A review by Glen Clark
A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away… For many of us, these words bring back memories of great sci-fi adventure. And for those of us lucky enough to be just children in 1977 these words shaped our childhood. Shortly after the movie’s release, Marvel acquired the rights to make the comic, and on April 12, 1977 Star Wars number 1 was released.
The first six issues were a retelling of the movies that is now known as Episode IV A New Hope. It looked like things were off to a great start, but as the series progressed we were introduced to a lot of silliness including Jaxxon the space rabbit. The series did last 107 issues, but it never really took hold as a serious extension of the movies. Disney, having already acquired Marvel, and recently acquiring Star Wars, it was only a matter of time that the two reunited.
That brings us to today, the first of three Star Wars titles, Marvel releases Star Wars #1 on January 14, 2015, it has been reported that this issue has over 1 million pre orders for the direct market and over 60 variant covers to pick from. Also as of this writing a second print is in works for a February release, which to me is amazing, over 1 million copies and still has demand for a second print. This issue takes place shortly after A New Hope and continues the adventure of Luke, Leia Han and the rest of the gang as they confront Darth Vader and the Empire. There will be no spoilers in this review.
In this issue, our heroes, infiltrate an Empire Weapons facility disguised as ambassadors for Jabba the Hutt, to negotiate a treaty between the two. Their real reason is to blow up the facility and strike another harsh blow to the Empire. But as the familiar saying goes “I got a bad feeling about this”. Nothing goes as planned and the issue ends in a shocking cliff hanger.
Written by Jason Aaron and drawn by John Cassaday, this book is truly a masterpiece to anyone who ever claimed to be a fan of Star Wars. Aaron’s writing is perfect as he allows us to relive the magic of being a kid coming out of the theaters after watching Star Wars. The art is breathtaking and Cassaday really has a feel to what these iconic characters should look like, I just hope he can keep on schedule.
If you have ever been a fan of Star Wars I urge you to find one of the million plus copies out there and read this. Rarely do I give 5 out of 5 stars, but with this book, there really is no reason not to.