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Marvel Star Wars (1977-1986) #1
Star Wars 1
Star Wars 1 is the first issue of the Marvel Star Wars series of comic books. It closely follows the opening events of Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope. Released for sale on April 12, 1977, this first issue actually predated the release of A New Hope by a month.
17 story page; 32 total pages, including ads, in this periodical, often reprinted. Counting cover, that's 36 pages in traditional comic book format.
17 story page; 32 total pages, including ads, in this periodical, often reprinted. Counting cover, that's 36 pages in traditional comic book format.
32 pages, Paperback
First published April 12, 1977
15 people are currently reading
85 people want to read
About the author
Roy Thomas
4,479 books271 followersRoy Thomas was the FIRST Editor-in-Chief at Marvel--After Stan Lee stepped down from the position. Roy is a longtime comic book writer and editor. Thomas has written comics for Archie, Charlton, DC, Heroic Publishing, Marvel, and Topps over the years. Thomas currently edits the fanzine Alter Ego for Twomorrow's Publishing. He was Editor for Marvel comics from 1972-1974. He wrote for several titles at Marvel, such as Avengers, Thor, Invaders, Fantastic Four, X-Men, and notably Conan the Barbarian. Thomas is also known for his championing of Golden Age comic-book heroes — particularly the 1940s superhero team the Justice Society of America — and for lengthy writing stints on Marvel's X-Men and Avengers, and DC Comics' All-Star Squadron, among other titles.
Also a legendary creator. Creations include Wolverine, Carol Danvers, Ghost Rider, Vision, Iron Fist, Luke Cage, Valkyrie, Morbius, Doc Samson, and Ultron. Roy has also worked for Archie, Charlton, and DC among others over the years.
Also a legendary creator. Creations include Wolverine, Carol Danvers, Ghost Rider, Vision, Iron Fist, Luke Cage, Valkyrie, Morbius, Doc Samson, and Ultron. Roy has also worked for Archie, Charlton, and DC among others over the years.
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
October 13, 2021
The good old Star Wars.
Few extra bits and pieces than the movies. I'd say it's a bonus..
Book #52 of 2021..
Few extra bits and pieces than the movies. I'd say it's a bonus..
Book #52 of 2021..
December 17, 2021
So far so good. Start of a decent enough adaptation, one with the space to add scenes that the movie lacked without it much hurting the whole.
I notice Vader carries a lot more weight than he used to in the first movie, even though they could not have known yet what happens in the later ones. Perhaps they were guessing. Perhaps I'm just misremembering.
I notice Vader carries a lot more weight than he used to in the first movie, even though they could not have known yet what happens in the later ones. Perhaps they were guessing. Perhaps I'm just misremembering.
December 19, 2023
Efsanenin başladığı yılı içeren bir sayı olması ile çok değerli. Cildin ortasında Star Wars: Nihai Uzay Fantazyası adıyla Star Wars'ın bir tanıtımı ve George Lucas'ın neden Star Wars fimini çektiğine dair görüşlerini içeren bir yazı ve sayının yazarı Roy Thomas'ın "Star Wars'ın Ardındaki Hikaye" adlı yazısı bulunuyor. Thomas'ın yazısı şu çok isabetli kehanetle bitiyor: "Star Wars da hem film hem de çizgi roman olarak ilk sayıdaki vaadini yerine getirecek: Gelmiş geçmiş en müthiş uzay fantazyası."
July 21, 2022
The book that started the original Marvel run. You probably know this story. Luke looks more like He-Man. I love the verbose style of narration comics used in the 70s. Pretty note for note adaptation of the film that started it all, up to the point of meeting Ben.
May 21, 2025
"It is a period of CIVIL WAR in the galaxy."
November 13, 2022
In the beginning there was...well, there was the book.
But this still came out before the movie, so here's your first peek at Star Wars visually.
What's the same? The Tantive IV is attacked, the droids escape to Tatooine, Leia is captured (but she gets a kill in before going down), jawas capture the droids (which is told very succinctly, I have to say), the Death Star has a staff meeting, Luke and Owen by the droids, Luke discovers the message, Artoo runs away, and the story ends with Luke being attacked by Tusken Raiders. The introduce everything so smoothly.
That's all well and good, but was their anything different?
There are few extra pieces, including the greatest use of The Force in history.
First, Luke has friends other than Biggs. Since he has friends, he has a nickname, "Wormy." A young idealist dreaming of adventure in the stars, we first meet him noticing the space battle with binoculars in the middle of the day on a planet with twin stars (sure). When he rushes to tells his friends, everyone laughs at him, except Biggs who decides to tell Luke that he's going to join the Rebels, and Luke is jealous knowing he'll never leave the rock.
Most importantly, however, is Darth Vader. Why? Because this book gives us the first glimpse of the Force. Darth Vader uses the amazing power of the Dark Side to...get himself a cup of coffee.
That's right, the first time we see The Force used is when Darth Vader pulls a cup of coffee across the room. No idea how he drinks it, but even a Dark Lord of the Sith needs something to get through staff meetings, and I can't fault him for that. He still chokes Motti, of course, but that's a couple panels later. The coffee came first.
There's also a crap-ton of ads. So so so many ads.
Overall, not a bad introduction.
But this still came out before the movie, so here's your first peek at Star Wars visually.
What's the same? The Tantive IV is attacked, the droids escape to Tatooine, Leia is captured (but she gets a kill in before going down), jawas capture the droids (which is told very succinctly, I have to say), the Death Star has a staff meeting, Luke and Owen by the droids, Luke discovers the message, Artoo runs away, and the story ends with Luke being attacked by Tusken Raiders. The introduce everything so smoothly.
That's all well and good, but was their anything different?
There are few extra pieces, including the greatest use of The Force in history.
First, Luke has friends other than Biggs. Since he has friends, he has a nickname, "Wormy." A young idealist dreaming of adventure in the stars, we first meet him noticing the space battle with binoculars in the middle of the day on a planet with twin stars (sure). When he rushes to tells his friends, everyone laughs at him, except Biggs who decides to tell Luke that he's going to join the Rebels, and Luke is jealous knowing he'll never leave the rock.
Most importantly, however, is Darth Vader. Why? Because this book gives us the first glimpse of the Force. Darth Vader uses the amazing power of the Dark Side to...get himself a cup of coffee.
That's right, the first time we see The Force used is when Darth Vader pulls a cup of coffee across the room. No idea how he drinks it, but even a Dark Lord of the Sith needs something to get through staff meetings, and I can't fault him for that. He still chokes Motti, of course, but that's a couple panels later. The coffee came first.
There's also a crap-ton of ads. So so so many ads.
Overall, not a bad introduction.
February 23, 2025
My Rating: 3.5⤵
Review: The art is just atrocious, but I love it so much and the story is amazing. (I mean, come on, it's Star Wars.)
Review: The art is just atrocious, but I love it so much and the story is amazing. (I mean, come on, it's Star Wars.)
December 26, 2023
George Lucas wanted to publish a series of Star Wars comic books before releasing the movie Star Wars to build publicity for the movie. His publicity supervisor, Charles Lippincott, eventually convinced Roy Thomas to accept the project with support from comic publishing legend Stan Lee in 1976. This is issue #1, which was finally released on April 12, 1977, a little over a month before the movie release on May 25, 1977. Even though it was published ahead of the movie release, it's essentially a faithful adaptation of the movie. Comics like this one helped build such a strong buzz in the nerd community, there were epic lines on opening night for the movie.
This is a quick, fun read for any Star Wars fan. It closely follows the storyline we all know, all the way up to the point where Luke is attacked by the Tusken Raiders on his way to find Old Ben Kenobi on Arrakis. Er, I mean Tatooine. Then the next segment of the story continues in issue #2. It's fun to note subtle differences between the movie and this early incarnation in comic form. The character artwork sort of looks like the movie characters but not quite. The dialog has lots of lines lifted directly from the script but not always. There are a few lines and scenes that didn't quite make it into the movie but still fit right in with the movie vibe, which makes it a fun read to note the differences. Vader is maniacally searching the rebel ship for information tapes because apparently, the Death Star plans were stolen and transported on reel-to-reel tapes.
This is a quick, fun read for any Star Wars fan. It closely follows the storyline we all know, all the way up to the point where Luke is attacked by the Tusken Raiders on his way to find Old Ben Kenobi on Arrakis. Er, I mean Tatooine. Then the next segment of the story continues in issue #2. It's fun to note subtle differences between the movie and this early incarnation in comic form. The character artwork sort of looks like the movie characters but not quite. The dialog has lots of lines lifted directly from the script but not always. There are a few lines and scenes that didn't quite make it into the movie but still fit right in with the movie vibe, which makes it a fun read to note the differences. Vader is maniacally searching the rebel ship for information tapes because apparently, the Death Star plans were stolen and transported on reel-to-reel tapes.
This is all YOUR fault! I should have known better than to trust the logic of a half-sized thermo-capsulary dehousing assister...!
April 11, 2025
Star Wars #1, "Star Wars"
George Lucas had hoped to use the comics medium as a means of publicity for his 1977 film, Star Wars (now more commonly referred to as A New Hope). Turned down by DC and Warren, Marvel editor Stan Lee agreed only when the film was closer to completion. A month before the film would debut, writer Roy Thomas and artist Howard Chaykin (chosen by George Lucas himself) released Star Wars #1 which adapts a chunk of the film script. Originally slated to adapt the film in six issues, the series would go on to create many more Star Wars stories (non-canon) and include another adaptation of Empire Strikes Back.
The story here is pretty much a 1:1 adaptation of A New Hope, with lines of dialogue almost entirely lifted from the script. This first part covers the arrival of the Leia's droids on Tatooine and Luke deciding to go out into the dunes to locate Ben Kenobi. Chaykin's layouts are rough at times, but also bursting with life that capture the imaginative scope of the first Star Wars film. It's not something that every Star Wars fan will appreciate, but it is something that fans of Star Wars comics should check out.
George Lucas had hoped to use the comics medium as a means of publicity for his 1977 film, Star Wars (now more commonly referred to as A New Hope). Turned down by DC and Warren, Marvel editor Stan Lee agreed only when the film was closer to completion. A month before the film would debut, writer Roy Thomas and artist Howard Chaykin (chosen by George Lucas himself) released Star Wars #1 which adapts a chunk of the film script. Originally slated to adapt the film in six issues, the series would go on to create many more Star Wars stories (non-canon) and include another adaptation of Empire Strikes Back.
The story here is pretty much a 1:1 adaptation of A New Hope, with lines of dialogue almost entirely lifted from the script. This first part covers the arrival of the Leia's droids on Tatooine and Luke deciding to go out into the dunes to locate Ben Kenobi. Chaykin's layouts are rough at times, but also bursting with life that capture the imaginative scope of the first Star Wars film. It's not something that every Star Wars fan will appreciate, but it is something that fans of Star Wars comics should check out.
August 1, 2023
What started it all... at least when it comes to the comics.
These are deep. Comics nowadays (2020 and beyond) are typically super lightweight. You can burn through them in maybe 10 minutes as they are pretty dialog light and a lot of the imagery is quite large on the pages - which is great and I do enjoy.
However, these old school comics (these being from the 70's) are actually more like 'magazines', as Stan Lee would refer to them professionally.
There is a lot of meat to these comics and I definitely have to allot/schedule/plan for more time to get through these for sure.
I love the George Lucas/Star Wars original hype train content you get here on within the last pages of the comic. "The Greatest Space Fantasy of All Time" - indeed.
Regarding this comic - it's Episode 4. Plain and simple. There may be a bit more here and a little less there, but at the end of the day it is the comic book edition of A New Hope. Which is absolutely a thing of beauty.
These are deep. Comics nowadays (2020 and beyond) are typically super lightweight. You can burn through them in maybe 10 minutes as they are pretty dialog light and a lot of the imagery is quite large on the pages - which is great and I do enjoy.
However, these old school comics (these being from the 70's) are actually more like 'magazines', as Stan Lee would refer to them professionally.
There is a lot of meat to these comics and I definitely have to allot/schedule/plan for more time to get through these for sure.
I love the George Lucas/Star Wars original hype train content you get here on within the last pages of the comic. "The Greatest Space Fantasy of All Time" - indeed.
Regarding this comic - it's Episode 4. Plain and simple. There may be a bit more here and a little less there, but at the end of the day it is the comic book edition of A New Hope. Which is absolutely a thing of beauty.
July 3, 2025
Don't particularly like the artist here [okay for other places but just doesn't fit Star Wars to me]. The story has some things that were eventually left out of the films and are like hidden gems. I am amused at Vader search for the "tapes" - the movie wisely changed that to "plans" - it just comes off as humorous to me. Maybe Vader should get together with Peter Quill - he has tapes.
September 12, 2019
loving this father-daughter introduction
This was mostly an illustration of the Star Wars: A new hope novel. Wish the art was better.
January 3, 2020
This was actually surprisingly good. I mean nothing new but still fun
December 20, 2022
It’s not the best, but Darth Vader gently floats a cup into his hand so it’s pretty good.
December 26, 2017
The art of this era is a different matter entirely but I think I find it easier with Star Wars because I already know the cast. This follows the story of the first film but with additional scenes and such. For instance we get a visit from our old friend Biggs, which are actually deleted scenes I believe. I feel like Peter Cushing’s Tarkin is the character best captured by the artist. I feel like it is different now, to go back and look at young Luke, knowing how he ages. It’s like when you watch the prequels and can’t help but think about how Obi-Wan becomes that old man in the desert. Young Luke is a rebellious teenager, a child. He wants to join the Rebellion but he doesn’t really know what that means. He could have ended up living out his life on that planet as a moisture farmer and what would the world have looked like then? This issue takes you up to his running into the sand people (speaking of creatures I looked at differently after the prequels).
Original Review on my Website
Original Review on my Website
November 7, 2017
Star Wars 1 (Marvel, Vol 1, #1)
#1
“This is all YOUR Fault! I should have known better than to trust the logic of a half-sized thermo-capsulary dehousing assister …!” - C3PO to R2D2. (p8)
“I find your lack of faith DISTURBING.” - Vader (p16)
#1
“This is all YOUR Fault! I should have known better than to trust the logic of a half-sized thermo-capsulary dehousing assister …!” - C3PO to R2D2. (p8)
“I find your lack of faith DISTURBING.” - Vader (p16)
July 25, 2024
Comic version on A New Hope. The artwork is very 70s. I love it.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews