How long can George Lucas’ iconic franchise hold out against the internet onslaught?
Thinking of the magazines and comic books I read as a child, few of them still exist today. A certain group of people will always prefer a physical periodical over any kind of digital edition, no matter how great the latest e-book readers such as Amazon’s Kindle eventually become.
It’s a huge shame, but change is inevitable and in the case of magazines, many such publications simply could not compete with the speed at which information can be disseminated via the internet. Take gaming magazines, for example; Work on June’s issue has to begin all the way back in April in order for the content to be written and laid out using desktop publishing software.
The final version of the magazine is eventually delivered to the printing company, who then need to actually print and bind the copies before delivering the finished products to the stands, agents and stores who will sell these finished copies to consumers. The content is therefore weeks out of date by the time you purchase the magazine. Newspapers suffer the same issues, despite being published on a daily basis.
Comic Books: Bucking the Trend?
Unfortunately not; looking at sales figures alone for this type of media you could be forgiven for thinking that comic book sales are growing year on year. Lets’s look at some history first; Star Wars Comics have always been popular, first being published by Marvel Comics between 1977 and 1987.
Movie tie-in comics were not usually popular at this time, and it was actually Lucasfilm who were keen to negotiate a deal with Marvel prior to the release of the original Star Wars film. Marvel did an amazing job in creating these early Star Wars comic books, In particular with regards to their artwork.
A huge number of artworks have been created in celebration of Marvel’s early Star Wars comic book designs; from drawings and paintings right the way through to life-size figurines of Luke Skywalker, R2D2 and Darth Vader, art fans simply can’t get enough of this iconic franchise. So, there is no surprise if you find Star Wars paintings for sale online in modern art galleries or record breaking prices realised at auctions for original Star Wars action figures or other items.
The full story of the original Star Wars (later rebranded as “Episode IV: A New Hope” is covered in just six issues. This made it essential for Marvel to work closely with LucasFilm when writing subsequent issues to ensure that their stories would not clash with what director George Lucas had in mind for his forthcoming sequel: The Empire Strikes Back.
Did Star Wars Save Marvel from Bankruptcy?
According to former Marvel editor-in-chief Jim Shooter, the company only exists today because of the strong sales of Star Wars comics throughout 1977/1978. It’s somewhat ironic then that many blame the current downward trend in comic book sales on Marvel’s creation of the MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe), a model which has since been copied by the majority of other large comic book producers, such as Detective Comics.
Whilst digital sales are making up for a small percentage of the sales lost to traditional print media, it isn’t nearly enough to guarantee the viability of Star Wars Comics in the long term. This is a great shame, as the comic book artwork produced by Marvel, Pendulum, Blackthorne and Dark Horse will be sorely missed by fans of the Star Wars franchise if the style does not continue in some form moving forward.
Marvel re-acquired the license to produce Star Wars comics in 2015, after The Walt Disney Company purchased Lucasfilm in a deal that some expected to kill off the franchise; instead, the opposite has happened, and the new movies produced by Disney have been far better received than the prequels released during the 1990s.
The Best Star Wars Comic Book Releases Planned for Mid-2021
- Star Wars 14
The latest issue in Marvel Comics official series of new Star Wars comics has is set to feature Luke Skywalker, amd Chewbacca, C-3PO on a quest to rescue Han Solo. Part of the “War of the Bounty Hunters” crossover event, 24 issues are planned which will include comics from the Darth Vader, Doctor Aphra, Bounty Hunters and main Star Wars series of comics.
- The High Republic Adventures 5
The upcoming fifth issue of The High Republic Adventures is set to be published by IDW Publishing, who have acquired a secondary license, alongside Marvel. Featuring a very different artwork style, intended to depict a future almost two centuries of the timeline represented in Marvel’s comics, the IDW books are far more than just a cash grab – could we see movies based on this Timeline at some point in the near future, too?
- Star Wars: Darth Vader Vol. 2 – Into The Fire
This forthcoming trade paperback compilation will gather issues 6-11 of Star Wars: Darth Vader into a 120 page compilation, set to be published by Marvel Comics on June 22, 2021.
With comic books planned from Marvel every week for the remainder of the year as well as Trade Paperbacks, Graphic novels, Hardcover Omnibus editions and a 2021 annual, there is no shortage of Star Wars comic content in the pipeline for the time being. Enjoy it while it lasts folks – we have no way of knowing how long these good times will last!