Comic(s) Relief: Marvel Releasing Massive Star Wars Omnibus
A long time ago... well, 1977 anyway...
This article is more than 2 years old
Star Wars has had a long history of comic-book adventures over the years. Dark Horse Comics held the license for over 20 years, publishing such must-read series as Dark Empire, Knights of the Old Republic, and Star Wars: Legacy. In January 2013 it was announced that the Star Wars comics license would be returning to Marvel, who published Star Wars comics for nine years beginning right after the release of the original film in 1977. New Star Wars comics will begin hitting shelves sometime in 2015, but first Marvel will be revisiting its past with George Lucas’ franchise. Set to release in January 2015, Star Wars: The Original Marvel Years will collect the first 44 issues of Marvel’s Star Wars comic, as well as the first annual.
So what sort of stories should you expect in the Omnibus?
It’s the return of the Jedi to Marvel in an opening volume that begins with Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope and ends with Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back. In between, the rebels face a wealth of new perils, from space pirate Crimson Jack to the bounty hunter Beilert Valance, as well as a surprisingly svelte Jabba the Hut (one ‘t’). Luke goes back to Tatooine, Leia battles alone, Han and Chewie play the deadly Big Game, and Darth Vader hunts for answers! Revisit all your old favorites and discover some new ones!
Marvel Editor In Chief Axel Alonso said:
With Star Wars poised to return to its comic book home, what better time to revisit the first adventures of Luke, Leia, Han, Chewbacca, C-3PO, R2-D2 and, of course, Darth Vader? I am extremely proud to present these original Star Wars stories, told as only Marvel can, in the first in a massive and glorious Omnibus series.
The stories collected in the Omnibus were penned by Roy Thomas, Howard Chaykin, Archie Goodwin, Jo Duffy, and Chris Claremont, with pencils by Howard Chaykin, Carmine Infantino, Walter Simonson, Herb Trimpe, Michael Golden, Al Williamson, and Mike Vosburg. Howard Chaykin and Greg Hilderbrandt are providing the cover art. The Omnibus lists for $125, but I’m sure you’ll be able to find it discounted on Amazon closer to the release date.
Here’s what’s new in sci-fi comics this week!
Borderlands: Fall of Fyrestone #1 (IDW Publishing)
The epic story of Borderlands continues in part one of the new series, where fans find out what happens after Roland, Mordecai, Lilith, and Brick step out of Marcus’s bus.
As soon as they arrive in the once-prosperous town of Fyrestone, they realize that Pandora is a far more dangerous planet than they first imagined. The Vault Hunters will go up against a ruthless bandit known as ‘Nine Toes,’ but will they be able to overcome him?
Judge Dredd #21 (IDW Publishing)
‘To Live and Die in Deadworld’ — Judge Anderson is presumed dead, her body hopelessly transformed into the most mysterious of the new Dark Judges — JUDGE BLANK.
But don’t count Anderson out yet. Her consciousness is loose in the vast, cold expanse of Deadworld, and she’s desperately trying to find her way back to Mega-City One. But where she ends up just might be the most frightening place of all…
The Last Fall #1 (IDW Publishing)
Marcus Fall is a battle-hardened soldier in a long-running interplanetary war. After multiple combat tours, Fall is finally able to leave the military and return to his beloved wife and son.
But his happy homecoming comes to a tragic end when a suicide bomber murders his family. Devastated, Fall returns to the war with one bloody mission in mind: revenge against the enemy… every last one of them.
The Squidder #1 (IDW Publishing)
This all-new four-issue series finds an old soldier from a forgotten war in a post-apocalyptic world that has left him behind. He was one of the last of the legendary Squidder Legions.
Can a discarded relic with a death wish and a rebellious Squid priestess overthrow humanity’s tentacled alien overlords? Ben Templesmith returns to his roots to finally do the tentacle/Cthulhu-orientated book he’s always promised!
The Squidder mixes action, horror, science fiction, and fantasy elements with a touch of Squidly destruction.
Star Trek: Flesh & Stone #1 (IDW Publishing)
‘The Six Doctors.’ When a Starfleet medical conference is crashed by a deadly metamorphic virus, Doctors Beverly Crusher, Julian Bashir and Katherine Pulaski have to race against time…to find a cure.
The answers lie in the distant past, deep within the files of Dr. Leonard McCoy! All of Star Trek‘s medical officers team up for the first time ever!
Star Wars: Darth Maul – Son of Dathomir #3 (Dark Horse)
Darth Maul has captured Darth Sidious’s new apprentice! Mother Talzin and Maul attempt to sway Count Dooku to their cause, revealing surprising facts about Maul’s past. But an attack by an elite Jedi strike force throws everyone’s plans into chaos!
The X-Files: Year Zero #1 (IDW Publishing)
When a blue-collar worker from New Jersey passes prophetic messages to the FBI from a mysterious ‘Mr. Zero,’ Mulder is convinced it is the same otherworldly entity that contacted the FBI through a suburban housewife in the 1940s.
This similarly named ‘Mr. Xero’ pointed the FBI toward many unusual cases, leading to the establishment of ‘the X-Files’!
