Star Wars (Marvel Comics, Vol. 1) #1-6 (1977, Comic Book)

Format: Comic Book

Publisher: Marvel Comics

Total Reading Time: 2 hours, 13 minutes

Introduction

Back in 1977 the original Star Wars film was released and it was a massive success. Along with it came a lot of tie-in materials such as a film novelization and comic books. This is the very first comic series based on Star Wars and today I am going to be covering the first six issues of the series which adapt the original film. After that the series goes off to tell original stories set in the universe, but that's for another day. This series is particularly interesting because the first two issues were actually published before the film was even released.

The story is that the galaxy is ruled by an evil Galactic Empire. There is a Rebellion fighting to stop them. This Rebellion had recently won their first fight against the Empire by getting the secret plans to the Death Star, an ultimate super weapon which can destroy an entire planet. A rebel space ship attempting to transport these plans is boarded by the evil sith lord Darth Vader. Princess Leia, a senator working with the Rebel Alliance, quickly puts the plans with two droids (robots) known as R2-D2 and C-3PO. These droids escape down onto the desert planet Tatooine below where a young farm boy named Luke Skywalker finds them.

Luke soon discovers that the R2 unit has important information which is vital to the Rebellion. The Empire kills Luke's aunt and uncle while searching for the droids. Luke meets up with an old hermit named Ben Kenobi in the area who turns out to be Obi-Wan Kenobi, a man who fought in the Clone Wars as a Jedi and was who R2-D2 was searching for. Together, they meet up with a man named Han Solo and his Wookiee (alien) partner Chewbacca in a cantina. They leave the planet and soon get sucked onto the Death Star. They discover the whereabouts of the princess and then must decide how to rescue her, how to escape the Death Star, and how to get the plans back.

Star Wars #1

Writer: Roy Thomas

Penciller: Howard Chaykin

Publication Date: April 12, 1977 (cover dated July 1977)

Reading Time: 27 minutes

This issue is a pretty straight forward adaptation of the film from the beginning up until Luke is attacked by Tusken Raiders. Most of the dialogue is the same with the exception of a word here or there. Each of the scenes from the film are accurately recreated. The only noticeable difference from the film is a scene where Luke's friend Biggs meets up with Luke on Tatooine and tells Luke that he plans to join the Rebellion. This scene was shot for the film but ended up being cut out. The artwork is simple but well done. The coloring feels really odd but that is probably because of how familiar I am with the film. The color choices are often in stark contrast to the film itself.

Star Wars #2: Six Against the Galaxy

Writer: Roy Thomas

Penciller: Howard Chaykin

Publication Date: May 10, 1977 (cover dated August 1977)

Reading Time: 23 minutes

This issue seems to have quite a few differences from the film itself. This issue goes from Luke being rescued by Tusken Raiders up until the group leaves Tatooine. The plot and important things are the same but there are some differences. One particularly amusing typo is there is one point where uncle Owen is called "uncle Ben". Clearly that's what happens when you work at Marvel and everyone is talking about Spider-Man. Also, Princess Leia states that her father is "Bail Antillies" but her father is actually Bail Organa. Minor differences from the film include Ben's lightsaber being pink instead of blue and for some reason the force is always mentioned in quotes as "the force". This always throws me off when I read it. One deleted scene is included in this issue where Han goes and talks to Jabba. This scene eventually did make its way into the film with the 1997 special edition and all future releases but at the time it was a deleted scene. Also, Jabba looks nothing like he later would in Return of the Jedi but rather looks like more of a humanoid alien.

Star Wars #3: Death Star!

Writer: Roy Thomas
Penciller: Howard Chaykin
Publication Date: June 7, 1977 (cover dated September 1977)
Reading Time: 20 minutes

This third issue was the first one to be published after the release of the film. It starts up with the group getting sucked into the Death Star and goes up to them rescuing Princess Leia from the prison cell blocks. At this point the series really starts picking up with a lot more action which keeps it entertaining. I don't have a lot to say about this issue as it doesn't really deviate from the movie in any way that I noticed.


Star Wars #4: In Battle with Darth Vader

Writer: Roy Thomas
Penciller: Howard Chaykin
Publication Date: July 12, 1977 (cover dated October 1977)
Reading Time: 20 minutes

Marvel Comics continues to do a pretty solid adaptation here. This issue picks up from the last one with them rescuing Princess Leia and goes up to the point where they escape the Death Star. At this point the series can be viewed as either more or less entertaining depending on how you look at it. Like the previous issue this one doesn't deviate very much from the film so in that sense it seems a little pointless nowadays. The one point where there is some real deviation is there is a part where Luke and Leia kiss "for good luck". In 1977 this might have been charming but reading it in 2017 it is honestly kind of gross considering the big reveal in Return of the Jedi (not that the comic writers could have known back then). On the plus side, this has a lot of action in it as well as the battle between Ben Kenobi and Darth Vader which is well drawn here and exciting. I think that it is done a little bit better here then in the film and in my opinion the ending to the battle makes more sense here. The only oddity is that both Ben and Darth Vader have pink lightsabers (instead of blue and red, respectively).

Star Wars #5: Lo, the Moons of Yavin!

Writer: Roy Thomas
Penciller: Howard Chaykin
Publication Date: August 10, 1977 (cover dated November 1977)
Reading Time: 19 minutes

We're now nearing the end of this film adaptation. Issue 5 covers the escape of the Death Star up until the group's arrival at the rebel base on Yavin 4 and finally their departure off to try and stop the the Death Star. This issue is almost entirely in space and has a lot of tension. However, this one focuses much more on character development and less on the action then previous issues. Again this issue continues to follow the film pretty closely except for Luke's rebel squadron at the end being Blue Squadron instead of Red Squadron. Also, there is another kissing scene between Luke and Leia which wasn't in the movie. Hopefully this is the last of those as it is kind of disturbing looking back at it now.

Star Wars #6: Is This the Final Chapter?

Writer: Roy Thomas
Penciller: Howard Chaykin
Publication Date: September 13, 1977 (cover dated December 1977)
Reading Time: 24 minutes

Here we are at the sixth and final issue of the Star Wars movie adaptation. This issue covers the rebel assault on the Death Star and ultimately the conclusion to said story. Other than (as mentioned in the previous issue) Luke's squadron being called Blue Squadron instead of Red Squadron, this is a pretty straight adaptation. No Luke/Leia romance this time around thank goodness. One big complaint I have about this issue is that the cover is very misleading. The cover shows Luke and Darth Vader having a lightsaber battle but they don't even meet face to face in the issue. Regardless, the cover is very well drawn and would make a good poster.

Overview

Going back and reading these old Star Wars comics has been an interesting experience. I feel as though the writing and artwork is done really well here. The comic becomes more and more movie accurate as it goes (most likely due to the movie actually coming out after the second issue). I have mixed feelings about reading this in 2017. On the one hand, I enjoy reading it to see the various differences between it and the finished film. On the other hand, it is a pretty accurate movie adaptation and as such it is somewhat pointless nowadays as one can simply just watch the movie. Plus there are a few oddities which really stand out nowadays such as the romantic subplot between Luke and Leia which is strange in retrospect.

In 2014 the Star Wars universe (with the exception of the six main films and the 2008 Clone Wars movie and television series) was rebooted. Due to that this comic series is no longer canon and is instead considered a part of the old continuity known as "Legends". Nowadays it isn't a very interesting read due to the readily available movie as well as it no longer being canon. However, it is well written and illustrated so if you are interested in the history of Star Wars comics then this is the place to start. Hopefully the series will be a little more interesting starting with issue seven as we venture into some new stories.