Author Timothy Zahn‘s 2018 Star Wars novel Thrawn: Alliances is getting a comic book adaptation at Marvel Comics.
At New York Comic Con 2023, Lucasfilm Publishing announced that Marvel‘s adaptation of Thrawn: Alliances would launch in January 2024. The comic book series teams Zahn with co-writer Jody Houser. Houser previously wrote Marvel’s 2018 six-issue limited series Star Wars: Thrawn — itself an adaptation of Zahn’s Thrawn novel from 2017. She has penned several other Star Wars comics for Marvel as well, including the publisher’s adaptation of Rogue One.
Check out Rod Reis’ cover art for Marvel’s Thrawn: Alliances below:
What is Thrawn: Alliances about?
Thrawn: Alliances is the second entry in Zahn’s first canon Thrawn trilogy — succeeding 2017’s Thrawn and preceding 2019’s Thrawn: Treason. The 2018 novel is set between Seasons 3 and 4 of the animated series Star Wars Rebels. In it, Emperor Palpatine sends Grand Admiral Thrawn and Darth Vader on a mission to investigate a potential threat to the Galactic Empire on Batuu.
Notably, Thrawn and Vader often competed for the Emperor’s favor and openly disagreed on what was best for the Empire. However, the reason Palpatine decided to team the two up was because they had actually worked together before. Thrawn: Alliances features a parallel narrative set during the Clone Wars, depicting a younger Thrawn’s first encounter with Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker. Throughout the events of the novel, Thrawn puts together that Anakin and Vader are indeed one and the same.
The Grand Admiral first appeared in Zahn’s 1991 novel Heir to the Empire — the first entry in the author’s original, non-canon Thrawn trilogy. Thrawn was ultimately added to modern Star Wars canon via the aforementioned Rebels television series. The character made his live-action debut in the recent Disney+ series Ahsoka, with Lars Mikkelsen reprising the role from Rebels.
Thrawn: Alliances #1 goes on sale in January 2024 from Marvel Comics.
