Star Wars #94 - The End of An Era

I know exactly which issue of the original Marvel Star Wars title that I purchased out of habit to keep my collection complete rather than purchased because I enjoyed the story.  Eventually it happens to every collector who collects comic titles; in order to keep a collection complete, you end up buying issues of a title that you do not enjoy.  That is not to say there was not the occasional clunker in the Star Wars title before then, because there was.  But with Star Wars #94 in a story titled Small Wars, the rest of the Star Wars run became a chore to buy and read.

Star Wars #94a - Marvel Comics, U.S. (April 1985)
Newsstand

Star Wars #94b - Marvel Comics, U.S. (April 1985)
Direct

There were a lot of things going wrong with the Star Wars title when Star Wars #94 came out.  The title did not have a regular artist since Ron Frenz provided breakdowns and Tom Palmer provided finishes on issue #82.  Mary Jo Duffy had been using humor sparingly in the title and for the most part that humor fit with what was expected in a Star Wars story, although Star Wars #77 pushed it to a limit that was close to unpalatable.  It was also clear that post Return of the Jedi, Mary Jo Duffy did not have a clear direction to take the main characters in and we were treated to several standalone stories, although the resurrection of Shira Brie as Lumiya in Star Wars #88 and the introduction of Knife of the Nagai species in Star Wars #91 were promising.

Unfortunately, with Star Wars #94, we did get a semi-regular artist named Cynthia Martin and the Star Wars title was never enjoyable again.  Cynthia Martin's art was strongly influenced by Japanese manga, but not necessarily those elements of manga I enjoy.  I enjoy the dynamism and sense of action that manga provides.  Cynthia Martin brought that, but also a cartoonish style that was unwelcome to someone who appreciates traditional American comic art.  Her characters were exaggerated and uncomfortable to look at.  To make matters worse, Mary Jo Duffy adapted her stories to Cynthia's style and Marvel's Star Wars became a humor title instead of the serious comic it had been.

In Small Wars we are introduced to Hirog of the Hiromi species.  The Hiromi are green bipedal insectoids that wear red berets and are bent on galactic conquest.  Honestly, these characters make one wish for the return of Jaxxon as a regular cast member.  They are played up for laughs and their inclusion ushered in this title's ultimate demise.  In this particular issue, Hirog, Admiral Ackbar's aide, tries to break up the Alliance of Free Planets by starting a war between the Ewoks and Lahsbane.  Unfortunately, the ludicrous nature of this species does not end with this issue as the Hiromi are brought back several more times as antagonists for our heroes.  Mercifully, the original Marvel Star Wars title ends with issue #107.  Once a year, I sit down to read the Star Wars: A Long Time Ago trade paperbacks that Dark Horse published reprinting the entire Marvel run.  I read the first 6 volumes and always skip the last volume.

I remember disliking Mike Mignola's art on Alpha Flight and Walt Simonson's art on Thor when I first saw them.  But over the years, I began to appreciate the work these artists were producing and have grown to like their art.  I now like the work they did on Alpha Flight and Thor.  Unfortunately, the years have not gotten me to change my opinion of Cynthia Martin's work on the Star Wars title.  Her style was all wrong for the title.  Not surprisingly, the final issues of Marvel's original Star Wars title are some of the lowest printed.  I cannot imagine too many Star Wars fans stuck with this title until the end after she became the regular artist.  It is unfortunate these final issues are also some of the most sought after, especially when one understands just how bad these issues really are.