TELEjunior #3 is not the only issue of the French children magazine to contain a Star Wars comic supplement. Stapled to the center of the TELEjunior #4 magazine is a 5 1/2" x 8" 16-page black and white supplement containing Star Wars #2.
TELEjunior #4a - TELEjunior, France (December 1977)
The covers main panel shows Grape Ape, a Hanna-Barbera character that began airing on Saturday mornings in 1975. The dog on his shoulder is Beegle Beagle and it is no mistake the character was introduced when the King Kong remake was being publicized. Despite only running for 32 episodes, Grape Ape did achieve more fame in Scooby's All-Star Laff-a-Lympics which aired from 1977 through 1980.
The top panel on the left announces La Guerre des Etoiles Supplement: 16 Pages! There is a crude drawing of R2-D2 accompanying the text.
TELEjunior #4a - TELEjunior, France (December 1977) 16-page insert Star Wars #2
When Legacy started in June 2006, there were a few skeptical fans. By the end of Broken, the first story arc, John Ostrander and Jan Duursema had quieted the skeptics and the comic was receiving great reviews. It also built a passionate following and when Dark Horse announced the end of this title in the solicitation for Star Wars: Legacy #50 in April 2010 there were more than a few upset fans. For many, Legacy was the best Star Wars title being published at the time!
Fast forward to August 2010 when Legacy #50 was released and more than a few fans must have been shaking their heads. This comic did wrap up a couple of threads including the resolution of the hunt for Vul Isen and the freeing of Princess Marasiah Fel, but it was not a satisfying conclusion by any means. The resurrected Darth Krayt was disease free and more powerful than ever and Cade Skywalker had a vision of a final confrontation with Darth Krayt. Thankfully for fans (how's that for tying this into Thanksgiving?) Dark Horse released a 6-part mini-series, Star Wars: Legacy - War, which allowed Ostrander and Duursema to wrap up their tale.
Star Wars: Legacy - War #1a (December 2010)Star Wars: Legacy - War #2a (January 2011)Star Wars: Legacy - War #3a (February 2011)Star Wars: Legacy - War #4a (March 2011)Star Wars: Legacy - War #5a (April 2011)Star Wars: Legacy - War #6a (May 2011)
Legacy - War does a good job of finishing the story without feeling rushed. It is clear that there was more Ostrander and Duursema could do with the myriad of characters and situations they had created, but as far as endings go, this is a pretty satisfying conclusion. It maintains the same quality of writing and artwork as the ongoing Legacy title which is not always the case for a comic conceived like this one was. I highly recommend both Legacy and Legacy - War to any devoted Star Wars fan.
John Ostrander and Jan Duursema were nexted tapped to build an equally rich Star Wars tapestry with the Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi series. Unfortunately, that series did not run long enough to live up to its potential. I like to think Dark Horse realized their mistake of ending Legacy prematurely when they launched Legacy II in 2013. Unfortunately for Dark Horse, Marvel was awarded the license for Star Wars comics less than a year later in January 2014. Legacy II ends with with 18th issue in August 2014 and Marvel assumes publishing Star Wars comics in January 2015.
The Comics Chronicles released the October 2016 estimated sales last week. Loot Crate's Big Trouble in Little China/Escape from New York #1 from Boom! Studios was the top title and Marvel rebounded from the shellacking DC has been administering the past few months. Not surprisingly, the top selling Star Wars comic was the final issue of Darth Vader and it, along with The Force Awakens, actually saw an increase in the number of units sold.
Title
Issue
Monthly Rank
Estimated Sales
Last Estimated Sales
Percent Change
Darth Vader
25
8
111,381
75,401
+47.72%
Star Wars
24
16
78,160
82,570
-5.34%
Han Solo
4
36
63,030
67,816
-7.06%
Poe Dameron
7
49
47,878
50,275
-4.77%
The Force Awakens
5
73
39,329
38,079
+3.28%
Darth Vader #25 saw a huge increase in unit sales. Some of this is attributed to the large number of variant covers that were released for this final issue. Some of this is also due to the mystery surrounding the fate of Doctor Aphra, 0-0-0, and BT-1 which Marvel has astutely promoted. We now know all 3 characters survive and Doctor Aphra will be receiving her own ongoing series beginning in December. It is hard to imagine Doctor Aphra's fan base eclipsing Darth Vader's even though she has turned out to be a fan favorite character. I believe this will have turned out to be a shrewd move by Marvel, capitalizing on this character's popularity at a time when female characters in general are having considerable success in comics. Let's face it, Darth Vader is served best in small doses, and when he appears, he should be a powerful force to reckon with. He has also had just under 40 years of stories told. Doctor Aphra is a clean slate and one that has been sorely lacking in Marvel's Star Wars line. It is nice to see Marvel branch out beyond the staid movie characters and hopefully this title will prove successful and Marvel will continue to introduce new Star Wars titles not based on movie characters.
Unfortunately, the increase in unit sales for Darth Vader did not carry over to the main Star Wars title. Star Wars has now fallen for the 4th straight month, shedding close to 18,000 units during that time. This all happened during the current story arc The Last Flight of the Harbinger which started with issue #21. Is it the story, the interior artist Jorge Molina, fatigue with the main Star Wars characters, or something else entirely? I have no doubt the Yoda issue coming up with get a boost in sales, but will it be enough to recover the sales lost recently?
Comparing Poe Dameron to Kanan again shows the unit difference between the titles narrowing. Kanan had only shed a little over 1,000 copies between issue #6 and 7, but Poe Dameron lost just under 2,500 copies. I was predicting this title would be safe, but now I'm not so sure. It is drifting down into Kanan numbers and, unlike Kanan, the character is not getting continual exposure on a television series.
The Han Solo mini-series finished and despite the large number of variants for the final issue, the title did dip a little at the end. Even so, this mini-series has shown decent numbers and there is no doubt Marvel is cooking up another mini-series.
The Force Awakens saw a slight increase in unit sales. I hope the 6th issue sees the same. Let's hope Marvel releases an adaptation of Rogue One and they do not take 6 months to do so.
The following table shows the total number of Star Wars units sold per month since January 2015 along with the average number of sales per issue.
Month/Year
Total Estimated Sales
# Issues
Average Sale per Issue
January 2015
985,976
1
985,976
February 2015
526,451
3
175,484
March 2015
596,299
4
149,075
April 2015
537,812
4
134,453
May 2015
324,835
3
108,278
June 2015
396,931
4
99,232
July 2015
597,023
5
119,404
August 2015
430,241
5
86,048
September 2015
551,880
5
110,376
October 2015
953,289
10
95,329
November 2015
1,003,954
8
125,494
December 2015
507,545
6
84,591
January 2016
465,698
5
93,139
February 2016
288,355
4
72,088
March 2016
355,554
5
71,110
April 2016
533,976
5
106,795
May 2016
299,189
4
74,797
June 2016
545,833
6
90,972
July 2016
359,166
5
71,833
August 2016
322,499
5
64,500
September 2016
174,420
3
58,140
October 2016
339,778
5
67,956
The average sale per issue bounced significantly thanks to Darth Vader #25 and it would rank 29th on the top 300 chart for the month of October. Star Wars trade paperbacks, reprint titles, and reorders are not accounted for with these numbers. The Star Wars trade paperbacks are strong sellers.
The Comics Chronicles released the September 2016 estimated sales last month. Like August, DC Rebirth titles dominated the top of the charts. Marvel's top title in September is the Civil War II mini-series which took the 4th positio. Marvel's next title to chart is the ongoing Star Wars in the 15th position. This title has proven to be Marvel best selling ongoing title. Both Darth Vader and Han Solo were delayed, so September saw only 3 Star Wars titles ship, the lower number of titles going back to February 2015, the 2nd month of the modern Marvel era.
Title
Issue
Monthly Rank
Estimated Sales
Last Estimated Sales
Percent Change
Star Wars
23
15
82,570
85,126
-3.00%
Poe Dameron
6
49
50,275
52,581
-4.39%
The Force Awakens
4
73
38,079
41,575
-8.41%
The Star Wars title saw another drop in units sold, although the percentage of the drop is low. Still, this drop added to the over 10,000 units this title fell in the past 2 months is starting to look significant. The trend has definitely been down.
Poe Dameron saw a larger drop than Kanan's 6th issue and the difference between the sales in these titles has narrowed by 2,000 units. Poe Dameron #6 sold 50,275 units and Kanan #6 sold 45,402 units for a difference of less than 5,000 units. While this might seem troubling, understand, Poe Dameron in the 49th position on the charts is Marvel's 10th best selling title for the month of September! That is astonishing for many, many reasons, none of which are good for Marvel overall.
The Force Awakens #4 shed just under 3,500 units. I understand someone buying the 1st issue of this title and not picking up the rest of the issues, but it is strange to think someone has picked up 2nd and 3rd issue and didn't decide to stick with this mini-series. Regardless, with just over 38,000 units sold, it is still not Marvel's lowest selling non-reprint Star Wars issue which is Kanan #12 with 36,649 units sold in March 2016.
The following table shows the total number of Star Wars units sold per month since January 2015 along with the average number of sales per issue. Note this chart does not include reprints.
Month/Year
Total Estimated Sales
# Issues
Average Sale per Issue
January 2015
985,976
1
985,976
February 2015
526,451
3
175,484
March 2015
596,299
4
149,075
April 2015
537,812
4
134,453
May 2015
324,835
3
108,278
June 2015
396,931
4
99,232
July 2015
597,023
5
119,404
August 2015
430,241
5
86,048
September 2015
551,880
5
110,376
October 2015
953,289
10
95,329
November 2015
1,003,954
8
125,494
December 2015
507,545
6
84,591
January 2016
465,698
5
93,139
February 2016
288,355
4
72,088
March 2016
355,554
5
71,110
April 2016
533,976
5
106,795
May 2016
299,189
4
74,797
June 2016
545,833
6
90,972
July 2016
359,166
5
71,833
August 2016
322,499
5
64,500
September 2016
174,420
3
58,140
The average sale per issue is the lowest for the modern Star Wars line. Even considering that, it would still rank 37th on the top 300 chart for the month of September. Star Wars trade paperbacks and reorders are not accounted for with these numbers. The Star Wars trade paperbacks are strong sellers.
Rogue One is set to open in theaters across the world in less than a month and like The Force Awakens last year, there are some tentative comic book connections to be found. Unlike when The Force Awakens was released, we have not seen any movement on any Star Wars comics due to rumors of links to the Rogue One movie. A word of caution, while I have not seen the movie nor do I have any inside information concerning the movie, much of this can be construed as spoiler material. If you don't want to be spoiled, please do not proceed with reading this.
Classic Star Wars: The Early Adventures #1
Classic Star Wars: The Early Adventures #1a - Dark Horse Comics, U.S. (August 1994) 1st appearance of Shadow Stormtroopers
Not so much a rumor as fact, black clad Stormtroopers first appeared in a Russ Manning Star Wars newspaper strip. The Russ Manning strips were adapted to comic books by Dark Horse in the Classic Star Wars: The Early Adventures title. The first issue features the story where Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia face off against the shadowy Agent Blackhole who employs the all-black Imperials known as Black Hole Stormtroopers. Later on, these troopers became known as Shadow Stormtroopers. In Rogue One, the black clad Imperials are Death Troopers under the command of Director Orson Krennic. They differ slightly from Shadow Stormtroopers, mostly in the helmet.
Star Wars: Tag & Bink - Episode I: Revenge of the Clone Menace #2
Star Wars: Tag & Bink - Episode I: Revenge of the Clone Menace #2a - Dark Horse Comics, U.S. (April 2006) 1st comic appearance of Darth Plageuis
This early rumor deals with a scene from the teaser trailer. During the trailer, a robed, hooded character kneels before a brightly lit cylinder flanked by the Emperor's Royal Guards. One rumor is Supreme Leader Snoke, aka Darth Plagueis, is in the bacta tank and the robed character is Emperor Palpatine. Darth Plagueis has been rumored to be Snoke since before The Force Awakens was released. Darth Plagueis is mentioned by Palpatine in Revenge of the Sith:
Chancellor Palpatine:Did you ever hear the tragedy of Darth Plagueis the Wise? Anakin Skywalker:No. Chancellor Palpatine:I thought not. It's not a story the Jedi would tell you. It's a Sith legend. Darth Plagueis was a Dark Lord of the Sith, so powerful and so wise. He could use the Force to influence the midi-chlorians to create... life. He had such a knowledge of the Dark Side that he could even keep the ones he cared about... from dying. Anakin Skywalker:He could actually... save people from death? Chancellor Palpatine:The Dark Side of the Force is a pathway to many abilities some consider to be unnatural. Anakin Skywalker:What happened to him? Chancellor Palpatine:He became so powerful, the only thing he was afraid of was... losing his power which, eventually of course, he did. Unfortunately, he taught his apprentice everything he knew. And then his apprentice killed him in his sleep. Ironic. He could save others from death... but not himself.
Star Wars: Princess Leia #1
Star Wars: Princess Leia #1a - Marvel Comics, U.S. (March 2015) 1st appearance of Evaan Verlaine
The Princess Leia mini-series picks up right after the destruction of the Death Star in A New Hope. In the story, Princess Leia is assisted by a female Alderaan pilot in the Rebel Alliance named Evaan Verlaine. Topps released several digital trading cards which show character from Rogue One and one is an unnamed X-Wing pilot that looks like Evaan.
Evaan Verlaine is shown on the cover to Princess Leia #2.
Star Wars: Princess Leia #2a - Marvel Comics, U.S. (March 2015)
There are additional comics with connections to Rogue One. Poe Dameron #8 shows the helmet of a Death and a Shore Trooper in the story. Gigorans, the tall, hairy creatures seen in the trailer, are set to appear in Doctor Aphra #1. Interestingly, the Gigorans are a product of the Expanded Universe.
The first official television broadcast in South Africa occurred on January 5, 1976. While the rest of the world was embracing this new visual media in the 1950s and 1960s, Hendrik Verwoerd, the South African Prime Minister from September 2, 1958 until his assassination on September 6, 1966, and Albert Hertzon, the South African Minister of Posts and Telegraphs from August 24, 1958 to February 7, 1968, were firmly opposed to television being brought to South Africa. They felt if South Africa had television, importing foreign programming was inevitable which would make [non-white] Africans unhappy with their position in society. This was during South Africa's period of apartheid and the ruling class was doing everything in their power to maintain the status quo. It is in this environment that radio flourished and the popularity of the South African photo comic was born.
The almost 3 decade success of photo comics (comics with photographs instead of art married with word balloons) in South Africa can be traced back to Hint Hyman and Sep Schmidt's earliest photo comic, Kyk or Look, in April 1960. Their publishing company, Republican Press, acquired a German printing press in Durban which allowed them to publish many photo comics, upwards of 20 a month, which they shot using locals. The success of photo comics would allow Republican Press to branch out into other non-comic magazines where they were a major player. But it is with another of their comic enterprise, Supercomix, where we would get South Africa's first Star Wars comic.
From 1976 to 1984, Republican Press printed American comics for South African readers under their Supercomix imprint which was dubbed South Africa's Own Comics. The stories were from publishers DC, Marvel, Charlton, Harvey, and Gold Key. These would include the first Marvel stories published in South Africa. It is only natural during this era where U.S. pop culture was invading South African televisions, movies, and comics, the Star Wars comic adaptation would be published for South African readers.
Star Wars - Republican Press (Supercomix), South Africa (1977) contains Star Wars #1 - 6
The indicia says the comic is published by Super Comix and printed by Republican Press. It is not clear why this comic uses the two-word "Super Comix" while other Supercomix titles I've seen use the one word "Supercomix" name and familiar logo. This is an early comic in the line, so it is possible they had not yet settled on the exact name and logo they would use for the imprint.
The cover is the same as the U.S. cover for Star Wars #1. The UPC box has been replace with a blurb that reads The Complete Film in One Fabulous 116 Page Comic! and the blurb on the U.S. cover that reads Fabulous First Issue! reads Special Souvenir Issue! on this issue. My understanding is the comic was expensive for the time with it's price of 1,50 rand and subsequently had low sales.
I would be remiss if I did not mention my sources for this posting. Along with Wikipedia much of the information came from the article The evolution of African pulp fiction, the incredible blog by George van der Reit South African Comic Books, and George's article Supercomix! A History of Comic Book reprints in South Africa in Foreign Comic Collector Magazine #3. George is doing a terrific job of research and documenting South African comic books and his post Supercomix Star Wars is what first brought my attention to this comic.
The cover for O Incrivel Hulk #33 from Brazilian publisher Editora Abril is a combination of art from 3 U.S. cover. The interior story is from the fabulous 2-part story published in Star Wars #51 and 52. The cover declares Traição a Darth Vader or Betrayal of Darth Vader.
O Incrivel Hulk #33a - Editora Abril, Brazil (March 1986) contains Star Wars #51 and 52
The Darth Vader head is taken from the cover of Star Wars #39, the first part of the 6-part The Empire Strikes Back adaptation.
Star Wars #39a - Marvel Comics, U.S. (September 1980)
The body and arms for Darth Vader are from the cover of Star Wars #52. Notice from halfway down Darth Vader's chest plate, the art differs. Undoubtedly this was modified to allow the different pieces of art to overlap seemlessly.
Star Wars #52a - Marvel Comics, U.S. (October 1981)
The two Rebels are Luke Skywalker and Shira Brie; they, along with the Stormtroopers, are taken from the cover of Star Wars #57. Shira is not firing her blaster like she is on the original cover. She is also not shown in the story since her first appearance is in Star Wars #56.
Star Wars #57a - Marvel Comics, U.S. (March 1982)
This is not the only Star Wars cover from O Incrivel Hulk that is a mash up of art from different comics. Granted, borrowing art is cheaper than commissioning new art, but it is not entirely clear why Editora Abril felt this was necessary. The cover for Star Wars #51 contains plenty of action with Luke battling an AT-ST. And if they felt Vader was necessary for sales, the cover for Star Wars #52 has a terrific cover featuring Darth Vader by Walt Simonson. Regardless, it is these types of modifications that makes foreign comic collecting so interesting.
