In a press release that came out on Monday, Dark Horse Comics announced they are teaming with Disney on a Frozen mini-series. Frozen comics have been published by Joe Books and IDW has a license to publish comics based on other Disney characters. The press release also mentioned that Dark Horse and Disney will be collaborating on more comics in the near future.
Needless to say, there are some Star Wars comic fans who are speculating that Dark Horse might get the Star Wars license back. I'm of the opinion that this is not likely since the Star Wars books are some of Marvel's best selling, with the main Star Wars title Marvel's top selling ongoing comic since it debuted in January 2015. It is hard to imagine a scenario where Marvel would jeopardize their monthly sales by giving up what has proven to be a cash cow for them. And, as IDW has discovered with the Star Wars Adventures title, just because a comic is based on Star Wars, it doesn't necessarily translate to high sales.
The Dutch magazine Pep began publication in 1962 and it initially included imported material from the United States and Belgium. In the mid 1960s however, this anthology magazine began featuring more local talent and is responsible for launching some of the longer lasting, well known Dutch comics, including Martin Lodewijk's Agent 327 and Peter de Smet's De Generaal. One comic strip in the magazine created by Dutch artist Uco Egmond in 1973 is Eppo, named after the strip's main character. When the Pep magazine merged with another anthology comic magazine Sjors in 1975, the new publication was named Eppo after Egmond's strip. The Eppo magazine continued to publish the Agent 327 and De Generaal comics, but they were joined by equally popular comics like Henk Kuijpers' Franka, Jan Steeman and Andrew Brandt's Roel Dijkstra, and Don Lawrence's Storm.
Eppo was published weekly and the numbering was restarted every year. Issue #13 and 14 in 1982 contains 8-page Star Wars comic strip supplements. The black and white supplements are stapled to the center of the magazine and are slightly smaller than the magazine's dimensions of 8" x 10 1/2". The supplements feature The Bounty Hunter of Ord Mantell story. Eppo #13 contains material found in the strip from March 1st to March 22nd and Issue #14 contains material from March 23rd to April 19th. The comic strip is edited to fit in the 8-page format.
The cover of Eppo #13 features Berck's comic strip Lowietje. A blurb on the cover reads Extra Star Wars Mini-Album Deel 1 or Extra Star Wars Mini Album Part 1.
Eppo #13a - Oberon, Netherlands (1982) 8-page Star Wars newspaper strip supplement The Bounty Hunter of Ord Mantell part 1 from March 1 - March 22
Don Lawrence's Storm is featured on the cover of Eppo #14. A blurb on the cover reads Deel 2 Miniboekje Star Wars or Part 2 Mini Booklet Star Wars.
Eppo #14a - Oberon, Netherlands (1982) 8-page Star Wars newspaper strip supplement The Bounty Hunter of Ord Mantell part 2 from March 23 - April 19
There are other issues of Eppo that contain Star Wars comics.
Steam Wars: Gearjammer #1 collects the backup stories from Steam Wars: First Empire #1 and 2 starring the pilot Zora Gearjammer. In the story, Zora Gearjammer, flying a craft with features reminiscent of an X-Wing Fighter, is being chased by another ship commanded by Darq Maude who Zora refers to as the Night Hag. The ship Maude is commanding has solar panels not unlike those found on an Advanced TIE Fighter, although her spacecraft is considerably larger. The pursuit is low over a planet's surface and the two ships enter into a cave with imagery that reminds readers of the Death Star trench run at the end of a New Hope. When the ships emerge from the cave, Maude's spacecraft is grabbed by a Sand Kraken. Before the ship is completely destroyed, Maude gets off a final shot that hits Zora's starship, causing her to crash. Zora is awaken by a voice that tells her "You must fulfill your destiny." She sees a light from the wreckage of Darq Maude's ship and discovers a Star Ember which she plans on using to power her escape.
Steam Wars purposely uses familiar Star Wars elements in a Steam Punk setting. It is obvious that Zora Gearjammer is meant to remind us of Luke Skywalker, and the voice Zora hears is like Luke Skywalker hearing Ben Kenobi's voice. Additionally, Darq Maude's name and look is not unlike that of Darth Vader.
Steam Wars: Gearjammer #1a - Antarctic Press, U.S. (July 2016)
The cover for GearJammer #1 shows Zora Gearjammer holding a wrench. Behind her is the spacecraft which has similarities to an X-Wing Fighter with an elongated body and double wings located at the back.
"Luke... the Force runs strong in your family. Pass on what you have learned. Luke... there is... another Sk... ky... walker..." - Yoda's dying words.
In The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi, we learn Luke Skywalker was passing on what he had learned, at least until Luke's fateful confrontation with one of his Jedi apprentices, the son of Han Solo and Princess Leia, Ben Solo. The confrontation led to Ben, now Kylo Ren, destroying Luke's Jedi temple and killing many of the other students. Before a future generation of Jedi was hinted at in the new movies, the Expanded Universe had gone their first.
Published in March 1994, Jedi Search is the first of three novel about the Jedi Academy written by Kevin Anderson. The second novel, Dark Apprentice, was published in July 1994 and the final novel, Champions of the Force, was published in September 1994. The following year, Kevin Anderson and his wife Rebecca Moesta would continue writing about the Jedi Academy in a series of fourteen books under the Young Jedi Knights title. The first 3 books in the Jedi Academy Trilogy focused on the foundation of the Jedi Academy on Yavin 4 by Luke Skywalker, while the Young Jedi Knights series follows the adventures of Han Solo and Princess Leia's twin children, Jacen and Jaina Solo, while attending the established Jedi Academy. After writing the final novel in the Young Jedi Knights series, Kevin Anderson wrote the 4-part mini-series, Jedi Academy - Leviathan, which stars five of the original students from the Jedi Academy Trilogy.
The five students featured in the mini-series are Kyp Durron, Streen, Kirana Ti, Tionne, and Dorsk 81's clone Dorsk 82. (Technically, Dorsk 81 was in the Jedi Academy Trilogy and Dorsk 82 is a different character.) Of the five characters, Kyp Durron has been the most popular and most used, so it is not surprising he takes center stage in this series. The series sees four of the Jedi Knights travel to the planet Corbos to confront a Leviathan that killed all the inhabitants of a mining colony. The first Leviathan is defeated in issue #3 only for a larger Leviathan to attack the Jedi Knights in issue #4. Ultimately this larger Leviathan is defeated.
The cover for Jedi Academy - Leviathan #1 shows the four Jedi Knights who travel to the planet Corbos. Front and center is Kyp Durron, while to his right is Streen. Crouched at Kyp's left is Kirana Ti and behind her is Dorsk 82.
Star Wars: Jedi Academy - Leviathan #1a - Dark Horse Comics, U.S. (October 1998)
The second cover shows Kyp Durron being attacked by the Leviathan.
Star Wars: Jedi Academy - Leviathan #2a - Dark Horse Comics, U.S. (November 1998)
Kyp Durron is freeing the souls of the miners from the defeated Leviathan on the third cover.
Star Wars: Jedi Academy - Leviathan #3a - Dark Horse Comics, U.S. (December 1998)
The final cover has all four Jedi Knights in action against the larger Leviathan.
Star Wars: Jedi Academy - Leviathan #4a - Dark Horse Comics, U.S. (January 1999)
Star Wars: Jedi Academy - Leviathan #1 was the top selling Star Wars comic in October 1998 with an estimated 30,000+ initial units sold. When the series ended in January 1999, it was the lowest selling Star Wars comic for the month with just under 27,000 initial units sold. Despite being the lowest selling Star Wars title, it still was a top 100 comic for the month. It isn't clear why Dark Horse never published any more Jedi Academy stories, since the concept seems like it would be a great source for stories. Unfortunately, Kevin Anderson, who also wrote several Tales of the Jedi mini-series, never wrote another Star Wars story for Dark Horse after Jedi Academy - Leviathan.
Tercüman Çocuk or Interpreter Child is a weekly magazine from Turkey which features comics, puzzles, and games for children. Starting in early 1982, several issues of the Marvel Star Wars title were translated into Turkish for the publication. Only a few Star Wars pages are included in Tercüman Çocuk and some of the issues even have a Star Wars cover. Tercüman Çocuk #23 from June 4, 1982 contains three pages from Star War #24.
Tercüman Çocuk #23a - Tercüman Çocuk Publication, Turkey (June 4, 1982) pages #12 - 14 of Star Wars #24
The cover artwork used for the 1982 Tercüman Çocuk #24 is the same artwork used for Star Wars #47.
Star Wars #47a - Marvel Comics, U.S. (May 1981)
Inside, the color palette is limited and the colors do not match the colors used in the U.S. edition.
As the cover of Dawn of the Jedi #0 states, it is not really a comic so much as it is a guide to the comic. This guide uses prose and artwork to explain the backstory for the comic. Dawn of the Jedi explores the Star Wars universe 25,000 years before A New Hope. It tells the story of the ancestors of force-sensitive beings who were gathered from around the galaxy and brought to the planet Tython in massive pyramid-like spacecraft called Tho Yors. Over generations other planets in the Tython system are inhabited by non-force sensitives, while those who are attune to the force remain on their home world of Tython. These Je'daii eventually evolve into the Jedi and the Sith. In addition to the history, key locations, beings, and technology are introduced so readers of the comic have a foundation for the stories that will be told.
Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi #0a - Dark Horse Comics, U.S. (February 2012)
The standard cover shows a female and a male, presumably force-sensitive, with a glowing globe. Neither character has anything to do with the story. The Star Wars title is yellow.
Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi #0b - Dark Horse Comics, U.S. (February 2012) 2nd print
Dawn of the Jedi #0 went back to print twice. The second print uses the same artwork as the first print's cover, except Star Wars in the title is all white and the UPC box clearly states it is a second print.
Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi #0c - Dark Horse Comics, U.S. (February 2012) 3rd print
The third print has all new cover artwork showing one of the Tho Yor spacecraft. The UPC box clearly states it is a third print.
In 2016, Loot Crate had over 600,000 subscribers for its myriad of offerings. Monthly, Loot Crate ships a variety of themed boxes packed with pop culture goods. Some of the monthly offerings are specific to a brand, like Halo, Call of Duty, Marvel, or Star Trek. In December, their standard box was themed Explore and contained an exclusive Star Wars comic from IDW Publishing, Star Wars Adventures: Destroyer Down. This is not just an exclusive cover; the entire comic is exclusive to the Loot Crate box.
The 60-page prestige bound comic focuses on Rey, one of the main characters featured in The Last Jedi released to theaters the same month.
Star Wars Adventures: Destroyer Down a - IDW Publishing, U.S. (December 2017) Loot Crate ExclusiveStar Wars Adventures: Destroyer Down a - IDW Publishing, U.S. (December 2017) back cover
When Marvel's Star Wars #1 shipped in January 2015, it was estimated over 250,000 Loot Crate exclusive covers were sent out. It is probably safe to say Star Wars Adventures: Destroyer Down has more printed copies than even Star Wars Adventures #1 which had estimated sales of approximately 50,000 initial units sold in September. Compared to the sales for December's Star Wars Adventures #5 which came to just under 14,000 estimated initial units sold, it is easy to see why getting a comic distributed by Loot Crate is advantageous to IDW.
As expected, there are ample copies of this comic available on eBay. While prices vary wildly, I would not pay more than $15 shipped for this comic due to the number of copies compared to the demand for the title.
