Publisher: Marvel Comics
Total Reading Time: 29 minutes
Note: Pizzazz has multiple comic book stories per issue. This is only a review of the Star Wars comic story contained in issues 1-9 and does not cover any of the other material covered within (such as Tarzan).
Introduction
The story picks up right from Star Wars, Vol. 1 #6 (basically the original movie) with Luke, Leia, C-3PO, and R2-D2 leaving the moon of Yavin 4 to go to a Rebel base in the Akuria system to warn them of a potential imperial attack. On their way they are attacked by imperial cruisers and have to land down on a seemingly uninhabited planet. They quickly learn however that things are not as they seem. Han and Chewbacca don't appear in this story. I believe that what they are doing is covered in the ongoing series at this point but I haven't read those issues yet to confirm.
Pizzazz #1: (Star Wars: Part 1)
Penciller: Howard Chaykin
Publication Date: September 22, 1977 (cover dated October 1977)
Reading Time: 4 minutes
This issue is only a few pages long and seems to spent a significant amount of its time with Luke and Leia arguing over whether C-3PO and R2-D2 are important. Even though the artwork is by the same person as in the ongoing series (Howard Chaykin), it seems much more rushed here and much sketchier. Presumably this was lower on their priority list. I'm not a huge fan of the art here.
Pizzazz #2: (Star Wars: Part 2)
Writer: Roy Thomas
Penciller: Howard Chaykin
Publication Date: October 20, 1977 (cover dated November 1977)
Reading Time: 3 minutes
Issue 2 features some fun space drama. At first it looks like some imperial star destroyers are going to use their tractor beam to suck in Luke and Leia. Thankfully they didn't go that route because I have no interest in seeing a repeat of them being on the Death Star very shortly before this in the ongoing series. The ending to this issue ends on a very solid cliffhanger.
Pizzazz #3: Star Wars: A Dread Discovery!
Writer: Roy Thomas
Penciller: Howard Chaykin
Publication Date: November 17, 1977 (cover dated December 1977)
Reading Time: 3 minutes
There isn't really any action in this issue as much as setting up for future issues. This is I believe the first time I've seen a reference to the Emperor in reading these Star Wars comics. The artwork seems a little bit better here and I like the design and layout of the planet. The issue basically just has the Empire saying they need to track down the Rebels and the Rebels saying that there are monsters on the planet and that they need to get off the planet.
Pizzazz #4: Star Wars: A Matter of Monsters!
Writer: Roy Thomas
Penciller: Howard Chaykin
Publication Date: December 22, 1977 (cover dated January 1978)
Reading Time: 3 minutes
This issue finally shows the monster that had been teased. The plot here is clever and the monster is legitimately frightening. This is type of story that is rarely seen in Star Wars but feels just right as you read it.
Pizzazz #5: Star Wars: Pursuit among the Ruins!
Writer: Roy Thomas
Penciller: Howard Chaykin
Publication Date: January 26, 1978 (cover dated February 1978)
Reading Time: 3 minutes
Here the story starts to become a little bit more standard for Star Wars as Luke and Leia are running from imperials. Honestly not too much to say here other than that I get an Aztec/Mayan vibe from the temple here,
Pizzazz #6: Star Wars: Do You Know What Your Children Are?
Writer: Roy Thomas
Penciller: Howard Chaykin
Publication Date: February 23, 1978 (cover dated March 1978)
Reading Time: 3 minutes
In this issue the group runs into a bunch of kids in the temple. They look a lot like human versions of the ThunderCats, although that would have to be completely coincidental since the ThunderCats didn't start until 1985. The superpowers that the children have a superhero feel to them and feel out of place in a Star Wars comic. Even though I don't like seeing it here I can't really blame Roy Thomas as it is still so early in Star Wars that a true feel for the series was still being pinned down.
Pizzazz #7: Star Wars: Caverns of Mystery!
Writer: Archie Goodwin
Penciller: Tony DeZuniga
Publication Date: March 23, 1978 (cover dated April 1978)
Reading Time: 3 minutes
This issue both the writer and penciller change but the story feels more or less the same. At this point the series is sort of turning into a wild goose chase between the imperials and the rebels. It feels a lot like a Saturday morning cartoon from the period, for better or worse. The kids in this are supposed to be friendly but they honestly just creep me out. I feel like the robot means well but we'll just have to see what his motives are in the final two issues of the story.
Pizzazz #8: Star Wars: The Keeper's Secret!
Writer: Archie Goodwin
Penciller: Tony DeZuniga
Publication Date: April 27, 1978 (cover dated May 1978)
Reading Time: 4 minutes
Issue eight is a pretty solid issue. It gives the backstory for the children and the robot in the temple. It has a very "ThunderCats with superpowers" feel to it though. I feel bad for anyone who had to read this month to month as the length of each individual issue is so short that it'd be hard to remember what had happened previously.
Pizzazz #9: Star Wars: The Final Fury!
Writer: Archie Goodwin
Penciller: Tony DeZuniga
Publication Date: May 25, 1978 (cover dated June 1978)
Reading Time: 3 minutes
The final issue of this story arc ended more as less as I expected at this point with the robot being an ally to the Rebels. It wraps up pretty well in that the story feels meaningful but it also comes full circle enough.
Overview
The story of these issues feels very much like an episode of a Saturday morning cartoon of the period. So if you are into Star Wars and cartoons then this is probably for you. I don't like the superpowers aspect of the story as I feel as though it doesn't jive very well with Star Wars but I am cutting it some slack due to how early of a story it is.
A lot of ideas are introduced here such as a distant war in the past and a species potentially coming back to the planet in the future. From what I can tell no future Star Wars stories ever comes back to this and now that the expanded universe has been rebooted it seems as though this is something that will never really be tied up. Because of this the story is very much a standalone story that comes full circle. It can be a fun read but is far from necessary.
If you're looking to track down this story you can either track down the original Pizzazz issues (although this is probably the most expensive route) or find one of the many reprints of the story. The story was reprinted in the UK in Star Wars Weekly #47-50 and then later by Dark Horse Comics as Star Wars #0. In addition, the story is included in a few larger collections such as Star Wars Omnibus: Wild Space: Volume 1 by Dark Horse Comics (which is how I read it), and then in more recent Marvel Comics collections in Star Wars: The Original Marvel Years: Volume 3 or Star Wars Legends Epic Collection: The Original Marvel Years: Volume 1.
Pizzazz #2: (Star Wars: Part 2)
Penciller: Howard Chaykin
Publication Date: October 20, 1977 (cover dated November 1977)
Reading Time: 3 minutes
Issue 2 features some fun space drama. At first it looks like some imperial star destroyers are going to use their tractor beam to suck in Luke and Leia. Thankfully they didn't go that route because I have no interest in seeing a repeat of them being on the Death Star very shortly before this in the ongoing series. The ending to this issue ends on a very solid cliffhanger.
Pizzazz #3: Star Wars: A Dread Discovery!
Penciller: Howard Chaykin
Publication Date: November 17, 1977 (cover dated December 1977)
Reading Time: 3 minutes
There isn't really any action in this issue as much as setting up for future issues. This is I believe the first time I've seen a reference to the Emperor in reading these Star Wars comics. The artwork seems a little bit better here and I like the design and layout of the planet. The issue basically just has the Empire saying they need to track down the Rebels and the Rebels saying that there are monsters on the planet and that they need to get off the planet.
Pizzazz #4: Star Wars: A Matter of Monsters!
Penciller: Howard Chaykin
Publication Date: December 22, 1977 (cover dated January 1978)
Reading Time: 3 minutes
This issue finally shows the monster that had been teased. The plot here is clever and the monster is legitimately frightening. This is type of story that is rarely seen in Star Wars but feels just right as you read it.
Pizzazz #5: Star Wars: Pursuit among the Ruins!
Penciller: Howard Chaykin
Publication Date: January 26, 1978 (cover dated February 1978)
Reading Time: 3 minutes
Here the story starts to become a little bit more standard for Star Wars as Luke and Leia are running from imperials. Honestly not too much to say here other than that I get an Aztec/Mayan vibe from the temple here,
Pizzazz #6: Star Wars: Do You Know What Your Children Are?
Penciller: Howard Chaykin
Publication Date: February 23, 1978 (cover dated March 1978)
Reading Time: 3 minutes
In this issue the group runs into a bunch of kids in the temple. They look a lot like human versions of the ThunderCats, although that would have to be completely coincidental since the ThunderCats didn't start until 1985. The superpowers that the children have a superhero feel to them and feel out of place in a Star Wars comic. Even though I don't like seeing it here I can't really blame Roy Thomas as it is still so early in Star Wars that a true feel for the series was still being pinned down.
Pizzazz #7: Star Wars: Caverns of Mystery!
Penciller: Tony DeZuniga
Publication Date: March 23, 1978 (cover dated April 1978)
Reading Time: 3 minutes
This issue both the writer and penciller change but the story feels more or less the same. At this point the series is sort of turning into a wild goose chase between the imperials and the rebels. It feels a lot like a Saturday morning cartoon from the period, for better or worse. The kids in this are supposed to be friendly but they honestly just creep me out. I feel like the robot means well but we'll just have to see what his motives are in the final two issues of the story.
Pizzazz #8: Star Wars: The Keeper's Secret!
Penciller: Tony DeZuniga
Publication Date: April 27, 1978 (cover dated May 1978)
Reading Time: 4 minutes
Issue eight is a pretty solid issue. It gives the backstory for the children and the robot in the temple. It has a very "ThunderCats with superpowers" feel to it though. I feel bad for anyone who had to read this month to month as the length of each individual issue is so short that it'd be hard to remember what had happened previously.
Pizzazz #9: Star Wars: The Final Fury!
Penciller: Tony DeZuniga
Publication Date: May 25, 1978 (cover dated June 1978)
Reading Time: 3 minutes
The final issue of this story arc ended more as less as I expected at this point with the robot being an ally to the Rebels. It wraps up pretty well in that the story feels meaningful but it also comes full circle enough.
Overview
A lot of ideas are introduced here such as a distant war in the past and a species potentially coming back to the planet in the future. From what I can tell no future Star Wars stories ever comes back to this and now that the expanded universe has been rebooted it seems as though this is something that will never really be tied up. Because of this the story is very much a standalone story that comes full circle. It can be a fun read but is far from necessary.
If you're looking to track down this story you can either track down the original Pizzazz issues (although this is probably the most expensive route) or find one of the many reprints of the story. The story was reprinted in the UK in Star Wars Weekly #47-50 and then later by Dark Horse Comics as Star Wars #0. In addition, the story is included in a few larger collections such as Star Wars Omnibus: Wild Space: Volume 1 by Dark Horse Comics (which is how I read it), and then in more recent Marvel Comics collections in Star Wars: The Original Marvel Years: Volume 3 or Star Wars Legends Epic Collection: The Original Marvel Years: Volume 1.
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