A long time ago…….things used to be so much simpler. There were identifiable villains and identifiable good guys, with nary a shade of grey between them.  This collection takes us back to more innocent days, to paraphrase Obi-Wan, “before the dark days; before the prequels and Jar Jar bloody Binks!”
This book is a collection of Star Wars tales, told via the old fashioned newspaper strips. It is a Star Wars that is as radically different form the movies, almost as much as it tries to radically be the same. Living in the UK, I didn’t have access to this particular brand of Star Wars. Back then, all we got was Marvel UK’s serialisation of the US actual comic books; a disjointed read to say the least. When these strips were first reprinted back in the 90’s by Dark Horse, it was like discovering Star Wars all over again, albeit a kind of Flash Gordon touched version.
Archie Goodwin was the writer who had, possibly the hardest task. With the stories set between A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back, even though published after the latter, Goodwin couldn’t stray too far off the moisture farm. All the heroes were never in any really danger, Darth Vader was never going to catch them (to be fair he barely did that in the movies!), and various stories were given alternative characters for us to get to know with their dangers acting as proxies. So the setup of the stories might not be quite up to movie standards, but it is all good fun, with the characters getting into all sorts of scrapes. The dialogue is a bit hit and miss, Han Solo talking about himself in the third person is just too odd. With the stories set between the movies, it does at least give Goodwin a chance to does some foreshadowing of sorts.
The star in the work is the art by Al Williamson. For many a Star Wars fan, Williamson is the definitive artist. With the force of the movies hitting fever pitch, Williamson had plenty of reference material; for every miscue in the faces of the rebels, you get the spot on details of the various Stormtroopers and Vader of course. Still, one of the highlights for me is the starship art. Each vehicle looks exactly like it should, down to some pretty impressive details. The other highlight is the shadows used to great effect, adding a level is darkness to proceedings. Whilst it is a given it should work on a black and white strip, it really comes into effect on the color “Sunday” strips.
With all the various versions of Star Wars out there, this could be seen as a bit of an anomaly; it is after all probably not “cannon”. For me, it is a reminder of the phenomenon that is Star Wars. It is also a great way to see how it could of been. When all is said and done, these are the classic tales, from when for many of whom, it was the classic of times for that galaxy far far away.
Writing – 5 Stars
Art – 5 Stars
Colors – 5 Stars
SCORE: 5/5
Written by;Â Archie Goodwin
Art by Al Williamson with Carlos Garzon, Brent Anderson and Tom Yeats
Published by; Marvel / IDW
Author Profile
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I am a long time comic book fan, being first introduced to Batman in the mid to late 70's. This led to a appreciation of classic artists like Neal Adams and Jim Aparo. Moving through the decades that followed, I have a working knowledge of a huge raft of characters with a fondness for old school characters like JSA and The Shadow
Currently reading a slew of Bat Books, enjoying a mini Marvel revival, and the host of The Definative Crusade and Outside the Panels whilst also appearing on No-Prize Podcast on the Undercover Capes Podcast Network
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