Han Solo Forever: New Comic, Prequel Ensure Rogue Will Live On

Han Solo is dead. Long live Han Solo.

Despite what we saw at the climax of Star Wars: The Force Awakens — the beloved rapscallion run through by his son’s lightsaber in a moment that still brings tears to our eyes — Lucasfilm is going to great lengths to reassure fans that Han Solo is immortal.

Like that moment at the end of Pulp Fiction when John Travolta triumphantly exits the diner, even though his character was killed in a scene moments earlier, Star Wars’ roguish hero continues to live on in that galaxy far, far away. Aside from a half-dozen different Han action figures currently populating store shelves, there’s the anticipated Han Solo prequel in the works. Written by Star Wars vet Lawrence Kasdan (who’s known for his crackling Han Solo dialogue) and son Jon and helmed by Phil Lord and Chris Miller (The Lego Movie), the anthology movie will be set before the events of A New Hope. The filmmakers are testing some of Hollywood’s hottest young actors for the lead role (although Harrison Ford is game), with the untitled project set for release on May 25, 2018.

Related: Chewie Proves That Han Shot First!

But that’s not the only Han Solo we’ll be getting. Marvel announced Monday that it will launch a Han Solo stand-alone limited series comic book. Written by Marjorie Liu and drawn by Mark Brooks and set to arrive in June, the latest Star Wars title finds Han and Chewbacca engaged in the outer-space equivalent of the Cannonball Run. The dynamic duo must navigate the Millennium Falcon in a race through the deadly Dragon Void against the top pilots in the known systems… while also working on an undercover mission for Princess Leia and the Rebel Alliance.

Here’s a preview (note, the art is not final).

The Han Solo limited series is set between the events of A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back, the same period covered by Marvel’s main Star Wars title, which also features Solo and the rest of the main Rebel crew. That time period is proving fertile for the Star Wars universe and the Solo mythos: the pre-teen novel Smuggler’s Run: A Han Solo Adventure, released as part of the Journey to the Force Awakens last fall, also focused on Han and Chewie’s adventures between Episodes IV and V.

Related: Sneak Peek at Marvel’s ‘Poe Dameron’ Comic

What does it all mean? Yes, Han Solo might have been impaled and tumbled into a bottomless chasm moments before Starkiller Base went supernova. But when it comes down to it, the scoundrel will never really die.

And we’re good with that.