In the summer of 1983 the final Star Wars episode in the original trilogy was released and there were no plans to make more theatrical movies. For a few years in the mid 1980s, Star Wars content after Return of the Jedi was marketed at children. After that brief time, the Star Wars brand went dormant until the revival of the franchise in the early 1990s. Two child friendly brands were the main focus during that active period, Ewoks and Droids. The Ewoks, featured prominent in the final half of the last movie, were clearly designed with kids in mind and received considerable attention. The main Ewok which most of the content revolved around is Wicket, the first Ewok that Princess Leia encounters on Endor. The Droids, C-3PO and R2-D2, easily two of the most recognizable characters from the trilogy were also accessible to children, although not strictly created with kids in mind. Of the two brands, the Ewoks proved to be the more popular and lasted the longest.
The Ewoks received momentum when Lucasfilm made two made-for-television movies, The Ewoks Adventure in 1984 followed by Ewoks: The Battle for Endor in 1985. These movies have high production values despite their aim at younger audiences. The movies spawned an Ewoks cartoon in 1985. For the first season, the Ewok episodes were paired with a Droids cartoon for an hour of television. Unfortunately, Droids only lasted the one season for a total of 13 episodes while the Ewoks went on to enjoy a second season. The Ewoks series ended in 1986 with 35 episodes.
Much of the Star Wars merchandise available also tied into the two brands. Kenner released Ewoks and Droids action figures and accessories and the Ewoks were even used as a line of preschool toys. Children's books were published although a majority of the books are for the Ewoks. Marvel published an Ewoks title beginning in 1985 that ran for 14 issues. A Droids title came later in 1986, but only ran for 8 issues. Both titles were part of Marvel's all-age Star Comics imprint. With regards to foreign editions, there are far more Ewoks comics available as many countries did not even publish translations of the Droids issues.
Marvel published a digest-sized anthology reprinting various Star Comics issues and only the Ewoks title was included and only for four issues. Star Comics Magazine ran for 13 issues with #1 - 3 and 5 containing Ewoks reprints.
Star Comics Magazine #1a - Marvel Comics, U.S. (December 1986) reprints Ewoks #1Star Comics Magazine #2a - Marvel Comics, U.S. (February 1987) reprints Ewoks #2Star Comics Magazine #3a - Marvel Comics, U.S. (April 1987) reprints Ewoks #3Star Comics Magazine #5a - Marvel Comics, U.S. (August 1987) reprints Ewoks #5
Heathcliff is the headliner for Star Comics Magazine and Wicket represents the Ewoks on the covers. Unfortunately, the Ewoks stories reprinted in this anthology are properly placed with these other stories featuring Heathcliff, Care Bears, Top Dog, and Muppet Babies. They really were written for kids and offer very little for adults. I suspect that, despite the intent, the premise was too sophisticated for most kids who read these comics and that is why Ewoks only appears in four issues.
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