Dark Horse has revealed some details for its upcoming ongoing comics line called simply Star Wars.
The new line takes place during the period of the original trilogy, and follows the characters from the first film. In a way it’s a sort of ‘sequel reboot.’ It will be written as if the only canon story is A New Hope, as if none of the sequels or books or any extended universe material ever happened.
The new ongoing line is slated to be written by Brian Wood, who was chosen for the job by LucasFilm along with illustrator Carlos D’Anda. Gabe Eltaeb is the colorist and Alex Ross is doing the covers.
“LucasFilm asked for me personally, and I felt it too irresistible a job to pass up,” Wood recently wrote on his personal blog. “I’m three scripts into it and having fun. The book launches in Dec or January. Oh yeah, Leia’s an X-Wing pilot.”
“We’re trying very hard to keep everything fresh — as if Episode IV had just come out in theaters,” said Dark Horse editor Randy Stradley told Io9. “This is the Star Wars series for everyone who has loved the films, but has never delved into any of the comics or novels. There is no vast continuity that a reader needs to know beyond the events in A New Hope. This is the beginning of the adventures of Luke, Leia, Han, and Chewie.”
It sounds like this will be a really great jumping-on point for anyone who wants to read Star Wars comics, but has been daunted by the backlog. There’s been a lot of this kind of focus on accessibility going on in the comics industry in the last few years, so it’s no surprise to see it happen with Star Wars.
“Remember, Luke is, quite literally, a farm boy thrust into the front lines of a galactic war,” Stradley continued by way of explaining a bit about where the plot of the series would go. “He may be the guy who blew up the Death Star, but that doesn’t immediately prepare him for his new situation. And Leia, well, she’s been so busy running the Rebellion, has she even had a moment to grieve for the loss of her family or her homeworld? And what does holding in all that emotion do to a person? Brian is using those emotions to propel his story, which makes reading this series a more satisfying experience than simply dogfights in space.”
These two comic pages have been released as a preview, sans lettering:
Star Wars #1 will be on shelves January 2013.
