My latest article lands over at StarWars.com, my first as a Fantha Tracker, as I look at four decades of Star Wars: A New Hope novelization covers from the UK, the US and across the globe.
The first issue of Marvel’s million-selling comic adaptation hit shelves on April 12, 1977 — before the May 25, 1977, debut of the film — but even that was predated by the release of the novelization.
Famously ghost-written by Alan Dean Foster, Star Wars: From the Adventures of Luke Skywalker as the first version was titled, arrived on November 12, 1976. With a striking cover by the legendary Ralph McQuarrie, it sold out of its initial print run of 125,000 copies by February of 1977. Soon, Ballantine had sold another 3.5 million copies.
As the film exploded, the original would see 30 reprints between ’76 and ’79. To date, Star Wars has seen north of 60 reprints in the United States alone, not including the many and varied versions across the planet.