Marvel Star Wars 1 - P 2014
John Cassaday/Marvel EntertainmentWhen Marvel announced the first Star Wars series since it regained the comic book rights to the franchise, one thing that fans noticed was that all three series were set between the original 1977 Star Wars movie and its 1980 follow-up, The Empire Strikes Back. After decades of former rightsholders Dark Horse Comics exploring thousands of years’ worth of Star Wars history, the shift in focus might have seemed like a shock, but according to the series’ editor, it was an easy decision.
“It’s all the iconic characters at their peaks,” Jordan B. White told the Coffee with Kenobi fan podcast. “Luke is a new hero still finding his way. Han has just turned from scoundreldom to the rebellion. Leia has just lost her planet and is coming into her own. Vader is the biggest bad guy out there and on their trail.” The fact that Marvel’s original run of Star Wars comics was initially set during the same time period helped as well, he added. “There is something that seemed right to kick things off where it all began,” White said. “It seemed like the best place to launch.”
That doesn’t mean that other eras will be ignored, however. Despite the fact that Star Wars history outside the movies (and Clone Wars and Rebels spinoff series) is once again unchartered territory following Lucasfilm’s announcement earlier this year about a resetting of the continuity for spinoff material, White said that Marvel’s Star Wars line is already set to expand.
“That is one of the great parts about Star Wars, there are so many terrific points in their history we can explore,” he said. “With these first series, we wanted to stick all in the same era in order to create the sort of inter-connected universe feel we get between Marvel books, but I am certain we’re going to be turning to those other eras in future series. Heck — I know for a fact we’re working on at least one of those … but we’re not ready to announce it just yet.”
The first of Marvel’s new Star Wars comic books, helpfully titled Star Wars, launches in January 2015, with subsequent launches already announced for the following two months. With New York Comic Con just weeks away — it begins Oct. 9 — news of additional titles may be coming sooner than you might think.
Read more: Marvel’s ‘Star Wars’ Comic Book Creators Talk About Their New Series
