In keeping with the Star Wars theme from my What I Watch I Review blog, and my review of Obi-Wan & Anakin for The Burning Mind this past weekend, I decided to make this first bi-weekly ‘article’ a Star Wars piece as well.
This isn’t going to be an extensive break down of each series published or different events chronicled in the plethora of Star Wars comics published since 1977. It will be an overview of the history, with some personal commentary. I may even throw in a thought about the many Star Wars novels.
This piece didn’t come about because of Star Wars: The Forces Awakens. It came about because off a lot of the justification I have heard from people, some clients and friends, that The Forces Awakens HAD to remake Hope, with elements from Empire and Jedi. Many people telling me that Stars War hasn’t been in the public conciseness for years (Ignoring completely The Prequel Trilogy, both Star Wars: The Clones Wars TV show, the overabundance of action figures and all other licensed merchandize.)
Since this blog is about Comics . . .
THE ORIGINAL MARVEL YEARS
Make Mine Make, Made Star Wars Marvel for almost ten years (1977 to 1986) and 107 issues. For the years between the original movies and for three years after Return of the Jedi, MARVEL was the only true place to get new adventures of Luke, Leia and Han. Plus, this series showcased the first stories to take place post Jedi. Yea, there were novels, but nothing to the level of what would come.
Considering this series ran for an uninterrupted 107 issues, it is the longest running and most successful of any Star Wars comics book series.
MARVEL has a very checked past with licensed properties, often butchering them (See Marvel’s Star Trek and Battlestar Galatica (original series) comics). Star Wars was not immune from this. While there were some great stories, the overall series was not that good. Often times lacking a Star Wars feel.
After all, this series did introduced a giant, talking green rabbit – which may have influenced Jar Jar Binks.
The best thing this series did was give a glimpse into the expanded universe beyond the movies, something the movies could only hint at. It also introduced duels lightsabers, with Luke actually using them at one point toward the series end.
MARVEL also adapted Empire and Return.
With the end of the original Star Wars series with #107 in September, 1986, it can be said that Star Wars died off for a while. Or at least faded . . .
THE DARK HORSE YEARS
The initial re-birth of Star Wars is generally credited to the bestselling Heir to the Empire novel by Timothy Zahn (The first part of the Thrawn Trilogy), which relaunched the Star Wars book line and brought renewed interest and life into Star Wars.
In that same year, 1991, Dark Horse helped bring new blood to Star Wars when they started publishing their line of Star Wars come for the next 24 years. During that time frame, they also adapted Zahn’s Novel.
The title that put Dark Horse’s Star Wars on the map was Dark Empire. It set the tone for all Star Wars to come after, everything that dealt with Luke, Leia, Han and Vader and all the expanded universe comics. Dark Horse was going to present a darker, grittier adult oriented Star Wars. Often for the better.
Dark Horse’s Star Wars line was infinitely better than MARVEL’s, in story, art and presentation. MARVEL produced one series, and a mini-series, Dark Horse produced an entire line of comics ranging from The Old Republic, to the Prequel Trilogy to the Original Trilogy and beyond.
That is a huge plus for Dark Horse, but not something that can be held against MARVEL’s first Star Wars run. Such themes and ideas as The Old Republic weren’t develop during the original Trilogy and MARVEL’s run.
Dark Horse’s Star Wars line was extremely broad and epic in scope, and focused mostly on producing mini-series with self-contained stories that fit into the overall universe. They also introduced a number of new themes and characters into the expanded universe – to many to chronicle here.
Dark Horse also adapted some of the novels, but beyond adaptations they also brought into comics some of the themes, ideas and characters that were created in Star Wars novels, giving the expanded universe an even better fleshed-out feel.
Of course there were hits and misses, and not everything Dark Horse did was great. There were some don’t right awful stuff that are best forgotten.
For 24 years Dark Horse was the home of Star Wars. Star Wars was Dark Horse.
Then Came Disney . . . and a MARVEL return.
THE NEW MARVEL YEARS
The Second Rebirth of Star Wars
When Disney bought Star Wars they pulled the plug on Dark Horse (and a lot more than that – covered slightly later). With this massive franchise in hand, they gave it over to another recent acquisition, Star Wars original publishing home MARVEL COMICS.
Since January 2016 MARVEL has produced Star Wars comics. Until the publication of Journey to Star Wars The Forces Awakens and January 2016’s Obi-Wan and Anakin, MARVEL’s new titles have focused on the original trilogy: Star Wars, Darth Vader, Princess Leia, Lando, Chewbacca, with the exception being Kanan, The Last Padawan, about the character Kanan from Star Wars: Rebels.
Does this run, still early in life, mirror MARVEL’S original run? Fortunately not. The current MARVEL run of Star Wars has been extremely good, far and above their original series.
The art is far superior, the presentation is better and these comics feel like Star Wars. The creators involved are doing damn good job. I prefer these comics over the new movie.
MARVEL has avoided their licensed products woes here and are producing comic that obviously show some love and care. There is one thing that will hold these title’s back: DISNEY.
DISNEY’S STAR WARS
I can’t really do a piece and not talk about Disney. So, how is Disney holding MARVEL’s Star Wars back? Very Simple, Disney has stated that any licensed work (novels, comics, short stories, video games) that happened before April 2014 is no longer cannon. That only things considered cannon are The Original Trilogy, the Prequel Trilogy, The New Films, Star Wars: The Clones Wars (CGI), Star Wars: Rebels, books produced under Disney ownership and the new MARVEL COMICS.
This mean that MARVEL cannot build upon or incorporate any of the wealth of stories and characters once used in the expanded universe, because under Disney that universe doesn’t exist. There is no Jedi Academy, no Old Republic, no Cade Skywalker.
MARVEL has a clean slate to start from, so far it’s a good slate. Only time will tell how far Disney will allow MARVEL to go. That depends on how far Disney allows Star Wars to grow again.
FINAL THOUGHTS:
To say Star Wars was out of the public consciousness has to come from a causal or non-Star Wars fan. A true Star Wars fan knows that it faded out for a few years, but never died off.
Star Wars comics kept us warm between movies. And for years kept us hopeful for new films. Never doubt that the popularity of Star Wars comics (and novels) played a part in us receiving the Prequel trilogy (Good or bad). Many time the comics were better than the movies.
So rejoice in Star Wars comics. MARVEL will give us our monthly requirement and keep us warm until the next film(s), and perhaps be better.
And even if they are not canon anymore, seek out and read the original MARVEL run and the DARK HORSE line, if you haven’t in the past.
REJOICE in Star Wars comics, even when the films have failed us the comics have given us THE FORCE.
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