Celebrate Star Wars Day With Darth Vader

Darth Vader wants you to celebrate Star Wars Day, and here, that is being done with the cover to Star Wars Annual #3 (December, 1983) by Klaus Janson, released between Star Wars #80 and #81.

Marvel Star Wars Empire Strikes Back Adaptation Covers

The Empire Strikes Back, the first Star Wars sequel, had a special premiere on May 20, 1980 in London....and soon, Marvel had adaptations of it....both in collected form, and as issues of Marvel's regular Star Wars title.

Under a cover by Bob Larkin featuring Luke Skywalker on Hoth under the shadow of Darth Vader, Marvel Super Special #16 (Spring, 1980) gave the "official adaptation of the most eagerly awaited space fantasy film of all!"...  

(Hey, it was pre-internet, and people were still excited about Star Wars....), 

...as adapted by writer Archie Goodwin and artists Al Williamson, Carlos Garzon and (for the AT-ATs) Rick Veitch.

The story ran for six issues of the Star Wars comic book, taking over the run in 1980....and below, are the covers by Al Williamson and Carlos Garzon.

Star Wars #39 and #40 (September and October, 1980)

Star Wars #41 and #42 (November and December, 1980)

Star Wars #43 and #44 (January and February, 1981)

Having the comics debut of Lando Calrissian, Lobot, Yoda, Boba Fett and the rest of the bounty hunters, as well as continuing adventures of Han Solo, Chewbacca, C-3PO, R2-D2 and the Skywalker family, and has been recently collected in the 3rd volume of Star Wars Legends The Original Marvel Years. 

If you are still interested in Star Wars, here's coverage of the original adaptation of the first movie as covered for the 40th Anniversary of that movie, as well as a special Marvel issue, and may the Force be with you!

May Spidey Be With You

A long, long time ago, in a comic book far, far away.....


....Spider-Man faced the evil Dr. Doom with the help of Moondragon, in an issue of Spidey Super Stories...


....in a story entitled....


STAR JAWS!

Spidey Super Stories 31

This issue came out cover dated February, 1978....


....with a cover by Keith Pollard and Frank Giacoia...


....a little after some movie gave us all A New Hope.

A story by Kolfax Mingo, Win Mortimer and Mike Esposito, "Star Jaws" gave loyal fans of the Electric Company and Marvel Comics...

....well, the story of Star Wars: A New Hope, just like it was in the theatres (almost)....

....with Spider-Man as Luke Skywalker, Moondragon as Princess Leia, Marvel Boy as Han Solo, Paul the Gorilla from Electric Company as Chewbacca, Sam the Sesame Street Robot as R2-D2 and C-3PO, Dr. Doom as Darth Vader and his Doombots as Stormtroopers, as Dr. Doom used his new space station, Star Jaws, to try to eat the Earth!


Sigh.


It was a simpler time. 


Still, it was a little fun, and did give a little info on who Moondragon and Marvel Boy were, and, hey, Marvel did have the Star Wars Property at the time!

Marvel At Star Wars 40th Anniversary

Back on May 25th, 1977, "a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away", a movie arrived in theaters that changed the world...."Star Wars".   Soon after, came the comic books adaptations from Marvel Comics (then, later, Dark Horse Comics, and then back to Marvel!).


Let's look back at these comics!

Star Wars - 6 issues

The original Star Wars saga was printed in six comics from to July to December, 1977...


...with the adaptation written by Roy Thomas, with art by Howard Chaykin, Steve Leialoha (issues #2-#5), and Rick Hoberg, Bill Wray and Dave Stevens (issue #6).

The first cover was by Howard Chaykin and Tom Palmer, the second by Rick Hoberg and Tom Palmer, the third by Gil Kane and Tom Palmer, the fourth by Rick Hoberg and Frank Giacoia, the fifth by Rick Hoberg and Dave Cockrum and the sixth by Rick Hoberg, with most of the issues having reprints done at the time (labeled as such in the upper box).

Star Wars - 2 Marvel Special Editions

Marvel reprinted the saga in oversized Marvel Special Editions #1 and #2 (with #1 having a cover by Rick Hoberg and Dave Cockrum, reprinting original issues #1 to #3, and MSE #2 reprinting original issues #4 to #6, with a cover by Howard Chaykin and Tony DeZuniga, with both treasuries coming out in 1977.

Star Wars - Marvel Special Edition

Marvel outdid itself with Marvel Special Edition #3 in 1978, collecting all 6 original Star Wars issues in an oversized treasury, with a cover by Ernie Chan...all "complete in one issue!" with 114 pages!!!!



By this point, Marvel should have felt they really got their money's worth on the work done for the first George Lucas' Star Wars movie.


But wait....


....there's more!

Star Wars - Marvel Movie Showcase

Marvel went back to the original saga, trying to give it new hope with the Marvel Movie Showcases, with #1 of November, 1982 featuring the first 3 issues of the original story (and a cover with characters colored to look more like the movie), and #2, which featured issues #4 to #6 (coming out in December, 1982).

Classic Star Wars: A New Hope

Marvel had given up on the Star Wars license for a time, so Dark Horse Comics took over, giving the world new stories of Luke, Leia, Han and more....as well as its own reprints of Classic Star Wars: A New Hope, as the original movie was now being referred to, with Art Adams giving us the cover to #1 (reprinting #1 to #3) in June, 1994, and Adam Hughes doing cover #2, for July, 1994, with original issues #4 to #6.

Star Wars: The Original Marvel Years Omnibus 

Marvel got he rights to the Star Wars license back, and couldn't wait for a collection of original Star Wars comics. 

All six of the original  "Star Wars: A New Hope", and all the way up to the original Star Wars issues #44...

...as well as all the covers above are in the Star Wars: The Original Marvel Years Omnibus #1 of January, 2015, with a color corrected cover...

...finally letting readers see Howard Chaykin's cover as it should have been, with Han, Leia, Luke, Ben and Darth Vader as they should have been, "a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away....."