The Star Wars Publishing Wave was one of a number of specially packaged Star Wars Black Series figures released in 2021 to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Lucasfilm. The four-figure wave gave us four figures based on Star Wars Books or Graphic Novels, including this release from the Crimson Empire series from Dark Horse Comics, as released in 1997.
The character of Carnor Jax (Red & Black Armour) was chosen to represent the Crimson Empire, but the release is actually one of the few significant errors to date in the Black Series line as Hasbro has released the figure of Kir Karnos (Red Armour and Purple Cloak) instead. Once fans pointed out the error, Hasbro has acknowledged the mixup but was too far along in production to make any changes.
The packaging for the Publishing wave is designed around the look of a book with a front cover carrying the original novel artwork, and a side spine with the character name and greyscale illustration. The opposite side, where the pages would be, uses further artwork from the graphic novel in grey lined art against the black box. The rear of the box is very text-heavy and headed by the Lucasfilm 50th Anniversary timeline.
"Commemorate the first 50 years of Lucasfilm with figures inspired by Star Wars books and comics!"
The front cover then opens - held in check by a Velcro tab - to reveal the figure inside a more standard looing Black Series window box. On the inside of the cover, we have more Crimson Empire artwork and the Carnor Jax background text - which of course should really be for Kir Karnos.
Carnor Jax
Training himself in the ways of the dark side of the Force, Carnor Jax became one of the most formidable members of the Imperial Guard. He betrayed this brotherhood by usurping the Imperial throne
The groundwork for the Crimson Empire characters of Kir Karnos and Carnor Jax was essentially laid in 2017 when Hasbro released the Imperial Royal Guard in the Black Series. The figure was dressed in the flowing red robes we see on screen in the Emperor's Throne Room, but Hasbro chose to give the guards a full sculpted set of Crimson Empire armour underneath adding an extra dimension to the guards.
This means this Crimson Empire release is a direct re-use of the original Imperial Guard with tweaks to recreate the look of Kir Karnos. The armour is cast in red, with glossier red added to the armoured sections. The undersuit parts around the sides of the chest and the upper thighs in black - on the original Guards it was a deep red. This black panel is painted over the red on the chest section, but the thighs are cast in black with the red elements painted over - which does leave the red parts here looking dulled and the joins less than crisp.
The soft-goods robes have been adjusted to a cape section which is lined in an extremely shiny purple material. Like the original, the soft goods flows well around the figure and it is fixed in place with the helmet, so it cannot be removed. The overall look of the figure is a good match to Kir Karnos and the Crimson Empire cover with little work needed from the original figure. It is worth stating that with the armour exposed on this release, a few more paint apps would have helped the figure massively particularly around the belt and the buckles and straps of the boots
While only one weapon is seen in the box, Kir Karnos does come with both his twin-bladed weapon and an EC-17 hold-out blaster that arrives in his belt holster tied in with a small elastic band. The EC-17 has been in circulation for some time originating with the first Scout Trooper figure and is cast in black with little detail considering its small size. It is designed to fit in the figures left hand where the fingers are split into two pairs of two to fit either side of the weapons handle. The right hand was originally designed with a pointing finger as part of the sculpt to hold the original Imperial Guard weaponry against the figure's shoulder, and while it can hold the blaster the finger will stick out in a pointing motion.
This issue with the right hand is also evident when using the twin-bladed staff and it would have been more helpful to swap the hands with those of the Scout Trooper to better hold both included weapons. The twin-blade itself is a new accessory for the Black Series and is a touch taller than the figure itself. It is cast in black and that colour is left unpainted on the central shaft. The two-bladed ends are then painted in a gunmetal silver
The Imperial Guard body has 16 points of articulation although the final joint in the head is rendered useless due to the shape and design of the helmet. As an older body, the figure retains double-jointed knees allowing Kir Karnos to kneel and sit if you wish. The arms really need better elbows and perhaps butterfly shoulders for more dynamic posing with the blade. What we get is a little rigid with the elbows hitting 90 degrees only when bent, and the shoulder pauldrons blocking much of the shoulder movement. None of the joints presents as a major issue, but like a number of figures of that era, the ankle joints are looser than I would like and can lead to the figure toppling forward.
The Publishing Wave is certainly more about the packaging than the figures, all of which are tweaks and repaints of existing bodies apart from Jaxxon. The glaring issue of the mixed-up names will always blight this set - and perhaps Hasbro might re-issue it one day with the right name and perhaps with an accompanying Carnor Jax. Out of the box and the figure does most of what it needs to although it is in need of some additional paint on the body and those hands really need to have been sorted to handle both included weapons.
One for fans of the source material more than anything, and you can tell by the big discounting of this wave overall that it was not hugely successful and further waves are unlikely.
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About Me : As a child of the 70's and 80's I grew up in a golden age for action figures and in my youth bought and sold myself through collections of Star Wars, G.I. Joe (Action Force) and M.A.S.K. while also dabbling in He-Man, Transformers and Ghostbusters. Roll forward and I am now reliving that Youth with the action figures of today and am a collector and fan of the larger 6-8 inch figures from my favourite movie and TV licences - including the ones mentioned above, but also the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Doctor Who and the Aliens. I launched The Mephitsu Archives in 2015 with a view of creating a UK focused site or these figures where fans can pick up the latest action figure news, read reviews and get information on where to buy their figures and what is currently on store shelves. I hope I am delivering that to you guys...
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