Marvel Comics has announced that as part of its 80th anniversary celebrations, it is set to revisit the classic Star Wars comic book continuity for a special one-shot Issue #108, some 33 years after the series ended its run. Check out the cover by Walter Simonson and a variant cover from Carmine Infantino here…
“Growing up, my older brother read Fantastic Four and X-Men and I would steal his copies when he went out, but the original Marvel Star Wars comics were the first comics I ever collected myself,” writer Matthew Rosenberg tells ComicBook. “Those books were so important to me in developing my love of comics. I’d go to the comic shop every week and dig around in the back issues in hopes of adding another missing issue to my collection. When it all would get to be too much, my mom would take me to a local comic con to find other issues for me as a way of shutting me up. I’m proud to say that I have the complete run in singles issues still.”
“Being faithful to the amazing storytelling in the original run, but still making a comic for a modern audience, was the biggest challenge on this project, ” he continued. “So many true comic legends worked on those books- Archie Goodwin, Roy Thomas, Walt Simonson, Howard Chaykin, Al Williamson, David Michelinie, Klaus Janson, Jo Duffy, and so many more. It’s pretty overwhelming to think about, actually. What they made was the product of a very different time in comics, and it’s something modern audiences aren’t really accustomed to. So while it would be fun, if a little humbling, to try and just impersonate them, we wanted to do something a bit different, something that would appeal to classic and modern fans alike.”
“A long time ago on a spinner rack far, far away…Star Wars comics were a LOT different than they are now! With wild and intricately plotted storylines, Marvel’s historic original run introduced an array of unique heroes and villains to play alongside George Lucas’ incredibly popular science-fantasy characters. In celebration of Marvel’s 80th Anniversary, this Legends-era sequel to legendary comic book writer Archie Goodwin’s ‘Crimson Forever’ reunites Han Solo, Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, Chewbacca, C-3PO, and R2-D2 with Jaxxon, Amaiza Foxtrain, Domina Tagge, and Valance the Hunter in a galaxy-threatening, nostalgic roller coaster! Strap yourselves in!”
