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Believe it or not, there were Star Wars newspaper comic strips way back when. Mostly forgotten, they’ve at long last been unearthed by IDW Publishing.
In a newspaper far, far away
Newspaper strips? Yep, newspaper strips. Running from March 11, 1979 through to October 5, 1980, there was indeed some Star Wars action to read in newspapers nationwide. Not that I knew about them in the least. I would have thought I’d have heard of these at some point… but nope.
Though that only makes this collection all that much sweeter. IDW says that a total of 27 different storylines will be presented in total. More on that in a bit though. This is the first volume of what’ll eventually be a trio, which should make for a pretty nice little addition to the old bookshelf.
Greg Goldstein, IDW Publishing’s President and COO, says, “Some of these strips have been reprinted in other formats, but, like many of our other LOAC collections, this is the first fully complete, chronological collection of the strips as they originally appeared when they graced the morning papers nearly 40 years ago.”
Darth Vader himself will grace the cover of this first book too, which is pretty slick. And inside? Brand new characters and locations, that were never seen in the movies. And since it’s not noted in the press release, I assume that means that they’ve not been seen since either. So this is really something to see if you’re a big fan.
And if you think these are all one-off stories that don’t go anywhere, think again
Initially the color Sundays and B&W dailies told separate stories, but within six months the incomparable Russ Manning merged the adventures to tell brand new epic seven-days-a-week sagas that rivaled the best science fiction comics of all time. When the strip launched, Russ Manning accurately predicted that “People today can’t get enough science fiction, especially if it is original and full of creative adventure. The Star Wars characters are like Mickey Mouse. They will be loved forever.” These strips reflect a simpler time in the franchise’s history and are a “must-have” for both the hardcore and casual Star Wars fan.
Sound good? Heck yeah it does. Look for Star Wars: The Classic Newspaper Comics, Volume 1 to hit book stores this coming May. It’ll be in hardcover format, and will cost you $49.99 USD.
