Star Wars (comics)
| Star Wars | |
|---|---|
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| Publication information | |
| Publisher |
Marvel Comics (1977–1987, 2015–present) Dark Horse Comics (1991–2014) |
| Schedule | Weekly |
| Formats | Original material for the series has been published as a set of ongoing series, limited series, and one-shot comics. |
| Genre | |
| Publication date | April 1977 – present |
| Number of issues | Marvel (1st run): 138 issues Dark Horse Comics: 838 standard issues, 65 short issues and 35 graphic novels Marvel (2nd run): 121 issues |
| Reprints | |
| Collected editions | |
| Omnibus Volume 1 | ISBN |
Star Wars comics have been produced by various comic book publishers since the debut of the 1977 film Star Wars. An eponymous series by Marvel Comics began in 1977 with a six-issue comic adaptation of the film and ran for 107 issues, until 1986. Blackthorne Publishing released a three-issue run of 3-D comics from 1987 to 1988. Dark Horse published the limited series Star Wars: Dark Empire in 1991, and ultimately produced over 100 Star Wars titles until 2014, including manga adaptations of the original trilogy of films and the 1999 prequel The Phantom Menace. The Walt Disney Company acquired Marvel in 2009 and Lucasfilm and in 2012, and the Star Wars comics license returned to Marvel in 2015.
Charles Lippincott, Lucasfilm's publicity supervisor, initially approached publisher Stan Lee at Marvel Comics in 1975 about publishing a Star Wars comic book prior to the film's release as a means to appeal to its most likely audience. Lee initially declined to consider such a proposal until the film was completed, and was only persuaded otherwise in a second meeting arranged by Roy Thomas, who wanted to edit the series. Since movie tie-in comics rarely sold well at that time, Lee negotiated a publishing arrangement which gave no royalties to Lucasfilm until sales exceeded 100,000. At that point, legal arrangements could be revisited. Issue #1 of Star Wars was released for sale on April 12, 1977, and Marvel published the series from 1977 to 1986, lasting 107 issues and three annuals. According to former Marvel Editor-In-Chief Jim Shooter, the strong sales of Star Wars comics saved Marvel financially in 1977 and 1978. Marvel's Star Wars series was one of the industry's top selling titles in 1979 and 1980. The only downside for Marvel was that the 100,000 copy sales quota was surpassed quickly, allowing Lippincott to renegotiate the royalty arrangements from a position of strength.
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