Star Walt: Star Wars (1977) #11-24

Roy Thomas and Howard Chaykin's stint that started the Star Wars ongoing series wrapped up with issue #10. Starting with #11 former editor-in-chief Archie Goodwin and industry legend Carmine Infantino would take over the book for a lengthier run until Goodwin's departure at issue #50.

I was initially somewhat wary of Infantino as a Star Wars artist. Not that I dislike Infantino -- certainly not, he's one of the best to ever do it -- but his exceptionally clean linework seemed like an imperfect fit for the grungier design sensibilities of Star Wars vehicles and technology. The first issue of their run, #11, seemed to confirm my fears, opening with a splash page of the Millenium Falcon that made it look shiny and sleek (granted, some of this was probably due to the digital transfer of the coloring) rather than the hunk of junk it's often referred to. However, whether it was because Infantino adjusted to the setting or my biases simply faded as time went on, this became less and less noticeable within only a few issues, and while some of his original character and vehicle designs might not feel properly "Star Wars-y" these days (I need to come up with a better term for that) that has more to do with the visual language of Star Wars changing over time and less to do with Infantino understanding the assignment.

The first arc follows up with the teasers Thomas and Chaykin dropped about what Luke was up to during the previous arc. Set on the water-world Drexel inhabited by a group of scavengers (wait a minute…), the story feels like classic pulp sci-fi through and through. It's a fun enough romp, and Goodwin shows a solid handle on the characters from the get-go -- despite only having one movie, one novel, and a handful of comics to draw on his Luke, Han, and Leia are all very recognizable. This arc also ties up the plot thread of Crimson Jack, a space pirate Han first encountered in the Thomas/Chaykin run and who, to my knowledge, did not appear again. In some ways this arc and the following one-shot feel like they're closing the book on Thomas and Chaykin's briefly lived vision of the Star Wars setting; beyond just the direct continuation of the plots, these issues feel more in line with the style of Thomas and Chaykin's four original issues, while later arcs would feel more properly "Star Wars-y."

Speaking of, the one-off #16 is a hoot. Illustrated by Walt Simonson (!), it introduces the recurring character Beilert Valance a bounty hunter with an extreme hatred for droids. I cannot emphasize his loathing enough: he is seeking Luke Skywalker's death, not because he blew up the Death Star and dealt a grievous blow to the Empire in the process but because he worked with droids in doing so. It's delightfully unhinged, and once again shows how much early writers of Star Wars EU material grasped onto that "we don't serve their kind" line in A New Hope. The big reveal at the end of the issue is that since a terrible battle Valance himself has become more machine than man, and that his droid aversion is in fact a form of self-hatred. The issue is also the last appearance of the Star-Hoppers from the Thomas/Chaykin arc for quite some time, with Valance believing Jimm Doshun, the "Starkiller Kid," to be Luke because… he's a farm boy with a droid. Comics don't get better than this, folks, and I'm looking forward to the character's future appearances immensely.

Also #16 name-drops Telos IV, a key location in Knights of the Old Republic II, my favorite bit of non-movie Star Wars media. Neat!

The next arc is bookended by two flashback one-shots, one featuring Luke in Beggar's Canyon and another starring Obi-Wan in the old (lowercase) Republic. The former fleshes out Luke and Biggs' relationship and Luke's skills of the pilot, with some excellent sequentials from guest artist Herb Trimpe. The latter is notable for two reasons: firstly, it's the first of the relatively few pre-Prequel stories set in the Galactic Republic, and also the first issue written by Mary Jo Duffy, who would eventually be the series' last long-term writer. That being said, it's a fairly forgettable story in my opinion, as I assume Duffy didn't have free reign to explore what the Republic was like.

The last arc of this chunk is set on a massive space station casino known as the Wheel that would make a few other appearances in EU material. While characterization has been pretty consistent across the early EU material this is one of the first settings that feels properly (say it with me, in quotes) "Star Wars-y" -- I can easily see the Wheel as a location you explore in a KotOR spinoff or something along those lines. The arc also includes the first of what I imagine will be many "just missed him" moments between Luke and Vader. As I mentioned in my review of Splinter of the Mind's Eye, I think having Luke and Vader outright meet between A New Hope and The Empire Strikes back lessens the drama of their encounter in Empire (though forgivable in the case of the novel due to the circumstances). I'm unsure whether the two will encounter each other in the comic series before Empire's release, but I could see multiple two ships passing scenarios being equally tiring; for now, though, it's a fun little touch that enhances rather than diminishes the tension between the two.

Coming up next: The Han Solo Adventures trilogy by Brian Daley. I'll be looking at these three novels (bordering on novellas) as one whole before returning to the comics. Barring anything particularly notable I'll probably gloss over the next 15ish issues, and then -- oh baby -- it's Empire time.
 

Star Walt: Splinter of the Mind's Eye

Splinter of the Mind's Eye was the first original Star Wars book -- or at least, mostly original. See, Alan Dean Foster was given a few specific instructions and restrictions when writing this book because it existed mainly as a sort of back up plan. If the first Star Wars movie was successful Lucas would proceed with making the expansive and expensive trilogy of his dreams -- which, as we now know, is what happened. If it hadn't, Splinter of the Mind's Eye would be used as a basis for a lower budget sequel. As such, many of the creative choices were dictated by a hypothetical budget: less scenes in space (only one in fact), misty jungles and caves that could be made on the cheap, and a lack of the most expensive cast member (Ford/Han).

This is all fairly well known at this point, so I was a little surprised that the introduction made no mention of it. The edition I read included an introduction by George Lucas written around the time of the Phantom Menace. The novelization of the first movie had a similar introduction where Lucas was fairly forthcoming about certain details about the production of the book. Here, Lucas merely speaks of it as the first step in creating the Expanded Universe. It's standard mythmaking type stuff, talking about how Lucas realized how there were more stories in his world than he could ever tell alone, and somewhat misleading considering the circumstances. From my admittedly slapdash research it may be that Lucasfilm wasn't open about the "true origins" of this book until Pablo Hidalgo's Essential Reader's Companion in 2012, which is a shame. I understand that peeking too much behind the curtain can be contrary to Brand Management, but it's very useful for understanding some of the choices made in this book.

Jumping way ahead, one area where this knowledge is useful is the final confrontation between Luke and Vader. If one solely knows the movies, then the fight between Luke and Vader in Empire is their first time encountering each other since the battle at the Death Star. This heightens the drama, as we can assume much about Luke's stewing hatred toward the Sith Lord who cut down Obi-Wan and Vader's own grudge against the pilot who escaped him. Any story between A New Hope and Empire where the two encounter each other outside of a "just missed him" situation undercuts this drama, making the Cloud City fight just another encounter between the two (albeit one with a shocking revelation at its end). However, in this case we can forgive Foster for Vader's inclusion seeing as it was almost certainly foisted upon him due to the book's nature as the potential basis for a sequel. Had Empire not been made, then of course Lucas would want Vader to appear in whatever sequel he did get to make. It's a reasonable instance of Lucas hedging his bets, rather than simply adding more Luke/Vader fights just for the sake of it, but without knowledge of the book's genesis one would reasonably consider it an instance of the latter.

That being said, what an anticlimactic final battle. After some fairly intense action, including Leia getting to use a lightsaber (despite frequent insistence at this point that she is not force-sensitive), Vader just kind of... falls in a hole. Odd.

At this point Foster had about as much experience with these characters and this world as anyone else save Lucas, so it certainly feels properly "in continuity" with the first movie. Some things might feel a bit odd and out of place with Star Wars as we know it now, but to the extent one can restrict one's view to just the first movie and this book they largely feel in harmony with each other. One of my favorite examples of this is Leia's PTSD from her interrogation. While the exact details of whatever happened with her and that menacing droid in A New Hope remains vague, Foster takes the reasonable position that whatever happened would have greatly affected her, as torture always does. However, he manages to depict this in a way that doesn't detract from Leia's now well-known characterization as a tough and capable wartime leader. While she may have been a victim, she is not weak. It's a side of Leia that I'm not used to, and one I think Foster handles well -- the way the movies otherwise just have her interrogation as a Thing That Happened and not as a traumatic experience seems lacking in comparison.

Another thing that Foster gets into that is generally only implied by the movies (movie, singular, at this point) is the racism of the Empire. This is a major theme in many other EU works, and although it is not exactly stated in the movies is shown by the human-centric nature of the Empire compared to the more diverse nature of the Rebellion and fringe planets like Tatooine. Foster drills more into the Empire as an occupying force in an alien world, with the native Mimbanites being actively and categorically oppressed by their colonial masters. It runs into some perhaps problematic elements when considered as an analogy for real world imperial colonialism, with the Mimbanites being shown to willingly debase themselves for liquor, but on the whole Foster gives a more thoughtful and concrete example of the repressive nature of the Empire (granted, blowing up a planet is fairly repressive).

One funny example of the context of the early EU changing with later movie releases: Luke is down so bad for Leia. Granted, he is in A New Hope and Empire, too, but the internal monologue when he thinks about her body against him and such makes it feel a bit more "oh noooo."

On the whole, Splinter of the Mind's Eye is a solid first entry in the novels of the EU. Foster is a more-than-competent writer, and he introduces a few concepts and themes that will later become commonplace in the setting (force-sensitive non-Jedi, Imperial xenophobia, ancient alien civilizations with ties to the force, etc.). Most of the novels faults are related to things beyond his control, though I'm still a bit baffled by that ending. If this had been adapted to film, surely they would have come up with something a little more exciting than "Vader takes a wrong step and falls."

Star Walt: Star Wars (1977) #7-10

After finishing their six-issue adaptation of A New Hope, Roy Thomas and Howard Chaykin only stayed in the book for four more issues. These four issues were the first Star Wars material to be published that wasn't overseen by Lucas in some way. As a result, they feel a little less "Star Wars" than later EU material.

These four issues primarily focus on Han and Chewie -- there's a bit of setup of a story featuring Luke and Leia, but that wouldn't be fully explored until Archie Goodwin and Carmine Infantino (!) took over with issue #11. It's worth mentioning that generally Thomas has a pretty good handle on the voices of the characters; while the stories themselves feel a bit out of place in the context of the setting as we know it now, Han, Luke, and Leia each resemble their onscreen portrayals well enough that they doesn't feel completely disconnected.

#7 packs a lot into it, first following Han and Chewie as they leave from Yavin 4 with their reward (which they soon lose to rival smugglers/pirates), then telling a short story about anti-cyborg sentiments in the Galaxy, and eventually setting up the next three-issue story. There isn't too much to say about the first part beyond how it's interesting to see character designs that have more of a Buck Rogers/Flash Gordon/John Carter style next to Han. Obviously this style was a major influence on Lucas, and -- to repeat myself -- the visual feel of Star Wars wasn't quite fully defined, but it does feel a bit out of place to see a guy wearing a breastplate and having his muscular thighs exposed in a Star Wars comic. Star Wars is definitely science fantasy (the world's greatest science fantasy, as the comic's cover a claims), but in terms of style of attire I'd say the more mundane sci-fi side of things generally wins out for most characters besides Jedi.

The meat of the issue concerns a buglike alien priest attempting to bring a deceased cyborg to his final resting place while being accosted by those who don't want someone part man and part machine buried with "full" humans (Han and Chewie provide some muscle in exchange for some coin). This brief vignette is probably Thomas's most interesting contribution to the Star Wars universe (even if it wasn't revisited much) and is built on a similar basis as many other EU stories -- a single line from the movie. From the "we don't serve their kind here" remark in the Mos Eisley cantina, Thomas extracts a world of anti-droid and anti-cyborg prejudice. It's shallow, sure, and fairly routine science fiction, but it's a neat early instance of trying to crack the Star Wars setting open and figure out what life in the galaxy is like beyond what we see on the screen.

The remaining three issues are a three-part Seven Samurai/Magnificent Seven riff where Han and Chewie assemble a ragtag group of miscreants to protect a village of farmers from a vicious swoop gang (in exchange for a reward, of course). It's solidly "okay," though it contains an EU character who has become the butt of jokes over the years, Jaxxon. Jaxxon is a green, man-sized, rabbit-like creature with a short fuse and supposedly was hated by Lucas so much that it led to Thomas and Chaykin leaving the book.

It's difficult to pin down what makes Jaxxon feel so egregious -- yes, he's a "kiddie" character, but Star Wars is at least as much for kids as it is for adults. My usual smartass quip about these kinds of things is that fans of Star Wars, much like fans of superheroes, don't like being reminded of this fact, but I'd be lying if I said I like Jaxxon or think he fits into Star Wars perfectly fine. It's a similar issue we'd see on a much larger scale with Jar Jar decades later, only that has the complicating factor of Jar Jar being a Lucas creation and is therefore ipso facto 100% Star Wars.

Chaykin's art is as good as it was in the first six issues, but it still didn't strike me as extremely "Chaykin-y." Granted, I'm mainly familiar with his more recent work, but had I not already known I probably would not have guessed he was the artist. At first I just chalked this up to Chaykin being younger, and perhaps not having yet honed in on his distinctive style. However upon finishing issue #10 I flipped the last page and was greeted with a pinup of the main cast that was so unmistakenly Chaykin it could be recognized from yards away. It goes to show how much his style is inherent in his inking -- while the various inkers who worked with him over the course of the series certainly weren't bad, but they definitely made his pages look like a Marvel Comic Book moreso than Howard Chaykin.

Next up: Splinter of the Mind's Eye, the first original (well, kind of) Star Wars novel.

Star Walt: A New Hope (Three Different Ones)

Because I love tormenting myself I've decided to engage in a long-term, exhaustive project that, knowing me, will likely last two or three months before I abandon it: watch/read/play as much Star Wars media as I can possibly stand in publication order and write a bit about at least some of it as I go. I have a horrible sickness, I know, but it gives me stuff to read and write in bits and pieces between baby naps and other new father obligations. Let's get right to it and start where it all began with A New Hope (I will only tolerate calling it simply Star Wars if you actually saw it in theaters) -- the movie itself a bit, but also its two adaptations.

Despite being a Star Wars fan of varying degrees for most of my life and having absorbed some opinions about the changes made in the special editions, I am fairly certain I'd never seen the unedited cut of A New Hope until I watched it last weekend. Thankfully it turns out that when I bought DVDs of the original trilogy from a closing Hollywood Video back in college they were versions that included the original theatrical cuts on the second disc (well, "original" -- some minor changes such as the updating of the title crawl and other such tweaks made for home media were kept). The transfers of these are pretty lousy, being made from the 90s laserdiscs, with poorly compressed audio and video and an odd aspect ratio. While it would be nice to have a higher quality version widely available, I would guess it's probably the easiest way for others to find a copy to watch (legally, of course).

Enough has been said about the film version of A New Hope, and I'm not going to claim to have a unique perspective on it. But man: it still looks so damn good. Even in the shoddy transfer of the 2006 DVD, the costumes, puppets, models, and sets are so fully realized that every frame captures the imagination. Even if Empire is the better movie of the original trilogy, A New Hope is bursting with such sights and sounds that even now, after decades of Star Wars dominating popular culture, it still feels wonderful and captivating.

The novelization of A New Hope, initially titled Star Wars: From the Adventures of Luke Skywalker, was published under Lucas's name but ghostwritten by Alan Dean Foster. Interestingly, the novel was actually published about half a year prior to the movie, so there were probably a decent amount of scifi fans who read it before the movie hit theaters. Of course, that number would be a vanishingly small percentage of all Star Wars fans now, but they do exist! The novel is based on an earlier draft of the script, and includes some scenes that were shot but cut from the movie. Some were added back in later in the Special Edition (pretty much uniformly for the worst) while others can easily be found online and in various home media.

As an actual piece of writing, I was pleasantly surprised with the novel. It's still more middling than good (my expectations weren't very high, to be honest), and Foster relies too much on adverbs and similes, but it's solid mass market scifi fare. I was most impressed with the final chapter, consisting almost entirely of the Death Star trench run. The scene is the highlight of the movie, an audiovisual spectacle that many other movies have tried, and failed, to match. While I assumed that translating it to prose would lose most of what makes it impressive, Foster managed to deliver a tight, intense rendition, avoiding the excessive wordiness he was prone to for the majority of the novel. Of course, what the trench run is to film far exceeds what this adaptation of the scene is to prose, but the fact that it isn't a pure disappointment when compared to its more famous counterpart speaks well of Foster's ability to adapt a highly kinetic scene.

Aside from some discrepancies in visual descriptions -- the visual language that is now crucial to making Star Wars feel like Star Wars wasn't quite defined yet -- the novel hews close to Lucas's vision for the movie, with nearly all of the "added" scenes having been filmed but left on the cutting room floor. Here we can already see the beginning of an "extended universe," albeit one still entirely beholden to Lucas rather than a purely corporate product. A New Hope is a stronger movie for not including these scenes, keeping it lean, but they fit into the novel without disrupting its pacing while simultaneously giving the then-burgeoning Star Wars fandom more details on this new galaxy.

One interesting difference between the novel and the Star Wars we know now is the description, however brief, of Palpatine. He is named in the prologue of the novel, well before his screen debut in The Empire Strikes Back, but we are painted a picture of a once-ambituous despot who now is controlled by Imperial bureaucrats -- a far cry from the cackling, over-the-top mastermind he'd later be known as.

The first couple of issues of the Marvel Star Wars ongoing comic series also hit shelves shortly before A New Hope debuted in theaters, and the six issues that serve as another version of A New Hope feels like a midway point between the novel and the movie (which sounds obvious now that I've written it out). Artist Howard Chaykin had concept art and similar materials to work from, and so the comic largely looks like the Star Wars we know (despite maybe a few instances of characters appearing off model). Furthermore, some of the more iconic lines that weren't present in the earlier version of the movie's script that the novel was adapted from now appear. However, nearly all the cut scenes that appear in the novel appear here, as well, and it appears that writer Roy Thomas lifted much of the text for the narrative captions directly from the novel.

As a comics fan, I was hoping to get more out of these six issues -- both Thomas and Chaykin are legends, after all. Perhaps it's just that I've had a bit of a New Hope overload in the past few days, but for the most part I found it unremarkable. Chaykin is, of course, excellent, and gives Star Wars tech a bit of a Kirby flair at points, but I think Thomas keeping so close to the novel didn't quite fit the pacing inherent in the monthly serialized format. Perhaps I'll be more impressed with their original stories, but considering Thomas gave us Jaxxon, one of the most mocked characters in EU history (which is saying something), I'm not getting my hopes up.

Speaking of, next up on my list is the remainder of Thomas and Chaykin's brief run on the Star Wars ongoing comic series (only 4 more issues) and the first original novel, Splinter of the Mind's Eye. I don't intend to read the other novelizations of the original trilogy, as both their quality and their historical relevance appear to be limited -- though in the unlikely event that I continue with this project long enough to get to the prequels I'll give those a shot. May the Force be with me (ugh, I know).