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Star Wars Icons: Han Solo
Discover the incredible story behind the creation and legacy of one of Star Wars’ most beloved characters with Star Wars Icons: Han Solo. Smuggler. Rogue. Hero of the Rebellion. Scruffy-looking Nerf Herder. Han Solo has been called all these things and more since making his debut in the original Star Wars film back in 1977. Four decades later, the irrepressible Solo continues to be one of the most iconic and enduring elements of the saga, as currently evidenced by Solo: A Star Wars Story.
Star Wars Icons: Han Solo features a wide range of interviews with key members of the Star Wars cast and crew, and is illustrated with a treasure trove of rare imagery, including candid on-set photography and stunning concept art. Comprehensive, definitive, and revelatory, this is the definitive book for Han Solo fans across the galaxy.
Star Wars Icons: Han Solo features a wide range of interviews with key members of the Star Wars cast and crew, and is illustrated with a treasure trove of rare imagery, including candid on-set photography and stunning concept art. Comprehensive, definitive, and revelatory, this is the definitive book for Han Solo fans across the galaxy.
- GenresStar WarsScience Fiction
242 pages, Hardcover
Published April 2, 2019
3 people are currently reading
96 people want to read
About the author
Gina McIntyre
380 books22 followersGina McIntyre is the New York Times best-selling author of Stranger Things: Worlds Turned Upside Down. Her other books include Guillermo Del Toro's The Shape of Water: Creating a Fairy Tale for Troubled Times, The Art of Ready Player One, and Star Wars Icons: Han Solo. Her writing has appeared in the Los Angeles Times, the Hollywood Reporter, and Entertainment Weekly.
She lives with her husband and daughter in Riverside, Illinois.
She lives with her husband and daughter in Riverside, Illinois.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
July 21, 2019
Nothing really new to learned about the production of the films. Usual notable Lucasfilm exclusions apply... no mention of Lord & Miller, no mention of the Holiday Special. However I enjoyed the chapters on the Expanded Universe Han Solo (with a mention of the character Bollux, who was renamed when it came to a UK release). It’s also a ruddy gorgeous book (if book design is your thing... it is mine), I’m probably giving an extra star for the book design alone.
October 29, 2020
There is no one else who could be the galaxy's most loveable scoundrel, but Han Solo, and this book explores the character in remarkable detail. Though he has been played by several different people, to me he will always be Harrison Ford.
Beginning with the planning and creation of the character the book goes all the way through the new trilogy, books and comics are also discussed. The majority of the book focused on the films, stories about auditions, filming, character relationships and more. Reading so much about how the films were made was really interesting.
The artwork was amazing. A mixture of movie photos, backstage shots, trading cards, merchandise and artwork. It brought much of the films, books and characters to life.
This was a really enjoyable look into one of the best Star Wars characters.
Beginning with the planning and creation of the character the book goes all the way through the new trilogy, books and comics are also discussed. The majority of the book focused on the films, stories about auditions, filming, character relationships and more. Reading so much about how the films were made was really interesting.
The artwork was amazing. A mixture of movie photos, backstage shots, trading cards, merchandise and artwork. It brought much of the films, books and characters to life.
This was a really enjoyable look into one of the best Star Wars characters.
September 4, 2023
I’m grading on a bit of a curve here. I got the book as a gift several Christmases ago, and finally got around to reading it. The research is, largely, well done despite a few super minor editorial hiccups (and the decision to highlight Chuck Wendig’s Star Wars books in one chapter as anything special or particularly well-written).
The tour back through the history of the character and his evolution is likewise nice, though the chapter devoted to “cultural impact” goes for a bit of a stretch as Han is his own homage to a character type long present in storytelling.
The photos and the scholarship win out in the end. The layout of this book is terrific overall, and the choices for image placement and how it enhances the experience are some of the best I’ve ever seen.
So why not a five? Frankly because it could have been a teeny bit shorter and the layout adjusted to make reading the tome a bit more manageable. It’s also not sure if its audience is the ardent Star Wars fanatic, or the casual fan of film history. Both are appealed at different points, with a tone that wavers a bit.
But I will relive some pieces of my childhood on occasion by fawning over some of the iconic images here.
The tour back through the history of the character and his evolution is likewise nice, though the chapter devoted to “cultural impact” goes for a bit of a stretch as Han is his own homage to a character type long present in storytelling.
The photos and the scholarship win out in the end. The layout of this book is terrific overall, and the choices for image placement and how it enhances the experience are some of the best I’ve ever seen.
So why not a five? Frankly because it could have been a teeny bit shorter and the layout adjusted to make reading the tome a bit more manageable. It’s also not sure if its audience is the ardent Star Wars fanatic, or the casual fan of film history. Both are appealed at different points, with a tone that wavers a bit.
But I will relive some pieces of my childhood on occasion by fawning over some of the iconic images here.
April 13, 2019
Ok, se siete fan di Star Wars, questo libro e' per voi. In una versione molto curata, piena zeppa di segreti del backstage, la "vita" di uno dei personaggi più' famosi del cinema: Han Solo. In tutte le sue trasformazioni.
July 25, 2019
I thoroughly enjoyed this. At a high level, this book is the history of Star Wars from the very beginning through the present (which is Solo: A Star Wars Story at the time of publication), but it's tightly focused on just Han Solo's character. The book covers pre-production, production, script writing, movie making, art, costumes, stunts, effects, media, fans, books, comics...pretty much every single facet of Star Wars, but again - tightly focused on the character of Han Solo. If it doesn't involve the development or evolution of Han Solo, or his continuing story, it's not in this book.
Thus, this book is an absolutely fascinating approach to the behemoth that is the everything of Star Wars, and I applaud the author for really sticking to this focus. For example, Luke Skywalker is discussed (and Mark Hamill is quoted) but only really as relates to the character's relationship to Solo (and Mark's relationship to Harrison). It's not Luke's story that's being told here, or the story of hardly anything related to the Jedi, which is fairly unique in Star Wars books.
There are lots of interviews with various creators and actors who brought Solo to life. The book itself is gorgeous, very well produced and designed and put together. There are many gatefolds, physical inserts and overlays that really add to the presentation of material. This is a large, heavy coffee table book which makes it physically difficult to curl up with and read, but it's worth it. Absolutely recommended to Star Wars fans, and to folks who want to learn about the history of the franchise without being drowned by it.
Thus, this book is an absolutely fascinating approach to the behemoth that is the everything of Star Wars, and I applaud the author for really sticking to this focus. For example, Luke Skywalker is discussed (and Mark Hamill is quoted) but only really as relates to the character's relationship to Solo (and Mark's relationship to Harrison). It's not Luke's story that's being told here, or the story of hardly anything related to the Jedi, which is fairly unique in Star Wars books.
There are lots of interviews with various creators and actors who brought Solo to life. The book itself is gorgeous, very well produced and designed and put together. There are many gatefolds, physical inserts and overlays that really add to the presentation of material. This is a large, heavy coffee table book which makes it physically difficult to curl up with and read, but it's worth it. Absolutely recommended to Star Wars fans, and to folks who want to learn about the history of the franchise without being drowned by it.
May 26, 2021
My copy was a library copy and did not have the orange and black covering. Still, partly because of the size the book is impressive. Oversize and covered in full color pics, paintings of Han Solo and his world. This book... wow. I love Han Solo and Harrison Ford and this book is filled with pics of him in character, promotional pics, behind the scene pics, etc.
However, I'm a penny pincher and whatever the full price is for it I would imagine it's up there so... maybe get it on ebay? Amazon? Unless you're celebrating something and want to reward yourself. Or just have some money to throw around.
Marvelous book to thumb through. I only read bits and pieces. Face it, with all that full color glory the text is secondary.
Highly recommend it to fans of the franchise, the books. It includes material from the sequels as well as Solo, the comics and the books so it pretty much covers all bases. Get it, then sit back and relax with a nice cup of tea, coffee or cocoa and page through this masterpiece.
However, I'm a penny pincher and whatever the full price is for it I would imagine it's up there so... maybe get it on ebay? Amazon? Unless you're celebrating something and want to reward yourself. Or just have some money to throw around.
Marvelous book to thumb through. I only read bits and pieces. Face it, with all that full color glory the text is secondary.
Highly recommend it to fans of the franchise, the books. It includes material from the sequels as well as Solo, the comics and the books so it pretty much covers all bases. Get it, then sit back and relax with a nice cup of tea, coffee or cocoa and page through this masterpiece.
May 17, 2019
Exceptionally realized and well-written art book covering the genesis and development of the character Han Solo. McIntyre, a veteran entertainment journalist, draws on 40 years worth of interviews and "academic" Star Wars sources (such as the annotated screenplays) to examine how the character evolved from a green, four-armed alien in the earliest drafts to Harrison Ford's indelible scoundrel. Coupled with concept art, sketches, production photos, and plenty of other goodies that have been folded, appended, and overlaid on the book's pages, this may be the definitive account of the Han Solo character.
If I had one complaint, it was that too much energy was devoted to Solo: A Star Wars Story in the form of an exhaustive plot recap and lots of extended quotes. Looking at the film is obviously necessary, but such a deep dive only made it look like McIntyre was trying to fill space with copy to accompany the copious amount of images.
If I had one complaint, it was that too much energy was devoted to Solo: A Star Wars Story in the form of an exhaustive plot recap and lots of extended quotes. Looking at the film is obviously necessary, but such a deep dive only made it look like McIntyre was trying to fill space with copy to accompany the copious amount of images.
May 15, 2019
Fantastic. So much information about one of the best sci fi space pirates of all time. Artwork and info on where his character came from, how he progressed, it was just so much info. Good stuff, but I wonder if a casual fan might not enjoy all the details.
Some parts I enjoyed were how Mark Hamill interacted with Harrison Ford on the sets of A New Hope.
Movie posters, artwork, comic book stuff, sketches, etc.
It's a flippin' BIG book too. Good book to plop on a coffee table and crack open a bit at a time. It follows the character from the originals, to the Solo movie and beyond.
Good stuff.
Some parts I enjoyed were how Mark Hamill interacted with Harrison Ford on the sets of A New Hope.
Movie posters, artwork, comic book stuff, sketches, etc.
It's a flippin' BIG book too. Good book to plop on a coffee table and crack open a bit at a time. It follows the character from the originals, to the Solo movie and beyond.
Good stuff.
February 16, 2020
I loved it!
This a large book filled with page sized color photos, B&W drawings and bits of scripts starting from Lucas’s first concept of Solo in a Star Wars story (it was very strange at first) up until his very end in the most recent movies, with everything in between. Lots of info and insight that I never knew or thought about. And there’s a lot of special inserts like the author couldn’t decide what to leave out so stuck it in anyway. Glad she did.
Fave parts: There’s so much it’s hard to choose. But Ford being chosen for the role, Ford’s trip to the set in Norway and the meeting between Ford & Ehrenreich come to mind.
This a large book filled with page sized color photos, B&W drawings and bits of scripts starting from Lucas’s first concept of Solo in a Star Wars story (it was very strange at first) up until his very end in the most recent movies, with everything in between. Lots of info and insight that I never knew or thought about. And there’s a lot of special inserts like the author couldn’t decide what to leave out so stuck it in anyway. Glad she did.
Fave parts: There’s so much it’s hard to choose. But Ford being chosen for the role, Ford’s trip to the set in Norway and the meeting between Ford & Ehrenreich come to mind.
December 29, 2018
I had no idea what to expect from this book, but it exceeded my expectations. A detailed portrait about Han throughout the years, starting with Lucas' very first idea of Solo and ending with the movie 'Solo'. Beautiful artwork and a lot of photos. Things like merchandising about Han, the influence of the character and his appearances (both legends and canon) in books and comics, are also present.
November 18, 2019
This book was seriously awesome. I love me some Han Solo and the new Solo movie is one of my favorite Star Wars films of all time. To see the progression of the character and everything associated with how Han Solo was brought to life was just simply amazing. I hope they do more of these Icons books, I really loved this one.
June 12, 2019
Better-than-average for this sort of thing. Good behind-the-scenes anecdotes from Lucas, Ford, et al, as well as great never before scene imagery (concept sketches, alternate shots from photo shoots, etc). Worth your time if you're a fan.
July 21, 2019
this book is an absolute must-read if you are a Han Solo fan!!! it was so awesome to learn so much about every single aspect of Han and his history throughout all the different types of Star Wars media, and the book itself is so gorgeous, well-made, and well-written. I absolutely loved it!!!
February 27, 2019
A fabulous book would highly recommend to any Star Wars fan as an essential read
July 1, 2020
Love this book so much, glad I decided to buy it. It is quite expensive but it is georgous 😍 I especially liked all the fold out pages and extra inserts. It's just a very well put together, amazing book
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews