A handful of new characters were introduced in Star Wars: The Last Jedi, chief among them being DJ. Played by Benicio Del Toro, DJ is a new scoundrel-type character who is enlisted for help by Finn (John Boyega) and Rose (Kelly Marie Tran). I won't get into any more specifics for spoiler reasons, but nothing is revealed about DJ's background or what he was doing before Finn and Rose found him. That's where his one-shot comic book from Marvel comes in, which, according to the writer, will help to expand DJ's worldview and his place in The Last Jedi.
DJ is a character new to the Star Wars universe, created by Rian Johnson for The Last Jedi. Our one-shot will show you what DJ was doing right up to the moment before we meet him in the film. You'll definitely get some insights into DJ's worldview, which is a more complicated and, in many ways, darker perspective than we've seen in the Star Wars universe.
One of the perks of Disney owning both Star Wars and Marvel is that now there are a lot more Star Wars comics hitting the shelf. Marvel has been making Star Wars comics for a few years now, filling in gaps like the events between A New Hope and Empire Strikes Back or how Darth Vader learned Luke was his son. In addition to those series, Marvel also makes comics to illuminate some details on smaller side characters that the movies don't have enough time for. Captain Phasma received her own mini-series and a comic about Luke and Leia visiting Crait, the salty planet from The Last Jedi, was recently published. Now DJ is next in line to get his own one issue series about what he was up to before The Last Jedi.
Written by Ben Acker and Ben Blacker and illustrated by Kev Walker, Star Wars: The Last Jedi - DJ #1 is set for release on January 31, 2018. The only thing known about the story is that it is set prior to the events of the feature film, but StarWars.Com was able to get more information about the comic from writer Ben Blacker. The DJ centric one-shot will show what DJ was doing right up until the minute he is introduced in the movie. More will also be explored about DJ's worldview, which plays a big part in the overall theme of The Last Jedi. Will it reveal how he got his stutter? To be determined.
DJ is certainly one of the more mysterious elements of The Last Jedi, so perhaps some fans will appreciate having the opportunity to learn more about him. While the movie couldn't (and shouldn't) devote more time to DJ, that's why these Star Wars comics and novels exist: to give side characters a spotlight. Ben Blacker teased we'll be seeing a lot more of how DJ interacts with the world and how he prefers not to be a "man of action."
There was a lot of back and forth with Lucasfilm about both the setting and the character. The story takes place on a planet seen in the new movie, so there was a lot of info to learn about that location and how it works. More conversation, however, went into DJ's character and the way he interacts with the world. He isn't a "man of action" like so manyStar Wars characters. He's crafty and more than a bit mercenary.
DJ's future is up to J.J. Abrams now, but you can still see him in Star Wars: The Last Jedi, which is currently still playing in theaters. To learn more, visit our comprehensive guide on the sequel.
