'Captain Phasma' #1 Contains First Canon Appearance of BB-9E

Joe Schmidt

11/09/2017 05:10 pm EST

Now that Force Friday II has come and gone, fans are starting to learn more about some of the events taking place after the destruction of the First Order's Starkiller Base.

Marvel's Captain Phasma comic just released issue #1 as part of the Journey to Star Wars: The Last Jedi, detailing how the commanding officer escaped the garbage chute after being neutralized by former Stormtrooper Finn. It also happens to contain the first appearance of the evil counterpart to BB-8 before the droid's shows up in the upcoming movie.

With the gigantic weapons installation being destroyed all around her, Phasma must find a way to escape. Unfortunately, she's also the one in the computer records responsible for deactivating Starkiller's defense shields, leaving her another loose end to tie up.

Phasma decides to delete records of her treachery from the computer and attempt to pin the crime on someone else, learning that a First Order officer named Lieutenant Sol Rivas also accessed records on the shield system.

Discovering the perfect patsy to blame for her mistake and the subsequent destruction of the First Order's superweapon, Phasma begins searching the base for Rivas and attempts to capture or kill him.

(Photo: Marvel Comics)

Passing The Buck

Phasma makes it through the base unscathed, avoiding explosions and ruptures in the ground, to find Rivas attempting to escape. Though he has no idea he's being pursued, he's still avoiding perishing in the destruction and quickly evades impending doom.

But Phasma manages to pursue him across obstacles, using a zipline to make it across a chasm after missing a killshot.

While going through the snow, she sees Kylo Ren and "an unknown opponent" dueling with lightsabers in the woods, distracting another shot from hitting its mark. The ground gives way below her, separating her from Kylo and leaving her to her prey.

Pursuing Rivas to another hangar with a pair of TIE Fighters, she sees Rivas escape in one of the ships but also finds another pilot waiting nearby.

First Order pilot TN-3465 tells Phasma he can help her track down the departed TIE Fighter, and the two board the remaining ship and escape the destruction of Starkiller just in time.

(Photo: Marvel Comics)

Meet BB-9E

Phasma is annoyed that there's another passenger with them, who beeps menacingly. BB-9E is revealed to be updating the TIE Fighter's systems, making it his first appearance in the Star Wars canon.

The issue ends with Phasma recording the log that read as her narration throughout the issue. She needs to log her actions as an attempt to bring a traitor to justice in order to hide her own mistakes.

Kelly Thompson, Marco Checcheto, Andres Mossa, and Clayton Cowles manage to tell good story with quickened pace. It's especially difficult for Checcheto and Mossa who are filling their panels with disguises faces, but still manage to convey emotion.

Anatomy and body language proliferate effective layouts, showing that Checcheto is perfect for telling stories about Stormtroopers. And Mossa's colors effectively set the frantic mood, layered with icy textures. The cool hues dominate the page without looking out of place.

(Photo: Marvel Comics)

Captain Phasma #1 is an effective comic to get people excited for the character's increased presence in Star Wars: The Last Jedi, which opens in theaters on December 15.

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