As a child, seeing the original film in the theater, the comics and novels were the only way to enjoy the Star Wars universe between films. Marvel's comics, in particular, thrilled me to no end. It was one of two subscriptions I had to Marvel's books. There were, however, some real clunkers in there, as the writers were constrained by George Lucas and just what could be done with the characters. There were also some gems, though, too, which I fondly remember. I've written about my love before here, so go back and read that column for the skinny.
When Dark Horse lost the license and it reverted back to the House of Ideas, I must admit I was skeptical. Dark Horse had been doing okay, though some of the fun had been sucked out of the franchise in its hands, if one must be critical. Marvel, however, had not been doing comics very well in quite some time, and I feared Star Wars would suffer the same fate.I was wrong. The core series was killer, and brought me right back to being a kid. Then came the announcement. Marvel, which ended its original Star Wars series at issue #107, was going to publish issue #108, and it would take place back in that often misguided universe.
You bet I ordered it.
What could have been a disaster, filled with secondary characters few current readers knew about (but older readers either fondly remembered or hated), was actually quite amazing. Marvel had done something very right for a change. It was an absolute gem of a comic, and brought those old characters into a new light.
I'm glad Marvel has Star Wars back under its belt. I just hope the company doesn't let it slide into oblivion like it did the first time. It was a sad day for me when that final issue was published, and it was a long time before anything new from the universe was released in either book, comic, or movie form. I hope I never have to experience that again ...
