Star Wars (Marvel Comics)
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''Star Wars'' comics have been produced by various
comic book A comic book, also called comicbook, comic magazine or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) simply comic, is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are of ...
publishers since the debut of the 1977 film ''
Star Wars ''Star Wars'' is an American epic film, epic space opera multimedia franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the Star Wars (film), eponymous 1977 film and quickly became a worldwide popular culture, pop-culture Cultural impact of S ...
''.
Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is an American comic book publishing, publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Co ...
launched its original series in 1977, beginning with a six-issue comic adaptation of the film and running for 107 issues, including an adaptation of '' The Empire Strikes Back''. Marvel also released an adaptation of '' Return of the Jedi'' and spin-offs based on '' Droids'' and ''
Ewoks The Ewoks (singular: Ewok) are a fictional species of small, furry, mammaloid, bipeds in the '' Star Wars'' universe. They inhabit the forest moon of Endor and live in arboreal huts and other simple dwellings, being seen as primitive in comp ...
''. A self-titled comic strip ran in American newspapers between 1979 and 1984.
Blackthorne Publishing Blackthorne Publishing, Inc. was a comic book publisher that flourished from 1986–1989. They were notable for the ''Blackthorne 3-D Series'', their reprint titles of classic comic strips like Dick Tracy, and their licensed products. Blackthorne ...
released a three-issue run of 3-D comics from 1987 to 1988.
Dark Horse Comics Dark Horse Comics is an American comic book, graphic novel, and manga publisher founded in Milwaukie, Oregon by Mike Richardson in 1986. The company was created using funds earned from Richardson's chain of Portland, Oregon comic book shops known ...
published the
limited series Limited series may refer to: *Limited series, individual storylines within an anthology series *Limited series, a particular run of collectables, usually individually numbered *Limited series (comics), a comics series with a predetermined number of ...
''
Dark Empire ''Dark Empire'' is a ''Star Wars'' comic book metaseries produced by Dark Horse Comics. It consists of a six-issue Limited series (comics), limited series written by Tom Veitch and drawn by Cam Kennedy, followed by a second six-issue limited seri ...
'' in 1991, and ultimately produced over 100 ''Star Wars'' titles, including '' Tales of the Jedi'' (1993–1998), '' X-wing: Rogue Squadron'' (1995–1998), ''
Republic A republic () is a "state in which power rests with the people or their representatives; specifically a state without a monarchy" and also a "government, or system of government, of such a state." Previously, especially in the 17th and 18th c ...
'' (1998–2006), ''
Tales Tales may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Tales'' (album), a 1995 album by Marcus Miller * ''Tales'' (film), a 2014 Iranian film * ''Tales'' (TV series), an American television series * ''Tales'' (video game), a 2016 point-and-click adventure ...
'' (1999–2005), ''
Empire An empire is a "political unit" made up of several territories and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the empire (sometimes referred to as the metropole) ex ...
'' (2002–2006), '' Knights of the Old Republic'' (2006–2010), and ''
Legacy In law, a legacy is something held and transferred to someone as their inheritance, as by will and testament. Personal effects, family property, marriage property or collective property gained by will of real property. Legacy or legacies may refer ...
'' (2006–2010), as well as manga adaptations of the original film trilogy and the 1999 prequel '' The Phantom Menace''.
The Walt Disney Company The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...
acquired Marvel in 2009 and
Lucasfilm Lucasfilm Ltd. LLC is an American film and television production company and a subsidiary of Walt Disney Studios, which is a business segment of The Walt Disney Company. The studio is best known for creating and producing the ''Star Wars'' and ' ...
in 2012, and the ''Star Wars'' comics license returned to Marvel in 2015. Several new series were launched, including ''
Star Wars ''Star Wars'' is an American epic film, epic space opera multimedia franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the Star Wars (film), eponymous 1977 film and quickly became a worldwide popular culture, pop-culture Cultural impact of S ...
'', '' Star Wars: Darth Vader'', and ''
Doctor Aphra Doctor Chelli Lona Aphra, or simply Doctor Aphra, is a fictional character in the '' Star Wars'' franchise. Created by writer Kieron Gillen, artist Salvador Larroca, and editors Jordan D. White and Heather Antos, she first appeared in Marvel Co ...
.'' In 2017,
IDW Publishing IDW Publishing is an American publisher of comic books, graphic novels, art books, and comic strip collections. It was founded in 1999 as the publishing division of Idea and Design Works, LLC (IDW), itself formed in 1999, and is regularly recog ...
launched the anthology series ''Star Wars Adventures''. In 2022, Dark Horse resumed publishing new ''Star Wars'' comics and graphic novels.


Overview

The original series by
Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is an American comic book publishing, publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Co ...
began in 1977 with a six-issue comic adaptation of the original film and ran for 107 issues and three ''Annual''s until 1986, featuring stories set between the
original trilogy The original ''Star Wars'' trilogy, formerly marketed as the ''Star Wars'' Trilogy (and colloquially referred to as the 'original trilogy'), is the first set of three films produced in the ''Star Wars'' franchise, an American space opera cre ...
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 '' Droids'' and ''
Ewoks The Ewoks (singular: Ewok) are a fictional species of small, furry, mammaloid, bipeds in the '' Star Wars'' universe. They inhabit the forest moon of Endor and live in arboreal huts and other simple dwellings, being seen as primitive in comp ...
''. Briefly, the publishing rights went to
Blackthorne Publishing Blackthorne Publishing, Inc. was a comic book publisher that flourished from 1986–1989. They were notable for the ''Blackthorne 3-D Series'', their reprint titles of classic comic strips like Dick Tracy, and their licensed products. Blackthorne ...
, 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 Dark Horse Comics is an American comic book, graphic novel, and manga publisher founded in Milwaukie, Oregon by Mike Richardson in 1986. The company was created using funds earned from Richardson's chain of Portland, Oregon comic book shops known ...
, who published the limited series ''
Dark Empire ''Dark Empire'' is a ''Star Wars'' comic book metaseries produced by Dark Horse Comics. It consists of a six-issue Limited series (comics), limited series written by Tom Veitch and drawn by Cam Kennedy, followed by a second six-issue limited seri ...
'' in 1991 and ultimately produced over 100 ''Star Wars'' titles until 2014. Following the October 2012 acquisition of
Lucasfilm Lucasfilm Ltd. LLC is an American film and television production company and a subsidiary of Walt Disney Studios, which is a business segment of The Walt Disney Company. The studio is best known for creating and producing the ''Star Wars'' and ' ...
by
The Walt Disney Company The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...
, in January 2014, it was announced that the ''Star Wars'' comics license would return to Marvel Comics in 2015 (Disney having previously purchased
Marvel Entertainment Marvel Entertainment, LLC (formerly Marvel Enterprises) is an American show business, entertainment company (law), company founded in June 1998 and based in New York City, New York (state), New York, formed by the merger of #Marvel Entertainment ...
and the Marvel Comics brand and publishing in 2009). In April 2014, Lucasfilm rebranded the majority of the ''Star Wars'' Expanded Universe as ''Legends'', only keeping the theatrical
Skywalker saga The ''Star Wars'' media franchise, franchise involves multiple live-action and animated films. The film series started with a trilogy set ''in medias res'' which was later expanded to a trilogy of trilogies, known as the "#Skywalker Saga, Skyw ...
and the 2008 ''Clone Wars''
theatrical film A feature film or feature-length film is a narrative film (motion picture or "movie") with a running time long enough to be considered the principal or sole presentation in a commercial entertainment program. The term ''feature film'' originall ...
and
television series A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite television, satellite, or cable television, cable, excluding breaking news, television adverti ...
as canon. Most media released since then is considered part of the same canon, including comics.


Timeline


Marvel (1977–1987)

Lucasfilm publicity supervisor Charles Lippincott approached publisher
Stan Lee Stan Lee (born Stanley Martin Lieber ; December 28, 1922 – November 12, 2018) was an American comic book writer, editor, publisher, and producer. He rose through the ranks of a family-run business called Timely Publications which ...
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 Roy William Thomas Jr."Roy Thomas Checklist" ''Alter Ego'' vol. 3, #50 (July 2005) p. 16 (born November 22, 1940) is an American comic book writer and editor, who was Stan Lee's first successor as editor-in-chief of Marvel Comics. He is possibl ...
, 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 James Shooter (born September 27, 1951) is an American writer, editor and publisher for various comic books. He started professionally in the medium at the age of 14, and he is most notable for his successful and controversial run as Marvel Comic ...
, the strong sales of ''Star Wars'' comics saved Marvel financially in 1977 and 1978. The series began featuring original stories with issue #7 (January 1978). Writer Archie Goodwin and artist
Carmine Infantino Carmine Michael Infantino (; May 24, 1925 – April 4, 2013) was an American comics artist and editing, editor, primarily for DC Comics, during the late 1950s and early 1960s period known as the Silver Age of Comic Books. Among his character creat ...
took over the series as of #11 (May 1978). 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 (September 1980 – February 1981). Writer David Michelinie and artist Walt Simonson became the new creative team with issue #51 (September 1981). Ron Frenz became the regular artist of the title starting with issue #71 (May 1983). As of 1984, the ''Star Wars'' series was primarily written by
Jo Duffy Mary Jo Duffy (born February 9, 1954) is an American comic book editor and writer, known for her work for Marvel Comics in the 1980s and DC Comics and Image Comics in the 1990s. Biography A native of the New York City area, Duffy attended Welles ...
, 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 ''Annual''s. 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 ''Pizzazz'' is the fifth album by American singer Patrice Rushen. Reception While she was attacked for leaving the jazz genre, Rushen was able to get a good fan base with an R&B/Pop audience. Rushen's profile in the R&B world continued to incre ...
'' (1977–1979). 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 Klaus Janson (born January 23, 1952) is a German-born American comics artist, working regularly for Marvel Comics and DC Comics and sporadically for independent companies. While he is best known as an inker, Janson has frequently worked as a penc ...
, Dave Cockrum, and
John Tartaglione John Tartaglione (January 14, 1921 – November 12, 2003),''Comics Buyer's Guide'' #1650; February 2009; Page 107 a.k.a. John Tartag and other pseudonyms, was an American comic book artist best known as a 1950s romance-comics artist; a Marvel C ...
. The final two chapters were scheduled to be printed in issues #17 and 18, but the magazine was cancelled after issue #16. Marvel UK reprinted "The Keeper's World" in its ''Star Wars Weekly'' #47–50, and "The Kingdom of Ice" (including the previously unreleased chapters) in its ''Star Wars Weekly'' #57–60 between 1978 and 1979. Marvel's ''Star Wars'' comics were reprinted in the U.K. as a weekly black-and-white comics anthology. The weekly U.K. issues split the stories from the U.S. monthly issues into smaller installments, and it usually took two to three weekly issues to complete a U.S. monthly issue. The U.K. 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 U.K. comic had been printed in color. This is the title and format that remained until the last issue (#155) was published in June 1986. Further original content was published in issues #94–99, 104–115, 149 and 153–157. Throughout this eight-year period, Marvel UK also published several ''Star Wars Annual''s and ''Special''s. Marvel's adaptation of ''Return of the Jedi'' (October 1983 – January 1984) appeared in a separate four-issue
limited series Limited series may refer to: *Limited series, individual storylines within an anthology series *Limited series, a particular run of collectables, usually individually numbered *Limited series (comics), a comics series with a predetermined number of ...
as well as in ''
Marvel Super Special ''Marvel Comics Super Special'' was a 41-issue series of one-shot (comics), one-shot comic-magazines published by Marvel Comics from 1977 to 1986. They were cover-priced $1.50 to $2.50, while regular color comics were priced 30 cents to 60 cents, B ...
'' #27 and in a mass market paperback. From 1985 to 1987, the animated children's series ''Ewoks'' and ''Droids'' inspired comic series from Marvel's Star Comics
line Line most often refers to: * Line (geometry), object with zero thickness and curvature that stretches to infinity * Telephone line, a single-user circuit on a telephone communication system Line, lines, The Line, or LINE may also refer to: Arts ...
.


Pendulum Press (1978)

In 1978,
Pendulum Press Pendulum Press was a publishing company based in West Haven, Connecticut West Haven is a city in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States. It is located on the coast of Long Island Sound. At the 2020 census, the population of the city was ...
, under their educational series ''Contemporary Motivators'', also published a 31-page loose adaptation of ''Star Wars'' by Linda A. Cadrain and
Charles Nicholas "Charles Nicholas" is the pseudonymous house name of three early creators of American comic books for the Fox Feature Syndicate and Fox Comics: Chuck Cuidera (1915–2001), Jack Kirby (1917–1994), and Charles Wojtkoski (1921–1985). The name o ...
. 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 ''Watertown Daily Times'' is a newspaper published six days a week, Tuesday through Sunday, in Watertown, New York. It provides coverage of Jefferson County, Lewis County, St. Lawrence County and Oswego County. It was founded in 1861 and ...
''. The creative teams were revolving, but included Archie Goodwin, Williamson,
Russ Manning Russell George Manning (January 5, 1929"United States Social Security Death Index," index, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/VMMT-NZN : accessed 28 Aug 2014), Russell Manning, Dec 1981; citing U.S. Social Security Administration ...
, Steve Gerber,
Alfredo Alcala Alfredo P. Alcala (August 23, 1925 – April 4, 2000) was a Filipino comics artist, born in Talisay, Negros Occidental in the Philippines. Alcala was an established illustrator whose works appeared in the ''Alcala Komix Magazine''. His 1963 cre ...
, 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'' (1980), 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 Brian Charles Daley (December 22, 1947 – February 11, 1996) was an American science fiction novelist. He also adapted for radio the ''Star Wars'' radio dramas and wrote all of its episodes. Biography Daley was born in Englewood, New Jersey ...
's ''
Han Solo at Stars' End ''The Han Solo Adventures'' is a trilogy of novels set in the ''Star Wars'' fictional universe by American science-fiction novelist Brian Daley. It follows the smuggling days of Han Solo and Chewbacca two years before the events of the original ...
'' (1979). In 1991,
Russ Cochran Russell Earl Cochran (born October 31, 1958) is an American professional golfer who plays on the PGA Tour Champions, having previously been a member on the PGA Tour and the Nationwide Tour. He is one of the few natural left-handed players to wi ...
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 3-D'' 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 '' Episode I: The Phantom Menace'', '' Episode II: Attack of the Clones'', '' Episode III: Revenge of the Sith'' . From 1998 to 1999, Dark Horse produced ''Star Wars'' manga, adapting the original trilogy and ''The Phantom Menace'' as
manga Manga (Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is u ...
with all the typical narrative and stylistic characteristics of the form.


=''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 Horse subsequently launched dozens of series set after, in between, and before the original film trilogy, including '' Tales of the Jedi'' (1993–1998), '' X-wing: Rogue Squadron'' (1995–1998), ''
Republic A republic () is a "state in which power rests with the people or their representatives; specifically a state without a monarchy" and also a "government, or system of government, of such a state." Previously, especially in the 17th and 18th c ...
'' (1998–2006), the mostly non-canonical ''
Tales Tales may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Tales'' (album), a 1995 album by Marcus Miller * ''Tales'' (film), a 2014 Iranian film * ''Tales'' (TV series), an American television series * ''Tales'' (video game), a 2016 point-and-click adventure ...
'' (1999–2005), ''
Empire An empire is a "political unit" made up of several territories and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the empire (sometimes referred to as the metropole) ex ...
'' (2002–2006), '' Knights of the Old Republic'' (2006–2010), and ''
Legacy In law, a legacy is something held and transferred to someone as their inheritance, as by will and testament. Personal effects, family property, marriage property or collective property gained by will of real property. Legacy or legacies may refer ...
'' (2006–2010).


=''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 (1991–1995).


=''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 This is an incomplete list of characters from the ''Star Wars'' expanded universe, now rebranded ''Star Wars Legends''. The accompanying works were declared non-canon to the ''Star Wars'' franchise by Lucasfilm in 2014. This list applies ''on ...
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 New Republic may refer to: Places * New Republic, California, former name of Santa Rita, Monterey County, California * New Republic (Santarem), district in the city of Santarém, Pará Countries * New Republic (Brazil), the restored civilian gove ...
Intelligence agent Mirith Sinn in the process. ''Crimson Empire II'' introduces Nom Anor, who served as the model for the Yuuzhan Vong in '' The New Jedi Order'', which he also appears in.


=''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 Obi-Wan Kenobi () is a fictional Character (arts), character in the ''Star Wars'' franchise. Within the Star Wars original trilogy, original trilogy, Obi-Wan is a Jedi Master as a supporting character and is portrayed by English actor Alec Guinn ...
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 the game series of the same name, exploring its backstory.


=''Legacy''

=


=''Star Wars: The Clone Wars''

=


=Other original series (Dark Horse comics)

= *'' Star Wars: Agent of the Empire'' 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'' (collects ''Star Wars: Agent of the Empire – Iron Eclipse'' #1–5, 128 pages, October 2012, ) *'' Star Wars: Invasion'' 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. *'' Star Wars: Dark Times'', 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. * '' Star Wars: Knight Errant'', 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. * '' Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi'', a series set thousands of years before ''Episode I – The Phantom Menace'', and showing the origins of the Jedi and the Sith. * ''
Star Wars ''Star Wars'' is an American epic film, epic space opera multimedia franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the Star Wars (film), eponymous 1977 film and quickly became a worldwide popular culture, pop-culture Cultural impact of S ...
'' is set shortly after ''A New Hope'', focusing on the main characters of the original trilogy.


Limited series (Dark Horse comics)

After ''Knights of the Old Republic'' and ''
Legacy In law, a legacy is something held and transferred to someone as their inheritance, as by will and testament. Personal effects, family property, marriage property or collective property gained by will of real property. Legacy or legacies may refer ...
'' ended in 2010, instead of publishing ongoing series, Dark Horse began publishing a "series of miniseries", including: * ''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)

''Routine Valor'' is a
comic book A comic book, also called comicbook, comic magazine or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) simply comic, is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are of ...
one-shot One shot may refer to: Film and television * One-shot film, a feature film shot in one long take with no edits, or manufactured to look like so * ''One Shot'' (2005 film), a Sri Lankan action film directed by Ranjan Ramanayake * ''One Shot'' (2 ...
released on May 6, 2006 by Dark Horse Comics for Free Comic Book Day 2006 as part of a Star Wars-Conan flipbook. The story is set during the end of the Clone Wars, approximately one year before the events of ''Revenge of the Sith'' (and 20 years before the events of ''A New Hope''). Characters include
Obi-Wan Kenobi Obi-Wan Kenobi () is a fictional Character (arts), character in the ''Star Wars'' franchise. Within the Star Wars original trilogy, original trilogy, Obi-Wan is a Jedi Master as a supporting character and is portrayed by English actor Alec Guinn ...
, along with Clone troopers Commander Cody, CT-8867, CT-8868, and CT-8869 External links: *
Dark Horse Listing


Alternate storylines

While non-canonical to the Expanded Universe, ''Star Wars Infinities'' shows alternate storylines for the original trilogy films, and ''Visionaries'' featured stories by artists who worked on ''Revenge of the Sith''. ''The Star Wars'' is a non-canonical series based on
George Lucas George Walton Lucas Jr. (born May 14, 1944) is an American filmmaker. Lucas is best known for creating the ''Star Wars'' and ''Indiana Jones'' franchises and founding Lucasfilm, LucasArts, Industrial Light & Magic and THX. He served as chairm ...
'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 The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...
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 Marvel Entertainment, LLC (formerly Marvel Enterprises) is an American show business, entertainment company (law), company founded in June 1998 and based in New York City, New York (state), New York, formed by the merger of #Marvel Entertainment ...
, in 2009. Meanwhile, with the sequel film '' The Force Awakens'' 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 ''Star Wars'' is an American epic film, epic space opera multimedia franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the Star Wars (film), eponymous 1977 film and quickly became a worldwide popular culture, pop-culture Cultural impact of S ...
'', '' Star Wars: Darth Vader'', and the limited series '' Star Wars: Princess Leia''.


Ongoing series

The initial series, ''Star Wars'', was released in January 2015, with ''Darth Vader'' debuting in February. The ongoing series '' Star Wars: Poe Dameron'' 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 comic adaptation 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 ''Star Wars: The High Republic'' is a multimedia project consisting of various stories from the ''Star Wars'' franchise set during the " High Republic" era, which spans 350 to 50 years before the Skywalker Saga and is set hundreds of years aft ...
'' 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. The ongoing series ''Han Solo and Chewbacca'' was announced in December of 2021. The series was described as being a collection of different adventures of the pair, starting just a few years before the events of ''Star Wars: A New Hope''.


=Trade paperback collections

=


''Star Wars'' (2015)


''Star Wars'' (2020)


''Darth Vader'' (2015)


''Darth Vader: Dark Lord of the Sith''


''Darth Vader'' (2020)


''Doctor Aphra''


''Doctor Aphra'' (2020)


''Kanan''


''Poe Dameron''


''Star Wars: Bounty Hunters''


Crossovers


Limited series and one-shots

''Princess Leia'' released in March 2015. ''
Chewbacca Chewbacca ( ), nicknamed "Chewie", is a fictional character in the ''Star Wars'' franchise. He is a Wookiee, a tall, hirsute, bipedal, intelligent species originating from the fictional planet of Kashyyyk. Chewbacca is the loyal friend and firs ...
'' (October–December 2015), '' Obi-Wan & Anakin'' (January–May 2016), and '' Han Solo'' (June–November 2016), as well as the one-shots '' Vader Down'' (November 2015) and '' C-3PO'' (April 2016). Several other limited series followed, including '' Kanan'' (April 2015 – March 2016), ''
Lando Lando may refer to: People * Lando (name), a given name or surname of Italian origin ** Pope Lando (913–914) Other uses * Lando Calrissian, fictional character in ''Star Wars'' * Landó (music), a style of Peruvian music * Lando, South Carolina, ...
'' (July–October 2015), '' Shattered Empire'' (September–October 2015), In 2017, limited series ''Darth Maul'', ''Mace Windu'', and '' Captain Phasma'', 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 '' Star Wars: Thrawn'' 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 '' The Last Jedi'' and '' Solo: A Star Wars Story'' were released, and the timeframe of ''Solo'' was explored further in the ''Beckett'' one-shot and in limited series featuring young Lando (''Double or Nothing'') and Han's time in the Empire (''Imperial Cadet''). 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 (and future projects) 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 (an A-wing interceptor, B-wing heavy assault fighter, U-wing transport, X-wing starfghter, and Y-wing bomber) in the wake of the Battle of Endor, a five-issue series called ''Star Wars: TIE Fighter'' explores 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 theme park experiences 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 ''Crimson Forever'' picks up the story of the original Marvel ''Star Wars'' comic run that ended in 1986. In connection with the forthcoming video game '' Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order'' 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 '' The Rise of Skywalker''. Charles Soule was announced to be writing a four-issue miniseries exploring the backstory of
Ben Solo Kylo Ren is a fictional character in the ''Star Wars'' franchise. He first appeared as the main antagonist of ''The Force Awakens (2015)'', in which he is portrayed by Adam Driver. Driver reprised his role in the sequel films '' Star Wars: The ...
's transition into Kylo Ren. ''Star Wars: The Rise of Kylo Ren'' premiered on December 16, 2019. In February of 2021 it was announced that Charles Soule would be writing a miniseries focusing on the events of Boba Fett between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, this series tied in with the rest of the ongoing Marvel series' at the time, would be called ''War of the Bounty Hunters'' - and released from May through October of 2021. The story of ''War of the Bounty Hunters'' was followed by the additional miniseries ''Crimson Reign'', also penned by Soule, which served as the second in a trilogy of stories revolving around the same cast of characters, notably Qi'ra, whose return to the Star Wars universe occurred in the pages of ''War of the Bounty Hunters.''


''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'' trade paperbacks:


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 (2017–2022)

In September 2017,
IDW Publishing IDW Publishing is an American publisher of comic books, graphic novels, art books, and comic strip collections. It was founded in 1999 as the publishing division of Idea and Design Works, LLC (IDW), itself formed in 1999, and is regularly recog ...
debuted ''Star Wars Adventures'', an anthology series published as part of the "Journey to '' Star Wars: The Last Jedi''" publishing program. In January 2018, IDW released a five-issue comic tie-in to '' Star Wars: Forces of Destiny''. 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''.


Return to Dark Horse (2022–present)

On November 18, 2021, it was announced that Dark Horse Comics would once again publish ''Star Wars'' comics beginning around the second quarter of 2022. This will include a new line of all-ages comics and graphic novels. In a follow up article. StarWars.com revealed that the first entries to modern Dark Horse storytelling will be ''Star Wars: Hyperspace Stories'' (released August, 10, 2022), and ''Star Wars: Tales From the Rancor Pit,'' (arriving October 19, 2022) - both series' will follow an all-ages anthology style format. Dark Horse's first entry to The High Republic era of the ''Star Wars'' timeline was announced at ''Star Wars'' Celebration Anaheim 2022. The statement at Star Wars Celebration consisted of an announcement of Dark Horse's creation of a new ''The High Republic: Adventures'' series, the first issue of which titled ''The Nameless Terror.'' The publisher also published a collected edition of Star Wars Rebels comic books from the Star Wars: Rebels Magazine, on August 16th 2022.


See also

* List of ''Star Wars'' comic books, an in-universe "chronological" list of comics * ''Star Wars'' (UK comics), a British publication which reprints some of the Dark Horse comics * ''Star Wars'' (manga)


References

Footnotes Citations


External links

* * * * * {{Marvel Multiverse Comics based on films Comics by Archie Goodwin (comics) Comics by David Michelinie Comics by Jason Aaron Comics by Mark Waid Comics by Roy Thomas Dark Horse Comics titles IDW Publishing titles Marvel Comics titles Science fiction comic strips