The final Color Your Own Star Wars coloring book was published by Marvel in May 2018. This book contains black and white artwork from the 5-issue Han Solo mini-series published in 2016.
Color Your Own Star Wars: Han Solo a - Marvel Comics, U.S. (May 2018)
The cover artwork is the same as the Michael Walsh variant cover from Han Solo #3.
Star Wars: Han Solo #3d - Marvel Comics, U.S. (August 2016)
It is interesting to see color applied to the colorless characters from the original cover.
Chewbacca, C-3PO, R2-D2, and Emperor Palpatine are all characters who have seen the fall of the Republic and the rise and fall of both the Empire and the First Order. Wookiees live a long time, up to 4 centuries, so it is natural that Chewbacca can be alive for these events. The two droids, C-3PO and R2-D2, on the other hand are mechanical beings, and it is safe to say they can exist for as long as spare parts can be found. With the proper care, the droids should be around long after every other character has passed on. Emperor Palpatine is the mastermind behind the galactic tragedies of all 3 trilogies and, as a Sith Lord, is able to draw on the dark side of the Force to prolong his life. Marvel introduced another character whose was also alive during these 3 eras, Grakkus the Hutt.
We first encounter Grakkus on the Smuggler's Moon, Nar Shaddaa. In Star Wars #8, Luke Skywalker travels to Nar Shaddaa looking for passage to the Imperial capital of Coruscant so he can gain more knowledge about Jedi from the Jedi Temple. He attracts the attention of the underworld when he wields his lightsaber in a barroom brawl. A thief grabs Luke's lightsaber and Luke gives chase on foot. In Star Wars #9, Luke catches the thief and regains his lightsaber, only to be captured by Grakkus. It turns out that Grakkus is both a Hutt crime lord and collector of Jedi artifacts!
Star Wars #9a - Marvel Comics, U.S. (September 2015)
At some point, Grakkus is sent to the prison city of Megalox on Megalox Beta which Grakkus ends up ruling. Grakkus is visited by Lor San Tekka, whom the Resistance, led by General Leia, is searching for because he knows the whereabouts of Leia's brother, Luke Skywalker. Poe Dameron and Black Squadron are sent to Megalox to learn where Lor San Tekka went next. Agent Terex is also on Megalox Beta seeking the same information and Grakkus pits the two foes against each other to secure his escape. Poe is ultimately victorious in the encounter and frees Grakkus from the prison city.
Star Wars: Poe Dameron #4a - Marvel Comics, U.S. (July 2016)
Grakkus also appears in the Darth Maul mini-series which takes place before The Phantom Menace. Xev Xrexus is hosting an illicit auction for a captured Jedi Padawan, Eldra Kaitis. One of the potential buyers in attendance is Grakkus!
Star Wars: Darth Maul #2a - Marvel Comics, U.S. (March 2017)
There have been a few other appearances by Grakkus in Marvel comics and due to his species' longevity, I would not be surprised if he shows up in the era of the High Republic as well as post Rise of the Skywalker.
Another interesting connection is made between two of these comics, the Zabrak bartender in the cantina where Luke reveals his lightsaber in Star Wars #8 is the son of the previous owner who appears in Darth Maul #2.
Star Wars: Jedi Council - Acts of War mini-series introduces several Jedi to the Star Wars lore, but none with the longevity of K'Kruhk. K'Kruhk, a male Whiphid, is just a Padawan in the series, but by the time of the Clone Wars, he has risen to the rank of a Jedi Knight.
Star Wars: Jedi Council - Acts of War #1b - Dark Horse Comics, U.S. (June 2000) 1st appearance of K'Kruhk
K'Kruhk and Aayla Secura are the only two characters introduced in comic books to appear in Genndy Tartakovsky's Star Wars: Clone Wars animated series. He is one of the Jedi unfortunate enough to face General Grievous in Grievous' first appearance in any media in the last episode of season 2. K'Kruhk is seemingly killed in the episode because Grievous claims his lightsaber in the season 3 opener. Luckily for fans, K'Kruhk survives the encounter and appears in several Star Wars: Republic comics set during the time of the Clone Wars. K'Kruhk survives Order 66 and receives his first cover appearance in Star Wars: Dark Times #6.
Star Wars: Dark Times #6a - Dark Horse Comics, U.S. (October 2007) 1st cover appearance of K'Kruhk
K'Kruhk is the focus of the Dark Times: Fire Carrier mini-series. In the series, he, along with Jedi Master Zao, lead a group of young Padawan to safety from an Imperial refugee camp on the planet Arkinnea. In the final issue of the mini-series, K'Kruhk, Zao, and the Padawan established a community in a valley where an Old Republic Jedi outpost once existed.
Star Wars: Dark Times: Fire Carrier #1a - Dark Horse Comics, U.S. (February 2013)Star Wars: Dark Times: Fire Carrier #5a - Dark Horse Comics, U.S. (June 2013)
Presumably K'Kruhk remains in hiding during the time of Imperial rule and he next appears during the Legacy era to help Cade Skywalker, a descendant of Luke Skywalker.
Kieron Gillen has written more canon Star Wars comic stories than any other writer. He wrote Darth Vader #1 - 25, Darth Vader Annual #1, Doctor Aphra #1 - 13, The Screaming Citadel #1, Doctor Aphra Annual #1, Star Wars #38 - 67, and co-wrote Doctor Aphra #14 - 19 with Simon Spurrier. His long time collaborator, British comic book artist Jamie McKelvie, contributed just two variant covers during his stint on Star Wars. Gillen and McKelvie worked together on Phonogram and The Wicket + The Divine from Image and Young Avengers from Marvel.
For the cover of Doctor Aphra #1, McKelvie drew a postereque cover showing Doctor Aphra, Black Krrsantan, 0-0-0, BT-1, and Darth Vader.
Star Wars: Doctor Aphra #1g - Marvel Comics, U.S. (December 2016)
Darth Vader's helmet on the McKelvie variant for issue #25 has an eerie look to it, reminiscent of a skull. It is a unique take on Vader which helps this cover standout in the myriad of forgettable covers that we've seen over the years.
Star Wars: Darth Vader #25e - Marvel Comics, U.S. (October 2016)
Dark Horse Comics had 52 Star Wars comic offerings in 1995, up from 36 in 1994. This averages out to 4 titles a month compared to 3 titles a month the previous year. If you were a Star Wars comic fan in 1995, the month of October was the most expensive with 6 publications for a total cover price of $18.80. In December 1994, Dark Empire II #1 would be the first standard-sized, non-enhanced Star Wars issue published with a cover price of $2.95 (issues of Dark Empire had a $2.95 cover price as well, but they had thick, rigid covers to warranted the higher price) and it was joined in 1995 by several more Star Wars titles at this price, even though the average cover price for comics from the major publishers was $2.50. Dark Horse had Star Wars titles at both price points in 1995 and it was not clear what criteria Dark Horse used to pick one price over the other.
Star Wars: Droids Special a - Dark Horse Comics, U.S. (January 1995)Star Wars: Droids #1a - Dark Horse Comics, U.S. (April 1995)
Droids Special was published in January with a gorgeous Killian Plunkett cover, reprinting the 3 part story originally published in Dark Horse Comics #17 - 19 a year earlier. A second Droids series also began in April. The first Droids volume from 1994 only ran for 6 issues and this second volume went for 8 issues. The content is humorous, not unlike the Droids title from Marvel in the 1980s. The highlight of this second series, like the first, are the Killian Plunkett covers.
Star Wars Galaxy Magazine #2a - Topps, U.S. (January 1995) contains 8 page Tales from Mos Eisley - Hegg's TaleStar Wars Galaxy Magazine #5a - Topps, U.S. (October 1995) contains 8 page Boba Fett - Twin Engines of Destruction
The quarterly Star Wars Galaxy Magazine published by Topps all contain 8-page Star Wars comic strips from Dark Horse. Issues #2 - 4 feature standalone Tales from Mos Eisley strips: Hegg's Tale, Mostly Automatic, and Light Duty. Issue #5 begins the 4-part Boba Fett: Twin Engines of Destruction story. This title sees a price increase with the 5th issue from $3.95 to $4.95.
Classic Star Wars: The Vandelhelm Mission - Dark Horse Comics, U.S. (March 1995)
The Vandelhelm Mission one-shot is published in March, reprinting Marvel's Star Wars #98. Classic Star Wars: The Early Adventures ends with issue #9 a month later, putting the Classic Star Wars sub-brand on hiatus. Unfortunately for Star Wars comic fans, Dark Horse finishes publishing the Russ Manning drawn strips but never reprints the Russ Helm and Alfredo Alcala's Planet of Kadril comic strip. With the cessation of the Classic Star Wars titles, Dark Horse has shown it is ready to move beyond reprinting previous Star Wars material although they do return to the sub-brand with one more offering in 1997!
Star Wars: Jabba the Hutt - The Gaar Suppoon Hit a - Dark Horse Comics, U.S. (April 1995)Star Wars: Jabba the Hutt - The Hunger of Princess Nampi a - Dark Horse Comics, U.S. (June 1995)Star Wars: Jabba the Hutt - The Dynasty Trap a - Dark Horse Comics, U.S. (August 1995)
Jabba the Hutt receives a series of one-shots beginning in April. While the stories are standalone, there is a continuity through the issues. These comics successfully bridge the humor found in the Droids titles with the seriousness of other Dark Horse offerings.
Star Wars: The Mixed-Up Droid - Dark Horse Comics, U.S. (June 1995) sold with audio cassette from Time Warner Kids
One thing is clear when Dark Horse was custodian of the Star Wars license, they were creative in publishing comics for distribution outside of normal channels. In 1994, they published two preview comics, Tales of the Jedi - Dark Lords of the Sith and Dark Empire II, for inclusion in the Star Wars Galaxy and Hero Illustrated Magazines. Those magazines catered to Star Wars/comic fans and were found in comic stores, but in 1995 they published a mini-comic, The Mixed-Up Droid, for inclusion in a package with an audio cassette from Time Warner Kids. No doubt this audio tape was found at stores where parents shopped for their children and this attempt by Dark Horse to reach new readers is commendable. Over the years, they would continue to find partners to distribute comics in non-traditional ways, such as including them with toys, video games, and novels. They even published a comic on the back of Kellogg brand cereal boxes!
Star Wars: River of Chaos #1a - Dark Horse Comics, U.S. (June 1995)
The 4-issue mini-series River of Chaos starts in June. This overlooked title contains a Rebel versus Empire story that features brand new characters. Princess Leia does appear as a supporting character, but the unknown characters take center stage. The art is rich with detail and has a pulpy vibe to it.
Star Wars: X-Wing Rogue Squadron #1a - Dark Horse Comics, U.S. (July 1995)
X-Wing Rogue Squadron starts in July. This title was only meant to last for 12 issues as a prequel to the X-Wing Rogue Squadron books from Bantam Spectra, but proves to be popular and ran for 35 issues. Starring fan favorite Wedge Antilles and written by Michael Stackpole, this title was conceived as a tie-in to the books which themselves are a tie-in to the X-Wing video game. The stories in the comics take place before the events in the novels.
Star Wars: X-Wing Rogue Squadron Special a - Dark Horse Comics, U.S. (August 1995) Apple Jacks cereal mail-away
Kellogg's Apple Jacks cereal had a free mail-away offer for the Star Wars: X-Wing Rogue Squadron Special comic. This comic aimed at children contains a new story feturing Wedge Antilles.
San Diego Comic Con Comics #4a - Dark Horse Comics, U.S. (July 1995)
A three page black and white preview of Heir to the Empire is published in San Diego Comic Con Comics #4 for the 1995 San Diego Comic-Con International. This flip book has a Star Wars cover by Kilian Plunkett.
Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi - The Sith War #1a - Dark Horse Comics, U.S. (August 1995)
The 6-issue mini-series Tales of the Jedi - Dark Lords of the Sith wraps up in March. In August, the next chapter in the popular series within a series begins with Tales of the Jedi - The Sith War #1. This 6-part story represents the half-way mark for this series. This look at past generations of Jedi remains popular today and Dark Horse wove a rich tapestry of stories that are in inspiration for other storytellers of other eras, including The High Republic soon to be explored by both Marvel and IDW.
Star Wars: Heir to the Empire #1a - Dark Horse Comics, U.S. (October 1995)Star Wars: Splinter of the Mind's Eye #1a - Dark Horse Comics, U.S. (December 1995)
Dark Horse adapts their first two Star Wars novels to comics in 1995. The 6-issue mini-series Heir to the Empire starts in October and is based on the first book in the Timothy Zahn's Thrawn trilogy published by Bantam Spectra. This novel along with the Dark Empire comic are responsible for Star Wars' revival and both launched the Expanded Universe in 1991. The second novel adaptation begins in December, Splinter of the Mind's Eye, a 4-issue min-series based on the first ever Star Wars novel from 1978. These titles prove successful enough for Dark Horse to adapt the next two chapters in the Thrawn trilogy as well as Han Solo at Stars' End.
Star Wars: Empire's End #1a - Dark Horse Comics, U.S. (October 1995) direct
Unfortunately, Dark Horse rushes the final chapter in the Dark Empire trilogy. Empire's End is a 2-issue mini-series that begins in October. Series writer Tom Veitch is not joined by Cam Kennedy for this third outing and the condensed story does not live up to the promise of it's predecessors.
Star Wars: Boba Fett - Bounty on Bar-Kooda a - Dark Horse Comics, U.S. (December 1995)
Dark Horse finishes 1995 on a high note with the publication of Boba Fett - Bounty on Bar-Kooda, a one-shot drawn by Cam Kennedy. Boba Fett, a fan favorite, will be the subject of several more one-shots and mini-series.
Title
Issue
Cover Price
Date
Classic Star Wars: The Early Adventures
6
$2.50
January 1995
Star Wars Galaxy Magazine
2
$3.95
January 1995
Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi - Dark Lords of the Sith
4
$2.50
January 1995
Star Wars: Dark Empire II
2
$2.95
January 1995
Star Wars: Droids Special
nn
$2.50
January 1995
Classic Star Wars: The Early Adventures
7
$2.50
February 1995
Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi - Dark Lords of the Sith
5
$2.50
February 1995
Star Wars: Dark Empire II
3
$2.95
February 1995
Classic Star Wars: The Vandelheim Mission
nn
$2.50
March 1995
Classic Star Wars: The Early Adventures
8
$2.50
March 1995
Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi - Dark Lords of the Sith
6
$2.50
March 1995
Star Wars: Dark Empire II
4
$2.95
March 1995
Classic Star Wars: The Early Adventures
9
$2.50
April 1995
Star Wars Galaxy Magazine
3
$3.95
April 1995
Star Wars: Dark Empire II
5
$2.95
April 1995
Star Wars: Droids
1
$2.50
April 1995
Star Wars: Jabba the Hutt - The Gaar Suppoon Hit
nn
$2.50
April 1995
Star Wars: Dark Empire II
6
$2.95
May 1995
Star Wars: Droids
2
$2.50
May 1995
Star Wars: Droids
3
$2.50
June 1995
Star Wars: River of Chaos
1
$2.50
June 1995
Star Wars: Jabba the Hutt - The Hunger of Princess Nampi
Unfortunately, the sporadic publishing schedule and lack of a tight narrative for the various Steam Wars titles past the original 5-issue mini-series from Antarctic Press made it impossible for me immerse myself in the world. The number of characters and threads introduced became too much and I found myself buying the book strictly for the Star Wars imagery alone, not because I was following the stories. For this reason, I find it easier to talk about the borrowed imagery than about the content of these comics.
I did get a chance to re-read the 4 issues of the First Empire title and I found The Errant Knight in issue #3 the most accessible of the stories. It starts with Knight Sir Branton, racing across the desert in what looks like an old fashioned car when he comes across a body lying next to a broken down vehicle. He stops to bury the body and we discover he is being pursued by Count Mekk in an AT-AT inspired vehicle. The captain of the AT-AT is unsure of the wisdom in pursuing a single fallen knight across the wasteland but Mekk assures him the knight is a danger to the empire. The AT-AT fires on Sir Branton, destroying his vehicle and Sir Brandon draws his sword which glows with energy like a lightsaber as he faces off against the AT-AT. The AT-AT fires again and again, but Sir Brandon, utilizing his energy sword, is able to repel the attack and strikes at the AT-AT with lightning from his sword. The AT-AT explodes and falls to the ground as Count Mekk emerges from the wreckage.
Frustratingly, this story ends on a cliffhanger with Sir Brandon and Count Mekk about to face off. This confrontation is not shown in issue #4 and I can only guess when the Steam Wars titles ceased publication, the following chapter was never published.
The cover depicts Sir Brandon brandishing his sword as the AT-AT approaches.
Steam Wars: First Empire #3a - Antarctic Press, U.S. (June 2016)
The cover for First Empire #4 shows the same character on the cover of Steam Wars: Princess Legends #1 wearing the same Amidala inspired cold weather gear.
Steam Wars: First Empire #4a - Antarctic Press, U.S. (April 2017)
The Thrawn #1 variant cover by Italian artist Francesco Mattina was initially released as a 1 in 50 variant. It depicts a close-up of Thrawn's face.
Star Wars: Thrawn #1d - Marvel Comics, U.S. (February 2018)
This is definitely not one of Francesco Mattina's better pieces, or even a compelling Star Wars cover, but that doesn't stop this issue from realizing a high price. In the past few months, copies of this comic have sold for $300 or more on eBay.
