Star Wars Modern Era Epic Collection: The Screaming Citadel #1

Released in 2017, The Screaming Citadel #1 serves as the inaugural chapter of a crossover event that bridged two of Marvel’s flagship Star Wars titles: Jason Aaron’s main Star Wars series and Kieron Gillen’s Doctor Aphra. The story was conceived to weave the archaeological, underworld-focused narrative of Aphra with the heroic, rebel-aligned journey of Luke Skywalker, bringing them together under the auspices of a mysterious, ancient fortress. The narrative sought to blend the classic space-fantasy adventure of the original trilogy with a gothic, horror-inspired aesthetic rarely explored in the franchise at that time.

The issue features scripting by Jason Aaron and Kieron Gillen, with art provided by Marco Checchetto. Checchetto’s design approach focused on establishing an eerie, atmospheric tension, moving away from the bright, sterile interiors of Star Wars ships toward the decaying, shadowy architecture of the Citadel. The crossover was received as a bold experiment in integrated storytelling, praised for its attempt to maintain the distinct voices of both lead characters while pushing them into a darker, high-stakes encounter that tested the limits of the Force and Aphra’s own morally ambiguous survival instincts.