USA Today is reporting that Marvel will debut a 5-issue mini-series starring Darth Maul in February 2017. It will take place before The Phantom Menace while Darth Maul is Darth Sidious' student. The untested Maul will venture into the underworld to seek out the Jedi Padawan Eldra Kaitis.
It had been a tradition that the publication of a comic adaptation coincides with the release of a Star Wars movie. Unfortunately, that practice was broken for The Force Awakens when Marvel delayed publication of a comic until 6 months after the theatric debut. The novel was released a couple of weeks after the movie, so it is not clear why the comic came so late, although it is easy enough to speculate why. One possible reason has to do with how late editing occurs in the film making process. This has resulted in a few scenes and dialogue being included in prior adaptations that were cut or altered from the movies. Unlike a book, comics are a visual heavy media, so getting the look of characters, locations, ships, etc. is harder to achieve if the film is still being assembled. Another reason is to avoid spoilers. With the advent of the Internet, anything remotely related to these movies is disseminated rapidly and a comic version would have undoubtedly spoiled the film for more than one movie goer. A final possible reason is financial. It is easy enough to assume that the movie would do well but comics adapted from movies, even blockbusters like The Force Awakens, do not necessarily sell in large numbers.
Financially The Force Awakens comic did pretty well for Marvel however. Issue #1 was the 20th best selling comic in June 2016, selling around 80,000 units. There were several incentive variants available to retailers, including my favorite, the Joe Quesada drawn cover offered initially as a 1:100 ratio.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens #1g - Marvel Comics, U.S. (June 2016) Joe Quesada variant
Joe Quesada is best known as the editor-in-chief of Marvel during the 2000s although he is also an accomplished writer and artist. He provided artwork for variant covers for several Marvel Star Wars #1 issues, but it is his artwork for The Force Awakens #1 that stands out. In my opinion, this cover more than any other, captures the character of Rey. Rey sitting on the side of a sand dune on Jakku peering at the sky is reminiscent of the scene from the original movie where Luke Skywalker is gazing out past the twin suns on Tatooine. Both scenes highlight the yearning these characters have for leaving their mundane lives. Having the bulk of the cover be the stars and showing BB-8 looking up as well are both nice touches.
There is also a black and white version of this cover.
Jaxxon first appeared in Star Wars #8, hired by Han Solo to join his group of Starhoppers to protect a village on Aduba-3 from Serji-X Arrogantus and his band of Cloud-Riders. Unfortunately for Jaxxon, his being a 6 foot tall green rabbit that wears a red jumpsuit and is proficient with laser guns hasn't endeared him to everyone. Some see him as a cool character, ala Rocket Raccoon, while others liken him to Jar Jar Binks. More than any other character from the period, Jaxxon represents the silliness that several fans attribute to Marvel's original Star Wars title.
Star Wars #8a - Marvel Comics, U.S. (February 1978)
Apparently Marvel seems to agree with those who feel Jaxxon is a joke. Offered to retails who hosted a Star Wars #1 launch party in January 2015, a variant cover was produced that pokes fun at the character. Standing on one side of a door is Jaxxon while holding the door shut on him are Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, Han Solo, Chewbacca, C-3P0, and R2-D2. The artwork is done by John Tyler Christopher who is better known for his artwork on the Star Wars action figure covers.
Star Wars #1n - Marvel Comics, U.S. (January 2015) Party variant
There is a Star Wars #1 party sketch variant as well which was given out 2 per store that hosted the launch party.
Star Wars #1o - Marvel Comics, U.S. (January 2015) Party sketch variant
The cover for Star Wars Weekly #29 implies C-3P0 and R2-D2 have a significant part to play in the content. After all, the droids are featured prominently on the cover and a blurb reads In Galactic Battle: The Valour of the Droids! Unfortunately, the droids do not have any more significance in this story than most others; there is a bit of comedy on page 4 when Han Solo uses the slang term "What's the good word ...?" which C-3P0 takes literally and more banter occurs between Chewbacca, C-3PO, and R2-D2 as the Millennium Falcon comes under attack by Jolli, Crimson Jack's second-in-command. But other than those 2 scenes, C-3P0 and R2-D2 are shuffled off into the background while the bulk of the tale centers on the actions of main heroes and Crimson Jack and Jolli. Neither droid does anything valorous.
Star Wars Weekly #29a - Marvel Comics, England (August 23, 1978) first half of Star Wars #15
Besides showcasing the droids, the cover also has head shots of Princess Leia, Han Solo, Chewbacca, and Crimson Jack. But the most interesting object on the cover is the spaceship to the left of C-3P0. A TIE Bomber! It is only natural that with the standard TIE Fighters and Darth Vader's Advanced TIE Fighter, the Empire would have other special purpose vehicles based on the TIE design. It is hard to believe the TIE Bombers that show up in The Empire Strikes Back were not inspired by this comic or Lucasfilm shared this vehicles design with Marvel. The TIE Bomber is shown in two panels inside and it is uncanny the similarities to the ship in the movies which is why I have a hard time believing this was a coincidence. The ship in the story has the bent wing design like the Advance TIE Fighter and, while the cover does not show it, the left pod has the round pilot window and the right pod does not.
Nickel City Con 2016 took place in Buffalo, New York on August 13 and 14. But on July 18th Dave & Adam's Card World and the Creatorbox websites began selling copies of the Star Wars: The Force Awakens #1 Nickel City Con and Creator Universe exclusive. The comic is limited to 3000 copies.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens #1i - Marvel Comics, U.S. (July 2016) Nickel City Con and Creator Universe exclusive
The cover is by legendary artist Neal Adams who is famous for his work on DC comic characters Batman, Superman, Green Lantern, and Green Arrow in the late 1960s and 1970s. I believe this is Neal Adams only Star Wars comic work. The artwork features Kylo Ren wielding his unique lightsaber flanked by both The First Order and Galactic Empire Stormtroopers. Kylo is severing the tentacle of an unknown creature. The art is both dynamic and raw and is not based on any scene from the movie.
Editorial Bruguera is the first publisher to bring Star Wars comics to Spain. In November 1977 they started a title called Comics Bruguera which ran for 38 issues translating 4 Marvel titles including: Star Wars, The Human Fly, 2001: A Space Odyssey, and Ka-Zar. The first 15 issues of Star Wars are included in this collection as a series within a series with it own numbering in Comics Bruguera #1 - 8, 17, 23, 25, 31, 32, 37 and 38. The title used for the series is the Spanish translation of Star Wars, la Guerra de las Galaxias.
The Bruguera Star Wars comics are distinctively identified by a blue stripe down the left hand side. The cover art is the same as the U.S. editions. The back cover for Comics Bruguera #1 contains the art from the Star Wars style C one-sheet poster and the other back covers contains a Ralph McQuarrie pre-production painting.
Comics Bruguera (la Guerra de las Galaxias #1) #1a - Editorial Bruguera, Spain (November 28, 1977) contains Star Wars #1Comics Bruguera (la Guerra de las Galaxias #1) #1a - Editorial Bruguera, Spain (November 28, 1977) back coverComics Bruguera (la Guerra de las Galaxias #2) #2a - Editorial Bruguera, Spain (December 5, 1977) contains Star Wars #2Comics Bruguera (la Guerra de las Galaxias #2) #2a - Editorial Bruguera, Spain (December 5, 1977) back coverComics Bruguera (la Guerra de las Galaxias #3) #3a - Editorial Bruguera, Spain (December 12, 1977) contains Star Wars #3Comics Bruguera (la Guerra de las Galaxias #3) #3a - Editorial Bruguera, Spain (December 12, 1977) back coverComics Bruguera (la Guerra de las Galaxias #4) #4a - Editorial Bruguera, Spain (December 19, 1977) contains Star Wars #4Comics Bruguera (la Guerra de las Galaxias #4) #4a - Editorial Bruguera, Spain (December 19, 1977) back coverComics Bruguera (la Guerra de las Galaxias #5) #5a - Editorial Bruguera, Spain (December 26, 1977) contains Star Wars #5Comics Bruguera (la Guerra de las Galaxias #5) #5a - Editorial Bruguera, Spain (December 26, 1977) back coverComics Bruguera (la Guerra de las Galaxias #6) #6a - Editorial Bruguera, Spain (January 2, 1978) contains Star Wars #6Comics Bruguera (la Guerra de las Galaxias #6) #6a - Editorial Bruguera, Spain (January 2, 1978) back cover
Editorial Bruguera would publish Star Wars comics until 1980 when Ediciones Vértice would acquire the rights. In addition to publishing 15 issues in Comics Bruguera, they published 5 collections including the Star Wars movie adaptation published in 2 treasury-sized issues in 1977 and 1978 using the covers from the Marvel Special Edition Featuring Star Wars #1 and 2, 2 magazine-sized issues compiling Star Wars #18 - 23 in 1979, and a slightly larger than standard-sized movie adaptation of The Empire Strikes Back in 1980. The two issue compilation of Star Wars #18 - 23 is titled El Imperio Contraataca or The Empire Strikes Back part 1 and part 2. This was not done by accident, as Editorial Bruguera capitalized on the title for Star Wars #18, The Empire Strikes, hoping readers would pick up these issues expecting an adaptation of the movie that was not even released yet!
Like most Western European Star Wars comics, these issues are not particularly hard to find although finding them in high grade can be a challenge.
One of the more popular and enduring characters introduced in the inaugural year of Marvel's new Star Wars line is Sana Starros. In Star Wars #4 Sana first appears in Mos Eisley as an unnamed masked character who is confronted by a Rodian gang who hears she is offering a reward for finding Han Solo. The Rodian gang quickly learn she is not an easy mark and, after Sana cripples the group, the gang's leader reluctantly confesses:
Rodian Gang Leader:Solo isn't on Tatooine. He fled off-world, after ambushing and murdering one of our brother Rodians named Greedo. Nobody knows where the coward is hiding. trust me, if Solo was still around here ... he'd be dead already. Sana Starros:Yeah, I'm sure he would be. You're certainly a fearsome lot. I imagine I won't sleep right for weeks. Rodian Gang Leader:Wait ... we helped you. What about the reward? Sana Starros:You're alive aren't you? But if you're hoping to stay that way, best remember one thing, boys ... Han Solo belongs to me.
Star Wars #4a - Marvel Comics, U.S. (April 2015) 1st appearance of Sana Starros (3 pages - unnamed and masked)
In Star Wars #5 Han and Princess Leia are in the Moddell Sector searching for a suitable Rebel base in the Outer Rim. Using a stolen Imperial Shuttle they are confronted by Imperial starships, but Han decides to flee and takes Leia to an uncharted planet that Han and Chewbacca use as a hideout nearby in the Monsua Nebula. A probe Sana placed in orbit signals her and she flies her starship, the Volt Cobra, to the remote planet. Sana is still unnamed and masked in this issue.
Star Wars #5a - Marvel Comics, U.S. (May 2015) 2nd appearance of Sana Starros (1 page - unnamed and masked)
In Star Wars #6 Han and Leia are hiding out from the Imperials on the planet when the Volt Cobra lands. Princess Leia wonders out loud:
Princess Leia:Han, who is it? Who's found us? Sana Starros:Why bother asking him? He'd just lie. It's the only thing he's ever been good at. I should know. The name is Sana Solo. I'm his wife.
As Sana Starros descends from her starship, she is now unmasked.
Star Wars #6a - Marvel Comics, U.S. (June 2015) 3rd appearance of Sana Starros (2 pages - claims to be Sana Solo)
Sana Starros appears next in Star Wars #8 and she makes her cover debut in Star Wars #9. She is still proclaiming to be Han Solo's wife.
Star Wars #9a - Marvel Comics, U.S. (September 2015) 1st cover appearance of Sana Starros
In Star Wars #12 it is revealed that Han and Sana were never really married, but the marriage was part of an elaborate ruse they concocted for a heist.
