorwitz was able to sit down with the writer of the series, Alex Segura to talk about old characters, new characters and Han Solo, P.I.
The following interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Matt Lazorwitz: Great to talk to you again, Alex! So, we’re here to talk about your new run as the new writer on Marvel’s ongoing Star Wars series, launched with a new #1 on May 7th. What are your first memories of Star Wars?
Alex Segura: It had to be Vader. I was born in 1980, so my earliest memories were of Return of the Jedi – and I remember being terrified by Darth Vader. I had a few action figures growing up, and then I saw the original trilogy on VHS when I got a little older — then we were off to the races. I remember reading the novelizations pretty young, too, and that added a ton of color and context to the mythos for me.
Matt: Last time we chatted on the ComicsXF Interview Podcast, we were a little more than halfway through your mini-series The Battle of Jakku, and you taking over the Star Wars ongoing hadn’t been announced yet. At what point did you know that you would be moving up to the big show of the ongoing book? Was that mini (or series of interconnected minis) always setting the stage for this run?
Alex: I don’t think I knew when we talked, Matt — and I certainly couldn’t say anything. But it all came together as we were mapping out the back half of Jakku — which was a very complicated, entrenched story that had to exist alongside so much canon. I had to weave a lot of threads through existing stuff — which was part of the fun! So I remember asking my editors, Mark Paniccia and Mikey Basso, ‘hey, let me know what you want me to tee up for the ongoing.’ When it comes to work for hire comics, I’m a firm believer in being a team player. You pick up the baton from the person before and you leave it in good shape for the next person. So I wanted to be sure I set the table for whoever was going to be writing the new #1, which I knew was coming. I think they chuckled and said, ‘well, funny you should ask – because we think you know the new writer really well…’
So, then it became what pieces can I leave for *myself* to play with? But at the same time, I think we all knew that the new ongoing would be tonally different from Jakku, which in my mind was very much the final chapter of the original trilogy, and the new ongoing will be much bigger and open. Each issue will stand on its own and really lean into why we love these characters — big action, big drama, done-in-one stories that weave together to tell a bigger adventure. It’s a great honor to be able to drive this car with Phil [Noto], one of my favorite artists ever.
Matt: At the time, you pointed out that you had a bit of dancing between the raindrops to do, as you had to fit the story you were telling into the year between the battles of Endor and Jakku established in Chuck Wendig’s Aftermath trilogy. Now that you’re past that big event, you’re in more unexplored territory, as we haven’t gotten a ton of stories between the Battle of Jakku and the next tentpole event/series, The Mandalorian. Is that freedom more or less intimidating then having to work in the confines of a more restricted timeline?
Alex: It’s more open, for sure — and our big mantra has been “familiar, but different.” So while Jakku was PACKED with cameos, characters, and plotlines — in a good way, I think — the main series will be squarely focused on Luke, Han, and Leia, with a new threat that evokes familiar elements of the lore, but presents them in different ways.
Matt: You’re working with Phil Noto on this new series. Phil has done a lot of Star Wars work over the years. What makes him a good fit for Star Wars to you? Is there anything about his stuff that you’re excited to see him draw, either again or something you’ve come up with that you can mention without spoiling too much?
Alex: Phil is amazing. Just a super talent and a genuinely nice guy. He was born to draw Star Wars. He actually did the cover to my Poe Dameron novel, Free Fall, years ago, and I felt so validated because his style just feels like the stamp of approval from Star Wars. And he’s a huge fan, so I knew I’d have to write something that got him jazzed up and excited.
He’s been a dream to work with — always making my stuff look cinematic and amazing. I joke that I could write the phone book and Phil would make it look good, but I’m also dead serious about it. He’s the perfect Star Wars artist, and just a superstar overall. We’ve known each other for almost 20 years and it’s wild to finally get the chance to work with him.
Matt: The solicitation copy for issue #1 focuses on the Big Three, Han Solo, Leia Organa and Luke Skywalker. Will we be seeing more of the new characters you introduced in your previous series like Rynn Zenat and Kith Alaytia, or some of the characters who have been in previous volumes like Kes Dameron and the Pathfinders?
Alex: You see Rynn right out of the gate — I love her dynamic with Luke. She’s very much where he was at the beginning of the original trilogy, if a bit more seasoned, so she’s kind of a touchstone for him — and a viewpoint character for the reader. Kith will also be around, as will some others, but the focus is squarely on the core heroes and their journey — that’s what people want out of this comic and we hope to deliver!
Matt: I just mentioned the Big Three above, but as we’re in the period post-ROTJ, Lando Calrissian is also in the mix. Lando had a very big part to play in the last volume of the ongoing, and is a character with a rich history in the movies and other media. How do you view the dynamic with Lando and those other characters? Is it the Big Three + Lando? Or by this point, are they the Big Four?
Alex: I love Lando — and he plays a big role in #3. He’s a core character, for sure. But at the outset, the big story involves Luke, Leia, and Han as they grapple with a new, unexpected threat that feels reminiscent of a dark evil they just grappled with — but featuring an added twist.
Matt: The Han related plot in issue #1 is described as Han, “investigating a deadly underworld mystery.” You are a noted mystery writer, and so I’m curious, are we taking Han in almost a detective mode here, trying to solve a crime or get the dope on a specific circumstance?
Alex: Han is dealing with his new status quo — he’s married to Leia, who is working hard to establish the New Republic — and he’s a dad. So he can’t rely on his old habits as a smuggler and scoundrel. But that doesn’t mean he won’t explore the gray areas of the galaxy to get answers. Han is a perfect P.I.-type character, so it was fun to use him in that role, playing off someone like Valance, who’s just a blast to write.
Matt: You’re a busy guy, with lots of irons in the fire. What else, aside from Star Wars, do you want to get a plug in for?
Alex: My next crime novel, Daredevil: Enemy of my Enemy, hits in February! Comics-wise, I’m still working on Dick Tracy with Michael Moreci and Geraldo Borges, and I just finished up my run on The Question: All Along the Watchtower at DC and am closing in on the final issue of Green Hornet/Miss Fury for Dynamite with Henry Barajas. If folks dig my work, I’d point them to The Forgotten Five Patreon, where me, Sara Century, and Pat Kennedy are working on a long-running superhero saga!
Matt: Thanks for your time, Alex. May the Force be with you!
Matt Lazorwitz read his first comic at the age of 5. It was Who's Who in the DC Universe #2, featuring characters whose names begin with B, which explains so much about his Batman obsession. He writes about comics he loves, and co-hosts the podcasts BatChat with Matt & Will and The ComicsXF Interview Podcast.
