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1st app of Luke Skywalker, Darth Vader, Princess Leia, C-3PO, & R2D2; 1st cover app Obi Wan & Han Solo (not in story); Chaykin cover; COMIC BOOK IMPACT rating of 8 (CBI)


Star Wars was the blockbuster that changed cinema, but it was also the film that kind of saved Marvel. Comics legend Roy Thomas got an early look at the future blockbuster as a work-in-progress in early 1977, and cannily browbeat a skeptical Stan Lee into snagging the comics rights to the future mega-franchise. It didn't take much to convince filmmaker George Lucas to go along with the deal. The notorious fanboy was a long-time Marvel maniac, and knew that the House of Ideas was the only logical home for his daring new project.

After months of furious work on the part of Thomas and artist Howard Chaykin, the first issue hit the newsstands in advance of the film's premiere, making it a novelty amongst Star Wars tie-ins. Of note are the off-model portraits and color choices littering these early issues, as Chaykin and company had only stills and workprints from which to craft the book. That would lead to a surprisingly beefy Luke, a zaftig Leia, and...a green Vader? Forget all that,; it's Star Wars, the most significant pop-cultural creation of the past 40 years, and you love it, you know you do.