Star Wars Comics (Published by Marvel)

• In one bolded sentence, Star Wars comics published by Marvel represent the primary print medium for expanding the galaxy far, far away, defining canonical narratives beyond the films and television shows across two distinct major continuities.
• Key Takeaways:
• Dual Continuities: The history of Star Wars comics is fundamentally split into two timelines. The first is the Legends continuity (formerly the Expanded Universe), which includes the original Marvel run and all Dark Horse Comics publications up to 2014. The second is the current Canon continuity, which began in 2014 after Disney's acquisition of Lucasfilm and includes all Marvel comics published from 2015 onward. Understanding this distinction is critical for any reader. star_wars_legends_vs_canon.
• Canon Expansion: The modern Marvel comics are a cornerstone of the official Star Wars canon, overseen by the Lucasfilm Story Group. They are designed to fill narrative gaps between the films, provide crucial backstory for characters like darth_vader and luke_skywalker, and introduce entirely new eras like the_high_republic.
• Character Creation: Comic books have been the birthplace of some of Star Wars' most beloved characters who exist outside the films. These include the morally ambiguous archaeologist doctor_aphra in the current Canon and the ancient Sith Lord Exar Kun in the Legends continuity.

The relationship between Marvel Comics and Star Wars is a foundational pillar of modern licensed comics. It began in 1977, a time when a science fiction film's success was far from guaranteed. Lucasfilm, seeking promotional avenues, licensed the comic rights to a hesitant Marvel. The initial series, `Star Wars`, launched in April 1977, a month before the film's release. Written by Roy Thomas and drawn by Howard Chaykin, the first six issues adapted the plot of A New Hope. The comic was a surprise runaway success, credited by many industry historians with saving Marvel Comics from a severe financial downturn in the late 1970s. After adapting the film, Marvel was faced with a challenge: what happens next? With no sequel planned yet, creators like Archie Goodwin and Carmine Infantino were given the freedom to craft original adventures for Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, and Han Solo. This marked the birth of the “Expanded Universe,” a concept where a property's story is continued and expanded in other media. This original Marvel run lasted for 107 issues and 3 annuals, concluding in 1986. In 1991, the comic book license for Star Wars moved to Dark Horse Comics. For over two decades, Dark Horse masterfully built upon the galaxy, creating some of the most acclaimed and ambitious stories in the franchise's history, such as `Dark Empire` and `Knights of the Old Republic`. These stories, along with novels and video games, formed the cohesive Expanded Universe. Following The Walt Disney Company's acquisition of Lucasfilm in 2012, it was announced in 2014 that the comic book license would return to the Disney-owned Marvel Comics in 2015. This move coincided with a major continuity reboot.

To navigate Star Wars comics, one must understand the “Great Canon Reset” of April 2014. This event divided the entire history of Star Wars storytelling into two distinct timelines.

The Legends banner encompasses all licensed Star Wars stories published before April 2014. This includes the original Marvel run (1977-1986) and the entire Dark Horse Comics library (1991-2014), alongside novels, games, and other materials from that period. For decades, this was the official story of Star Wars beyond the original six films. It contained the tales of Luke Skywalker's Jedi Order, the marriage of Han Solo and Leia Organa, the birth of their children (Jaina, Jacen, and Anakin Solo), and conflicts with threats like Grand Admiral Thrawn and the extragalactic Yuuzhan Vong. While these stories are no longer considered canonical to the ongoing cinematic narrative, they remain a beloved and incredibly rich source of storytelling. Lucasfilm and Marvel have selectively re-introduced concepts and characters from Legends back into the new canon (such as Thrawn in the `Star Wars Rebels` TV series), but the original stories themselves are considered alternate-history tales. Many of these classic comics are still in print under the “Star Wars Legends” banner.

In April 2014, Lucasfilm announced that to create a more cohesive and accessible universe for the upcoming sequel trilogy, they would be resetting the continuity. From that point forward, only the six original films, the `Star Wars: The Clone Wars` television series, and new material would be considered official Canon. All Marvel comics published from January 2015 onward are part of this new, unified Canon. These stories are developed in concert with the Lucasfilm Story Group, a committee established to ensure that every comic, novel, game, and film tells a piece of one massive, interconnected story. This modern era of comics is strategically designed to enhance the cinematic experience. For example, Charles Soule's `Darth Vader: Dark Lord of the Sith` series explores Vader's immediate aftermath of `Revenge of the Sith`, showing how he built his lightsaber and hunted the remaining Jedi. These are not side stories; they are integral parts of the main Star Wars saga.

The vast library of Star Wars comics can be best understood by examining the major publishing eras and their distinct creative approaches.

This era is characterized by its unrestrained, Silver Age comic book creativity. With little guidance from Lucasfilm, the writers and artists crafted stories that were often bizarre and wonderful, introducing concepts that would never appear in films.

• Key Series: `Star Wars` (1977). The main ongoing title that ran for 107 issues.
• Notable Characters: This run introduced the infamous Jaxxon, a 6-foot-tall, green-furred, Lepi smuggler, and Lumiya, a Dark Lady of the Sith who would become a major antagonist in later Legends novels.
• Defining Style: The stories felt very much like classic Marvel adventures set in space. You had cyborg bounty hunters, space pirates, and gladiatorial arenas. While some stories feel dated, they possess a unique charm and represent the very first steps into a larger galaxy. For many fans of the era, this was Star Wars between 1977 and 1980.

Dark Horse Comics took the license and treated it with a new level of maturity and ambition. They explored different genres and time periods, dramatically expanding the scope and history of the Star Wars galaxy. This is arguably the golden age of Star Wars comic book storytelling.

• Key Series and Concepts:
• Post-Return of the Jedi: `Dark Empire` (written by Tom Veitch, art by Cam Kennedy) was a landmark series that featured the return of Emperor Palpatine in a clone body, a concept that would later be echoed in `The Rise of Skywalker`.
• The Old Republic: The `Tales of the Jedi` series by Tom Veitch and Kevin J. Anderson delved thousands of years into the past, chronicling the ancient wars between the Jedi and the Sith. This laid the groundwork for the massively popular `Knights of the Old Republic` comic series by John Jackson Miller, which tied into the beloved video game.
• The Clone Wars: Before the animated series, comics like `Star Wars: Republic` by John Ostrander and Jan Duursema provided a gritty, soldier's-eye view of the Clone Wars, introducing fan-favorite characters like Jedi Master Quinlan Vos.
• The Future: The `Star Wars: Legacy` series, also by Ostrander and Duursema, jumped 130 years after the films to tell the story of Cade Skywalker, a descendant of Luke who had abandoned his heritage.

Upon regaining the license, Marvel launched a new line of comics with A-list talent, all set within the new official Canon. The strategy focuses on tightly interconnected stories that directly support and enrich the film and television narratives.

• The “Big Three” Launch Titles (2015):
• `Star Wars` (by Jason Aaron & John Cassaday): Followed the core heroes (Luke, Leia, Han) in the period between `A New Hope` and `The Empire Strikes Back`.
• `Darth Vader` (by Kieron Gillen & Salvador Larroca): Ran parallel to the main `Star Wars` title, showing the events from Vader's perspective as he dealt with the fallout from the Death Star's destruction. This series famously introduced Doctor Aphra.
• `Princess Leia` (by Mark Waid & Terry Dodson): A miniseries showing Leia's journey as she processed the destruction of Alderaan.
• Subsequent Flagship Series: Marvel has published multiple volumes of its flagship titles, each focusing on a different era.
• `Darth Vader: Dark Lord of the Sith` (by Charles Soule): Set immediately after `Revenge of the Sith`.
• `Star Wars` (by Charles Soule, 2020 relaunch): Set between `The Empire Strikes Back` and `Return of the Jedi`.
• Major Initiatives:
• Crossovers: Events like `Vader Down`, `The Screaming Citadel`, and `War of the Bounty Hunters` have brought the various ongoing series together for a single, galaxy-spanning storyline.
• The High Republic: A massive multi-media project set 200 years before the prequel films, exploring the Jedi Order at its absolute zenith. The comics, such as `The High Republic` by Cavan Scott, are a central pillar of this storytelling initiative.

Comics have been more than just adaptations; they are a crucible for creating new and lasting additions to the Star Wars mythos.

• Doctor Chelli Lona Aphra (Canon): Arguably the most successful character to originate in the new Marvel canon. Created by Kieron Gillen and Salvador Larroca in 2015's `Darth Vader` #3, Aphra is a morally ambiguous “rogue archaeologist” with a penchant for ancient weapons and droids. Her charisma, complex morality, and relationship with her homicidal droid companions (BT-1 and 0-0-0) made her an instant fan favorite. She was the first comic-original character in the new canon to receive her own ongoing series, which has been highly successful.
• Quinlan Vos (Legends/Canon): A Jedi Master known for his psychometric abilities (the power to see memories by touching objects). Created by John Ostrander and Jan Duursema for the `Star Wars: Republic` series, Vos was a complex, maverick Jedi who frequently walked the line of the dark side. He was so popular that he was mentioned in `Revenge of the Sith` and later incorporated into the `Star Wars: The Clone Wars` animated series, officially bringing a version of him into the modern Canon.
• Exar Kun (Legends): A key figure from the `Tales of the Jedi` comic series by Tom Veitch and Kevin J. Anderson. Kun was a revered Jedi Knight who fell to the dark side through his arrogance and lust for forbidden knowledge. He became a Dark Lord of the Sith, waged a devastating war against the Republic and the Jedi, and his spirit was later trapped in the temples of Yavin 4, where it would haunt luke_skywalker's Jedi Praxeum millennia later.

Comics have been instrumental in fleshing out the deeper lore of the galaxy.

• The Sith: While the films presented the Sith as a powerful evil, comics explored their history, philosophy, and internal conflicts. The `Tales of the Jedi` series detailed the origins of the Sith species and the Hundred-Year Darkness. In canon, Charles Soule's `Darth Vader` run showed the brutal process of “bleeding” a kyber crystal to create a red lightsaber, a fundamental piece of Sith lore.
• The Jedi Order: Comics have shown the Jedi Order in different eras and from different perspectives. `The High Republic` series shows a more proactive, decentralized, and optimistic Jedi Order, contrasting sharply with the dogmatic Council seen in the prequels. Legends comics like `Republic` explored the moral compromises Jedi were forced to make during wartime.

Certain comic book storylines have become as essential to Star Wars lore as the films for dedicated fans.

Written by John Jackson Miller, this 50-issue series is a prequel to the famous BioWare video games. It is set nearly 4,000 years before the films during the Mandalorian Wars. The story follows the fugitive Jedi Padawan Zayne Carrick, who is framed for murdering his fellow students. On the run, he uncovers a conspiracy within the Jedi Order itself. The series is celebrated for its intricate plotting, lovable cast of misfit characters (including the con artist Gryph), and its exploration of morality within the Jedi code. It stands as a pinnacle of long-form comic storytelling.

This 25-issue series redefined darth_vader for the modern era. Set between `A New Hope` and `The Empire Strikes Back`, it portrays a Vader who is on the outs with the Emperor after the Death Star's destruction. The series follows his ruthless quest to regain his master's favor and simultaneously hunt down the mysterious Force-sensitive pilot who destroyed the battle station. It is a masterclass in character study, showing Vader's cunning, brutality, and shreds of remaining humanity. This series introduced doctor_aphra and is considered essential reading for understanding Vader's character arc.

Published by Dark Horse in 1991, this was one of the first major stories set after `Return of the Jedi`. It depicts the shocking return of Emperor Palpatine, who has cheated death by transferring his consciousness into a series of young, powerful clone bodies. To defeat him from within, luke_skywalker makes the perilous decision to feign a fall to the dark side and become Palpatine's new apprentice. With stunning, moody watercolor art by Cam Kennedy, `Dark Empire` was a dark, epic, and controversial storyline that pushed the boundaries of Star Wars and introduced massive new superweapons like the World Devastators and Galaxy Gun.

Not a single storyline, but a massive, ongoing publishing initiative that launched in 2021. Set two centuries before `The Phantom Menace`, `The High Republic` depicts an era of galactic peace and prosperity, where the Jedi are at their peak. The central narrative, kicked off in the comics by Cavan Scott's main `The High Republic` series, revolves around the Jedi's conflict with the Nihil, a group of terrifying, anarchic marauders who can manipulate hyperspace. This initiative represents the boldest step in the new canon, creating an entirely new era with new heroes, villains, and a fresh aesthetic, giving creators a wide-open canvas to tell new types of Star Wars stories.

Beyond the main continuities, Star Wars comics have a rich history of adaptations and “what if?” scenarios.

• Film Adaptations: Nearly every Star Wars film has received a comic book adaptation. The original Marvel adaptations of the Original Trilogy are classics. In the modern era, Marvel has published adaptations of films like `The Force Awakens` and `Rogue One`, as well as TV shows like `The Mandalorian`. These often include deleted scenes or offer new perspectives on key moments.
• Star Wars Infinities (Legends): This was a series of “what if?” stories published by Dark Horse, exploring alternate outcomes for each film in the Original Trilogy. For example, `Infinities: A New Hope` explores a timeline where Luke's proton torpedoes fail to destroy the Death Star. These non-canon tales were a playground for creators to explore the endless possibilities of the Star Wars galaxy without being constrained by continuity.
• Manga Adaptations: There have been several manga-style adaptations of the Star Wars films produced in Japan and later translated for Western audiences. These often feature a different artistic sensibility and pacing, offering a unique cultural interpretation of the classic saga.

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