Written by Archie Goodwin. Illustrated by Al Williamson, with Allen Nunis.
Colours: Matthew Hollingsworth, Ray Murtaugh. Letters: unbilled.

Reprinting: Classic Star Wars #15-20, with covers, which reprinted the newspaper strip.

Rating: * * * 1/2 (out of 5)

Number of readings: 1

Published by Dark Horse Comics

The third and final volume collecting Dark Horse comics representation of the early 1980s newspaper strip by Archie Goodwin and Al Williamson. I won't bother going over the how and why details of the process, since you can just scroll up and read my reviews of the first two books.

This third volume is, to my mind, the weakest of the three. Don't get me wrong, it's still an enjoyable series of adventures, nicely written by Goodwin to evoke the swashbuckling, "gee whiz" spirit of the original movies more than a lot of the "serious" (as opposed to necessarily sophisticated) Star Wars novels that have sprung up in recent years. And it's strikingly illustrated by old school Master, Williamson. But I just didn't find it as enjoyable as the first two books (the second volume was my favourite).

Perhaps it's because Goodwin set out to write a series of adventures that bridged the gap between the first and second movie. For the early adventures, such anchorings just added a nifty touch to otherwise interesting, original adventures, as we see the first appearance of Darth Vader's oversized star destroyer (volume 1) or Luke first discovers the planet Hoth (volume 2). But in these final stories, there's a feeling we lose the "anything goes" approach to plot, which allowed for introduction of strange worlds and original characters, as Goodwin must now slowly rein everything in so that it can neatly converge on an ending that can serve as a lead in to the movie "The Empire Strikes Back". There's a little too much of running from the empire, or the rebels establishing themselves at their new base on Hoth, or Goodwin reprieving characters he had first introduced in earlier stories. It gives the entire run of newspaper strips a nice sense of closure, of being a novel-in-newspaper form, but, as noted, it also means there are fewer surprises, or freshness to the plots.

Then again, maybe it was just my own moroseness. Knowing these stories, that so nicely cast me back to my youth, were coming to an end, maybe I just read them with a little more glumness.

The book is still a lot of fun, and there are some nice stories and interesting villains.

Cover price: $__ CDN./ $16.95 USA 

Classic Star Wars: Han Solo at Stars' End 1997 (SC TPB) 80 pgs.

Written by Archie Goodwin. Illustrated by Alfredo Alcala.
Colours: Perry McNamee.

Reprinting: Classic Star Wars: Han Solo at Stars' End (#1-3, with covers), which reprinted the newspaper strip which, in turn, was based on the novel by Brian Daley.

Rating: * * * * (out of 5)

Number of readings: 1

Published by Dark Horse Comics

This is the fifth and final TPB collecting Dark Horse's comics that reprinted the late '70s/early '80s Star Wars newspaper strip in comicbook form. The first three volumes reprinted the classic Archie Goodwin/Al Williamson strips, and the fourth, Classic Star Wars: The Early Adventures, reprinted the Russ Manning strips. This reprints the storyline written by Archie Goodwin and drawn by Alfredo Alcala.

What distinguishes this from the other strips, other than the length of the continuity and that it's a story featuring Han Solo and Chewbacca without Luke and Leia from before the events in the movie Star Wars, is that it's adapted from a source material. Namely, the novel Han Solo at Stars' End by Brian Daley.

Now, putting my cards on the table, I'll state outright that I consider the novel by Brian Daley to be a truly great read. I read it as a kid (three or four times over a few years) and read it again as an adult just a couple of years ago. It's still a great read. Daley evokes the kind of old-fashioned, swashbuckling pulp-style science fiction that the Star Wars movies were going for, but better written than a lot of pulp-era stories. In fact, Daley's Han Solo books (he wrote three between 1979 and 1980 of descending quality, though the final book is still a decent read) capture the spirit of the Star Wars movies better than a lot of the modern Star Wars spin-offs -- this despite the fact that, other than Han and Chewie, there's little to connect it to the films.

As well, I seem to recall seeing the Han Solo newspaper strip when I was a kid, so there's a nostalgic appeal for me reading it here.

Regardless, the comicbook version of Han Solo at Stars' End is an entertaining adventure.

The story has Han, ever the reluctant hero, being coerced into helping some would-be rebels in their search for loved ones who've been taken by the local representative of the Empire's power, the Corporate Authority. The quest eventually leads to a daring infiltration of a prison facility at the fringes of the system...Stars' End.

The strip is necessarily a truncated version of the book. It follows the plot pretty faithfully, but in a much more perfunctory way, pruning characterization and such -- the colourful 'droids Bullox and Blue Max are rather under-developed here. A noteworthy change from the novel is a scene in the book where Han essentially cold-bloodedly executes a traitor...here he kills him in self defense. Overall it's a colourful, clever adventure with genuinely imaginative plot twists and it clips along briskly. Archie Goodwin, a long time writer of Marvel's Star Wars comic and previous newspaper strips, and here liberally helping himself to Daley's dialogue, knows the feel of Star Wars and scripts well.

This collection features an introduction by Heidi MacDonald profiling artist Alcala and praising the detail of his previous work -- ironic, since this maybe isn't his best stuff. It's a little too workmanlike in spots, with spartan backgrounds and rather thinly populated crowd scenes, and the catwoman, Atuarre, is poorly handled. It's not on the same breathtaking, eye-popping level as Al Williamson's Star Wars strip. But it's still good work, with Alcala's soft, shadowy inking which has made him a welcome inker over any artist's pencils lending the thing an organic, cozy feel. There's a definite moodiness at work, helped by the restrained, unobtrusive, earth-tone colours.

Scenes of the lush open fields of an agricultural world or the eerie lonesomeness of Stars' End, and the physical appearance of Bullox, or the character Rekkon, all come vividly alive from the novel.

The formating Dark Horse used in translating the newspaper strip to comics was to do some occasional editing out of extraneous panels, or sometimes expanding a panel so the thing doesn't have quite the rigid look of a comic strip. There's still repetition, reiterating information, as is unavoidable in a story that was originally being told in three or four panels a day, but it's fairly smooth overall, and the tempo is sprightly.

The novel is, frankly, better -- but this is an enjoyable romp in its own right that captures the spirit of the movies. In fact, reading this has some of the fun as if you were watching some hitherto un-released Star Wars movie (well, maybe a TV movie).

Cover price: $9.95 CDN./$6.95 USA.
 

Pocket Book Reprint / Marvel Illustrated Book Star Wars Published in 1982 by Marvel Comics in Colour Written by Archie Goodwin. Drawn by Carmine Infantino (and Dave Cockrum). Inked by Pablo Marcos, Gene Day, Steve Mitchell. Colours: Marie Severin. Letters: various. Editor: Archie Goodwin.  Rating: * * * *  I'm not really sure what the background is for this. It prints four stories: "The Way of the Wookiee", which features Han Solo and Chewbacca in a story set prior to the events in the movie Star Wars; "The Day After the Death Star", in which Luke has an eye-opening adventure the morning after the destruction of the Death Star; and "The Weapons Master", in which Leia reflects back on how she was first taught to fight -- and the unhappy resolution to that adventure. The final story, "War on Ice" (drawn by Dave Cockrum), is an action piece and seems more like the end of a longer adventure, complete with a recap explaining what led up to it.  What confuses me is that usually these pocket book sized compilations feature reprints of previously published stories. But the cover advertises this as "new" adventures, and the chronology-breaking nature of the stories makes it hard to figure how they would've been fitted into Marvel's regular Star Wars comic. If these truly were never-previously published stories, I imagine this book might've appreciated somewhat in the collector's market -- particularly as these kind of pocket books, whether from Marvel or DC, I've yet to find listed in any price guide, suggesting that, in their obscurity, they might be rare.  If that's the case, that's too bad (for the casual reader), because this is a very strong collection. "The Way of the Wookiee" is probably the best, with a story that unfolds nicely with some clever twists. But "The Day After the Death Star" and "The Weapons Master" are also highly memorable. Archie Goodwin was a particularly good choice to pen many of Marvel's Star Wars comics, adopting dialogue that easily evokes the movies, and a nice sense of swashbuckling adventure, while marrying the thing with (dare I say it?) stronger comic book-style characterization, plotting, introspection and moralising than Star Wars creator George Lucas ever really achieved in the movies. Goodwin's Star Wars was Star Wars with brains. I'm ambivalent about Carmine Infantino's art on the series, but it certainly got the job done -- and, as he was the main artist for a long run, these stories certainly evoke the flavour of Marvel's Star Wars comics for me. Only the shorter, final story is weak, largely because, as noted, it seems like only half a story.  Also unusual for these pocket books is that it was printed in colour (only one of four of these Marvel Illustrated Books to be done that way). The colours by Marie Severin are vibrant and add nicely to the overall enjoyment.

Star Wars: A Long Time Ago..., vol. 2: Dark Encounters 2002 (SC TPB) 368 pages

Written by Archie Goodwin, with Chris Claremont, Mary Jo Duffy. Pencils by Carmine Infantino, with Mike Vosburg, Michael Golden. Inks by Gene Day, Bob Wiacek, with Steve Leialoha, Terry Austin.
Colours/Letters: various.

Reprinting: Star Wars #21-38, Star Wars Annual #1 (originally published by Marvel Comics in the 1970s)

Rating: * * * * * (out of 5)

Number of readings: 1

Additional notes: intro by Jason Hall; covers.

Published by Dark Horse Comics

Back in the 1970s and 1980s, Marvel Comics had the license to publish Star Wars comics. Subsequently, Dark Horse aquired the rights and started publishing its own stories, but the editors at Dark Horse were also aware that the earlier eras of Star Wars comics had their own fandom. They reprinted the 1980s newspaper strips in various collections, and have re-released Marvel's series in a seven volume collection of massive TPB collections called Star Wars: A Long Time Ago.... (Dark Horse, current holder of the Conan comic rights, have also started reprinting Marvel's old Conan comics in TPBs).

To someone like me, who grew up in the period in which these original comics were published, Marvel's Star Wars made a big impression. Yet though I had a few issues in my collection, collecting back issues has always been hard because they've appreciated quite significantly over the years. So finding Dark Horse's TPBs seemed like quite a treasure.

And after reading this volume...I'm happy to say it lives up to expectations.

I'll confess, I was never a big fan of Carmine Infantino's art who was the chief artist during this period of the comics' run. With his squat, angular figures, and sometimes hastily scrawled ships, I could imagine better artists (like the great Al Williamson, for one). Yet there's little doubt that he could tell a scene (aided, maybe a bit, by scripter Archie Goodwin who, I seem to recall, it was claimed helped storyboard the scenes). There's a clarity to the action, an immediacy to the events, that keeps you turning the pages. The pictures tell the story, rather than being something you're meant to ooh and ahh over for themselves alone. And you know what? That's not necessarily a bad thing. Maybe it's just nostalgia, but I find I'm more appreciative of Infantino's work now than I was. In fact, this collection features a couple of other guest artists -- Mike Vosburg (Star Wars Annual) and the great Michael Golden (#38). And though you'd think I would appreciate them as a counterpoint to Infantino...I actually preferred Infantino's work. As I said, there's a narrative clarity mixed with some creative, but not indulgent, composition to his work, nicely complemented by inkers Gene Day and Bob Wiacek who bring a solid line work to Infantino's sometimes scratchy pencils.

But the real star of these proceedings is the late Archie Goodwin. Goodwin seemed to have an ideal grasp of both the flavour of the Star Wars franchise and the medium of comics itself, bringing the two together effortlessly. He captures the "gee whiz" spirit of George Lucas' space fantasy -- fast paced, fun, exciting -- but he actually smartens it up a little, adding in comic book style character nuances, and philosophical sub-texts. For instance, while George Lucas tossed in (and tossed off) the idea of 'droids as second class citizens, the comics run with it, exploring this whole subtext about racism and prejudice -- even suggesting that Darth Vader himself encounters discimination because of his cyborg parts. Heavy stuff.

Goodwin had also scripted the Star Wars newspaper strip, which was thoroughly enjoyable as well. But these Marvel Comics' stories are more involved, more sophisticated.

At the time there had only been the one Star Wars movie, and I'm not sure there were even any novels. Goodwin, and Marvel, was trying to flesh out a reality, and add dimension to characters, that were only hinted at in a single two hour flick. And filling in the blanks as best they could (Jabba the Hut, for instance, is depicted as a yellow-skinned humanoid because this was years before his slug-like appearance in the Return of the Jedi). Goodwin was trying to tell stories that really seemed like they could've been other Star Wars movies, or even a TV series, creating worlds and personalities to provide eclectic adventures for our heroes. Perhaps one of his most memorable additions was the recurring machinations of the villainous Tagge family, in league with the empire, but with its own agendas...and with more character nuances and subtle grey shadings than any characters in any of the movies. There's also the bitter bounty hunter, Vance, who only appears in a couple of issues here, but must've made such an impression that this TPB collection takes its title from his final appearance.

Not that this is to say Goodwin peopled his comic with original creations at the expense of Luke, Leia, Han and the others (like some other Star Wars spin-offs have done). Far from it. The so-called Star Warriors are front and center -- the comic is about them -- and Goodwin's take on them actually stays more vividly in my mind than even the movies do.

Of course, Goodwin also borrows the unfortunate ruthlessness of the movies, making for a curious brutality at times as the characters live in a kill or be killed world, where Han Solo thinks nothing of becoming a professional gladiator to make some money.

Of course Goodwin isn't the only writer here (though almost). Chris Claremont's Star Wars Annual is merely O.K., while Mary Jo Duffy's flashback tale to a story of a middle age Obi Wan Kenobi (#24) is very good, mixing suspense and character drama.

I had thought this series was heavily into long form stories and never ending cliff hangers. So it was quite a surprise to realize that actually there were quite a few stand alone issues too. And most -- multi-parters, or single issues -- work exceptionally well. There's fun and excitement, wisecracks and derrying do. But there's also some genuine heart and emotion. The "Dark Encounters" issue is astonishingly powerful -- and doesn't even feature any of the regular heroes. The appeal to a massive volume like this, compareable to Marvel's black and white Essential books (though this is colour) is the sheer scope of stories. The first three issues form the concluding half to a story begun in the previous volume, but it's easy enough to pick up on. And since the book ends just before the Empire Strikes Back adaptation, it doesn't end "to be continued" or anything.

Reading these, I'm duly impressed with the combo of fun and thoughtfulness. Yet it seems to have whizzed over the heads of Dark Horse's editorial staff. Sure, the introduction by comic creator Jason Hall sings the praises of these issues. But on the back cover, there is an almost contemptuous condescencion apparent. The mocking blurb describes each issue as "crazier than the next" and sell it as "kitsch". I suppose, if that's how Dark Horse's staff sees it, that's their business.

For me, this is the Star Wars George Lucas should've written, but never quite did.

Cover price: $__ CDN./ $29.95 USA.

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