Star Wars and the Fourth of July seem to go together perfectly, so before you fire up the BBQ and light your sparklers, SYFY WIRE has an exclusive five-page peek into IDW Publishing's Star Wars Adventures Annual 2019, with an out-of-this-universe breakdown by its faithful commander, writer Cavan Scott.

Rocketing into comic shops in September and adorned with vibrant art by Mauricet (Dastardly and Muttley) and a cover by Usagi Yojimbo's Stan Sakai, this is the second annual special for the exhilarating young adult series.

Credit: IDW Publishing

The bold feature-length storyline features a daring rescue mission led by Lando Calrissian and his new friend, our favorite green space rabbit, Jaxxon. The dynamic pair infiltrate the guarded seat of Imperial power, where they must recover a valuable artifact that will push an entire planet to forever banish the Galactic Empire from their home.

Enjoy Scott's intriguing dissection of the origins and elements of Star Wars Adventures Annual 2019 and tell us if it's an issue you'll grab when it arrives this fall.

Credit IDW Publishing

CAVAN SCOTT: The story started life as a pitch for a potential Lando Calrissian book in the Star Wars Choose Your Destiny series. When that didn’t happen, I stored the idea away, knowing we’d be able to use it elsewhere. Nothing goes to waste in a galaxy far, far away. When I was asked to come up with a story featuring Jaxxon for the 2019 Star Wars Adventures Annual, I knew that it would be the perfect home for Lando … now with the addition of a big green space bunny! A team-up with Lando and Jaxxon was too good an opportunity to miss!

Credit: IDW Publishing

CS: This story takes part just after Lando’s part in Michael Moreci’s and Arianna Florean’s Flight of the Falcon series which appeared in Star Wars Adventures #16, late last year. In that Lando and Nien Nunb had trouble refueling the Millennium Falcon after the Battle of Endor. Here we see Han eager for Lando to return his ship as soon as possible.

Credit: IDW Publishing

CS: It’s great to be working with Mauricet again. He really gets the relationship between Lando and Han. I first worked with him on last year’s annual, when we brought Jaxxon back to Star Wars after an absence of 30 years. For those who don’t know, Jaxxon was a fast-talking, rabbit-faced smuggler, first introduced in Marvel’s Star Wars #8 back in 1977. It was the first Star Wars comic I ever read. In fact, it was my first experience of Star Wars in general, as at that point I hadn’t seen the first film. Bringing Jax back was therefore a real buzz. For me, he represents the fun -- and somewhat surreal -- side of Star Wars. In a universe where alien squid men can command armadas and announce traps, there’s definitely room for a carrot-hating, blaster-loving cottontail.

Credit: IDW Publishing

CS: I could watch the Falcon destroying TIE fighters all day. But that’s not all this feature-length story has to offer. There are desperate Imperial officers (including a familiar face from the Star Wars Adventures in Wild Space series, stormtroopers, Imperial guards, stolen treasures, new Imperial walkers, daring rescues, C-3PO, Princess Leia, daring heists … and Jaxxon … lots and lots of Jaxxon! But for all that, you’ll have to pick up the annual itself!

Credit: IDW Publishing

IDW's Star Wars Adventures Annual 2019 lands in comic shops in September.