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When “Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens” was released, I reviewed a comic book series based on George Lucas’ movies. The new comics were published by Marvel and I finally had the chance to read the newest continuations of the Star Wars saga.
There have been Star Wars novels, comics and video games published for decades, but when Disney bought Lucasfilm and decided to make new movies, all of that content was rendered obsolete. Disney had a new direction they’d take the story and there wasn’t room for what was the Expanded Universe.
Around the same time that Disney acquired Lucasfilm, the comic rights to Star Wars reverted back to Marvel, who originally published Star Wars comics from 1977-87. Since Disney owns Marvel Entertainment, new comics are considered to be official continuations of the Star Wars world.
Since the first few comics came out before the movie, there weren’t any tantalizing details about the lives of Rey, Finn, Poe or Kylo Ren. The new Marvel comics are set between “A New Hope” and “The Empire Strikes Back.” Since the film audience doesn’t know much about what happened in the 30 years since we last saw Han, Leia and Luke in “Return of the Jedi,” these comics serve to fill in the blanks.
There are two ongoing comic series: “Star Wars” and “Star Wars: Darth Vader.”
The first six issues comprise the first story arc called Skywalker Strikes, which can be purchased as a trade paperback (the second is due at the end of the month). The Rebel Alliance destroyed the Death Star, but there’s no time to celebrate a real victory. The Empire is nowhere near destroyed; there is still work for our heroes.
Han, Leia, Luke, Chewbacca, R2-D2 and C-3PO head to a moon, Cymoon 1, to destroy a major weapons factory. Unfortunately, the arrival of Darth Vader and the discovery of slaves needing to be freed disrupts their carefully laid plans.
Luke still believes Vader is responsible for killing his father. He separates from the rest of the group to confront Vader.
The assault on the moon begins the newest adventure for our heroes. Luke throws himself into his Jedi training, Han is still in denial that he’s anything but a mercenary and Leia wants to push the Rebellion to be more aggressive.
It’s fun to see the original characters back in action. In the new movies, Han, Leia and Luke take a backseat to the new generation, but here they are determined to bring down the Empire.
Luke is figuring out what it means to be a Jedi. Han and Leia’s flirtation is starting to simmer. Vader is still in hot pursuit and the Empire is nowhere near defeated.
There are also new revelations. Han has a wife! Boba Fett is hired to kill Luke! Vader knows Fett from before their interaction in “Empire Strikes Back,” which explains why they seemed familiar with one another.
By the end of the comic, Vader learns the name of the Rebel pilot responsible for the Death Star’s destruction. This knowledge kicks off his comic series, “Star Wars: Darth Vader,” where we catch glimpses into the inner workings of the Empire, Vader’s thoughts and his determination to find Luke.
Along with the two ongoing series, Marvel is publishing several miniseries, the first of which is “Star Wars: Princess Leia.” Disappointingly, this is the weakest of the trades out so far. In it, Leia deals with the destruction of her home planet, Alderaan, by trying to round up her surviving people across the galaxy. The point is to show Leia coping with the loss of her entire world and how she transformed from a senator and princess into the Rebel leader we know. It doesn’t really advance the main storyline nor show much insight to Leia’s character.
Marvel also is publishing miniseries focusing on Lando Calrission and Chewbacca, and Kanan, the main character from the animated television series “Star Wars: Rebels.”
While these comics do not continue the storylines of the newest movies, they should fill in the blanks of the 30 years between films and give readers a chance to explore their favorite original characters. Even if you aren’t a fan of comics, if you love Star Wars, give these a shot. Marvel is certainly continuing the Skywalker Saga in a way that the biggest fans will appreciate.
