The Star Wars newspaper strip would not begin until 1979, so in those nascent years of the late 1970s, Marvel was the only publisher who had material for comic fans eager for more Star Wars stories. In addition to the single Star Wars title which began publishing new content after the movie adaptation ended in issue #6, Marvel also published an original 3 page Star Wars strip in Pizzazz magazine. Pizzazz was Marvel's version of Scholastic's Dynamite magazine, so it made sense that they included this strip in a periodical devoted to pop culture that was relevant to kids at the time.
Pizzazz only ran for 16 issues from October 1977 to January 1979, but each issue contained the 3 page Star Wars strip. The Keeper's World story was told in Pizzazz #1 - 9 and The Kingdom of Ice in Pizzazz #10 - 16. Unfortunately, The Kingdom of Ice story was not completed in Pizzazz #16. The end of that story was published for British readers a few months later in Star Wars Weekly #60. American readers had to wait until 1981 for the end of the story when it appeared in the paperback Marvel Illustrated Books Star Wars.
Pizzazz #1a - Marvel Comics, U.S. (October 1977) The Keeper's World (3 pgs.)Pizzazz #2a - Marvel Comics, U.S. (November 1977) The Keeper's World (3 pgs.)Pizzazz #3a - Marvel Comics, U.S. (December 1977) The Keeper's World (3 pgs.)Pizzazz #4a - Marvel Comics, U.S. (January 1978) The Keeper's World (3 pgs.)Pizzazz #5a - Marvel Comics, U.S. (February 1978) The Keeper's World (3 pgs.)Pizzazz #6a - Marvel Comics, U.S. (March 1978) The Keeper's World (3 pgs.)Pizzazz #7a - Marvel Comics, U.S. (April 1978) The Keeper's World (3 pgs.)Pizzazz #8a - Marvel Comics, U.S. (May 1978) The Keeper's World (3 pgs.)Pizzazz #9a - Marvel Comics, U.S. (June 1978) The Keeper's World (3 pgs.)Pizzazz #10a - Marvel Comics, U.S. (July 1978) The Kingdom of Ice (3 pgs.)Pizzazz #11a - Marvel Comics, U.S. (August 1978) The Kingdom of Ice (3 pgs.)Pizzazz #12a - Marvel Comics, U.S. (September 1978) The Kingdom of Ice (3 pgs.)Pizzazz #13a - Marvel Comics, U.S. (October 1978) The Kingdom of Ice (3 pgs.)Pizzazz #14a - Marvel Comics, U.S. (November 1978) The Kingdom of Ice (3 pgs.)Pizzazz #15a - Marvel Comics, U.S. (December 1978) The Kingdom of Ice (3 pgs.)Pizzazz #16a - Marvel Comics, U.S. (January 1979) The Kingdom of Ice (3 pgs.)
Star Wars is mentioned on eight covers and images appear on three covers of this title. Pizzazz #1 shows a photo of C-3PO and R2-D2 on the Tantive IV, C-3PO is the drummer for Linda Ronstadt on the cover of Pizzazz #5, and Darth Vader is joined by Spock and the alien from Close Encounters of the 3rd Kind for Pizzazz #7.
Star Jaws is a fan-made title published in the U.K. by Robin Barnard's Barnstormer Comics. Most issues are 20 pages with black and white interiors and color covers. Star Jaws is a Star Wars parody comic designed to appeal to fans of the British Star Wars Weekly title. Each issue starts with a Who's Who in Star Jaws page like the weekly publication it is model after. The main stories are taken directly from Marvel comics. The first 3 issues are the Star Jaws story from Spidey Super Stories #31 which is a Star Wars parody featuring Spider-Man, Moondragon, Marvel Boy, and Doctor Doom. These first 3 issues use the same pages, including word balloons, from the Marvel comic. Also included in the third issue is the backup story Melinda Gebbie creates a Universe ... which uses the same pages as Alan Moore's Tilotny Throws a Shape story from The Empire Strikes Back Monthly #154 except the dialogue is changed.
Star Jaws #1a - Barnstormer Comics, U.K. (January 2016) Spidey Super Stories #31Star Jaws #2a - Barnstormer Comics, U.K. (February 2016) Spidey Super Stories #31Star Jaws #3a - Barnstormer Comics, U.K. (March 2016) Spidey Super Stories #31
Issue #4 continues to use pages from the Marvel comics, starting with Star Wars #7, also with altered dialogue. Each Marvel story is split across 3 issues just like the Star Wars Weekly title. The Who's Who page introduces the characters that will be the focus of the remaining issues:
Han Solo is Robert Grayson
Chewbacca is Paul "The Other One" (Paul the Gorilla is featured in several Spidey Super Stories issues, including the story in issue #31)
Princess Leia is Princess Heather
Luke Skywalker is Wendell Vaughn
C-3PO is Cray-Z
R2-D2 is RURUDE2
A backup story called OIK's begins in issue #4. This backup, like the main story, are pages from Marvel comics with modified dialogue, this time from the 1986 Droids title. This issue also begins an editorial page View From the Tower by Andy Smith.
Most of the covers are by Martin Hand, who also contributes a page or two of interior artwork every issue which feature mostly Marvel's space-faring heroes. The covers, like the interior pages by Martin Hand, will look familiar because they are redrawn artwork from Marvel.
Star Jaws #4a - Barnstormer Comics, U.K. (April 2016) spoof; Star Wars #7Star Jaws #5a - Barnstormer Comics, U.K. (May 2016) spoof; Star Wars #7Star Jaws #6a - Barnstormer Comics, U.K. (June 2016) spoof; Star Wars #7
Star Jaws #1 - 6 are saddle stitched, but with issue #7 it is just single pages with two staples on the left-hand side.
Star Jaws #7a - Barnstormer Comics, U.K. (July 2016) spoof; Star Wars #8Star Jaws #8a - Barnstormer Comics, U.K. (August 2016) spoof; Star Wars #8Star Jaws #9a - Barnstormer Comics, U.K. (September 2016) spoof; Star Wars #8Star Jaws #10a - Barnstormer Comics, U.K. (October 2016) spoof; Star Wars #9Star Jaws #11a - Barnstormer Comics, U.K. (November 2016) spoof; Star Wars #9Star Jaws #12a - Barnstormer Comics, U.K. (December 2016) spoof; Star Wars #9Star Jaws #13a - Barnstormer Comics, U.K. (January 2017) spoof; Star Wars #10Star Jaws #14a - Barnstormer Comics, U.K. (February 2017) spoof; Star Wars #10Star Jaws #15a - Barnstormer Comics, U.K. (March 2017) spoof; Star Wars #10
The A in Jaws from the title on the cover is taken from the shark on the cover of Spidey Super Stories #16 which itself is a parody of the shark from the movie Jaws.
Starting with Star Jaws #16 the comic was only available digitally. It ran until issue #23 in November 2017. The title began publication again in April 2019. Every issues, including those that were physically printed, are available digitally on Robin Barnard's blog Images Degraded Forever.
Cuentos Extraordinarios Album Especial or Extraordinary Tales Special Album is an interesting title. Each issue is a collection published by Acme Agency in Argentina of comics originally published by Editorial Novaro in Mexico. The content inside each copy of this title is not consistent. This particular copy of Cuentos Extraordinarios Album Especial #1 has the pages from Clásicos del Cine #301 (Star Wars #4 and the first half of Star Wars #5) and another copy of this book I own contains Clásicos del Cine #299 (Star Wars #1 and the first half of Star Wars #2.) I have also seen a copy of this comic (not in my collection) that has Domingos Alegres #1443a bundled inside, which is part of the Empire Strikes Back adaptation.
Cuentos Extraordinarios Album Especial #1a - Acme Agency/Editorial Novaro, Argentina (November 1984) contains Clásicos del Cine #301
Based on the page count, it looks like each of these albums collects 3 aguila or eagle sized comics originally published by Novaro.
It was a common practice in many countries to bundle unsold comics into collections for resale. Based on the wildly different content of different copies of this album, I wonder if this book is a new printing by Acme Agency of the pages or if it is actually a bundling of unsold comics. Both prospects are fascinating. If the content is a new printing, why did Acme Agency publish different content using the same cover? And if it is a bundle of unsold comics, the Star Wars issue found inside some of these copies were published 6 years prior to the pages being bundled inside the collection, which is a long time for those unsold comics to have been around. I would be very interested in hearing from anyone who knows if these albums are new printing of the pages or a bundling of unsold issues.
Update
I reached out to Fer Franco Quiroz, a well known Editorial Novaro collector, who confirmed that these albums contain three random Novaro remainders!
Marvel only published the 6-issue movie adaptation and a one-shot for the first Star Wars anthology movie, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. For the second anthology movie, Solo: A Star Wars Story, they expanded the tie-in material with a longer 7-issue movie adaptation, a one-shot, and two 5-issue mini-series. The offerings for the second anthology have proven to be more substantial not only in the number of titles and issues, but because the character Valance was re-introduced into modern continuity in the Han Solo - Imperial Cadet mini-series, and that character is currently featured in an ongoing Bounty Hunters title that started earlier this year.
Unfortunately, Marvel seems intent on having their ongoing Star Wars titles be contemporaries of each other. This allows the characters to appear in each others books which has produced events like the Vader Down and Screaming Citadel crossovers. These types of events have long become staples of the superhero universes, so Marvel applying that formula to their Star Wars line is expected. But this has prevented Marvel from pursuing ongoing stories about interesting characters introduced in these anthology movies. This is a shame, because the Beckett #1 one-shot shows a lot of potential and I would love to read more about Tobias Beckett and his crew prior to the events of the Solo movie, more-so than the resurrected bounty hunter Valance.
Han Solo's mentor in the movie, Tobias, is a scoundrel who leads a motley cast of characters who are in debt to the Crimson Dawn crime syndicate. The Beckett #1 one-shot features Tobias and his crew, the human female Val and the Ardennian male Rio Durant. The gang is on the planet Hovun IV to steal a cache of blank I.D. chips from Dvorad for their boss Dryden Vos. The banter between the characters is fun and is reminiscent of their personalities established in the movie. The heist does not go exactly as planned, but in the end, they are able to depart Hovun IV with the goods. They travel aboard a stolen ship, the Rampart piloted by the stolen droid D-1G, to the space station Munt Ontdal to deliver the bounty to Dryden. On the space station, Enfys Nest is their with her gang to take the chips from Beckett. It turns out that Enfys tricked Tobias into believing the job was for Dryden, but it was for her. Tobias is forced to destroy the Rampart and the chips to escape Enfys.
Star Wars: Beckett #1a - Marvel Comics, U.S. (August 2018)Star Wars: Beckett #1b - Marvel Comics, U.S. (August 2018)Star Wars: Beckett #1c - Marvel Comics, U.S. (August 2018)
The tapestry of underworld characters introduced in Solo is rich and worth exploring. A title centered on Tobias Beckett and his crew as they carry out jobs for Dryden Vos is fertile ground. We know there is more worth mining here from nuggets dropped in the movie like how did the members of his crew end up in debt to Crimson Dawn? or what led to Tobias killing Aurra Sing? Clearly Tobias has had other interactions with Enfys Nest and knows enough about Qi'ra to warn Han about her. Additionally, there is another crew member, Korso, who was cut from the finished film. There is so much story potential here that I wish Marvel publish an ongoing title and explored these characters more.
While the Micromachine and AMT/ERTL Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire mini-comic inserts include a new story, Kenner's two Shadow of the Empire 2-pack toy comic inserts contain reprint pages from the first two issues of the Shadow of the Empire mini-series from Dark Horse. Both comics are 16-pages long and have the dimensions of standard sized comics. The paper is low quality newsprint and it is not uncommon for them to be miscut.
The comic from the Boba Fett versus IG-88 2-pack has a cover featuring the Slave I and IG-2000. The pages show Boba Fett onboard Slave I with Han Solo in carbonite being attacked by IG-88 flying IG-2000. IG-88 damages Slave I but Fett destroys IG-88's ship. Fett is forced to land on Gall where he runs into Bossk and Zuckuss who want Fett to give them Solo.
Star Wars: Shadow of the Empire a - Dark Horse Comics, U.S. (May 1996) included in the Boba Fett versus IG-88 2-Pack (U.S. market)
The comic that came with the Prince Xizor versus Darth Vader 2-pack has a cover featuring both characters with a story that also includes the Emperor.
Star Wars: Shadow of the Empire b - Dark Horse Comics, U.S. (May 1996) included in the Prince Xizor versus Darth Vader 2-Pack (U.S. market)
The toys also came in packaging for the French, Italian, and Spanish markets as well as multi-market packaging which contains English, Spanish, French, Dutch, and German. (Tri-logo is a term coined by toy collectors to indicate the packaging differences for the original Power of the Force line sold in Europe incorporating the Star Wars logos in English, French, and Spanish. These 2-packs are not tri-logo, but I have seen that term used for them by toy collectors. I'll use the term multi-market instead.) The language specific packaging contains comics that are also language specific, while the multi-market packaging contains comics that are in English. The multi-market version of the comics have the Shadow of the Empire portion of the title much smaller than the U.S. market version.
Here are the French market covers.
Star Wars: Shadow of the Empire a - Dark Horse Comics, U.S. (May 1996) included in the Boba Fett versus IG-88 2-Pack (French market)Star Wars: Shadow of the Empire b - Dark Horse Comics, U.S. (May 1996) included in the Prince Xizor versus Darth Vader 2-Pack (French market)
Here are the Italian market covers.
Star Wars: Shadow of the Empire a - Dark Horse Comics, U.S. (May 1996) included in the Boba Fett versus IG-88 2-Pack (Italian market)Star Wars: Shadow of the Empire b - Dark Horse Comics, U.S. (May 1996) included in the Prince Xizor versus Darth Vader 2-Pack (Italian market)
Here are the Spanish market covers.
Star Wars: Shadow of the Empire a - Dark Horse Comics, U.S. (May 1996) included in the Boba Fett versus IG-88 2-Pack (Spanish market)Star Wars: Shadow of the Empire b - Dark Horse Comics, U.S. (May 1996) included in the Prince Xizor versus Darth Vader 2-Pack (Spanish market)
Here are the multi-market covers.
Star Wars: Shadow of the Empire a - Dark Horse Comics, U.S. (May 1996) included in the Boba Fett versus IG-88 2-Pack (U.K./French/Spanish/Dutch/German markets)Star Wars: Shadow of the Empire b - Dark Horse Comics, U.S. (May 1996) included in the Prince Xizor versus Darth Vader 2-Pack (U.K./French/Spanish/Dutch/German markets)
This was a surprisingly difficult set to put together. The U.S. and multi-market covers were easy (and cheap) to acquire. The 2-packs in the U.S. sell for $10 - 20 on eBay and the multi-market 2-packs sells for slightly more at $15 - 25. Occasionally, the U.S. market versions of the comics are found without the action figures and sell for $5 - 10. The non-English language specific 2-packs came from France, Italy, and Spain however and took me a few years to acquire. The prices were generally more than the multi-market 2-packs.
Prior to Poe Dameron #26, all the stories in the title happen before The Force Awakens and we never see Rey or Finn. These stories center on Poe Dameron and his Black Squadron carrying out missions for General Leia to counter the growing threat of the First Order. With issue #26, the stories shift focus and take place during The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi. Even better yet, the framing sequences show our heroes on the Millennium Falcon interacting as Poe is telling these tales. These framing sequences occur just after our heroes escape the First Order on Crait.
Poe Dameron #26 has Poe telling a tale of his mission to Jakku and how he survived his and Finn's crash there to Rey and Finn. The story is intermixed with events from The Force Awakens, giving a new perspective on familiar events from the movie.
Star Wars: Poe Dameron #26a - Marvel Comics, U.S. (April 2018)
The story continues in Poe Dameron #27 as Poe recounts his leading the X-Wing Fighter attack at the Battle of Takodana. Poe then starts talking about Black Squadron and a mission they undertake to learn more about Starkiller Base. Many pages of this issue show the interaction of our heroes on the Falcon and the opening with Leia and Chewbacca in the cockpit of the Falcon are touching as they both are thinking about the recently departed Han Solo.
Star Wars: Poe Dameron #27a - Marvel Comics, U.S. (May 2018)
Issue #28 picks up where the last issue left off with Poe leading the attack on Starkiller Base. After this, the issue contains a nice interlude with C-3PO helping Rey translate the old Jedi text and Poe and Finn checking up on an unconscious Rose Tico. Finn asks Poe about what happened after Starkiller Base is destroyed and before he wakes from his coma. Poe explains that the First Order regrouped and was headed toward the Resistance Base on D'Qar. Poe volunteers to fly out to distract the First Order while the base is evacuated and Leia sends Black Squadron, led by Snap Wexley, on a mission to ask for help from allies, explaining their absence from The Last Jedi.
Star Wars: Poe Dameron #28a - Marvel Comics, U.S. (June 2018)
The next 3 issues all tell stories of Black Squadron's attempt to gather help from Leia's allies. These stories are framed by BB-8 playing transmissions received by C-3PO to Poe from Black Squadron member Jessika Pava giving an update on their mission's status. The first ally they solicit help from is on the planet Pastoria. Black Squadron is tricked into killing the rival faction's leader by the current leader King Siroc. With his rule over his people assured, Siroc tells Black Squadron he has no plans to help the Resistance.
Star Wars: Poe Dameron #29a - Marvel Comics, U.S. (July 2018)
After the failed mission to Pastoria in Poe Dameron #29, Black Squadron head to the planet Ikkrukk in issue #30. Ikkrukk is under siege by the First Order and the shielded Grail City is sending out distress signals to the Resistance. First Order sympathizers are sabotaging the shields while the First Order cruiser Fortitude, commanded by Colonel Barrut, is bombarding the city from orbit. The four members of Black Squadron decides to lend assistance. Their plan is to have Snap and his wife Kare Kun engage the First Order above the city while Jessika and Suralinda Javos head to the surface to repair the faltering shield. The issue ends with Poe playing another transmission from Jessika who is badly battered next to a fallen Suralinda.
Star Wars: Poe Dameron #30a - Marvel Comics, U.S. (August 2018)
The final issue has Poe asking Leia if he can fly out to help Black Squadron. Just a Black Squadron is about to succumb to the overwhelming First Order attack, Poe appears and helps turns the tide of the battle. There is a nice scene where Poe tells Barrut that Snoke is dead, but she is in denial. In the end, the First Order's attack on Ikkrukk is defeated and Ikkrukk agree to help the Resistance.
Star Wars: Poe Dameron #31a - Marvel Comics, U.S. (September 2018)
These are strong issues with beautiful art and the covers contain a trade dress that helps separate them from other issues in the Poe Dameron title. I particularly like the cover to the final issue; Black Squadron is framed by visages of prominent characters throughout the title's run. Now that The Rise of Skywalker has been released and the sequel trilogy is over, Marvel has plans to tell even more stories with the sequel trilogy heroes and these 6 issues are a glimpse into the potential these future stories hold.
Return of the Jedi was released on May 25, 1983 to U.S. theaters. Marvel made an interesting choice with the Star Wars title however, and with issue #73, they started a pre-Return of the Jedi arc that completed in Star Wars #80 with a cover date of February 1984. It was not until the end of 1983 or the beginning of 1984 before Marvel published their first post-Return of the Jedi issue.
The arc that ran through most of these issues shows our heroes giving up the search for Han Solo and instead are sent on a mission to find two missing Rebel spies, Yom Argo and Tay Vanis. They discover the fate of Yom Argo on the opening page of Star Wars #73; he crashed and died on the planet Lahsbane which is also the title of this issue. Tay Vanis would not be found until issue #80 in this arc.
For some reason, the story starts with Luke Skywalker, not Princess Leia, holding diplomatic negotiations with the primitive Lahsbees to retrieve tapes made by Yom Argo's droid of his mission. Leia is there, but she is preoccupied with thoughts of Han Solo. Also present are C-3PO who is translating and Dani, a female Zeltron from Rik Duel's gang, who is fawning over Luke. The Lahsbees have the tapes, but want to keep them as a memorial to another Lahsbee who died in the crash. The tapes are kept in a city on the other side of a canyon they landed near. Conveniently, the Millennium Falcon is undergoing repairs by Lando, Chewbacca, and R2-D2 and Imperials show up on the planet also looking for Yom Argo's crashed ship. Leia and Dani bicker, but decide to travel to the city. Under the cover of darkness, Leia and Dani sneak out to use the Lahsbees' balloons to travel over the canyon to the city, but an Imperial attachment, accompanied by Lahsbees wander by. Dani distracts the Imperials by dancing while Leia inadvertently is carried away by one of the balloons. For some reason the Imperials gawk but walk past Dani who jumps off a cliff to land on the top of the balloon Leia is holding onto. They make it to the seemingly deserted city. Meanwhile, Luke and Lando discover the pair are gone and Luke decides to go after them using a Lahsbee glider. In the city, Dani, a thief, is able to pick the lock to a room that contains the tapes (which resemble VHS tapes) and other treasure. Back at the Falcon, Luke departs as Lando is attacked by a large creature C-3PO says is a Huhk. Chewbacca attacks the larger Huhk as C-3PO explains the Huhk is a Lahsbee that has reached maturity. Back at the city, Leia and Dani run into a group of Huhks. The Huhk is overpowering Chewbacca when Lando stuns it with his blaster. R2-D2 appears to tell Lando and Chewbacca the repairs on the Falcon are complete. Just as the group of Huhks have Leia and Dani cornered, Luke shows up and stuns them. Reunited back at the Falcon, C-3PO tells Luke the Lahsbees are not upset about the stolen tapes due to them being associated with machinery which they dislike. The heroes see the Imperial ship fly overhead, piloted by Dani who has taken treasure from the city.
Star Wars #73a - Marvel Comics, U.S. (July 1983) Newsstand
Overall, it is not a bad story, but it definitely could have been refined into a better story. The Imperials are never a credible threat and seemingly are there only for the brief humorous interaction with Dani and for Dani to have a ship to leave the planet in. This could have been accomplished without introducing the Imperials but by having our heroes travel to Lahsbee in separate ships. In fact, it would make more sense if Luke is holding the negotiations because he and Lando arrive at the planet first, followed by Leia in a Y-Wing or other ship. The contrived reason the Falcon is broken, it's intake valves are filled with pollen and need to be flushed, could also be used for Leia's ship. Dani could have stolen Leia's ship to leave the planet instead. Additionally, there is a focus on the Falcon undergoing repairs, but after it is fixed, it is never used. It would have made more sense if it is the Falcon that travels to the city to rescue Leia and Dani instead of Luke arriving on a glider. The scene of their rescue could have played out the same with Luke rescuing the pair.
Star Wars #73b - Marvel Comics, U.S. (July 1983) Direct
The generally lighthearted mood of this initial chapter in the arc is an interesting choice, as some of the darkest issues of the Star Wars title unfold in the next few issues. Star Wars #74 - 76 are very dark, followed by another humorous tale in issue #77 which betrays the seriousness of the mission. Issue #79 tells a story ancillary to the search and the entire arc culminates in a horrific finale for our heroes in Star Wars #80. Issue #78 is a filler issue, not related to the mission.
