“Yesterday’s” Comic> Star Wars #1

How is this “Legends”, Marvel/ComiXology? It’s adapting the first ever movie! Is the first movie no longer ca…no, don’t give DisneyFilm ideas.

Star Wars #1

Marvel Comics (July, 1977; ComiXology edition)

ADAPTATION/EDITOR: Roy Thomas

ARTIST: Howard Chaykin

COLORIST: Marie Severin, which should be bunched with the other credits but it’s hidden and I almost missed it

LETTERER: Jim Novak

If I have to summarize this movie you are on the wrong site. Not that the story goes far. In a rarity they aren’t doing a lot of condensing for this adaptation, giving it six issues to tell the whole story…or at least what they had at the time. Like most novelizations prepped to come out alongside the movie, all they have is the latest addition of the script and some character designs. That gives us scenes that were left on the cutting room floor and didn’t even make the Special Edition, like Luke meeting with Biggs and his other friends after seeing the battle in the sky. We also have stormtroopers, Darth Vader, and C-3PO moving like their costumes wouldn’t allow them to, with greater range of motion. Grand Moff Tarkin has light brown hair, which Peter Cushing didn’t have at that time. The issue ends just as Luke is attacked by the Tusken Raiders.

Other interesting oddities was Vader referring to the Force as “The Cosmic Force”, the Raiders’ axe being given a name (a “gaderffii”, which apparently is the actual name or at least what’s canon now), R5-D4 being referred to as an “R2-D2 unit”, and just some minor dialog changes you wouldn’t expect to see now that the movie has become as big as it has.

This comic is interesting to see how the movie was approached back then versus today. When the Special Editions came out Dark Horse reprinted the Marvel version of The Empire Strikes Back and Return Of The Jedi (which apparently I can’t find a review for but did a whole new adaptation for what we now call A New Hope, and that was kind of disappointing. They did release a proper reprint for their “Classic Star Wars” series. I’m not sure what would be less expensive at this point but just for the curiosity alone as to the differences these early issues are worth checking out.