After I saw Star Wars: A New Hope back in 1977, I was a kid desperate for Star Wars merch. There wasn't much back then, way before the Kenner figures. I got a tee shirt. I bought a C3P0 model kit. I also bought the Marvel Comics series religiously. Before it became an ongoing series, it was just a mini series, of A New Hope.
Appreciate you covering this as I've always had a fascination with the marvel comics - I read the one where Han and Chewie were dueling in space with other aliens even before I saw the original film. It was fascinating, bizarre, gripping and awesome, and I just had to see the movie afterwards. It didn't disappoint. I still like going back to those old marvel comics because they're so unusual, they have that same sense adventure that just set your mind on fire with the possibilities of what could happen, lock-step with the original movie. It was from the "wild west" era of star wars, long before a consistent canon or lots of corporate meddling, which is what made them so great.
Another awesome video. I caught that one cover with a Toys R Us shopping spree with a $3,000 grand prize. Can you imagine having $3,000 to spend back then, let alone just at Toys R Us?
Interesting behind the scenes info on the comics. Loved them back then. had some of them before I saw the movie. Dad took us in 78 when it cam back to theaters. Still love the Ralph McQuarrie concept art
Al Williamson was one of my favorites. He was influenced by Alex Raymond (Flash Gordon.) who is another favorite. It's so fitting that Al worked on The Empire Strikes Back comic.
I've probably bought the six-issue adaptation of Star Wars (no "Episode IV" back then) more times than any other comic. I even bought a dog-eared copy that had been sitting in a department store magazine rack for years simply because it was the first collected volume I'd ever seen as a kid. And I definitely remember how Luke, Obi-Wan, and Vader all had pink lightsabers at first...😁
I had quite a few of the comics. I just loved Star Wars so much that I didn’t care it was ..well corny. I still have them. I remember Jaxxon (the green rabbit), who is now cannon and I predict will show up in The Mandalorian soon.
Another great vid. JunkMan. Good Lord, remember all the different versions of the movie adaptation comics that came out? The six- issue standard size series. The two part, giant sized edition. The complete story in a really giant sized edition. The complete story in black and white in a novel sized edition (what I guess today would be called "trade paperback "). I think that version came out around '79.... just before the release of TESB on the big screen. Ahhh... the joys of being a kid. So many choices....so little allowance money. May the Force Be With You and Yours, JunkMan.
When the local corner store put in a comic rack The Star Wars comic number 3 was the first one I picked up on my way to school. I sent away for a subscription from the back to get the ret coming each month. Some i have only read once maybe twice. They are on the shelf now in bags in a binder. Stopped collecting after Jedi.
I have the first 50 issues of both the US and UK versions in a box in the loft. Haven't looked at them in years. Have to correct that soon, I think. And those covers! Today, you'd call them 'clickbait'! The UK edition was weekly, originally, and I got it delivered with the papers. The US ones, I got from my local comic shop.
Great topic and research- in the UK spun it to a 12 issue set with reprints of old marvel classics - later on including the original Guardians of the Galaxy
Amazing topic, JUNKMAN! I have before me, sitting on my dining room table, the STAR WARS large size MARVEL SPECIAL EDITIONS (aka, the STAR WARS COLLECTOR'S EDITION)... #1 & #2, which I bought at a flea market in Bargersville, Indiana in 1979. Oh, they retailed for a full dollar! ...Not the normal 35 Cents.
I have both issues, brought number 2 when it came out - couldn’t find issue 1 for about 25 years …. They were brilliant and I still have them both - I have the 12 original UK editions too - they came with a cardboard X Wing and Tie Fighter and I printed trench in issue 3 - fun times
I found a ton of these comics at Bob's collector den in Cookeville, TN about 3 years ago and pretty cheap too. My dumbass passed on them. Wonder if anyone ever got that damn 10 speed bike?🤷 I had the traceback editions of these at one time. Still have the Star Wars and ROTJ but lost my Empire copy.
The original series by Marvel Comics began in 1977 with a six-issue comic adaptation of the original film and ran for 9 years, 107 issues and three Annuals until 1986, featuring stories set between the original trilogy films, as well as adaptations of The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. From 1985 to 1987, Marvel published two short-lived series based on the Star Wars animated series Droids and Ewoks. Following the October 2012 acquisition of Lucasfilm by The Walt Disney Company, in January 2014, it was announced that the Star Wars comics license would return to Marvel Comics in 2015 (Disney having previously purchased Marvel Entertainment and the Marvel Comics brand and publishing in 2009). In April 2014, Lucasfilm rebranded the majority of the Star Wars Expanded Universe as Legends, only keeping the theatrical Skywalker saga and the 2008 Clone Wars theatrical film and television series as canon. Most media released since then is considered part of the same canon, including comics.
I've got the set of 7 TPBs of those comics as reprinted by Dark Horse along with the Marvel Omnibus that reprinted the UK stuff plus the TPB (also published by Dark Horse) that reprinted the ROJ adaption. As a Merry Marvelte (at least with regards of the classic stuff) Marvel Comics original 'Star Wars' series was truly a star studded effort by Marvel Comics with much of their best tallest that they had at the time (sadly no Stan Lee or Jack Kirby, although I believe that the King of Comics was no longer at Marvel and I'm shocked that Stan 'The Man' Lee didn't see the value of 'Star Wars' thus I'm glad that he didn't get his way on this occasion) as whenever I choose to reread my old TPBs I is always a pleasant surprise to see a 'big name' or two in the credits boxes of each issue. Granted they do often contradict the current media, or even 'old' EU, or even the films! (eg ''Jabba the Hut' looking the way he does or Darth Vader being a separate person from Luke's as yet unmarried father) but for me they simply take place in a parallel universe from the other stuff as I do with the Disney Era Media. I personally enjoy them for what they are, fun, exciting and sometimes profound tales of daring do and, when you think about it, the original EU and also a interesting peek at the way Star Wars was seen back in the 1970s-1980s' Now where did I put that ham sandwich, I sure that that Bucky O'Hare lookalike hasn't gone and pinched it on me.... Nuff Said and May the Force be With You
i don't know if this is related or not, but when i was little in the early 1980s, we went to Mcdonalds and the happy meals came in these plastic ufos? that had a top and a bottom that came apart to put the food in and on the sides of them were windows with little stickers of the fry guys and Ronald and Grimace looking out the windows, so i don't know if the ufo happy meals were made because of star wars or not
Don't ever believe a single thing Stan Lee ever said! HAHAHAHAHAHAAAA! that guy was born to be a used car salesman... unfortunately for a lot of great artists he choose another path.
The first issue I saw was #8 and I was able to get the first six in a bag bundle at a Dollar Store or Sears, then I got #7 at Mile High Comics. After a few months of buying locally, I finally got a subscription and didn't miss any more. I got pissed when Empire or Jedi came out (maybe both) because it was not part of my subscription and had to buy it separately.
Speaking of Star Wars comics Have you ever heard of the knock off A New Hope comic adaptation released in China? Back in the day the only way the average chinese citizen could enjoy an american film would be through knock off comic adaptations, and A New Hope got that treatment
@@ThatJunkman I have seen parts of it. Interestingly enough, it seems like they adapted either the script or the novelization *without* having seen the final film.
7:53 wonder if those WW2 movie cut in scenes that Lucas used was from Dambusters. that Lucas has said he got inspiration for the Death Star attack a 100% copy of the attack because as a kid Dambusters it was one of he's favourite movies. Just don't mention the Black dogs name called the N word. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-lNdb03Hw18M.html
