‘Star Wars’ One-Shot From Marvel Comics Brings Back Legends Characters

After waiting patiently for 33 years, the original Star Wars comic series is getting a new issue, with Marvel Comics releasing the Star Wars #108 one-shot. Get the first details on the exciting comic below before it hits shelves on May 29th.

Star Wars #108

Writer: Matthew Rosenberg

Artists: Giuseppe Camuncoli, Luke Ross, Kerry Gammill, Andrea Broccardo, and more

Cover: Walter Simonson

“A long time ago on a spinner rack far, far away…Star Wars comics were a LOT different than they are now! With wild and intricately plotted storylines, Marvel’s historic original run introduced an array of unique heroes and villains to play alongside George Lucas’ incredibly popular science-fantasy characters. In celebration of Marvel’s 80th Anniversary, this Legends-era sequel to legendary comic book writer Archie Goodwin’s ‘Crimson Forever’ reunites Han Solo, Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, Chewbacca, C-3PO, and R2-D2 with Jaxxon, Amaiza Foxtrain, Domina Tagge, and Valance the Hunter in a galaxy-threatening, nostalgic roller coaster! Strap yourselves in!”

Check out a variant cover featuring artwork by Carmine Infantino below.

In addition to this one-shot being an exciting opportunity for fans to see a new story within the Legends realm of the Star Wars saga, with the original Marvel Star Wars series concluding in 1986 with issue #107, Rosenberg revealed how excited he was to work with these compelling characters that he grew up reading.

“Growing up, my older brother read Fantastic Four and X-Men and I would steal his copies when he went out, but the original Marvel Star Wars comics were the first comics I ever collected myself,” Rosenberg shared with ComicBook.com. “Those books were so important to me in developing my love of comics. I’d go to the comic shop every week and dig around in the back issues in hopes of adding another missing issue to my collection. When it all would get to be too much, my mom would take me to a local comic con to find other issues for me as a way of shutting me up. I’m proud to say that I have the complete run in singles issues still.”

He added, “It’s hard to explain now what the original series meant to me as a kid. We didn’t have all these amazing video games, and novels, and prequels, and sequels, and spinoffs. There were a few novels, the Ewok movies, and these comics. And these comics gave me the impossible, the chance to spend more time with my favorite characters. I couldn’t believe I could walk into a store and give them a few bucks and walk out with even more adventures of Leia, Luke, Chewie, Han, Artoo, and Threepio. It felt magical to me then, and honestly, those comics still feel that way to me today.”

Despite creating a story within this universe being an exciting opportunity, crafting the story wasn’t without its challenges.

“Being faithful to the amazing storytelling in the original run, but still making a comic for a modern audience, was the biggest challenge on this project, ” the writer admitted. “So many true comic legends worked on those books- Archie Goodwin, Roy Thomas, Walt Simonson, Howard Chaykin, Al Williamson, David Michelinie, Klaus Janson, Jo Duffy, and so many more. It’s pretty overwhelming to think about, actually. What they made was the product of a very different time in comics, and it’s something modern audiences aren’t really accustomed to. So while it would be fun, if a little humbling, to try and just impersonate them, we wanted to do something a bit different, something that would appeal to classic and modern fans alike.”

He continued, “When I came on board I talked with my editors Mark Paniccia and Tom Groneman about trying to distill what we think would translate well and what we absolutely needed. We all agreed that the epic scale, the whirlwind pacing, the larger than life characters, the easy to jump into story, and the over the top gorgeous art were all elements that our book needed if it was going to carry the torch of the original series. We actually called Walt Simonson. It was amazingly fun just to pick his brain about working on the classic series and things he’d like to see going forward. It was about as nervous as I’ve ever been going into a phone call, but Walt was so kind and generous with his time. It was definitely that call that really drove home the weight of the legacy we are carrying on this book.”

Star Wars #108 might only be a one-shot, but Rosenberg still has other ideas he’d like to explore in the galaxy far, far away.

“A Valance the Hunter team-up with Boba Fett would be brutal and badass,” Rosenberg pointed out. “Although I think they might be better facing off. An Amaiza Foxtrain and Lando book would be so fun. And, I know I will never hear the end of it, but I’d love to write a Jaxxon and Jar Jar book. And you all know you’d buy it.”

Grab your copy of Star Wars #108 on May 29th!

Are you looking forward to checking out the book? Let us know in the comments below or hit up @TheWolfman on Twitter to talk all things Star Wars and horror!