Tuesday, January 13, 2015

Classic Cover Comparison

Star Wars #17 and Star Wars Weekly #33

New covers had to be commissioned for the British Marvel Comics Star Wars Weekly although existing U.S. covers were reused as well.  In some cases, the U.S. cover was changed slightly for the Star Wars Weekly.  This the case for Star Wars Weekly #33 based on Star Wars #17.


Star Wars #17a - Marvel Comics, U.S. (November 1978)
Newsstand
Star Wars Weekly #33a - Marvel Comics, England (September 28, 1978)
first half of Star Wars #17
Gone are Luke Skywalker and Bigg Darklighter's Skyhoppers threading Beggar's Canyon with the twin suns of Tatoo I and Tatoo II beating down on them.  Also gone are the wrecked militia scout Landspeeder, scavenger Jawas, and menacing Tusken Raiders.  Instead, they are replaced by a star filled background dominated by the Millenium Falcon with several more Skyhopper escorts.  Luke Skywalker is no longer threatening to fire his blaster, he is blasting away!  The colors for the reused art have also been modified.  The original U.S. art for Star Wars #17 better represents the story inside.  The Millenium Falcon only shows up in a framing sequence for the story whereby Luke Skywalker is sitting in the Falcon's cockpit daydreaming about this event from his past on Tatooine.  Both covers convey action on the part of our hero, so I'm at a loss to understand why the original art was not used unchanged.

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