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''Star Wars'' comics have been produced by various
comic book A comic book, comic-magazine, or simply comic is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panel (comics), panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are often accompanied by descriptive prose and wri ...
publishers since the debut of the 1977 film ''
Star Wars ''Star Wars'' is an American epic film, epic space opera media franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the Star Wars (film), eponymous 1977 film and Cultural impact of Star Wars, quickly became a worldwide popular culture, pop cu ...
''.
Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is a New York City–based comic book publishing, publisher, a property of the Walt Disney Company since December 31, 2009, and a subsidiary of Disney Publishing Worldwide since March 2023. Marvel was founded in 1939 by Martin G ...
launched its original series in 1977, beginning with a six-issue comic adaptation of the film and running for 107 issues, including an adaptation of ''
The Empire Strikes Back ''The Empire Strikes Back'' (also known as ''Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back'') is a 1980 American epic film, epic space opera film directed by Irvin Kershner from a screenplay by Leigh Brackett and Lawrence Kasdan, based o ...
''. Marvel also released an adaptation of ''
Return of the Jedi ''Return of the Jedi'' (also known as ''Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi'' is a 1983 American epic space opera film directed by Richard Marquand from a screenplay by Lawrence Kasdan and George Lucas. The sequel to '' The Empire ...
'' and spin-offs based on '' Droids'' and '' Ewoks''. A self-titled comic strip ran in American newspapers between 1979 and 1984. Blackthorne Publishing released a three-issue run of 3-D comics from 1987 to 1988.
Dark Horse Comics Dark Horse Comics is an American comic book, graphic novel, manga and Artist's book, art book publisher founded in Milwaukie, Oregon, by Mike Richardson in 1986. The company was created using funds earned from Richardson's chain of Portland, O ...
published the limited series '' Dark Empire'' in 1991, and ultimately produced over 100 ''Star Wars'' titles, including '' Tales of the Jedi'' (1993–1998), '' X-wing: Rogue Squadron'' (1995–1998), ''
Republic A republic, based on the Latin phrase ''res publica'' ('public affair' or 'people's affair'), is a State (polity), state in which Power (social and political), political power rests with the public (people), typically through their Representat ...
'' (1998–2006), '' Tales'' (1999–2005), ''
Empire An empire is a political unit made up of several territories, military outpost (military), outposts, and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a hegemony, dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the ...
'' (2002–2006), '' Knights of the Old Republic'' (2006–2010), and ''
Legacy Legacy or Legacies may refer to: Arts and entertainment Comics * " Batman: Legacy", a 1996 Batman storyline * '' DC Universe: Legacies'', a comic book series from DC Comics * ''Legacy'', a 1999 quarterly series from Antarctic Press * ''Legacy ...
'' (2006–2010), as well as manga adaptations of the original film trilogy and the 1999 prequel ''
The Phantom Menace ''The'' is a grammatical article in English, denoting nouns that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The ...
''.
The Walt Disney Company The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was founded on October 16 ...
acquired Marvel in 2009 and
Lucasfilm Lucasfilm Ltd. LLC is an American film and television production company founded by filmmaker George Lucas in December 10, 1971 in San Rafael, California, and later moved to San Francisco in 2005. It is best known for creating and producing th ...
in 2012, and the ''Star Wars'' comics license returned to Marvel in 2015. Several new series were launched, including ''
Star Wars ''Star Wars'' is an American epic film, epic space opera media franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the Star Wars (film), eponymous 1977 film and Cultural impact of Star Wars, quickly became a worldwide popular culture, pop cu ...
'', '' Star Wars: Darth Vader'', and '' Doctor Aphra.'' In 2017,
IDW Publishing IDW Publishing is an American publisher of comic books, graphic novels, art books, and comic strip collections. It was founded in 1999 as the publishing division of Idea and Design Works, LLC (IDW) and is recognized as the fifth-largest comic ...
launched the anthology series ''Star Wars Adventures''. In 2022, Dark Horse resumed publishing new ''Star Wars'' comics and graphic novels.


Overview

The original series by
Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is a New York City–based comic book publishing, publisher, a property of the Walt Disney Company since December 31, 2009, and a subsidiary of Disney Publishing Worldwide since March 2023. Marvel was founded in 1939 by Martin G ...
began in 1977 with a six-issue comic adaptation of the original film and ran for 107 issues and three ''Annual''s until 1986, featuring stories set between the original trilogy films, as well as adaptations of ''
The Empire Strikes Back ''The Empire Strikes Back'' (also known as ''Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back'') is a 1980 American epic film, epic space opera film directed by Irvin Kershner from a screenplay by Leigh Brackett and Lawrence Kasdan, based o ...
'' and ''
Return of the Jedi ''Return of the Jedi'' (also known as ''Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi'' is a 1983 American epic space opera film directed by Richard Marquand from a screenplay by Lawrence Kasdan and George Lucas. The sequel to '' The Empire ...
''. From 1985 to 1987, Marvel published two short-lived series based on the ''Star Wars'' animated series '' Droids'' and '' Ewoks''. Briefly, the publishing rights went to Blackthorne Publishing, which released a three-issue run of 3-D comics from 1987 to 1988. Then, three years later, the rights to publish ''Star Wars'' comics were acquired by
Dark Horse Comics Dark Horse Comics is an American comic book, graphic novel, manga and Artist's book, art book publisher founded in Milwaukie, Oregon, by Mike Richardson in 1986. The company was created using funds earned from Richardson's chain of Portland, O ...
, who published the limited series '' Dark Empire'' in 1991 and ultimately produced over 100 ''Star Wars'' titles until 2014. Following the October 2012 acquisition of
Lucasfilm Lucasfilm Ltd. LLC is an American film and television production company founded by filmmaker George Lucas in December 10, 1971 in San Rafael, California, and later moved to San Francisco in 2005. It is best known for creating and producing th ...
by
The Walt Disney Company The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was founded on October 16 ...
, in January 2014, it was announced that the ''Star Wars'' comics license would return to Marvel Comics in 2015 (Disney having previously purchased
Marvel Entertainment Marvel Entertainment, LLC (formerly Marvel Entertainment, Inc. and Marvel Enterprises, Inc.) was an American entertainment company founded in June 1998 and based in New York City, formed by the merger of #Marvel Entertainment Group, Marvel Ente ...
and the Marvel Comics brand and publishing in 2009). In April 2014, Lucasfilm rebranded the majority of the ''Star Wars'' Expanded Universe as ''Legends'', only keeping the theatrical Skywalker saga and the 2008 ''Clone Wars'' theatrical film and
television series A television show, TV program (), or simply a TV show, is the general reference to any content produced for viewing on a television set that is broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, and cable, or distributed digitally on streaming plat ...
as
canon Canon or Canons may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Canon (fiction), the material accepted as officially written by an author or an ascribed author * Literary canon, an accepted body of works considered as high culture ** Western canon, th ...
. Most media released since then is considered part of the same canon, including comics.


Timeline


Marvel (1977–1987)

Lucasfilm publicity supervisor Charles Lippincott approached publisher
Stan Lee Stan Lee (born Stanley Martin Lieber ; December 28, 1922 – November 12, 2018) was an American comic book author, writer, editor, publisher, and producer. He rose through the ranks of a family-run business called Timely Comics which later bec ...
at Marvel Comics in 1975 about publishing a ''Star Wars'' comic book prior to the film's release. Lee initially declined to consider such a proposal until the film was completed, and was only persuaded otherwise in a second meeting arranged by
Roy Thomas Roy William Thomas Jr."Roy Thomas Checklist" ''Alter Ego'' vol. 3, #50 (July 2005) p. 16 (born November 22, 1940) is an American comic book writer and editor. He was Stan Lee's first successor as editor-in-chief of Marvel Comics and possibly bes ...
, who wanted to edit the series. Since movie tie-in comics rarely sold well at that time, Lee negotiated a publishing arrangement which gave no royalties to Lucasfilm until sales exceeded 100,000. Thomas and artist
Howard Chaykin Howard Victor Chaykin (; born October 7, 1950) is an Americans, American comics artist, comic book artist and writer. Chaykin's influences include his one-time employer and mentor, Gil Kane, and the mid-20th century illustrators Robert Fawcett an ...
adapted the events of the original film in issues #1–6 of ''Star Wars'', with the first issue released for sale on April 12, 1977. According to former Marvel editor-in-chief
Jim Shooter James Shooter (born September 27, 1951) is an American writer, editor, and publisher in the comics industry. Beginning his career writing for DC Comics at the age of 14, he had a successful but controversial run as editor-in-chief at Marvel Comic ...
, the strong sales of ''Star Wars'' comics saved Marvel financially in 1977 and 1978. The series began featuring original stories with issue #7 (January 1978). Writer Archie Goodwin and artist
Carmine Infantino Carmine Infantino (; May 24, 1925 – April 4, 2013) was an American comics artist and editing, editor, primarily for DC Comics, during the late 1950s and early 1960s period known as the Silver Age of Comic Books. Among his character creations are ...
took over the series as of #11 (May 1978). The series was one of the industry's top selling titles in 1979 and 1980. The 100,000 copy sales quota was surpassed quickly, allowing Lippincott to renegotiate the royalty arrangements. A six-issue adaptation of ''The Empire Strikes Back'' by Goodwin and artists
Al Williamson Alfonso Williamson (March 21, 1931 – June 12, 2010) was an American cartoonist, comic book artist and illustrator specializing in adventure, Western, science fiction and fantasy. Born in New York City, he spent much of his early childhood in ...
and Carlos Garzon appeared in issues #39–44 (September 1980 – February 1981). Writer
David Michelinie David Michelinie (; born May 6, 1948) is an American comic book writer best known for scripting Marvel Comics' ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' and ''Iron Man'' and the DC Comics feature Superman in ''Action Comics''. Among the characters he created or ...
and artist
Walt Simonson Walter Simonson (born September 2, 1946) is an American comic book writer and artist, best known for a run on Marvel Comics' ''Thor'' from 1983 to 1987, during which he created the character Beta Ray Bill. He is also known for the creator-owned ...
became the new creative team with issue #51 (September 1981).
Ron Frenz Ronald Wade "Ron" Frenz (born February 1, 1960) is an American comics artist known for his work for Marvel Comics. He is well known for his 1980s work on ''The Amazing Spider-Man'', particularly introducing the hero's Venom (character), black cos ...
became the regular artist of the title starting with issue #71 (May 1983). As of 1984, the ''Star Wars'' series was primarily written by Jo Duffy, and art for the final year and a half of the series was by
Cynthia Martin Cynthia Martin (also known as Cindy Martin;dANdeLION"Our Very Own Cynthia Martin!," Kevin's Watch (June 20, 2007).Retrieved July 19, 2008. born 1961) is an American comic book artist who worked on the Marvel Comics ''Star Wars (1977 comic book), S ...
. Marvel published the series until 1986, lasting 107 issues and three ''Annual''s. The first original ''Star Wars'' stories not directly adapted from the films to appear in print form were ''Star Wars'' comics serialized in the Marvel magazine '' Pizzazz'' (1977–1979). The first story arc, titled "The Keeper's World", was by Thomas, Chaykin, and Tony DeZuniga. The second story arc, entitled "The Kingdom of Ice", was by Goodwin, Simonson, Klaus Janson,
Dave Cockrum David Emmett Cockrum (; November 11, 1943 – November 26, 2006) was an American comics artist known for his co-creation of the new X-Men characters Nightcrawler (character), Nightcrawler, Storm (Marvel Comics), Storm, Colossus (character), Colos ...
, and
John Tartaglione John Tartaglione (January 14, 1921 – November 12, 2003),'' Comics Buyer's Guide'' #1650; February 2009; Page 107 a.k.a. John Tartag and other pseudonyms, was an American comic book artist best known as a 1950s romance-comics artist; a Marvel ...
. The final two chapters were scheduled to be printed in issues #17 and 18, but the magazine was cancelled after issue #16.
Marvel UK Marvel UK was an imprint (trade name), imprint of Marvel Comics formed in 1972 to reprint United States of America, US-produced stories for the United Kingdom, British weekly comic market. Marvel UK later produced original material by British cr ...
reprinted "The Keeper's World" in its ''Star Wars Weekly'' #47–50, and "The Kingdom of Ice" (including the previously unreleased chapters) in its ''Star Wars Weekly'' #57–60 between 1978 and 1979. Marvel's ''Star Wars'' comics were reprinted in the U.K. as a weekly black-and-white
comics anthology A comics anthology collects works in the medium of comics, typically from multiple series, and compiles them into an anthology or magazine. The comics in these anthologies range from comic strips that are too short for standalone publication to co ...
. The weekly U.K. issues split the stories from the U.S. monthly issues into smaller installments, and it usually took two to three weekly issues to complete a U.S. monthly issue. The U.K. comic also published original ''Star Wars'' stories by British creators, including
Alan Moore Alan Moore (born 18 November 1953) is an English author known primarily for his work in comic books including ''Watchmen'', ''V for Vendetta'', ''The Ballad of Halo Jones'', Swamp Thing (comic book), ''Swamp Thing'', ''Batman: The Killing Joke' ...
. ''Star Wars Weekly'' #1 was published with a free cut-out X-wing fighter on February 8, 1978. It became ''The Empire Strikes Back Weekly'' from issue #118 in May 1980, and then became a monthly title from issue #140 in November 1980, reverting to the title ''Star Wars'' with issue #159 in July 1982. The monthly comic ran until issue #171 in July 1983, when the numbering was reset at #1 for ''Return of the Jedi Weekly'', which was the first time the U.K. comic had been printed in color. This is the title and format that remained until the last issue (#155) was published in June 1986. Further original content was published in issues #94–99, 104–115, 149 and 153–157. Throughout this eight-year period, Marvel UK also published several ''Star Wars Annual''s and ''Special''s. Marvel's adaptation of ''Return of the Jedi'' (October 1983 – January 1984) appeared in a separate four-issue limited series as well as in ''
Marvel Super Special ''Marvel Comics Super Special'' was a 41-issue series of one-shot (comics), one-shot comic-magazines published by American company Marvel Comics from 1977 to 1986. They were cover-priced $1.50 to $2.50, while regular color comics were priced 30 cen ...
'' #27 and in a mass market paperback. From 1985 to 1987, the animated children's series ''Ewoks'' and ''Droids'' inspired comic series from Marvel's
Star Comics Star Comics was an imprint of Marvel Comics that began in 1984 and featured titles that were aimed at child readers and were often adaptations of children's television series, animated series or toys. The last comic published under the imprint ...
line.


Pendulum Press (1978)

In 1978,
Pendulum Press Pendulum Press was a publishing company based in West Haven, Connecticut, that operated from 1970 to 1994, producing the bulk of their material in the 1970s. The company is most well known for their comic book adaptations of literary classics. The ...
, under their educational series ''Contemporary Motivators'', also published a 31-page loose adaptation of ''Star Wars'' by Linda A. Cadrain and Charles Nicholas. Produced as part of a package which included an audio tape and a film strip, the comic was specifically designed for classroom use, with typeset instead of hand lettering, and vocabulary appropriate for children.


Newspaper strip (1979–1984)

A newspaper strip was published between 1979 and 1984, distributed by ''Los Angeles Times'' Syndicate and the '' Watertown Daily Times''. The creative teams were revolving, but included Archie Goodwin, Williamson, Russ Manning,
Steve Gerber Stephen Ross Gerber (; September 20, 1947 – February 10, 2008) was an American comic book writer and creator of the satiric Marvel Comics character Howard the Duck. Other works include '' Man-Thing'', ''Omega the Unknown,'' ''Marvel Spotlight ...
,
Alfredo Alcala Alfredo P. Alcala (August 23, 1925 – April 8, 2000) was a Filipinos, Filipino comics artist, born in Talisay, Negros Occidental, in the Philippines. Alcala was an established illustrator whose works appeared in the ''Alcala Komix Magazine''. ...
, Carlos Garzon and letterer Ed King. Goodwin switched from writing Marvel's ''Star Wars'' series to the weekly newspaper comic strip after the release of ''The Empire Strikes Back'' (1980), becoming the first writer to draw from more than just the original film in establishing the era set between the two films. The strip was based on the storyline and characters established in the original trilogy, but never adapted any of the films, instead fleshing out the history between them. From October 1980 to February 1981, Goodwin and Alcala adapted Brian Daley's '' Han Solo at Stars' End'' (1979). In 1991, Russ Cochran published a 2500-copy limited run of a three-volume hardcover boxset of all of Goodwin and Williamson's ''Star Wars'' comic strips from 1981 to 1984, signed by both creators, and featuring new cover illustrations by the latter. Dark Horse Comics collected colorized compilations of the newspaper strip in its '' Classic Star Wars'' series from 1992 to 1994. Between 2017 and 2018,
The Library of American Comics Library of American Comics (abbreviated as LoAC) is an American publisher of classic United States, American comic strips collections and comic history books, founded by Dean Mullaney and Bruce Canwell in 2007. History Background Dean Mullaney ...
published a three-volume reprint series of the complete comic strip.


Blackthorne (1987–1988)

Blackthorne Publishing released a three-issue series called ''Star Wars 3-D'' from December 1987 to February 1988. The comics were later reprinted in a black-and-white, non-3-D format by Dark Horse in their 2013 ''Star Wars Omnibus: Wild Space'', Volume 1.


Dark Horse (1991–2014)


Adaptations


=Film and television adaptations

= Dark Horse also published miniseries adapting '' Episode I: The Phantom Menace'', '' Episode II: Attack of the Clones'', '' Episode III: Revenge of the Sith'' . From 1998 to 1999, Dark Horse produced ''Star Wars'' manga, adapting the original trilogy and ''The Phantom Menace'' as
manga are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long history in earlier Japanese art. The term is used in Japan to refer to both comics ...
with all the typical narrative and stylistic characteristics of the form.


=''Legends'' novel adaptations

= Between 1995 and 1998, Dark Horse published adaptations of the ''Thrawn'' trilogy of novels by
Timothy Zahn Timothy Zahn (born 1951) is an American writer of science fiction and fantasy. He is known best for his prolific collection of ''Star Wars'' List of Star Wars books, books, chiefly the Thrawn trilogy, ''Thrawn'' trilogy, and has published several ...
. *


Original series (Dark Horse comics)

Dark Horse subsequently launched dozens of series set after, in between, and before the original film trilogy, including '' Tales of the Jedi'' (1993–1998), '' X-wing: Rogue Squadron'' (1995–1998), ''
Republic A republic, based on the Latin phrase ''res publica'' ('public affair' or 'people's affair'), is a State (polity), state in which Power (social and political), political power rests with the public (people), typically through their Representat ...
'' (1998–2006), the mostly non-canonical '' Tales'' (1999–2005), ''
Empire An empire is a political unit made up of several territories, military outpost (military), outposts, and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a hegemony, dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the ...
'' (2002–2006), '' Knights of the Old Republic'' (2006–2010), and ''
Legacy Legacy or Legacies may refer to: Arts and entertainment Comics * " Batman: Legacy", a 1996 Batman storyline * '' DC Universe: Legacies'', a comic book series from DC Comics * ''Legacy'', a 1999 quarterly series from Antarctic Press * ''Legacy ...
'' (2006–2010).


=''Dark Empire''

= In the late 1980s, writer Tom Veitch and artist Cam Kennedy secured a deal to produce a ''Star Wars'' comic for Archie Goodwin at
Epic Comics Epic Comics (also known as the Epic Comics Group)Shooter, Jim. "Bullpen Bulletins: The Truth About the Epic Comics Group!" Marvel comics cover-dated November 1982. was an imprint of American publishing company Marvel Comics, active from 1982 to ...
, a Marvel imprint. After the project was announced, Goodwin left Marvel, which dropped the comic. Dark Horse Comics subsequently published it as the ''Dark Empire'' sequence (1991–1995).


=''Classic Star Wars''

= ''Classic Star Wars'' is a series of comics which included compilations of weekly installments of the newspaper comics written by Archie Goodwin with art by Al Williamson.


=''X-wing''

= ''Star Wars: X-wing – Rogue Squadron'' is a comic book series of 35 issues released between 1995 and 1998. It follows the titular squadron beginning about one year after the events of ''Return of the Jedi.'' ''X-wing – Rogue Leader'' is a three-part comic book series set approximately one week after the end of ''Return of the Jedi.'' Several participants in the destruction of the second Death Star are sent, a little while after the events of Bakura, to scout out Imperial activity in Corellian space.


=''Shadows of the Empire''

=


=''Crimson Empire''

= The ''Crimson Empire'' trilogy follows Kir Kanos, one of Palpatine's Imperial guards, beginning about seven years after the events of ''Return of the Jedi''. Set shortly after ''Dark Empire'', it relates that Imperial Guard Carnor Jax betrayed the cloned Palpatine and his guards in an attempt to consolidate his own power. Kanos swears to stop him, coming close to New Republic Intelligence agent Mirith Sinn in the process. ''Crimson Empire II'' introduces Nom Anor, who served as the model for the Yuuzhan Vong in '' The New Jedi Order'', which he also appears in.


=''Qui-Gon & Obi-Wan''

= ''Qui-Gon & Obi-Wan: Last Stand on Ord Mantell'' is a three-part comics series written by
Ryder Windham Ryder Taylor Windham, born June 19, 1964, is an American author known for his extensive work in science fiction, particularly within the ''Star Wars'' universe. He has authored over 60 books related to ''Star Wars'', encompassing novels, comics, ...
, published by Dark Horse Comics between December 2000 and March 2001. The story features
Qui-Gon Jinn Qui-Gon Jinn () is a fictional character in the '' Star Wars'' franchise. He was introduced as a Jedi Master in the prequel film '' The Phantom Menace'' (1999), and is portrayed by Liam Neeson. He appears in the series '' Tales of the Jedi'', a ...
and
Obi-Wan Kenobi Obi-Wan "Ben" Kenobi () is a character in the ''Star Wars'' franchise. In the original film trilogy, he is a Jedi Master who trains Luke Skywalker in the ways of the Force. In the prequel trilogy, he mentors Luke's father, Anakin Skywalke ...
five years before ''Episode I – The Phantom Menace.'' ''Qui-Gon & Obi-Wan: The Aurorient Express'' is a two-part comics series written by Mike Kennedy, and published by Dark Horse Comics between February 2002 and June 2002. The series is set in the ''Star Wars'' galaxy six years before ''The Phantom Menace''. A luxury cloud cruiser has slipped out of control and is going to crash over Yorn Skot. The two Jedi must board the runaway ship and regain control.


=''Knights of the Old Republic'' and ''The Old Republic''

= ''Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic'' and ''Star Wars: The Old Republic'' are series set around the events of the game series of the same name, exploring its backstory.


=''Legacy''

=


=''Star Wars: The Clone Wars''

=


=Other original series (Dark Horse comics)

= *'' Star Wars: Agent of the Empire'' is a series set a few years before ''Episode IV – A New Hope'', and focusing on an Imperial Intelligence agent named Jahan Cross. Trade paperbacks: ''Volume 1: Iron Eclipse'' (collects ''Star Wars: Agent of the Empire – Iron Eclipse'' #1–5, 128 pages, October 2012, ) *'' Star Wars: Invasion'' is a series set during the early days of the Yuuzhan Vong War, and dealing with how the New Republic is faring. The series, published by Dark Horse Comics, was written by
Tom Taylor Tom Taylor (19 October 1817 – 12 July 1880) was an English dramatist, critic, biographer, public servant, and editor of Punch (magazine), ''Punch'' magazine. Taylor had a brief academic career, holding the professorship of English literatu ...
, and illustrated by
Colin Wilson Colin Henry Wilson (26 June 1931 – 5 December 2013) was an English existentialist philosopher-novelist. He also wrote widely on true crime, mysticism and the paranormal, eventually writing more than a hundred books. Wilson called his p ...
with color by Wes Dzioba. The first printed issue was published on July 1, 2009. Published by Dark Horse Comics, the series was set in the New Jedi Order era and depict the events of the Yuuzhan Vong War over 16 issues, plus a prologue issue. In January 2010, ''Star Wars: Invasion'' #0 was nominated for a 'Diamond Gem Award' in the '2009 Comic Book of the Year Over $3.00' category. *'' Star Wars: Dark Times'', is a series set in the years after ''Episode III – Revenge of the Sith'', and showing former characters from ''Star Wars: Republic'' after Order 66. * '' Star Wars: Knight Errant'', a series set 1,000 years before ''The Phantom Menace'', and dealing with a lone Jedi's war against the Sith. * ''Star Wars: Blood Ties'', a series set in varying time periods that shows the bonds between certain characters in the saga, such as Jango Fett and Boba Fett. * ''Star Wars: Darth Vader'', a series set almost immediately after ''Revenge of the Sith'', and showing how Darth Vader is dealing with his past as Anakin Skywalker. * '' Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi'', a series set thousands of years before ''Episode I – The Phantom Menace'', and showing the origins of the
Jedi Jedi (), Jedi Knights, or collectively the Jedi Order are fictional characters, and often protagonists, featured in many works within the '' Star Wars'' franchise. Working symbiotically alongside the Galactic Republic, the Jedi Order is depic ...
and the
Sith The Sith are the main antagonists in the fictional universe of the ''Star Wars'' franchise. They are the antithesis and ancient enemies of the Jedi. The Sith Order is depicted as an ancient cult of warriors who draw strength from the dark sid ...
. * ''
Star Wars ''Star Wars'' is an American epic film, epic space opera media franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the Star Wars (film), eponymous 1977 film and Cultural impact of Star Wars, quickly became a worldwide popular culture, pop cu ...
'' is set shortly after ''A New Hope'', focusing on the main characters of the original trilogy.


Limited series (Dark Horse comics)

After ''Knights of the Old Republic'' and ''
Legacy Legacy or Legacies may refer to: Arts and entertainment Comics * " Batman: Legacy", a 1996 Batman storyline * '' DC Universe: Legacies'', a comic book series from DC Comics * ''Legacy'', a 1999 quarterly series from Antarctic Press * ''Legacy ...
'' ended in 2010, instead of publishing ongoing series, Dark Horse began publishing a "series of miniseries", including: * ''Star Wars: Jedi'', a series set a few decades before ''The Phantom Menace'', and dealing with Qui-Gon Jinn in an undocumented area of his life.


One-shots (Dark Horse comics)

''Routine Valor'' is a
comic book A comic book, comic-magazine, or simply comic is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panel (comics), panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are often accompanied by descriptive prose and wri ...
one-shot released on May 6, 2006, by Dark Horse Comics for Free Comic Book Day 2006 as part of a Star Wars-Conan flipbook. The story is set during the end of the Clone Wars, approximately one year before the events of ''Revenge of the Sith'' (and 20 years before the events of ''A New Hope''). Characters include
Obi-Wan Kenobi Obi-Wan "Ben" Kenobi () is a character in the ''Star Wars'' franchise. In the original film trilogy, he is a Jedi Master who trains Luke Skywalker in the ways of the Force. In the prequel trilogy, he mentors Luke's father, Anakin Skywalke ...
, along with Clone troopers Commander Cody, CT-8867, CT-8868, and CT-8869 External links: *
Dark Horse Listing


Alternate storylines

While non-canonical to the Expanded Universe, ''Star Wars Infinities'' shows alternate storylines for the original trilogy films, and ''Visionaries'' featured stories by artists who worked on ''Revenge of the Sith''. ''The Star Wars'' is a 2013-2014 non-canonical comic series based on '' The Star Wars: Rough Draft'',
George Lucas George Walton Lucas Jr. (born May 14, 1944) is an American filmmaker and philanthropist. He created the ''Star Wars'' and ''Indiana Jones'' franchises and founded Lucasfilm, LucasArts, Industrial Light & Magic and THX. He served as chairman ...
's discarded 1974 draft for the original film. The series was written by J. W. Rinzler with art by Mike Mayhew. In this version,
Luke Skywalker Luke Skywalker is a fictional character in the ''Star Wars'' franchise. He was introduced in the original film trilogy as the main protagonist and also appears in the sequel trilogy. Raised as a poor moisture farmer on the desert planet Tat ...
is more mature and a Jedi, and the main protagonist is named Annikin Starkiller. The series received mostly positive reviews.


Return to Marvel (2015–present)

Following the acquisition of Lucasfilm by
The Walt Disney Company The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was founded on October 16 ...
in 2012, it was announced in January 2014 that the ''Star Wars'' comics license would return to Marvel Comics in 2015. Disney had purchased Marvel's parent company,
Marvel Entertainment Marvel Entertainment, LLC (formerly Marvel Entertainment, Inc. and Marvel Enterprises, Inc.) was an American entertainment company founded in June 1998 and based in New York City, formed by the merger of #Marvel Entertainment Group, Marvel Ente ...
, in 2009. Meanwhile, with the sequel film ''
The Force Awakens ''Star Wars: The Force Awakens'' (also known as ''Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens'') is a 2015 American epic film, epic space opera film co-produced, co-written, and directed by J. J. Abrams. The sequel to ''Return of the Jedi ...
'' in production, most of the licensed ''Star Wars'' novels and comics produced since the originating 1977 film ''Star Wars'' were rebranded as ''Star Wars'' Legends and declared non-canon to the franchise in April 2014. Early reports in May 2014 suggested that Marvel would announce two new ongoing ''Star Wars'' comic series at
San Diego Comic-Con San Diego Comic-Con is a comic book convention and multi-genre entertainment event held annually in San Diego, California, at the San Diego Convention Center. Founded in 1970, originally showcasing primarily comic books and science fiction/fant ...
. In July 2014, Marvel announced three new series at SDCC: ''
Star Wars ''Star Wars'' is an American epic film, epic space opera media franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the Star Wars (film), eponymous 1977 film and Cultural impact of Star Wars, quickly became a worldwide popular culture, pop cu ...
'', '' Star Wars: Darth Vader'', and the limited series '' Star Wars: Princess Leia''.


Ongoing series

The initial series, ''Star Wars'', was released in January 2015, with ''Darth Vader'' debuting in February. The ongoing series '' Star Wars: Poe Dameron'' was announced in January 2016. Featuring X-wing fighter pilot Poe Dameron introduced in ''The Force Awakens'', the series debuted on April 6, 2016. A six-issue comic adaptation of ''The Force Awakens'' by Chuck Wendig began publication in June 2016. In 2017. A second volume of the Marvel ''Darth Vader'' comic, subtitled ''Dark Lord of the Sith'', began in June 2017 from writer Charles Soule and artist
Giuseppe Camuncoli Giuseppe Camuncoli (born March 2, 1975) is an People of Italy, Italian comic book artist best known for his work on the Marvel Comics titles ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' and ''The Superior Spider-Man'' and the DC Comics/Vertigo (DC Comics), Vertigo ...
. In August 2019, Marvel announced that the main ''Star Wars'' series that started in 2015, which has narratively caught up to the timeframe of the events of ''The Empire Strikes Back'', would end in November 2019 with issue #75. A 56-page one-shot called ''Star Wars: Empire Ascendant'', written by Soule, Greg Pak, Simon Spurrier, and Ethan Sacks, was released in December 2019 to wrap up the series. At New York Comic Con in October 2019, Lucasfilm and Marvel announced the main ''Star Wars'' title would relaunch with a new ongoing series beginning in January 2020. Written by Soule, the flagship series will explore the time between ''The Empire Strikes Back'' and ''Return of the Jedi''. It will expand on stories like how the demoralized ragtag band of rebels grows into the massive fleet that attacks the second Death Star, how the plan to rescue Han Solo from Jabba the Hutt is formed, how Leia balances her personal desires to save Han with her responsibilities to the Rebellion, Luke's growth as a Jedi while coming to an understanding of Darth Vader's reveal of his heritage, and the evolution of Lando Calrissian from selfish betrayer to trusted general. First announced as ''Project Luminous'' at ''Star Wars'' Celebration in April 2019, full details of a publishing initiative called '' Star Wars: The High Republic'' were revealed in a press conference in February 2020. Involving the majority of the current officially licensed publishers, a new era set 200 years before the Skywalker Saga will be explored in various books and comics, including an ongoing Marvel title written by Cavan Scott. The ongoing series ''Han Solo and Chewbacca'' was announced in December 2021. The series was described as being a collection of different adventures of the pair, starting just a few years before the events of ''Star Wars: A New Hope''. In January 2025, a relaunch of the main ''Star Wars'' continuity was announced, with a new #1 set for May of the same year. Written by Alex Segura, the new run explores the timeframe immediately after ''Return Of The Jedi''. Three more ongoings were announced in subsequent months: ''Legacy Of Vader'', written by Charles Soule and set shortly after ''The Last Jedi''; Mark Guggenheim's ''Star Wars: Jedi Knights'', set in the lead up to ''The Phantom Menace''; and ''Doctor Aphra: Chaos Agent'', by Cherish Chen, set during the same period as Star Wars' ongoing 2025 series.


=Collected editions

=


''Star Wars'' (2015)

These books are set between ''Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope'' and ''Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back''.


''Star Wars'' (2020)

These books are set between ''Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back'' and ''Star Wars Episode VI: Return Of The Jedi''.


''Star Wars'' (2025)

These books are set after ''Star Wars Episode VI: Return Of The Jedi''.


''Darth Vader'' (2015)

These books are set between ''Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope'' and ''Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back''.


''Darth Vader: Dark Lord Of The Sith''

These books are set directly after ''Star Wars Episode III: Revenge Of The Sith''.


''Darth Vader'' (2020)

These books are set between ''Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back'' and ''Star Wars Episode VI: Return Of The Jedi''.


''Doctor Aphra'' (2016)

These books are set between ''Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope'' and ''Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back''.


''Doctor Aphra'' (2020)

These books are set between ''Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back'' and ''Star Wars Episode VI: Return Of The Jedi''.


''Kanan''


''Poe Dameron''

These books are set directly before ''Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens''.


''Star Wars: Bounty Hunters''

These books are set between ''Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back'' and ''Star Wars Episode VI: Return Of The Jedi''.


''Star Wars: Jedi Knights''

These books are set immediately before ''Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace''.


''Star Wars: Legacy Of Vader''

These books are set between ''Star Wars: Episode VIII The Last Jedi'' and ''Star Wars: Episode IX The Rise of Skywalker''.


Events


The High Republic

These books are set between 350 years and 200 years before the events of the Skywalker Saga.


Limited series and one-shots

''
Princess Leia Princess Leia Organa ( or ) is a fictional character in the ''Star Wars'' franchise. Introduced in the Star Wars (film), original ''Star Wars'' film in 1977, Leia is a princess of the planet Alderaan, a member of the Galactic Empire (Star Wars ...
'' released in March 2015. '' Chewbacca'' (October–December 2015), '' Obi-Wan & Anakin'' (January–May 2016), and ''
Han Solo Han Solo () is a fictional character in the ''Star Wars'' franchise. He was introduced in the 1977 film ''Star Wars (film), Star Wars'', and later appeared in ''The Empire Strikes Back'' (1980), ''Return of the Jedi'' (1983), ''Star Wars: The F ...
'' (June–November 2016), as well as the one-shots '' Vader Down'' (November 2015) and ''
C-3PO C-3PO () or See-Threepio is a humanoid robot character in the ''Star Wars'' franchise. He is a protocol droid (Star Wars), droid designed to assist in etiquette and translation, and is fluent in over six million forms of communication. The chara ...
'' (April 2016). Several other limited series followed, including '' Kanan'' (April 2015 – March 2016), '' Lando'' (July–October 2015), '' Shattered Empire'' (September–October 2015), In 2017, limited series ''Darth Maul'', ''Mace Windu'', and '' Captain Phasma'', as well as further one-shots, continued to expand the Star Wars universe. The comic adaptation of '' Rogue One: A Star Wars Story'' was also released. Both the ''Poe Dameron'' and the second ''Darth Vader'' comics ended their runs in 2018, in September and December respectively. In 2018, Marvel adapted the events of author Timothy Zahn's '' Star Wars: Thrawn'' novel in a limited series. The character had been introduced by Zahn's ''Heir to the Empire'' trilogy in the early 1990s, now part of the ''Legends'' line, and was re-introduced in the new canon in ''
Star Wars Rebels ''Star Wars Rebels'' is an American 3D animated science fiction television series produced by Lucasfilm Animation and set in the ''Star Wars'' universe. It takes place 14 years after '' Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith'' (2005 ...
''. Adaptations of both '' The Last Jedi'' and '' Solo: A Star Wars Story'' were released, and the timeframe of ''Solo'' was explored further in the ''Beckett'' one-shot and in limited series featuring young Lando (''Double or Nothing'') and Han's time in the Empire (''Imperial Cadet''). Marvel announced in October 2018 that a five-issue, Wendig penned miniseries, ''Star Wars: Shadow of Vader'', would be released starting in January 2019. The series would be an anthology told from the perspectives of those who had encountered Darth Vader. After three issues had been written, Wendig was removed from the miniseries (and future projects) by Marvel over concerns of his use of social media, and ultimately the miniseries was cancelled. In December 2018, a new miniseries with a similar premise, ''Star Wars: Vader – Dark Visions'', was announced to be written by Dennis Hopeless with art from Paolo Villanelli and Brian Level and was launched in March 2019. For 2019, Marvel announced a number of new limited series. As a companion to ''Star Wars: Alphabet Squadron'', a novel by author Alexander Freed centered on a New Republic squadron of various Rebel ships (an A-wing interceptor, B-wing heavy assault fighter, U-wing transport, X-wing starfghter, and Y-wing bomber) in the wake of the Battle of Endor, a five-issue series called ''Star Wars: TIE Fighter'' explores the fallout of the battle from both the New Republic and Imperial Remnant sides. A five-issue miniseries titled ''Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge'' will feature stories of the Black Spire Outpost on the Outer Rim planet Batuu and tie into the theme park experiences set to open at
Disneyland Disneyland is a amusement park, theme park at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California. It was the first theme park opened by the Walt Disney Company and the only one designed and constructed under the direct supervision of Walt Disney, ...
and
Walt Disney World The Walt Disney World Resort is an destination resort, entertainment resort complex located about southwest of Orlando, Florida, United States. Opened on October 1, 1971, the resort is operated by Disney Experiences, a division of the Wa ...
in 2019. In May 2019, a one-shot by writer Matthew Rosenberg and various artists called ''Star Wars'' #108 ''Crimson Forever'' picks up the story of the original Marvel ''Star Wars'' comic run that ended in 1986. In connection with the forthcoming
video game A video game or computer game is an electronic game that involves interaction with a user interface or input device (such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device) to generate visual fe ...
'' Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order'' by
Electronic Arts Electronic Arts Inc. (EA) is an American video game company headquartered in Redwood City, California. Founded in May 1982 by former Apple Inc., Apple employee Trip Hawkins, the company was a pioneer of the early home computer game industry ...
and
Respawn Entertainment Respawn Entertainment, LLC is an American video game development studio founded in 2010 by Jason West and Vince Zampella and owned by Electronic Arts since 2017. West and Zampella previously co-founded Infinity Ward and created the ''Call of D ...
, a five-issue miniseries called ''Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order – Dark Temple'' was announced in June 2019 to start publishing in September. At a panel discussing the Journey to ''Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker'' publishing program at San Diego Comic-Con in 2019, the four-issue ''Star Wars: Journey to The Rise of Skywalker – Allegiance'' miniseries was announced. It will help cover a one-year period during the time between ''The Last Jedi'' and '' The Rise of Skywalker''. Charles Soule was announced to be writing a four-issue miniseries exploring the backstory of Ben Solo's transition into Kylo Ren. ''Star Wars: The Rise of Kylo Ren'' premiered on December 16, 2019. In February 2021 it was announced that Charles Soule would be writing a miniseries focusing on the events of Boba Fett between
The Empire Strikes Back ''The Empire Strikes Back'' (also known as ''Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back'') is a 1980 American epic film, epic space opera film directed by Irvin Kershner from a screenplay by Leigh Brackett and Lawrence Kasdan, based o ...
and
Return of the Jedi ''Return of the Jedi'' (also known as ''Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi'' is a 1983 American epic space opera film directed by Richard Marquand from a screenplay by Lawrence Kasdan and George Lucas. The sequel to '' The Empire ...
, this series tied in with the rest of the ongoing Marvel series' at the time, would be called ''War of the Bounty Hunters'' - and released from May through October 2021. The story of ''War of the Bounty Hunters'' was followed by the additional miniseries ''Crimson Reign'', also penned by Soule, which served as the second in a trilogy of stories revolving around the same cast of characters, notably Qi'ra, whose return to the Star Wars universe occurred in the pages of ''War of the Bounty Hunters.''


''Age of Star Wars'' maxiseries

At San Diego Comic-Con in 2018, Marvel announced ''Age of Star Wars'', a 27-issue maxiseries starting in December 2018 that would span all three eras of the Star Wars saga. ''Star Wars: Age of Republic'' by writer Jody Houser will focus on the time of the Galactic Republic and the Clone Wars during the prequel trilogy era; ''Star Wars: Age of Rebellion'' by writer
Greg Pak Greg Pak is an American comic book writer and film director. He is best known for his work on books published by Marvel Comics, including ''X-Men'' (most notably '' X-Treme X-Men''), several titles featuring the Hulk, and Hercules.Truitt, Brian ...
will focus on the Galactic Civil War between the Empire and the Rebel Alliance during the original trilogy era; and ''Star Wars: Age of Resistance'' by writer
Tom Taylor Tom Taylor (19 October 1817 – 12 July 1880) was an English dramatist, critic, biographer, public servant, and editor of Punch (magazine), ''Punch'' magazine. Taylor had a brief academic career, holding the professorship of English literatu ...
will focus on the fall of the New Republic and the struggle between the Resistance and the First Order during the sequel trilogy era. At the time of release, ''Age of Republic'' was revealed to have eight one-shots spotlighting individual characters and a special anthology issue with up to four stories by different creative teams. *''Age of Star Wars'' trade paperbacks:


Reprints

In mid-2014, Marvel stated that it would publish collected volumes of past ''Star Wars'' comics, beginning with Volume 1 of ''Star Wars: The Original Marvel Years'' in January 2015, and Volume 1 of ''Star Wars Legends Epic Collection: The Empire'' in April 2015, which reprinted Dark Horse's ''Star Wars'' comics. In December 2019, Marvel reprinted the first issue of the 1977 series as ''Star Wars'' #1 – Facsimile Edition. A series of reprints under the title ''True Believers: Star Wars'' was released in April and May 2019, celebrating Marvel's 80th anniversary. A second collection of ''True Believers: Star Wars'' titles was released in December 2019.


IDW Publishing (2017–2022)

In September 2017,
IDW Publishing IDW Publishing is an American publisher of comic books, graphic novels, art books, and comic strip collections. It was founded in 1999 as the publishing division of Idea and Design Works, LLC (IDW) and is recognized as the fifth-largest comic ...
debuted ''Star Wars Adventures'', an anthology series published as part of the "Journey to '' Star Wars: The Last Jedi''" publishing program. In January 2018, IDW released a five-issue comic tie-in to '' Star Wars Forces of Destiny''. In November 2018, IDW released ''Star Wars Adventures: Destroyer Down''. This three-issue miniseries reprinted the previously released Loot Crate special from December 2017. IDW has also published graphic novel adaptations of each Star Wars film since ''The Force Awakens''.


Return to Dark Horse (2022–present)

On November 18, 2021, it was announced that Dark Horse Comics would once again publish ''Star Wars'' comics beginning around the second quarter of 2022. This will include a new line of all-ages comics and graphic novels. In a follow-up article, StarWars.com revealed that the first entries to modern Dark Horse storytelling will be ''Star Wars: Hyperspace Stories'' (released August 10, 2022), and ''Star Wars: Tales From the Rancor Pit,'' (arriving October 19, 2022) - both series' will follow an all-ages anthology style format. Dark Horse's first entry to The High Republic era of the ''Star Wars'' timeline was announced at ''Star Wars'' Celebration Anaheim 2022. The statement at Star Wars Celebration consisted of an announcement of Dark Horse's creation of a new ''The High Republic: Adventures'' series, the first issue of which titled ''The Nameless Terror.'' The publisher also published a collected edition of ''
Star Wars Rebels ''Star Wars Rebels'' is an American 3D animated science fiction television series produced by Lucasfilm Animation and set in the ''Star Wars'' universe. It takes place 14 years after '' Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith'' (2005 ...
'' comic books from the ''Star Wars: Rebels Magazine'', on August 16, 2022.


See also

* List of ''Star Wars'' comic books, an in-universe "chronological" list of comics * ''Star Wars'' (UK comics), a British publication which reprints some of the Dark Horse comics * ''Star Wars'' (manga)


References

Footnotes Citations


External links

* * * * * {{Marvel Multiverse Comics based on films Comics by Archie Goodwin (comics) Comics by David Michelinie Comics by Jason Aaron Comics by Mark Waid Comics by Roy Thomas Dark Horse Comics titles IDW Publishing titles Marvel Comics titles Science fiction comic strips