Star Wars comics
Star Wars comics have been produced by various comic book publishers since the debut of the 1977 film Star Wars. Marvel Comics launched an eponymous series in 1977 which began with a six-issue comic adaptation of the film and ran for 107 issues, included an adaptation of The Empire Strikes Back. Marvel also released an adaptation of Return of the Jedi and spin-offs based on ' and Ewoks. A self-titled comic strip ran in American newspapers between 1979 and 1984. Blackthorne Publishing released a three-issue run of 3-D comics from 1987 to 1988.
Dark Horse Comics published the limited series Dark Empire in 1991, and ultimately produced over 100 Star Wars titles, including Tales of the Jedi, ', ', Tales, ', ', and ', as well as manga adaptations of the original film trilogy and the 1999 prequel The Phantom Menace.
The Walt Disney Company acquired Marvel in 2009 and Lucasfilm in 2012, and the Star Wars comics license returned to Marvel in 2015. Several new series were launched, including Star Wars, , and . In 2017, IDW Publishing launched the anthology series Star Wars Adventures.
Overview
by Marvel Comics began in 1977 with a six-issue comic adaptation of the original film and ran for 107 issues and three Annuals until 1986, featuring stories set between the original trilogy films, as well as adaptations of The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. From 1985 to 1987, Marvel published two short-lived series based on the Star Wars animated series and Ewoks. Briefly, the publishing rights went to Blackthorne Publishing, which released a three-issue run of 3-D comics from 1987 to 1988. Then, three years later, the rights to publish Star Wars comics were acquired by Dark Horse Comics, who published the limited series Dark Empire in 1991 and ultimately produced over 100 Star Wars titles until 2014.Following the October 2012 acquisition of Lucasfilm by The Walt Disney Company, in January 2014, it was announced that the Star Wars comics license would return to Marvel Comics in 2015.
In April 2014, Lucasfilm rebranded the majority of the Star Wars Expanded Universe as Legends, only keeping the theatrical Skywalker saga and the 2008 Clone Wars and as canon. Most media released since then is considered part of the same canon, including comics.
Marvel (1977–1987)
Lucasfilm publicity supervisor Charles Lippincott approached publisher Stan Lee at Marvel Comics in 1975 about publishing a Star Wars comic book prior to the film's release. Lee initially declined to consider such a proposal until the film was completed, and was only persuaded otherwise in a second meeting arranged by Roy Thomas, who wanted to edit the series. Since movie tie-in comics rarely sold well at that time, Lee negotiated a publishing arrangement which gave no royalties to Lucasfilm until sales exceeded 100,000. Thomas and artist Howard Chaykin adapted the events of the original film in issues #1–6 of Star Wars, with the first issue released for sale on April 12, 1977. According to former Marvel editor-in-chief Jim Shooter, the strong sales of Star Wars comics saved Marvel financially in 1977 and 1978. The series began featuring original stories with issue #7. Writer Archie Goodwin and artist Carmine Infantino took over the series as of #11. The series was one of the industry's top selling titles in 1979 and 1980. The 100,000 copy sales quota was surpassed quickly, allowing Lippincott to renegotiate the royalty arrangements. A six-issue adaptation of The Empire Strikes Back by Goodwin and artists Al Williamson and Carlos Garzon appeared in issues #39–44. Writer David Michelinie and artist Walt Simonson became the new creative team with issue #51. Ron Frenz became the regular artist of the title starting with #71. As of 1984, the Star Wars series was primarily written by Jo Duffy, and art for the final year and a half of the series was by Cynthia Martin. Marvel published the series until 1986, lasting 107 issues and three annuals.The first original Star Wars stories not directly adapted from the films to appear in print form were Star Wars comics serialized in the Marvel magazine Pizzazz. The first story arc, titled "The Keeper's World", was by Thomas, Chaykin, and Tony DeZuniga. The second story arc, entitled "The Kingdom of Ice", was by Goodwin, Simonson, Klaus Janson, Dave Cockrum, and John Tartaglione. The final two chapters were scheduled to be printed in issues 17 and 18, but the magazine was cancelled after the 16th issue. Marvel UK reprinted "The Keeper's World" in its Star Wars Weekly #47–50, and "The Kingdom of Ice" in its Star Wars Weekly #57–60 between 1978 and 1979.
Marvel's Star Wars comics were reprinted in the UK as a weekly black-and-white comics anthology. The weekly UK issues split the stories from the US monthly issues into smaller installments, and it usually took around three weekly issues to complete a US monthly issue. The UK comic also published original Star Wars stories by British creators, including Alan Moore. Star Wars Weekly #1 was published with a free cut-out X-wing fighter on February 8, 1978. It became The Empire Strikes Back Weekly from issue #118 in May 1980, and then became a monthly title from issue #140 in November 1980, reverting to the title Star Wars with issue #159 in July 1982. The monthly comic ran until issue #171 in July 1983, when the numbering was reset at #1 for Return of the Jedi Weekly, which was the first time the UK comic had been printed in color. This is the title and format that remained until the last issue was published in June 1986. Further original content was published in issues #94–99, #104–115, #149, #153–157. Throughout this eight-year period, Marvel UK also published several Star Wars annuals and specials.
Marvel's adaptation of Return of the Jedi appeared in a separate, eponymous four-issue limited series as well as in Marvel Super Special #27 and in a mass market paperback. From 1985–1987, the animated children's series Ewoks and Droids inspired comic series from Marvel's Star Comics line.
Pendulum Press (1978)
In 1978, Pendulum Press, under their educational series Contemporary Motivators, also published a 31-page loose adaptation of Star Wars by Linda A. Cadrain and Charles Nicholas. Produced as part of a package which included an audio tape and a film strip, the comic was specifically designed for classroom use, with typeset instead of hand lettering, and vocabulary appropriate for children.Newspaper strip (1979–1984)
A newspaper strip was published between 1979 and 1984, distributed by Los Angeles Times Syndicate and the Watertown Daily Times. The creative teams were revolving, but included Archie Goodwin, Williamson, Russ Manning, Steve Gerber, Alfredo Alcala, Carlos Garzon and letterer Ed King. Goodwin switched from writing Marvel's Star Wars series to the weekly newspaper comic strip after the release of The Empire Strikes Back, becoming the first writer to draw from more than just the original film in establishing the era set between the two films. The strip was based on the storyline and characters established in the original trilogy, but never adapted any of the films, instead fleshing out the history between them. From October 1980 to February 1981, Goodwin and Alcala adapted Brian Daley's Han Solo at Stars' End.In 1991, Russ Cochran published a 2500-copy limited run of a three-volume hardcover boxset of all of Goodwin and Williamson's Star Wars comic strips from 1981 to 1984, signed by both creators, and featuring new cover illustrations by the latter. Dark Horse Comics collected colorized compilations of the newspaper strip in its Classic Star Wars series from 1992 to 1994. Between 2017 and 2018, The Library of American Comics published a three-volume reprint series of the complete comic strip.
Blackthorne (1987–1988)
Blackthorne Publishing released a three-issue series called Star Wars 3D from December 1987 to February 1988. The comics were later reprinted in a black-and-white, non-3-D format by Dark Horse in their 2013 Star Wars Omnibus: Wild Space, Volume 1.Dark Horse (1991–2014)
Adaptations
Film and television adaptations
Dark Horse also published miniseries adapting ', ', . From 1998 to 1999, Dark Horse produced Star Wars manga, adapting the original trilogy and The Phantom Menace as manga with all the typical narrative and stylistic characteristics of the form.| Title | Material collected | Year | Pages | Format | ISBN |
| Darth Maul: Son of Dathomir | Darth Maul: Son of Dathomir #1–4, material from Star Wars Tales #7–9 | November 2017 | 136 pages | Softcover |
''Legends'' novel adaptations
Between 1995 and 1998, Dark Horse published adaptations of the Thrawn trilogy of novels by Timothy Zahn.Original series (Dark Horse comics)
''Dark Empire''
In the late 1980s, writer Tom Veitch and artist Cam Kennedy secured a deal to produce a Star Wars comic for Archie Goodwin at Epic Comics, a Marvel imprint. After the project was announced, Goodwin left Marvel, which dropped the comic. Dark Horse Comics subsequently published it as the Dark Empire sequence.''Classic Star Wars''
Classic Star Wars is a series of comics which included compilations of weekly installments of the newspaper comics written by Archie Goodwin with art by Al Williamson.''X-wing''
Star Wars: X-wing – Rogue Squadron is a comic book series of 35 issues released between 1995 and 1998. It follows the titular squadron beginning about one year after the events of Return of the Jedi.X-wing – Rogue Leader is a three-part comic book series set approximately one week after the end of Return of the Jedi. Several participants in the destruction of the second Death Star are sent, a little while after the events of Bakura, to scout out Imperial activity in Corellian space.
''Shadows of the Empire''
''Crimson Empire''
The Crimson Empire trilogy follows Kir Kanos, one of Palpatine's Imperial guards, beginning about seven years after the events of Return of the Jedi. Set shortly after Dark Empire, it relates that Imperial Guard Carnor Jax betrayed the cloned Palpatine and his guards in an attempt to consolidate his own power. Kanos swears to stop him, coming close to New Republic Intelligence agent Mirith Sinn in the process.''Qui-Gon & Obi-Wan''
Qui-Gon & Obi-Wan: Last Stand on Ord Mantell is a three-part comics series written by Ryder Windham, published by Dark Horse Comics between December 2000 and March 2001. The story features Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi five years before Episode I – The Phantom Menace.Qui-Gon & Obi-Wan: The Aurorient Express is a two-part comics series written by Mike Kennedy, and published by Dark Horse Comics between February 2002 and June 2002. The series is set in the Star Wars galaxy six years before The Phantom Menace. A luxury cloud cruiser has slipped out of control and is going to crash over Yorn Skot. The two Jedi must board the runaway ship and regain control.
''Knights of The Old Republic'' and ''The Old Republic''
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic and Star Wars: The Old Republic are series set around the events of, exploring its backstory.''Legacy''
''Star Wars: The Clone Wars''
Other original series (Dark Horse comics)
- ' is a series set a few years before Episode IV – A New Hope, and focusing on an Imperial Intelligence agent named Jahan Cross. Trade paperbacks: Volume 1: Iron Eclipse
- ' is a series set during the early days of the Yuuzhan Vong War, and dealing with how the New Republic is faring. The series, published by Dark Horse Comics, was written by Tom Taylor, and illustrated by Colin Wilson with color by Wes Dzioba. The first printed issue was published on July 1, 2009. Published by Dark Horse Comics, the series was set in the New Jedi Order era and depict the events of the Yuuzhan Vong War over 16 issues, plus a prologue issue. In January 2010, Star Wars: Invasion #0 was nominated for a 'Diamond Gem Award' in the '2009 Comic Book of the Year Over $3.00' category.
- ', is a series set in the years after Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, and showing former characters from Star Wars: Republic after Order 66.
- ', a series set 1,000 years before The Phantom Menace, and dealing with a lone Jedi's war against the Sith.
- Star Wars: Blood Ties, a series set in varying time periods that shows the bonds between certain characters in the saga, such as Jango Fett and Boba Fett.
- Star Wars: Darth Vader, a series set almost immediately after Revenge of the Sith, and showing how Darth Vader is dealing with his past as Anakin Skywalker.
- , a series set thousands of years before Episode I – The Phantom Menace, and showing the origins of the Jedi and the Sith.
Limited series (Dark Horse comics)
- Star Wars: Jedi, a series set a few decades before The Phantom Menace, and dealing with Qui-Gon Jinn in an undocumented area of his life.
One-shots (Dark Horse comics)
External links:
Alternate storylines
The Star Wars is a non-canonical series based on George Lucas's discarded 1974 draft for the original film. Adapted by J. W. Rinzler, Dark Horse released it as an eight-part comic book series beginning in September 2013. In this version, Luke Skywalker is more mature and a Jedi, and the main protagonist is named Annikin Starkiller. The series received mostly positive reviews.
Return to Marvel (2015–present)
Following the acquisition of Lucasfilm by The Walt Disney Company in 2012, it was announced in January 2014 that the Star Wars comics license would return to Marvel Comics in 2015. Disney had purchased Marvel's parent company, Marvel Entertainment, in 2009. Meanwhile, with the sequel film ' in production, most of the licensed Star Wars novels and comics produced since the originating 1977 film Star Wars were rebranded as Star Wars Legends and declared non-canon to the franchise in April 2014.Early reports in May 2014 suggested that Marvel would announce two new ongoing Star Wars comic series at the San Diego Comic-Con. In July 2014, Marvel announced three new series at SDCC: Star Wars, ', and the limited series .
Ongoing series
The initial series, Star Wars, was released in January 2015, with Darth Vader debuting in February.The ongoing series was announced in January 2016. Featuring X-wing fighter pilot Poe Dameron introduced in The Force Awakens, the series debuted on April 6, 2016. A six-issue of The Force Awakens by Chuck Wendig began publication in June 2016. In 2017. A second volume of the Marvel Darth Vader comic, subtitled Dark Lord of the Sith, began in June 2017 from writer Charles Soule and artist Giuseppe Camuncoli.
In August 2019, Marvel announced that the main Star Wars series that started in 2015, which has narratively caught up to the timeframe of the events of The Empire Strikes Back, would end in November 2019 with issue #75. A 56-page one-shot called Star Wars: Empire Ascendant, written by Soule, Greg Pak, Simon Spurrier, and Ethan Sacks, was released in December 2019 to wrap up the series.
At New York Comic Con in October 2019, Lucasfilm and Marvel announced the main Star Wars title would relaunch with a new ongoing series beginning in January 2020. Written by Soule, the flagship series will explore the time between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. It will expand on stories like how the demoralized ragtag band of rebels grows into the massive fleet that attacks the second Death Star, how the plan to rescue Han Solo from Jabba the Hutt is formed, how Leia balances her personal desires to save Han with her responsibilities to the Rebellion, Luke's growth as a Jedi while coming to an understanding of Darth Vader's reveal of his heritage, and the evolution of Lando Calrissian from selfish betrayer to trusted general.
First announced as Project Luminous at Star Wars Celebration in April 2019, full details of a publishing initiative called Star Wars: The High Republic were revealed in a press conference in February 2020. Involving the majority of the current officially licensed publishers, a new era set 200 years before the Skywalker Saga will be explored in various books and comics, including an ongoing Marvel title written by Cavan Scott that will premiere in August 2020.
Trade paperback collections
''Star Wars'' (Marvel)
''Darth Vader'' (Marvel)
''Darth Vader: Dark Lord of the Sith''
''Doctor Aphra''
''Kanan''
''Poe Dameron''
Crossovers
Limited series and one-shots
Princess Leia released in March 2015. ', ', and ', as well as the one-shots ' and '. Several other limited series followed, including ', ', ',In 2017, limited series Darth Maul, Mace Windu, and ', as well as further one-shots, continued to expand the Star Wars universe. The comic adaptation of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story was also released. Both the Poe Dameron and the second Darth Vader comics ended their runs in 2018, in September and December respectively.
In 2018, Marvel adapted the events of author Timothy Zahn's ' novel in a limited series. The character had been introduced by Zahn's Heir to the Empire trilogy in the early 1990s, now part of the Legends line, and was re-introduced in the new canon in Star Wars Rebels. Adaptations of both ' and ' were released, and the timeframe of Solo was explored further in the Beckett one-shot and in limited series featuring young Lando and Han's time in the Empire. Marvel announced in October 2018 that a five-issue, Wendig penned miniseries, Star Wars: Shadow of Vader, would be released starting in January 2019. The series would be an anthology told from the perspectives of those who had encountered Darth Vader. After three issues had been written, Wendig was removed from the miniseries by Marvel over concerns of his use of social media, and ultimately the miniseries was cancelled. In December 2018, a new miniseries with a similar premise, Star Wars: Vader – Dark Visions, was announced to be written by Dennis Hopeless with art from Paolo Villanelli and Brian Level and was launched in March 2019.
For 2019, Marvel announced a number of new limited series. As a companion to Star Wars: Alphabet Squadron, a novel by author Alexander Freed centered on a New Republic squadron of various Rebel ships in the wake of the Battle of Endor, a five-issue series called Star Wars: TIE Fighter will explore the fallout of the battle from both the New Republic and Imperial Remnant sides. A five-issue miniseries titled Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge will feature stories of the Black Spire Outpost on the Outer Rim planet Batuu and tie into the set to open at Disneyland and Walt Disney World in 2019. In May 2019, a one-shot by writer Matthew Rosenberg and various artists called Star Wars #108 will pick up the story of the original Marvel Star Wars comic run that ended in 1986.
In connection with the forthcoming video game ' by Electronic Arts and Respawn Entertainment, a five-issue miniseries called Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order – Dark Temple was announced in June 2019 to start publishing in September. At a panel discussing the Journey to The Rise of Skywalker publishing program at San Diego Comic-Con 2019, the four-issue Star Wars: Journey to The Rise of Skywalker – Allegiance miniseries was announced. It will help cover a one-year period during the time between The Last Jedi and '. Charles Soule was announced to be writing a four-issue miniseries exploring the backstory of Ben Solo's transition into Kylo Ren. Star Wars: The Rise of Kylo Ren premiered on 16 December 2019.
''Age of Star Wars'' Maxiseries
At San Diego Comic-Con 2018, Marvel announced Age of Star Wars, a 27-issue maxiseries starting in December 2018 that would span all three eras of the Star Wars saga. Star Wars: Age of Republic by writer Jody Houser will focus on the time of the Galactic Republic and the Clone Wars during the prequel trilogy era; Star Wars: Age of Rebellion by writer Greg Pak will focus on the Galactic Civil War between the Empire and the Rebel Alliance during the original trilogy era; and Star Wars: Age of Resistance by writer Tom Taylor will focus on the fall of the New Republic and the struggle between the Resistance and the First Order during the sequel trilogy era. At the time of release, Age of Republic was revealed to have eight one-shots spotlighting individual characters and a special anthology issue with up to four stories by different creative teams.- Age of Star Wars tradepaperbacks:
| Title | Material Collected | Year | Pages | Format | ISBN |
| Age of Republic – Heroes | Age of Republic: Anakin Skywalker #1, Age of Republic: Obi-Wan Kenobi #1, Age of Republic: Padme Amidala #1, Age of Republic: Qui-Gon Jinn #1 | May 2019 | 112 pages | Softcover | |
| Age of Republic – Villains | Age of Republic: Count Dooku #1, Age of Republic: Darth Maul #1, Age of Republic: General Grevious #1, Age of Republic: Jango Fett #1, Age of Republic Special #1 | May 2019 | 128 pages | Softcover | |
| Age of Rebellion – Heroes | Age of Rebellion: Han Solo #1, Age of Rebellion: Lando Calrissian #1, Age of Rebellion: Luke Skywalker #1, Age of Rebellion: Princess Leia #1 | August 2019 | 112 pages | Softcover | |
| Age of Rebellion – Villains | Age of Rebellion: Boba Fett #1, Age of Rebellion: Darth Vader #1, Age of Rebellion: Jabba the Hutt #1, Age of Rebellion: Grand Moff Tarkin #1, Age of Rebellion Special #1 | August 2019 | 128 pages | Softcover | |
| Age of Resistance – Heroes | Age of Resistance: Finn #1, Age of Resistance: Rose Tico #1, Age of Resistance: Poe Dameron #1, Age of Resistance: Rey #1, Age of Resistance Special #1 | November 2019 | 136 pages | Softcover | |
| Age of Resistance – Villains | Age of Resistance: Captain Phasma #1, Age of Resistance: General Hux #1, Age of Resistance: Kylo Ren #1, Age of Resistance: Supreme Leader Snoke #1 | December 2019 | 120 pages | Softcover |
Reprints
In mid-2014, Marvel stated that it would publish collected volumes of past Star Wars comics, beginning with Volume 1 of Star Wars: The Original Marvel Years in January 2015, and Volume 1 of Star Wars Legends Epic Collection: The Empire in April 2015, which reprinted Dark Horse's Star Wars comics. In December 2019, Marvel reprinted the first issue of the 1977 series as Star Wars #1 – Facsimile Edition.A series of reprints under the title True Believers: Star Wars was released in April and May 2019, celebrating Marvel's 80th anniversary. A second collection of True Believers: Star Wars titles was released in December 2019.
IDW Publishing (2017–present)
In September 2017, IDW Publishing debuted Star Wars Adventures, an anthology series published as part of the "Journey to '" publishing program.In January 2018, IDW released a five-issue comic tie-in to '.
In November 2018, IDW released Star Wars Adventures: Destroyer Down. This three-issue miniseries reprinted the previously released Loot Crate special from December 2017.
IDW has also published graphic novel adaptations of each Star Wars film since The Force Awakens.