Marvel to Continue Kenner Toys Inspired Variant Covers for Star Wars Comic Books

When I swung by my local comic book shop last month to pick up the first issue of Marvel's new STAR WARS comic book series this Luke Skywalker variant cover inspired by the original Kenner Toys action figure packaging caught my eye.  While I hadn't planned on buying up any of the over-hyped, over-priced variant covers that flooded stores and the Internet with this comic book's release this one was priced at the regular price for the issue and I just thought it was very nicely done.  The Luke Skywalker action figure on the cover was the very first Star Wars toy I ever received as a kid and the image on this comic book cover brought back some nice memories.  So I was nostalgic and picked it up.

While I thought this action figure design for the comic book cover was just another of the nearly hundred one and done variant covers released to promote this inaugural issue of the Star Wars brands return to the Marvel banner, I was pleasantly surprised to see that it appears there will be a few more of these covers being printed at least in the near future for upcoming issues.  Star Wars #2 which will be released on February 4, 2015 will have a Kenner Toys' Han Solo variant cover and Darth Vader #1 coming out on February 11, 2014 will also have one.  Additionally the upcoming Princess Leia mini-series will have an action figure variant cover for its first issue as will March's Star Wars #3 with a Ben Kenobi version.

I was somewhat worried before the first comic book was published that Marvel was just going to sketch up a comic without a lot of effort because they knew Star Wars fans would be digging into their pocketbooks no matter the quality of the product.  Fortunately, that hasn't been the case, the script and artwork in Star Wars #1 was exceptionally well done. In fact Star Wars #1 was one of my favorite comic books reads in the last few years...it really was that good.  As long as they continue the quality level demonstrated in this first issue I'm hooked on reading these comic books each month.  The continuation of these variant covers is just icing on the case, but also a sign that Marvel really is interested in providing Star Wars fans with a quality product.  So A Geek Daddy blog gives the new Marvel Star Wars comic books its nod of approval! 

UPDATE:  I just read Star Wars #2 and it was to quote Tony the Tiger "GREAT!!! "  I can't wait to get my hands on Star Wars #3 next month which is probably the first time I've felt that excited  about a comic book issue since I was 8 years old.

Sneak Peak at Upcoming Princess Leia Comic Book Mini-Series

Marvel Entertainment will focus the reintroduction of its publishing STAR WARS titles in 2015 (they originally had the licensing rights from 1977 through 1986) with three new comic books - a Star Wars ongoing monthly series beginning in January, a Darth Vader ongoing monthly series beginning in February and a 5 issue Princess Leia mini-series beginning in March.  Here's a sneak peek courtesy of StarWars.com at the first few pages from the first issue of the upcoming PRINCESS LEIA mini-series written Mark Waid (Daredevil) with artwork by Terry Dodson (Uncanny X-Men):

 

The first issue of the mini-series begins with the medal ceremony that took place at the conclusion of the film A New Hope ( aka the original Star Wars movie).  The theme of this comic book mini-series will be on how does Leia handle being a princess for a world that no longer exists. Waid discussed the plot in an interview he did with StarWars.com about Marvel's new publications:

"So it's a five-issue story that takes her across the galaxy in search of others of her kind to try and pull them together," Waid says. "Of course, some of them are going to be suspect, because they suspect this could be some sort of weird trap by the Empire. Some of them are going to be very angry, as they rightly or wrongly blame the house of Organa for what happened. Obviously, Leia will be traveling as low profile as she possibly can. If and when the Empire gets wind of the fact that Leia is doing is this, they're going to be very interested themselves in what she's doing, what she thinks she's doing, and what information there is to be mined from these people."

PRINCESS LEIA #1 will be available to read in March, 2015.

Marvel to publish 3 New Star Wars Comic Book Series starting in 2015

Marvel announced at the 2014 ComicCon in San Diego this weekend that it will be launching 3 new series in 2015 when the Star Wars comic book license transfers from Dark Horse Comics at the end of this year.  Interestingly these three new Star Wars titles continue what appears to be a concerted Disney strategy in promoting the brand by focusing on the original trilogy of movies and essentially ignoring the prequel movies.  As a fan of the Star Wars franchise since going to see the original movie at the theater as a kid with my dad in 1977, I am so glad Disney is taking this path.  I remember going to see the first prequel movie with a bunch of my friends at a sold-out midnight first showing of the film and being witness to energetic fans just leaving the theater deflated and annoyed.  It had seemed that Lucas had sold out his loyal fans to entice a new younger generation in the franchise playing more to their likes than to the preserving the original vibe of the films.

Disney is working to restore that vibe and you can see that in these three new comic book series.  All three focus on the time period between the films Episode IV A New Hope (the original Star Wars) and the franchise's most popular movie Episode V Empire Strikes Back.  It had been speculated by some fans and comic industry folks that Marvel would do a series focusing on the new animated television series Star Wars: Rebels but it appears at this time that is not in the cards just yet.  It had also been speculated that one of the series might take place after Return of the Jedi to help erase some of the Expanded Universe connection with fans and tie the original movies to Episode VII which is supposed to hit theaters in December of 2015.  Neither of these speculations occurred.  All of the announced comic books will focus on the Star Wars cannon timeline between A New Hope and Empire Strikes Back.

In fact the stories in Issue #1 of these new series are set 2 weeks after the Battle of Yavin where Luke Skywalker, with an assist from Han Solo & Chewbacca, blew up the Death Star.  The first series titled just STAR WARS will focus on the adventures of  the Rebel Alliance from its point of view featuring popular characters such as Luke Skywalker and Han Solo.  The second series is titled Star Wars: Darth Vader and will focus on the Empires fight to put down the rebellion from Vader's perspective.  Star Wars: Princess Leia will follow this character as she struggles with the loss of her family, friends and home world to the Death Star and seeks to find her role in the Rebellion as both a diplomat and warrior.  Marvel has recently made it a corporate priority to strengthen its catalog of female characters and work to expand its female customer base.  It appears that Princess Leia is going to be joining the all-female X-men team, Thor and Captain Marvel in moving that policy forward although her series isn't a full blown one and will consist of a 5-issue mini-series.

Star Wars: Princess Leia will debut in March 2015.  It will be written by Mark Waid who has scripted issues of Daredevil and Indestructible Hulk to his credit and artist Terry Dodson who has provided artwork for Uncanny X-Men and Marvel Knights Spider-Man.  The story picks up a few weeks after the events of Episode IV where Leia is profiled as a trained diplomat and agent of the rebellion coming to terms with the destruction of her homeworld at the hands of Darth Vader and the Empire.

Star Wars: Darth Vader will come out in February 2015. This ongoing monthly series will show the Empire's side of the war.  While Darth Vader is the lone survivor of the Death Star's destruction, a crushing defeat for the Empire, he has lost the faith and good will of his Sith Master, Emperor Palatine.  In this series Darth Vader reminds the Empire why he is a figure to fear.  The comic book will be written by Kieron Gillen who has worked on Uncanny X-Men and Journey Into Mystery and have artwork by Salvador Larocca whose credits include Invincible Iron Man, and Uncanny Avengers.

The final series, which will also be the first one to debut is titled simply STAR WARS.  It appears to take the premise that Brian Wood's similarly titled comic book series for Dark Horse that was published for the last two years took and reboot it for Marvel.  Coming out in January 2015, STAR WARS picks up 2 weeks after A New Hope with Luke Skywalker, Leia Organa, and Han Solo leading a Rebel Alliance emboldened by their successful attack on the Death Star and going on the offensive against the Empire. The Rebels find defeating the Empire may be more difficult than they'd planned when the find out Darth Vader, thought dead in the Death Star attack, is back.  This new STAR WARS series will be written by Jason Aaron who has scripted Original Sin & Thor: God of Thunder.  The artwork will be provided by John Cassaday who has recently worked on Uncanny Avengers & Astonishing X-Men.

Fans of  Darkhorse's Star Wars comics had wondered if any of the creative team who had worked on those publications might transition over to Marvel to continue working on the franchise or if Marvel may continue some of the ongoing titles like "Star Wars" and "Legacy: Anai Solo"; but it is apparent from the ComicCon announcement that Marvel will be taking its own direction and using its own talent moving forward.  From the description of these new comic book series and some preview artwork from the upcoming STAR WARS #1 issue provided by the official Star Wars website StarWars.com, I have to say I am impressed by Marvel's efforts and excited to pickup these new issues when they are released.

STAR WARS #1 will hit comic book stores in January 2015.

STAR WARS: DARTH VADER #1 follows in February 2015.

STAR WARS: PRINCESS LEIA #1 will come out in March 2015.

RAZORS EDGE IS A FUN ROMP THROUGH THE CLASSIC STAR WARS UNIVERSE

I remember as a kid wanting to go beyond the Star Wars movies and read about the further adventures of Luke Skywalker, Han Solo and Princess Leia in books.  In the late 70s/early 80s though there wasn’t what is now referred to as “the Expanded Universe” of novels, cartoons, and so on.  I remember going to the library and book stores looking for Star Wars stories and having a hard time finding anything.  So that is why Alan Dean Foster’s  “Splinter of the Mind’sEye” is a classic for me that I still keep on my book shelf.  This 1978 novel follows the adventures of Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia in a time span shortly after the conclusion of events from the original Star Wars movie and was of the only early stories available about these heroes back then. It is rumored that this novel may also have been used as a backup script for a lower budget movie sequel if Empire Strikes Back’s blockbuster budget hadn’t been green lighted.  This was a fun romp of a story for a young grade school kid to enjoy that featured Darth Vader chasing after Luke & Leia who have been marooned on a dangerous swamp world.  As an adult, I enjoyed the story enough that I also went out and bought the Dark Horse comic book adaption of the story … which is also nice that it is illustrated similarly to the style of the StarWars comics by Marvel from the 70s and 80s.

Last month I read a new Star Wars book that reminded me a lot of “Splinter of the Mind’s Eye” called STAR WARS: RAZOR'S EGE.  Nebula Award finalist Martha Wells makes her Star Wars debut for the franchise’s Empire & Rebellion novel series with an action-packed adventure featuring Princess Leia, Han Solo, and Luke Skywalker – set just after the destruction of the Death Star in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope.  The rebels are trying to build a new headquarters called Echo Base and Princess Leia is assigned to lead a secret mission to gather vital construction supplies through third party emissaries and smugglers, unfortunately pirates get in the way wanting the cargo for themselves.  Throw in to the mix that a spy has informed the Empire of this mission and Imperial spaceships are in pursuit while one of the pirate ships turns out to have a crew of survivors from Princess Leai’s destroyed home world of Alderaan who aren’t very happy with either the Rebels or Empire and you have a dynamic that will glue you to the pages of this book.  The author also provides a fresh approach to the story by focusing on Princess Leia as the main character with Luke, Han and Chewie in supporting cast roles.

I found Star Wars: RAZOR'S EDGE to be a fun and enjoyable read.  It reminded me of an era when Star Wars was brand new for both its characters and its fans.  If you enjoy “classic” Star Wars stories that have the vibe and energy of when this franchise was just coming alive in the late 70s you won’t want to miss out on reading this book.  Star Wars:RAZORS EDGE went on sale September 24, 2013 and you can find it at most online and brick-and-mortar book retailers. 

DISCLAIMER:  I was provided a complimentary digital pdf reviewers edition of this book to read by the publisher.  The opinions in this article are my own.

No Stereotypical Princess Role for Leia in New Star Wars Comic Series

Dark Horse Comics added a new series to its lineup of Star Wars comics in January that focuses on the adventures taking place in the franchise timeline between the original 1977 movie and its sequel the Empire Strikes Back. Simply titled STAR WARS this comic is in a world void of the annoying droid army characters and Jar Jar Binks of the prequel movies and the Yuuzhan Vong intergalactic invasion context and Solo/Skywalker children focus I never have really cared for that many of the novels and comics of the post Return of the Jedi stories have journeyed down.  This new comic storyline is the space opera fantasy that replicates the feel of the brand I grew up with as a kid where my friends and I pretended the elementary school jungle gym was the Millenium  Falcon during recess, brought tin Star Wars lunchboxes to school, and recreated the Death Star scenes with Kenner action figures in the back yard after school.  While there is a more contemporary modern day feel to this new comic book in the artwork and scripting it also has an incredible old school vibe to the characters and situations illustrated within it.

I just picked up issue #4 this week at my neighborhood comic shop  and have to admit that picking up these books has quickly become a regular indulgence for me spiriting me away from some of the stresses of life for a few minutes each month to a place that may be a long time ago in a galaxy far far away but yet is very familiar. I don't normally purchase and read any serial comic on a monthly basis, but I've come to look forward to the arrival each month of a new Star Wars story to read.  I also really appreciate the fact that these stories are written with mature enough content that they are interesting to this 40 year old geek daddy but don't have any content that I'd be worried about my kids seeing if they flip open the comic.

Brian Wood, the author and creative director for the series, portrays Luke Skywalker as a 19 year old who has a lot of potential due to his inherited abilities to use the "Force" but still is immature, a little reckless, thinks of himself as a hotshot pilot, and can be a little hot headed.  Han Solo is a rogue smuggler who shoots first and asks questions later that is sticking along with the rebellion as long as it suits his best interests.  Than we have Princess Leia.  This comic has made me take a double take on my impression of the character.  Like many guys my age I've associated the character with the Jabba slave girl outfit seeing her as a princess needing to be saved from the Death Star, Cloud City, or that slimy gangster leader on Tatooine. In this comic series, Princess Leia isn't participating in diplomatic missions or administrative duties for the Rebel Alliance rather she is a combat pilot for an X-Wing squadron on an important and dangerous mission. I found myself wondering why the change from princess in need of rescue to someone taking the fight to the Empire while reading these first few issues of the new Star Wars comic.

So I went right to the source and chatted with Brian Wood about the new comic.  I have to say that I was really impressed by his answers and it made me take a look back at my past conceptions of the Princess Leia and reconsider my impression of the character.

I asked Brian what his emphasis was or idea behind having Leia being such a "warrior" figure in his new Star Wars comic series?  He answered:  "Isn't she one in the films? One of the first things we see her do is smoke a storm trooper." Brian continued, "she resists torture, takes over her own rescue, shoots troopers, helps fly the Falcon, and that's just the first film!"  

He is so right! Unfortunately, I guess maybe the gender stereotypes I grew up with clouded that impression somewhat.  After Brian Woods made that comment to me though and I thought about it a light bulb went off in my head and I agreed that his approach to the character really was right on.  As a dad who wants his daughter not to be hindered by stereotypes so that she can accomplish any personal or career goal she sets I was embarrassed by my attitude towards Princess Leia.  Thank you Brian for the refreshing approach you've taken in developing this character in this comic and not letting stereotypes influence your story telling. 

On another topic. A big annoyance I've had with George Lucas beyond the whole Jar Jar Binks fiasco was the whole controversy with the "who shot first" cantina scene between Han Solo and Greedo in the original movie.  In the theater release Han Solo shoots first, than in the DVD versions it is changed to first they shoot at the same time to finally Greedo shoots first.  In STAR WARS #3, Han Solo shoots an Imperial spy in the back. I asked Brian if that was his input into the "who shot first" controversy regarding the film.  Brian response was that he wasn't consciously answering that question but rather "just wanted to show that Han  is smart and savvy and can smell a rat." He than added "I'm fine with people seeing a subtext though". I think its fair to say that Brian Woods probably agrees with a lot of Star Wars fans like myself that Han Solo shot first!

Brian also mentioned that he is under contract for 20 issues of this new Star Wars series so looks like we have awhile to sit back and enjoy a fun ride.   If you haven't checked out out the new Star Wars series you can buy it at your local comic retailer or online at digital.darkhorse.com for $2.99 per issue.  Oh yeah and one more plus for these comics, the cover art is great and all drawn by the talented artist Alex Ross who is a legend in the industry!

The adventures of Han & Leia's great-great granddaughter

There has been a lot of buzz since Disney purchased the Star Wars rights from George Lucas as to the fate of Dark Horse Comics publishing future with the franchise.  Disney also owns Marvel Comics and prevailing thought is that Mickey Mouse would want to consolidate Star Wars properties into its own family of companies.  It appears though that Dark Horse is heeding the words of the great Jedi Master Yoda "always in motion the future is" and focusing on the here and now producing great content while they have a valid contract to work on Star Wars titles.  In January, Dark Horse launched a brand new comic series simply titled STAR WARS that takes a look back at the events right after Episode IV: A New Hope (the original Star Wars movie for those of us who grew up in the 70's and 80's) that has received good reviews and great fan feedback [Click here to read my post: Dark Horse reboots the Star Wars Universe]  This week, Dark Horse is launching another new series Star Wars: Legacy which takes place 130 years after the events that took place in the original Star Wars movie.  This new comic will feature the adventures of ANIA SOLO, the great-great granddaughter of Han Solo & Princess Leia.

Star Wars: Legacy is written by Corrina Bechko & Gabriel Hardman with Hardman doing the story artwork as well. Covers will be by Dave Wilkins.  New issues will be on sale for $2.99 as print copies at local comic retailers and online in digital format at www.digital.darkhorse.com. Star Wars: Legacy #1 will be available to purchase starting March 20, 2013.

Dark Horse Comics describes the first issues of this series on their web site as follows:

Ania Solo found a lightsaber inside a broken Imperial communications droid. Now she’s being pursued by the local police—and a determined Imperial Knight who is willing to killto get the weapon!

Fortunately, as a black-market salvage dealer, Ania has made some formidable friends of her own . . .

* The Solo family 138 years after Return of the Jedi!

 Here's a preview of the first issue of Star Wars: Legacy

This comic series is actually a new start to a previous Star Wars series of the same name that concluded about two years ago (click here for more info).  The previous Star Wars: Legacy story line revolved around the adventures of CADE SKYWALKER, Luke's great-great grandson / Anakin (Darth Vader's) great-great-great grandson.  The creative team behind this revised comic series have said that the new version take place in the Star Wars continuency about a year after the Cade storyline concluded. For the time being it appears Cade Skywalker will not be in this new series and ANIA will be going solo in her adventures.  Click here to read an interview Bechko & Hardman recently did with a Star Wars fan site that gives some more details about this new character and her upcoming adventures in Dark Horse comics.

This new Ania Solo take on the Star Wars: Legacy looks promising of interesting stories and great artwork. I'd suggest you check it out ... I know I will be!