(Surprisingly, the original Marvel Star Wars comic book actually predated the movie - the 6-issue series started before the film was released.)
When the comic strip started in local newspapers, the syndicate was able to attract to talent to the task. Actually, the list of creators on the strip, which ran from 1979 to 1984, is a short one: Russ Manning was the original writer and artist (with help on one story by writer Steve Gerber), and when poor health forced him to step down, writer Archie Goodwin and artist Al Williamson took over.
Given the limitations of telling a big story in a tiny daily strip, the creative teams did a great job of capturing the feel and the adventure of the film.
Dark Horse collected those strips in Classic Star Wars and The Early Adventures reprints - and they're worth it just for the artwork. Manning and Williamson were born for this kind of stuff, and their joy is evident in every stance, every bit of hardware, every alien creature.
The issues are pretty easy to find, and the stories have been collected into even easier-to-digest stories. Some of the storylines (like the one in this issue, with a fake Obi-Wan Kenobi) may be a bit silly at times, but it's all in good fun, and well worth tracking down.
Grade: B+
-----------------------
No comments:
Post a Comment