Comic Info
Comic Name: Star Wars (Volume 1)/Star Wars: Return of the Jedi
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Writer: Roy Thomas/Archie Goodwin
Artist: Howard Chaykin/Al Williamson/Carlos Garzon/Ron Frenz/Tom Palmer
# of Issues: 16
Release Date: 2019
Star Wars (1) #1
Reprints Star Wars (1) #1-6, 39-44, and Star Wars: Return of the Jedi #1-4 (July 1977-January 1984). A boy named Luke Skywalker grows up on the lonely desert planet of Tatooine and finds himself drawn into an intergalactic battle for freedom as the Rebels battle the Empire. From the Death Star’s fall to the birth of a new Death Star, the balance in the universe is in danger…and the Force is with the Rebels!
Written by Roy Thomas and Archie Goodwin, Star Wars: The Original Trilogy—The Movie Adaptations is a Marvel Comics sci-fi collection. Featuring art by Howard Chaykin, Al Williamson, Carlos Garzon, Ron Frenz, and Tom Palmer, the collection feature Star Wars (Star Wars #1-6 July 1977-December 1977), Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back (Star Wars #39-44 September 1980-February 1981), and Star Wars: Return of the Jedi (Star Wars: Return of the Jedi #1-4 October 1983-January 1984), and the issues have been reprinted in multiple versions since their release.
The treasury edition of Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back was one of my first “comics”. The oversized collection was a means for me to “see” Star Wars over and over again…even though I couldn’t read. With the adaptations often based on the script instead of the actual movie, there are some weird points (like the human Jabba) that never made it into the original movies…fans of Star Wars should definitely check them out.
Star Wars (1) #39
The comics were a little strange in that the Star Wars and Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back adaptations were rolled into the continuing Star Wars comic (which likewise was strange because the writers didn’t always know where Star Wars was going). I read the first and second adaptations over-and-over again due to them being a little more prevalent…but Return of the Jedi was a stand-alone mini-series and wasn’t always collected with other Star Wars comics.
The other aspect of this collection is that all the art has been remastered. The colors are brighter and the quality of the print is much higher than the individual issues (or many of the reprints). It is a bit jarring having grown up with the comics and while it is pretty, I sometimes miss the newsprint and old look.
Star Wars is a series that everyone generally knows forward and backwards. You can read these comics quite quickly…not because they aren’t wordy (they are), but because you find yourself sometimes skimming because they are so familiar. Newer fans and those who don’t know the movies as well might enjoy it more for the details that I now gloss over. Star Wars will endure…and this collection will continue to be modified and reprinted (if only we could get an adaptation of The Star Wars: The Holiday Special).
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