This blog is intended to educate fans unfamiliar with the Marvel Comics Star Wars series and, hopefully, dispel some myths.

Historical approach

The Star Wars Marvel Comics series was intended to keep "Star Wars" alive to viewers who didn't have VCRs and DVD players. While "Star Wars" was on cable and premiered on network television, it wasn't commonly accessible as it is today (by that, neither the film(s) or cable). They might have also served as a method for very young fans (those who hadn't even seen the film) to educate themselves on how to play with the action figures (was See Threepio a "good guy" or a "bad guy"?).

However, this doesn't mean that the series wasn't for older fans who remembered the film and had the reading level for the Del Rey novelizations.

The series ran from 1977-1986. Nine years was an enormous amount of time for a series based on television or film (just look at the short-lived "Indiana Jones" series and numerous TV comics that only lasted a few issues).

Storylines

From 1977-1979 the series focused on the fledging Rebel Alliance and its new heroes: Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, and Han Solo. Sometimes their paths diverged. Han and Chewbacca originally left to find their own adventures (#9-11), but later returned. In #28 Han and Chewbacca run into their old enemy: Jabba the Hutt. The Hutt is without a tail, considerably slimmer, but still of alien origin (though you might imagine him with a British accent when you read the comic).

Darth Vader is also prominent in these early issues, getting his masked face on high number of covers, compared to what follows.

In 1980, after "The Empire Strikes Back", Marvel ran into a couple of problems. Han Solo, perhaps one of the most popular characters, was frozen in carbonite. Meanwhile, Darth Vader had said he was Luke's father, but obviously the comic book couldn't resolve Luke's big question--was he telling the truth?

These issues turned into something like "Star Trek" adventures. Princess Leia busied herself with finding a new Rebel base, Lando and Chewbacca explore new worlds as they attempt to rescue Han Solo (apparently Boba Fett took the long route to Tatooine), and Luke Skywalker was tried for the murder of a female Rebel hero (who ends up becoming an apprentice of Darth Vader).

These issues aren't bad, they just take a turn they couldn't help taking. Dark Horse, or anyone else, couldn't have done better or differently. During these issues new characters are brought to life that continue throughout the series. Continuity becomes stronger during this era.

Once again, 1983, and "Return of the Jedi" brought new challenges for Marvel comics. In fact, they didn't even publish "Jedi" as part of the series, but gave it its own mini-series. #80 finds Luke and Leia following up on the Bothan spies report that their is a new Imperial weapon being built. #81 finds everything resolved (from "Jedi") and Han Solo has been freed. Entitled "Jawas of Doom", the Jawas rescue Boba Fett, but he does not remember who he is. Illustrating Han's change of character, Solo attempts to rescue the former bounty hunter, but it's too late.

Stories like #81 showed how the series had grown. The stories were rich with personal drama and dilemma.

Furthermore, Marvel does a much better job dealing with the death of the Empire than anything written thereafter. The Rebel Alliance does not become the New Republic, but The Alliance of Free Planets (this makes SO much more sense, since people would have bad memories of the Republic, from the days that Palpatine was beginning to take over). By the last issue, #107, the remaining Imperials have joined the Alliance and are joining to unite the entire galaxy under the new, peaceful and democratic, government. Their is a final space battle between the Alliance and a new threat from another galaxy (yes, Marvel even had THAT storyline first).

If you have never read the Marvel series, go for it, if you've read it as a kid and sneer at it as an adult, give it another chance.

I enjoy collecting the individual, original comics, but for those of you who don't want to spend the money on that Dark Horse reissued all of the main issues in graphic novel form earlier this decade (or late last, I can't remember). Anyway, I hope you'll give them a chance. Here are some of my favorite issues:

#49-An aging alien, who always wanted to be a Jedi, rescues Luke Skywalker

#50-While Luke Skywalker lies in a coma, he sees visions of Yoda, Obi-Wan, and Vader

#81 (see previous description)

#92 (continued from Annual #3; which is also good) Luke attempts to bring one of Vader's pupils back from the Dark Side

#98-Han Solo--babysitter!

#99-This is entirely a mood piece, but it's one of my favorite "Star Wars" comics

#100-Han Solo is reunited with a childhood friend as the Nagi attack

#107-"All Together Now"; The heroes come closer than ever to peace; Luke Skywalker is given a bigger buff look than even his 1994 action figure.