The Road to Episode Infinity: April 2014

Saturday, April 19, 2014

Episode VII and Beyond...

Before a new child is born there is so much potential and hope for the future. There is a feeling that anything could happen. There is a mystery surrounding who that child will be and what their life will be like. So too with the future of the new Star Wars franchise. But if people want a taste of what this future will look like, they can look no further than the parent company’s other baby, the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

In 2009 Disney purchased Marvel Entertainment and audiences have been treated to 1-2 films per year. The rate that Disney is pushing these babies out is impressive, but what is even more surprising is the quality of the films and the way they intertwine. Disney has not just built a franchise, they have built a universe of characters.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe began with the first Iron Man film. After which, it didn’t take long for the Hulk, Thor, and Captain America to all have their individual stories. Of course the big pay off came in 2012, when Joss Whedon directed the film of his career. Yes, The Avengers was ambitious and over-hyped, but the final product disappointed neither fans nor casual viewers. It was big, it was bold, and it was beautiful.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is now deep in Phase II of their mythology. The team-members get another run of stand-alone films, which will be followed by a second Joss Whedon Avengers film in the summer of 2015. Spin-off titles such as Guardians of the Galaxy and Ant Man are also deep into production.

The success of Disney’s Marvel Cinematic formula brings high hopes to Star Wars fans. Disney has promised a Star Wars film each year. Episodic Star Wars films will release every two-years with character-focused spin-offs releasing between the gaps. And with a galaxy rich in characters, Disney has a lot of great options.

Although Disney has announced Episodes VII – IX would release in 2015, 2017, 2019, fans can only guess what spin-off titles will hit cinemas in 2016, 2018, or 2020. Could we see a young Han Solo adventure? What about Ewan McGregor reprising the role of Obi-Wan Kenobi? Will we see a Knights of the Old Republic film or flash forward into the future with the Star Wars: Legacy line?

But one character's chances are higher than the rest. The demand for a Boba Fett flows through the veins of Star Wars fans young and old. And isn’t is about time? Boba Fett had such a small role in the original trilogy and he was foolishly killed off in ROTJ. The prequels didn’t do him much justice, either. But which era of Boba Fett will be explored? Will we get young Boba Fett or will we see the character climb out of the Sarlacc and rocket into the future?

Star Wars was born in the imagination of George Lucas and we are all eternally grateful- but now that he has released it to the world, the possibilities are endless. George gave us the best and worse Star Wars films, and now we shall see what other artists can do with his world. With Disney’s Marvel Universe films acting as an older sibling, they should have no trouble steering the new Star Wars Franchise in the right direction.

Saturday, April 12, 2014

Star Wars was a Comic before it was a Movie

On May 25^th 1977, Star Wars blasted onto the big screen and the world has never been the same. A slightly lesser known fact is that Star Wars was first published as a comic, even before the film.

On April 12^th 1977, Marvel published “Star Wars #1” the “Fabulous First Issue”. These comics not only served as a way to advertise the film and to get the story out to those who lived far from cinemas- it also helped keep Marvel in business. According to one Marvel Executive, the company was in dire straights before Star Wars came along. "Star Wars single-handedly saved Marvel...” says Jim Shooter, “And that kept us alive."

Jabba the Hutt

The initial six comics published follow the film quite closely, but keen readers will discover some interesting differences. Take Jabba the Hutt for instance. Here, he appears as a thin, tall, yellow alien. He is nothing like the short, fat, hairy man who you see in the deleted scene.

There are other differences too. Bits of dialogue here and there. The inclusion of the famous “Tatooine Scenes” where Luke is hanging out with his friends at the tousche station. Marvel clearly had access to a “near-final” draft of the film and these comics now serve as relics- a roadmap to an earlier version of Star Wars- a pre-theatrical edition!

After the initial run of six, Marvel continued to publish Star Wars comics. These were the first stories to go beyond the movie- the universe from the film, but expanded. New characters were introduced such as Jaxxon, a giant green rabbit who befriends Han Solo. Jaxxon was pretty badass, but let's face it- a rabbit is a rabbit. His storylines are now seen as non-canonical, but there are some relevant characters that Marvel introduced.

Readers of the expanded universe will recognize Lumiya, Darth Vader’s apprentice. Now, between comics, books, cartoons and video games, Vader has had over a dozen apprentices, but Lumiya was the first. She was a dangerous Lady of the Sith and she uses a light whip (like a light saber, but a whip). Light whips have been seen in a variety of Star Wars fiction, but Lumiya’s was the first. Lumiya goes on to play a big role in some of the novels and pretty much ruins the lives of the Skywalker/Solo clan.

The comic “Star Wars” would run for 107 issues. In 1986 it was discontinued and in 1991 the rights for Star Wars comics would be sold to Dark Horse. And now we find ourselves in 2014. Marvel and Star Wars have sold out. The Disney Company owns them both and in 2015 Marvel will once again publish Star Wars comics.

Yes, we live in exciting times, as the old saying goes. With the acquisition of the companies comes a new hope- a fresh start- a clean state. We can erase 30+ years of Star Wars canon and start fresh. Raise that Wookiee from the dead! This will be my last comic blog, but with every new-beginning’s-end comes a new beginning. I look forward to 2015. I look forward to Marvel Star Wars #1 the “Fabulous First Issue”.

Dark Horse Comics (Link)

Dawn of the Jedi Dawn of the Jedi

Tales of the Jedi Tales of the Jedi

Knights of the Old Republic Knights of the Old Republic

Star Wars: Republic Star Wars: Republic
Dark Times Dark Times
Empire & Rebellion Star Wars: Empire & Star Wars: Rebellion
Brian Wood's Star Wars Brian Wood's Star Wars
Dark Empire Dark Empire
Crimson Empire Crimson Empire
Invasion Invasion
Legacy Vol. 1 Star Wars: Legacy
Vector Star Wars: Vector
Legacy Vol. 2 Legacy Volume 2
Infinities Infinities
The Star Wars The Star Wars

Star Wars Tales Star Wars Tales

Marvel Comics

Original Marvel Comics Original Marvel Comics
Star Wars #108 Star Wars #108
Alan Moore's Star Wars Comics Alan Moore's Star Wars Comics

Han Solos Vs. Space Crocodile Han Solo vs. Crocodile in Space

Marvel's New Star Wars Line Catching Up With Comics

Age of Republic Age of Republic
Age of Rebellion Age of Rebellion
Age of Resistance Age of Resistance

Star Wars #1... Again Star Wars #1... Again
Ewoks in Comics Ewoks in Comis
Who is Doctor Aphra Who Is Doctor Aphra

The Last Jedi Expanded Universe The Last Jedi Expanded Universe
Who is Jaxxon Who Is Jaxxon

IDW Comics
Tales from Vader's Castle Tales from Vader's Castle

Return to Vader's Caslte Return to Vader's Castle

Sunday, April 6, 2014

The Star Wars

Series: The Star Wars
Publication Date: 2013 - 2014
# of Issues: 8
Writers: J. W. Rinzler
Era: Infinities

Annikin Starkiller

One of my original blog posts in the fall of 2012 was titled “The Hidden History of Star Wars” and focused on an early draft of “The Star Wars” written by George Lucas. So I was quite ecstatic when I found out that Dark Horse was actually going to be publishing a mini-series based on an early Lucas draft.

Luke Skywalker

“The Star Wars” takes us to a familiar universe, but gives us characters that are unrecognizable. The story starts out with Kane Starkiller, a Jedi Bendu, living on the planet Aquilae with his sons Annikin and Deak. Young Deak is killed by a Sith knight so Kane & Annikin are forced to seek out help from Luke Skywalker. In this version Luke is an old Jedi Knight and bares a striking resemblance to Lucas himself.

Talking Artoo

Other familiar characters slip into the story, though they bare little resemblance to the ones we know. C-3P0 and R2 are there, yet they are drawn a little more like some of the original concept art. Also R2 can talk.

Han Solo

Han Solo is a big green gilled alien. Princess Leia is only 14 and quite spoiled. Darth Vader is different from Annikin and the iconic helmet is gone.

Darth Vader

But characters aren’t the only thing that’s familiar. One of the coolest parts about Lucas’ original script is that so much of the final movies are there. If Lucas had enough money to create what he wanted, we may have seen Tatooine, Hoth, the asteroid belt, and the forested home planet of the Wookiees (not Ewoks) all in the first film.

This comic is a really cool version of what might have been, but one thing Star Wars fans are going to have to soon realize is that the original trilogy won’t last forever. It’s already getting old and outdated. Somewhere down the line someone is going to try and reboot the franchise, and the original film will get a fresh new makeover.

In history the best stories are the ones that get told over and over again a thousand different ways. If we are lucky, Star Wars will be one of those tales.