Marvel; $3.99

Beginning in just a few weeks, Star Wars fans will be able to head to a galaxy far, far away when the themed land opens at Disneyland in California. But before that, Marvel’s able to show off the Black Spire Outpost, located on the planet of Batuu, in this new book. The story follows the goings-on at Black Spire as the First Order make their presence known, as well as giving some insight into how the merchant Dok-Ondar received some of his more valuable cargo.

Having a comic book help explain the backstory of these new theme park areas is actually kind of a cool idea. It helps folks who might be planning a trip get to know some of the characters they’ll actually be able to meet there, and also gives some narrative context to Black Spire in terms of its place in the larger Star Wars galaxy. It’s not necessarily up to the same sort of level as the other recent Star Wars books, but it doesn’t have to be – it’s serving a purpose beyond just being a comic book story, and it’s doing it well.

-Carrie Wood