Star Wars Legends Epic Collection: The Original Marvel Years Vol. 3

Star Wars Legends Epic Collection #31

by Archie Goodwin, Wally Lombego, Larry Hama (Contributor)

Collects Star Wars (1977) #39-55; Empire Strikes Back Monthly (Uk) #149, #151 And #153-157; And Star Wars Monthly (UK) #159.

The Empire Strikes Back! Marvel's classic Star Wars saga continues with the official adaptation of the second film in the original trilogy — and Darth Vader's ruthless revenge! In the wake of Luke Skywalker's deadly duel with the Dark Lord, the rebels' adventures continue — and a living nightmare stalks the universe! But can R2-D2 and C-3PO beat terrible odds to survive Droid World? With everyone's favorite smuggler lost, the rebel crew is on a search for Solo — but Han will have to wait when the Crimson Forever poses a more immediate problem! And so will the Empire's latest, greatest super-weapon! Can our heroes take the Tarkin? Plus: Rarely seen Star Wars tales from the United Kingdom!

Genres: Star Wars, Comics, Science Fiction, Graphic Novels, Space Opera, Marvel, Graphic Novels Comics

487 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 18, 2018

About the author

Archie Goodwin was an American comic book writer, editor, and artist. He worked on a number of comic strips in addition to comic books, and is best known for his Warren and Marvel Comics work. For Warren he was chief writer and editor of landmark horror anthology titles Creepy and Eerie, and for Marvel he set up the creator-owned Epic Comics as well as adapting Star Wars into both comics and newspaper strips. He is regularly cited as the "best-loved comic book editor, ever."

Reviews

[Jerry (Rebel With a Massive Media Library) · Rating 3 out of 5]

For the most part, these are fun old-school comics, with the kind of art you don't see much anymore. While The Empire Strikes Back is old hat to any Star Wars fan, many of the later stories were exciting and well-done.

However, it wasn't as good as it could have been. One story was in black and white, and featured a villain that didn't seem to fit in with "a galaxy far, far away"; others had tiny print and were a bit too short.

So, this was yet another mixed bag, which is rather common when it comes to comic book omnibuses.

[Dan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I know this is definitely not canon, but I wonder if it ever was considered so. The first part starts with Empire Strikes Back and then gets very liberal with storytelling after for the last 3/4 of the book. So really weird stuff almost fantasy type stories...really average.

[DiscoSpacePanther · Rating 3 out of 5]

If this had simply been a comic book adaptation of The Empire Strikes Back, then it would have been 5 stars for sure - ESB is such a good sequel to Star Wars that it stands proud on its own, with no need for embellishment or editing.

Unfortunately, we get a continuation after the plot of ESB, composed of many wild and wacky space adventures that feel utterly out of place in the Galaxy Far, Far Away. Non-corporeal beings, visitors from another dimension and stories that seem to preempt the development of Masters of the Universe with muscle-bound techno barbarian heroes like He-Man and a purplish skull-faced adversary like Skeletor - none of this feels like Star Wars.

The characterisations of Luke and Leia seem wildly off as well, especially with Leia falling in love with one of the backwards worlds she finds herself marooned upon and being almost willing to abandon the Rebellion to remain there.

Continuity takes a back seat - a major example being that Luke is apparently still in possession of Anakin's lightsabre throughout these stories, despite it plunging into the gaseous abyss of Bespin at the end of ESB.

Aside from the adaptation of ESB, probably the only notable thing about this collection is a number of early Alan Moore stories written for the weekly UK Marvel comic book, which are an interesting historical oddity at the very least.

3 stars overall, and only recommended for Star Wars completionists and fans of the '70s/'80s Marvel style.

[Jon · Rating 2 out of 5]

The hardest time to ever be a Star Wars comic author would have to be between Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. Most the characters are sidelined. Who would want to do it? The answer is no one! Marvel hired no consistent creative team. Nearly every issue has a new author. Did the Marvel bullpen draw straws for the month? Was it used for overtime pay? What is clear, is that every writer with a generic space fantasy script, changed the names to make it Star Wars.
We get boring barbarian man, telepathic rabbits, and magic fuel crystals.


If you had to choose an author that least matches who should be writing Star Wars, who would you chose? R. Crumb? Craig Thompson? No! Alan Moore! Bonus, he writes a number of his weird nonsense stories! Does he give us some abstracts who “throw shapes” and kill/revive and time travel people? Does Darth Vader play chess against a pink octopus? (Bonus he lost the last page for the story for 14 years!)YES!

No idea is too generic or bizarre or mismatched for this collection and it is a beautiful, terrible experience.

[Alessandro · Rating 5 out of 5]

This third volume of The Original Marvel Years is a fascinating time capsule from an era when Star Wars was still discovering what it could become beyond the films. It collects an eclectic mix of stories that range from surprisingly ambitious space opera to delightfully pulpy adventures, and that variety is part of its charm.
The centerpiece is, of course, Marvel's adaptation of The Empire Strikes Back. While no comic could ever replace the cinematic experience, Archie Goodwin does an excellent job of translating the film into sequential art, and the legendary Al Williamson's artwork is nothing short of gorgeous. His elegant linework captures both the grandeur of the galaxy and the emotional weight of the story, making this adaptation well worth reading even for fans who know every scene by heart.
Once the movie adaptation ends, the collection embraces the wonderfully unpredictable spirit of early Expanded Universe storytelling. The writers were working in a period when very little of the future mythology had been established, giving them remarkable creative freedom. Some stories feel almost like classic science-fiction serials, others lean into adventure, mystery, or even horror. Not every tale lands equally well, but the overall sense of imagination is infectious.
Particularly enjoyable are the stories featuring the Rebel crew after the events of The Empire Strikes Back. With Han Solo frozen in carbonite, the remaining heroes are forced into new situations that expand the universe without contradicting the films. The collection also introduces memorable concepts like the terrifying "living nightmare" and entertaining adventures such as Droid World, reminding readers how inventive these early comics could be.
A real treasure, however, is the inclusion of the British Star Wars stories. Seeing early work by Alan Moore, alongside stunning artwork from future superstars like Alan Davis and John Stokes, is reason enough to pick up this volume. These short stories often experiment with tone and structure, offering fresh perspectives on the galaxy far, far away while showcasing remarkable artistic talent.
Reading these comics today is also a reminder of how different the Star Wars universe once felt. Before decades of novels, comics, television series, and reference books codified every corner of the galaxy, creators could simply tell exciting adventures filled with bizarre aliens, strange technology, and unapologetic pulp energy. That sense of creative freedom gives these stories a unique identity that still feels refreshing.
This Epic Collection may not be as consistently polished as modern Star Wars comics, but it more than makes up for it with historical significance, excellent artwork, and an infectious sense of adventure. For fans of Star Wars history, classic Marvel comics, or the Legends continuity, this is an immensely enjoyable read and another excellent entry in Marvel's Epic Collection line.

[Steven Shinder · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's kinda weird how the first 38 regular issues of this run seem to span two months from A New Hope onward, and then it jumps ahead three years to The Empire Strikes Back. Despite some slight changes in this adaptation of that film, this had the best artwork I've seen in this run. I love how Hoth looks more alien and Roger Dean style. The art for The Empire Strikes Back is so good that all the art for the rest of this collection feels like a bit of a downgrade. And it kinda feels like the writers didn't quite know what to do with the characters at times in the gap between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. There's still some good stuff, like a story where Luke and Leia do not wish to celebrate the loss of the lives of their enemies. Weirdly enough, this involves Luke maneuvering the Falcon near a blackhole with Lando present, which is amusing given what we see in the film Solo. And I was amused by how the writers created a weapon called the Tarkin because they were told that they couldn't make another Death Star. (We know now that it's due to there being one in Return of the Jedi.) There's also some really weird supernatural stuff in the Weekly stories, such as Reist the demon monkey with a skull head, and Tilotny (a spirit of sorts). I do appreciate the inclusion of Archie Goodwin's recollections of the process of adapting Empire, and the Billy Dee Williams interview.

[pastiesandpages - Gavin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Collecting work from a variety of writers and artists this 488 page graphic novel collects material from 1980 to 1982.
Star Wars issues 39 to 44 adapts The Empire Strikes Back and reading this transports me back to watching the film in my childhood. The icy planet of Hoth. The massive Imperial Walkers. The introduction of Yoda and Luke's Jedi training in the swamps. The Cloud City at Bespin. Lando Calrissisian. Han Solo frozen in Carbonate. Boba Fett. The climactic duel between Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader and a devastating reveal of a family secret.
So many huge moments and Yoda would go on to become a cultural phenomenon and his legacy currently lives on with Grogu in the cinemas.

The book then features new stories from issues 44 to 55 with a variety of space adventures in the Star Wars Universe featuring our favourite characters and then there are reprints of new stories that appeared in the Marvel UK magazine, Empire Strikes Back Monthly in issues 149, 151, 153-157 and 159. Usually the magazine reprinted the stories from the American comics but these issues had brand new stories and some of them were written by Alan Moore! Some of Moore's are more psychological and use the characters in deeper sci-fi concepts.

Rounding out the book there's a bonus section with a making of the adaptation, a cover gallery, bonus pinup artwork and reproductions of interior pencil artwork.

A classic comic book collection and volume 3 is by far the best of this series so far.

[S.J. Saunders · Rating 4 out of 5]

So, there are still some fun stories here, but it seems like it maybe took the writers a bit to find their feet again in the wake of Empire. Still enjoyable over all, though, and it's fun to read Alan Moore's take on the ol' galaxy far, far away.

3.5/5 Also, telepathic bunnies. Maybe not my favorite, but at least they make for some genuine humor.

[Jeroen Huylebroeck · Rating 3 out of 5]

Once more I can't recommend this as "best in class" comic reads, but it's a nice historical artifact for fans of Star Wars, that don't mind the fact that these stories are not considered canon. The stories are a bit corny, but the artwork has gotten better than in the previous volumes and comics (mostly).

[Edward Davies · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was fun to see an adaptation of Empire based on the script, with Yoda looking odd and some of the lines being very different. The rest of the stories were entertaining enough, though without Han they felt a little light. Lando wasn't quite the same...

[Ben · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alan Moore wrote some Star Wars stories!