WIRE Buzz: Star Wars, James Bond comics; Supergirl casts Stranger Things, X-Files stars

The Rise of Skywalker is nigh, but Star Wars fans will have a lead-in to this climactic chapter in the saga thanks to the origins of Kylo Ren. The Rise of Kylo Ren, a comic miniseries from writer Charles Soule (Daredevil) and artist Will Sliney (Spider-Man), both Star Wars veterans, will document Ben Solo’s transformation into the sinister Kylo Ren in what Sliney calls “the most important Star Wars comic of all time.”

The Last Jedi showed fans that Luke Skywalker feared his nephew’s darkness and, in a moment of weakness, was prepared to snuff it out permanently. Unfortunately, Ben woke up just in time to understand the betrayal, then embraced the Dark Side—murdering some of his fellow students and recruiting the rest.

Soule recently spoke about the comic on a Fan Expo Toronto panel, explaining the timeline and topic it’ll cover. "You know, Ben Solo is tragic," Soule said. "The potential of him from the day he was born, everyone around him saw or thought they saw what he could be. So he was put in all these different paths, and we've kind of seen how that's gone wrong in the films so far. This is a story about Ben Solo, understanding some of the choices he made."

From the betrayal to the aftermath to his training from Supreme Leader Snoke, Kylo’s journey will be completely informed by his ending. That’s because Soule got notes from the Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker team about how things shake out for Ben—for better or worse. That means the comic could offer up hints to those looking to enter into the new episode with expert information.

The Rise of Kylo Ren sees its first issue release on Dec. 4, a few weeks before Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker comes out on Dec. 20.

Next, the Arrowverse’s most sci-fi superhero offering is stacking its upcoming cast with a few power players from the genre. According to Deadline, Supergirl has added Cara Buono (Stranger Things) and Mitch Pileggi (The X-Files) as recurring characters Gamemnae and Rama Khan for Season 5.

The Crisis on Infinite Earths may be nigh, but Supergirl will be tackling some Justice League of America-era offworlders as well. In the comics, this pair ruled Atlantis together before all sorts of complications went down and things soured between the two—not to mention between them and the heroes of the JLA.

Gamemnae and Rama Khan are noted to still be protectors of Earth, though Gamemnae’s technological drive to control humanity brings it all back to the Black Mirror-esque season promised by Supergirl’s showrunners. Both will be facing Supergirl, though they might not be on the same side for long.

Supergirl returns on Oct. 6.

Finally, James Bond is getting a new comic. According to a release, Dynamite (which just announced its take on Live and Let Die) is releasing a new 007 series simply called James Bond that will thrust the secret agent into the world of art forgery. One of the world's most precious pieces of art is deemed fake -- and now Bond is in way over his head. Vita Ayala (Xena) and Danny Lore (Queen of Bad Dreams) write on the book, while artist Eric Gapstur (James Bond 007) teams up with his colorist (Roshan Kurichiyanil) and letterer (Ariana Maher) from that series. Jim Cheung (Justice League) will be offering up covers like this one:

Source: Dynamite

Gapstur is already on board with his new writing partners, who have handed him a story that includes an opening that is "no doubt the most challenging sequence I've ever drawn." As Daniel Craig's run as the titular agent nears its end with the upcoming No Time to Die, the comics are left to continue the legacy of one of pop culture's most iconic characters.

James Bond #1 is out this December.