New Star Wars comics coming at light speed
In advance of the upcoming Star Wars sequels, Disney moved the comics to a new publisher. Now, Marvel reveals its three upcoming Star Wars titles.
SAN DIEGO, Calif. -- At first, people grumbled when Disney and Lucasfilm announced that Star Wars comics would move their 20-year-base at Dark Horse Comics to Marvel Comics.
"I've got a bad feeling about this," you could almost hear people grumbling.
On Saturday at the San Diego Comic-Con, Marvel Comics pulled back the curtain on its writers and artists tasked with telling new stories in a galaxy far, far away. They're all A-list comics talent, which should go a long way to assuaging any concerns over the quality of the storytelling.
Marvel will publish two monthly and ongoing Star Wars comics starting in 2015, as well as a limited mini series, all of which will pick up in the aftermath of the destruction of the Death Star. The first ongoing title, Star Wars, will begin in January and focus on the Rebel Alliance and Luke, Leia, Han, Chewbacca, R2-D2 and C-3P0. It will be written by Jason Aaron and drawn by John Cassaday.
"Whatever kind of childhood magic is left in those things, I want to recapture some of those same feelings that I had when I first saw these same characters on the big screen," Aaron told USA Today.
The second monthly book, Star Wars: Darth Vader, will be written by Kieron Gillen and drawn by Salvador Larocca. Beginning in February, it will focus on the Sith Lord and his master, Emperor Palpatine, as they try to come back from their crushing defeat at the Battle of Yavin.
The third book, a 5-issue mini-series publishing in March, will show Princess Leia dealing with the obliteration of her home planet, Alderaan. It will be written by Mark Waid, and drawn by Terry Dodson.
The new line from Marvel will start off much smaller than at Dark Horse, where it was not uncommon to publish five or more Star Wars-related comics each month. Marvel was the original comics licensee for Star Wars, and published a popular Star Wars comics that lasted from 1977 to 1985. When it ended more than 170 issues into its run, Luke Skywalker had a mullet.