Issue #33 shipped in July and, despite numerous new #1s from Marvel monthly over the past few years, Star Wars remains Marvel's top selling ongoing comic, an accomplishment it has achieved for nearly 3 years now. Granted, from month to month, the new #1s will rank higher than Star Wars (in July, Astonish X-Men #1 is ranked 2nd while Star Wars #33 is ranked 7th), but in subsequent months, those titles drop below Star Wars in the unit sales ranking. What makes this astonishing is the Star Wars title has been losing unit sales over time, which is not unusual for a title finishing up its 3rd year of publication. With only 33 issues, Star Wars is still one of Marvel longer running titles being published because of Marvel's constant rebooting and renumbering of their superhero offerings. Could the Star Wars title's resilience be attributed to the idea that it has not been rebooted since Marvel reacquired the license? Is rebooting now harming a title's chance for success more than if the title was allowed to continue, albeit with a different creative team, a different direction, or both?
Indonesia has a rich history of wayang, or shadow puppet theater, that dates back to medieval times. In one style called wayan kulit, the dalang, or puppeteer, tells stories by lighting the puppets from behind casting a shadow on a white cloth. A popular family of characters called Punkawan, or clown servants, would usually appear in the 2nd act of a these plays. The Punkawan are composed of a father, Semar, and his three sons, Gareng, Petruk, and Bangong. They usually act as advisers to the hero of the story and their appearance in plays is highly anticipated by audiences due to their comedic relief.
Two of these characters, Petruk and Gareng, were modernized and adapted to comics starting in the 1960s by a prolific Indonesian artist, Indri Soedono, who worked on these comics into the 1970s. Other artists would also work on these characters and one of the more prominent is Tatang Suhenra (Tatang S.) who worked on the characters in the 1980s when the comics were very popular with school children due to the slapstick nature of the stories. Petruk is tall and gangly with a long nose and Gareng is his shorter companion.
I acquired a digest-sized Petruk and Gareng comic, published by Gultom Agency, and drawn by Rachman which has a rather bizarre lineup of pop culture characters although I suspect this is normal for a Petruk and Gareng comic based on my research. The title is Petruk Gareng dan Scooby Doo dalam Pengembaraan Ruang Angkasa or Petruk Gareng and Scooby Doo in a Space Odyssey. In the story, Petruk is wearing a shirt that looks very similar to the Star Trek uniform worn by Jame T. Kirk in the original Star Trek television series minus the Starfleet badge. Gareng is wearing an outfit that has a helmet very similar to those worn by the characters in the cartoon G-Force and his uniform has a giant G on the front chest. They are flying a spaceship that looks like the Millennium Falcon while another more traditional rocket ship has the Scooby Doo gang, including Fred, Daphne, Velma, Shaggy, and of course Scooby Doo. They all land on a planet where they meet a character that looks like Big Foot, but is actually Chewbacca who actually talks to them! Along with Chewbacca are Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, and Obi-Wan Kenobi; Obi-Wan only appears in one panel and Han disappears from the story after appearing in a second panel. Chewbacca and Luke join the others on a trip to yet another planet flying their own spacecraft. On the other planet, they meet Bruce Lee, fight some creatures and meet a Princess that looks nothing like Princess Leia. As Luke and the Princess are eyeing each other, Gareng drop kicks Luke, I'm not kidding here, and other high jinks ensue. In the story, Scooby Doo, Luke Skywalker, and Bruce Lee are named. Even Star Wars is mentioned, making me believe there is some awareness by Petruk and Gareng of the characters they are meeting.
Rachman: Petruk Gareng dan Scooby Doo dalam Pengembaraan Ruang Angkasa a - Gultom Agency, Indonesia (1980s)
On the cover are several characters from the story. The two in the lower left hand corner are Petruk and Gareng, both wearing Star Trek style shirts, and next to them are Shaggy, Velma, and Scobby Doo. Behind Velma and Scooby Doo is Chewbacca. The character next to the UFO in the middle of the cover is Bruce Lee. I applaud the writer for being able to concoct a story that has such a diverse lineup of characters.
The Petruk and Gareng stories published by Gultom Agency are known for containing 2 panels, one on top of the other, per page, so while the publisher is not identified, I think it is safe to assume this issue is from that publisher. There is an unrelated 2nd story in the comic which looks like it takes place during the medieval ages.
As I am learning more about these Indonesian comics, several items are becoming apparent. The artists of the stories was important to selling the comic and many times their names are shown first on the cover.&bnsp; Additionally, it is possible not every comic with the same cover contains the same two stories on the inside. (Most of these digest-sized comics contain 2 stories.) This hasn't been proven yet, but there is anecdotal evidence of this from comparing these comics with others who have the same issues. This could be due to a lack of quality control at the publishers or some other way that they used to package the content.
Joe Books is a Canadian publisher that was founded in 2014 by the former Vice President of Boom! Studios, Adam Fortier. To date, they have published only licensed material comprised mostly of comics and mostly for Disney. Their first published offering is a Cinestory adaptation of the Disney movie Frozen. A Cinestory comic is Joe Books' brand name for a fumetti, which is a particular type of comic which used photographs or stills and marries them with word balloons to tell the story. Tokyopop had published fumetti's for the original and prequel Star Wars trilogies as well as a Clone Wars issue under the brand Cine-Manga which Dark Horse published in the U.S. in 2007 and 2008. Joe Books started out publishing Cinestory comics based on Disney animated properties and collections of previously published Disney comics. In 2016, they began publishing original content comics for several Disney properties. In 2016, they also published several text novels based on Marvel superhero characters. In July 2016, they solicited a graphic novel, Star Wars: Rebels Cinestory Comic, but that graphic novel never materialized and orders were canceled.
It turns out Joe Books still had plans to release the Rebels Cinestory comic, they just were slow on getting it ready for publication. (Apparently, this is a common problem with Joe Books.) Just this month, they published Star War: Rebels - Spark of Rebellion Cinestory. It is a massive 378 page softcover graphic novel and measures 6 inches by 9 inches which is slightly smaller than the dimensions of a standard comic. This book adapts the first five episodes of the Rebels animated series to comics and more Rebels Cinestory comics are planned.
The book is priced at $14.99 and you learn why such a massive book has this low price when you see the content. The pages are in color, but the transfer of the stills from the cartoon to the pages produces a very muddy look and the bright colors found on the television show are lost on the page. The panels are dark and grainy and on many pages you wouldn't know the comic was printed in color. I love the idea behind these Cinestory comics, but it is a shame that such a colorful show could not be captured better on these pages. Still, for only $14.99, it is not a terrible way to recapture the animated episodes and hopefully the printing process improves with subsequent issues.
Star Wars: Rebels - Spark of Rebellion Cinestory Comic a - Joe Books, U.S. (July 2017)Star Wars: Rebels - Spark of Rebellion Cinestory Comic a - Joe Books, U.S. (July 2017) back cover
Interestingly, Joe Books is now the fourth publisher of comics in the United States after Marvel, Disney-Lucasfilm Press, and IDW. Unfortunately, the graphic novel was not re-solicited by Discount Comic Book Service, so I had to purchase my copy off of Amazon. In addition to more Rebels Cinestory comics, Amazon is soliciting both a softcover and hardcover Cinestory comic of the original Star Wars movie.
The second new title released in 2006 during Dark Horse's shake up of the Star Wars comic line is Star Wars: Rebellion. The first issue continues the story from the Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic/Rebellion #0 flip book. The flip book itself is the next chapter in the exploration of Janek "Tank" Sunber's Imperial service which began in the Star Wars: Empire title. For all intents and purposes, Star Wars: Rebellion is just the Star Wars: Empire title renamed and renumbered.
Despite continuing from the Empire title, Rebellion #1 does a good job of introducing Janek and his situation. Told from Janek's perspective, the story starts with a flashback to Luke Skywalker, Biggs Darklighter, and Janek on Tatooine that established that he was one of Luke's childhood friends. In present day, Lieutenant Janek Sunber is leading his troops during an Imperial attack on a Rebellion stronghold on an unnamed planet. A Rebel throws a grenade which injures Janek and kills many of his men. Janek subdues the assailant and the Imperial assault is joined by TIE Bombers which seals the Empire's victory. During this conflict, Janek is obsessed with Luke. Back at his quarters, we learn that he crossed paths with Luke and Luke revealed to him that he and Biggs are Rebels and Biggs died in the battle against the Death Star. Knowing his two good friends joined the opposing side has Janek questioning his decision to join the Empire. Later, he stops his troops from beating the prisoner he subdued on the planet, telling them "We don't sink to their level. We show them who is trying to bring peace to this galaxy." The prisoner finds it funny that Janek thinks the Empire are the good guys and mentions Luke Skywalker. He tells Janek that Luke destroyed the Death Star and will lead the Rebellion to victory. Janek is angered by this and begins beating the prisoner which his men stop. That night, he is unable to sleep, questioning his loyalties. In the end, he decides to deliver to Darth Vader the information he knows about Luke Skywalker, the hero of the Rebellion.
Star Wars: Rebellion #1a - Dark Horse Comics, U.S. (April 2006)
The cover artwork is provided by the interior artist, Brandon Badeaux. He is a very good illustrator with tight work and his interior pages are colored and printed without inking. I like this decision since it makes the artwork more detailed than it otherwise would be and the end result is gorgeous. It would be interesting to see these pages without colors. The cover shows Lieutenant Janek Sunber and Darth Vader. Vader only appears on the final page of the story.
Star Wars: Rebellion #1b - Dark Horse Comics, U.S. (April 2006) 2nd print
Like Knights of the Old Republic #1, Rebellion #1 went back to print. Unlike Knights of the Old Republic #1, Rebellion #1's second print is distinguishable from the first print by the red instead of blue on the cover. The second print rarely appears on eBay and does not fetch a premium despite its scarcity compared to the first print.
One of the more disappointing novels to be left out of Disney's continuity is Del Rey's Kenobi by John Jackson Miller. It is a generally highly regarded novel that tells a story during Obi-Wan Kenobi's time on Tatooine between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope. Part of the charm of the novel is it reaches back into Star Wars' western roots which is all too often ignored.
Marvel published a standalone Obi-Wan Kenobi story in Star Wars #7. The tale is being read by Luke Skywalker from a journal he found in Obi-Wan's hovel on Tatooine. In the story, we learn that Obi-Wan, now going by Ben, is struggling with giving up being a Jedi. Tatooine is going through a drought and the inhabitants of the planet are struggling. Jabba has sent his henchmen to steal water under the guise of a tax from the moisture farmers. In a nearby town, Ben sees a farmer being robbed by Jabba's men and agonizingly walks away. When Jabba's men show up a the Lar's farm, Ben does intervene, send them away using the Jedi mind trick. The next time we see Ben in town, he is trying to help by showing a vendor the black melon fruit that Tusken Raiders use to drink. They are interrupted when Jabba's henchmen show up and, after a brief confrontation with an understandably irritated crowd, decide to gun down the thirsty people. Ben causes their weapons to misfire and the townspeople chase Jabba's men away. Ben returns home, vowing to never return to town again. He continues to agonize over not being able to help when he sense that a very young Luke Skywalker is in trouble. Luke is caught in the act of stealing back water from Jabba's men who threaten to take him back with them as a slave. Ben again intervenes and carries the now unconscious Luke back to the Lar's homestead. Ben's tale ends with him renewing his vows as a Jedi, taking strength from the courage exhibited by Luke.
It is no surprise that when Marvel announced that Star Wars #7 would be the first of several standalone Obi-Wan Kenobi stories that they would be telling in the Star Wars title, fans were excited. As usual, Marvel decided to meet that excitement with more than the usual number of variants for the issue. The standard cover is a portrait of Obi-Wan with several of Jabba's henchmen standing in the foreground.
Star Wars #7a - Marvel Comics, U.S. (July 2015)
Every Star Wars issue to date has had an action figure variant drawn by John Tyler Christopher. Issue #7 is a Stormtrooper.
Star Wars #7b - Marvel Comics, U.S. (July 2015) action figure variant
The Simone Bianchi and Tony Moore variants for Star Wars #7 were initially released in a 1:25 ratio.
Star Wars #7c - Marvel Comics, U.S. (July 2015) Simone Bianchi variantStar Wars #7d - Marvel Comics, U.S. (July 2015) Tony Moore variant
Mile High Comics exclusive cover for Star Wars #7 shows an A-Wing Fighter. Star Wars #7 - 12 each feature a starship and together form one picture showing a battle with the Death Star as the backdrop.
Star Wars #7f - Marvel Comics, U.S. (July 2015) Mile High Comics exclusive
The Kansas City Comic Con exclusive captures a scene from The Empire Strikes Back with Chewbacca carrying C-3PO.
Star Wars #7g - Marvel Comics, U.S. (July 2015) Kansas City Comic Con exclusive
The final cover released is a black and white variant of the John Tyler Christopher exclusive cover printed for Star Wars #4. This cover is also a John Tyler Christopher exclusive, but this cover was limited to 3,000 copies where the color version was limited to 5,000 copies.
Star Wars #7h - Marvel Comics, U.S. (July 2015) John Tyler Christopher exclusive
Not pictured above is the sketch variant of the standard cover. There are a total of eight different covers for Star Wars #7. This issue is also used in IDW's 3rd micro comics set.
Star Wars: The Clone Wars animated series ended early due to Disney's acquisition of Star Wars. At the series' end, the character Ahsoka Tano, Anakin Skywalker's Jedi Padawan, received closure, but there was at least one story line that was not wrapped up when the show was cancelled. Episode 16 of season 5, The Lawless, has several important revelations. Darth Maul, now leading the Mandalorian group Death Watch as part of his Shadow Collective, kills the Mandalore's former ruler Duchess Satine. Darth Sidious intervenes in Maul's plans by traveling to Mandalore, killing Maul's brother Savage, and taking Maul prisoner. This is the last time we see Maul in a Star Wars cartoon until his return in the final episode of season 2 of the Rebels animated series. In that episode, Ezra Bridger and Kanan Jarrus meet an older Maul on Malachor, a planet with a Sith Temple.
The story of what happens to Maul after his capture by Sidious is told in the Darth Maul - Son of Dathomir 4-issue mini-series published by Dark Horse. This is the only story published by Darth Horse considered part of Disney's new canon. The series adapts scripts that would have been produced as 4 episodes in The Clone Wars animated series, if that series had continued. The story is dense with continuity from The Clone Wars animated series, but provides a satisfying link between Maul's last appearance in The Clone Wars and his first appearance in Rebels.
Star Wars: Darth Maul - Son of Dathomir #1a - Dark Horse Comics, U.S. (May 2014)Star Wars: Darth Maul - Son of Dathomir #2a - Dark Horse Comics, U.S. (June 2014)Star Wars: Darth Maul - Son of Dathomir #3a - Dark Horse Comics, U.S. (July 2014)Star Wars: Darth Maul - Son of Dathomir #4a - Dark Horse Comics, U.S. (August 2014)
The mini-series has commanded a high price since Marvel's acquisition of the Star Wars license. A set of the standard issues in NM condition will typically fetch $100 or more on eBay. The Dark Horse trade paperback of the mini-series also commands a premium of $80 or more. Marvel is due to reprint the series in a trade paperback for the first time in late 2017.
The Jabba the Hutt one-shots by Dark Horse fall into a category between the overly serious Dark Empire story and the kid orient Marvel Droids and Ewok titles. They are along the same vein as one of Dark Horse's earliest original Star Wars offerings, Droids; they do not take themselves too seriously, but they are not as insipid as the final stories told in Marvel's original Star Wars title. These Jabba stories are quite good considering the one-dimensional nature of the Jabba character.
The second one-shot is title Jabba the Hutt - The Hunger of Princess Nampi. In the story, Jabba is returning to Tatooine but is tricked into raiding a starship he assumes is easy prey, but ends up captured by the ship's owner, Princess Nampi. Princess Nampi is an Orooturooan, a species that looks similar to the Hutt species, only much larger. Jabba is able to take advantage of circumstances created by one of Jabba's henchmen, Scuppa, who is eaten by Princess Nampi. Jabba had a vial of acid implanted into Scuppa's skull, which he opens via remote control, killing Nampi. In the end, Jabba is able to take the treasure from Nampi's ship.
Star Wars: Jabba the Hutt - The Hunger of Princess Nampi a - Dark Horse Comics, U.S. (June 1995)
Despite appearing on the cover, there are no Gamorrean Guards inside the comic. Also shown on the cover are Weequay, which make up the bulk of Jabba's crew.
