Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker Comic Artist Seemingly Shoots Down Cancellation Rumors

While it may feel like it's well in the rearview of fans' minds, the adventures of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker haven't entirely concluded, as writer Jody Houser and artist Will Sliney worked on a comic book adaptation of the endeavor, with Sliney recently teasing his excitement at the upcoming project, despite rumors emerging in recent weeks that the adaptation had been scrapped entirely. The adaptation was originally meant to debut this past June, but the coronavirus pandemic took a major toll on the world of comics publishers, resulting in the book's delay, as fans have been left to wonder when the adaptation could be unveiled.

"No update yet but I can't wait to share what [Jody Houser] has come up with and what I've drawn," Sliney shared on Twitter when a fan asked for an update on the adaptation in a since-deleted post.

While the film has largely run its course among fans, having landed in theaters and already debuting on home video, these comic book adaptations often offer new insight into key sequences. As evidenced with the comic book adaptation of Star Wars: The Last Jedi, altering the medium can deliver fans new experiences and depict certain sequences from different perspectives and alter how we viewed specific scenes.

Will Sliney technically debunks the rumors that The Rise of Skywalker comic adaptation was cancelled from r/StarWarsLeaks

"As a lifelong Star Wars fan, it was an honor to be asked to be a part of wrapping up the Skywalker saga with Marvel Comics," Houser shared with Marvel.com when the adaptation was announced. "We have some fun plans to add scenes and material that weren't seen in the movie."

The site adds, "In addition to the shocking twists and turns that were present in the film, the five-issue limited series will also have brand-new story material for readers to enjoy!"

Sliney recently crafted the art for writer Charles Soule's Star Wars: The Rise of Kylo Ren, which depicted Ben Solo's descent down a dark path, elucidating audiences to this previously unseen journey. We surely shouldn't expect any major deviations from the film, but this endeavor could offer context to formerly mysterious encounters from the narrative.

Understandably, the project's indefinite delay ignited theories that it would be scrapped entirely and potentially for reasons unrelated to the coronavirus, but this is only one of many comics from major publishers whose releases have been impacted. Given that we're still in the midst of the pandemic, it would seem that publishers are still trying to figure out the best way to navigate the situation.

Stay tuned for details on the Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker comic adaptation.

Are you looking forward to the series? Let us know in the comments below or contact Patrick Cavanaugh directly on Twitter to talk all things Star Wars and horror!