Star Wars Comic Vol.1 #1

26 Jul 1999; Cover price £1.25.
36 pages. Full Colour.
Titan Magazines

Edited by Marcus Hearn.

Painted cover by Hugh Fleming.

Free Star Wars stickers (x4).

Contents:

.2 The Servants of the Force must Prevail... advertisement for Star Wars action figures.

.4 Welcome to Star Wars Comic / Contents / Indicia

.5 Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace w: Henry Gilroy, based on the story by George Lucas; p: Rodolfo Damaggio, i: Al Williamson, lettering by Steve Dutro, colouring by Dave Nestelle.

r: Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (Dark Horse) #01 (May 1999).

11 Collect it. Trade it. Play it. Use the Force... Anywhere advertisement for Star Wars Collectible Card Game.

17 Every Saga Has a Beginning... advertisement for Merlin Star Wars Sticker Collection.

18 Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace poster.

23 Forbidden Planet advertisement.

24 See and Read the Film advertisement for graphic novel.

25 Star Wars: Episode I - Anakin Skywalker w: Timothy Truman; p: Steve Crespo, i: George Freeman, lettering by Vickie Williams, colouring by Dave Nestelle.

r: Star Wars: Episode I - Anakin Skywalker (Dark Horse) nn (May 1999).

32 May the Bricks be With You! Lego: Star Wars competition.

33 Titan Talks - Jul 1999 in-house advertising feature.

34 Coming Next Issue / Subscription Coupon

35 Premiering on Video 2nd August 1999 advertisement for Babylon 5: A Call to Arms.

36 Use the Force advertisement for Lego Star Wars sets.

Turmoil has engulfed the Galactic Republic. The taxation of trade routes to outlying star systems is in dispute.

Hoping to resolve the matter with a blockade of deadly battleships, the greedy Trade Federation has stopped all shipping to the small planet of Naboo.

While the Congress of the Republic endlessly debates this alarming chain of events, the Supreme Chancellor has secretly dispatched two Jedi Knights, the guardians of peace and justice in the galaxy, to settle the conflict...

The summation of events at the start of the story sums up everything that is wrong with The Phantom Menace. Trade routes? Taxation? Well yes, those sound like wonderful aspects to focus on in a science-fantasy epic. The biggest flaw in the script is with the Chancellor's complete lack of insight into Jedi psychology. He actively threatens his own plans in behaviour closer associated to Dr. Evil, and deserves everything he receives. The cherry on the icing is the utter incompetence of the Trade Federation in dealing with a simple problem.

Here's a hint: when there are two incredibly skilled combatants on your spaceship whom you wish to kill, you leave the ship immediately and have all your other ships open fire. But no, these geniuses send in wave after wave of robots in the hope that, somehow, the Jedi will grow bored and leave. Or something. This is, however, a beautiful adaptation. Luxurious to a degree that Star Wars Weekly could only dream of. Unfortunately, it is an adaptation The Phantom Menace, which makes it a desperately depressing read.

Talents as good as these should be put to task changing the face of comics rather than squandering their considerable abilities.

The Anakin story, however, is a welcome addition.

There will soon come a day when the future of the galay hinges on the fate of one boy... though he does not yet know it. Growing up a slave on the desert world of Tatooine, Anakin Skywalker never thought he he would venture beyond his small life, despite dreams of flying between the stars. Repairing his master's Podracer seems like the only thing he should be concerned with. But destiny has other things in mind...

Anakin sets a womp rat free from one of Watto's traps, then goes off to scrounge parts for his podracer. That is the entirety of his story thus far, yet the writing is far superior to what has come before - he sounds and acts like a little kid, and there's none of the pretentiousness which can tinge the Jedi lore.

Advertising choices, being laser-focused on Star Wars merchandise, makes me wonder who, if anyone, bought everything. Action figures, card game, stickers, a graphic novel, Legos... Which only accounts for a fraction of available tie-in products, as even a half-hearted flick through late-90s genre magazines will attest to. It is slightly surprising that there's no love for the wonderfully pointless Star Wars bubble bath figures, which come highly recommended. Perfect for target practice.

The most puzzling choice here is the advertisement for a graphic novel adaptation. Presumably readers would have seen the film, an adaptation of which opens this issue, and a few will have picked up the novelisation. Precisely how many times does someone have to consume the same narrative before they realize its story doesn't hold scrutiny?

Befitting a Star Wars launch, there is a dramatic poster of... droids running away from an explosion. Not the cool droids though - there are none of R2D2's poker buddies here, just the boring grey ones who get destroyed by the dozen throughout the film. It is a choice which is impossible to defend, especially as the official movie poster looks so good. It's difficult to imagine that there were no suitable images available of Obi-Wan, or Padmé, or even Yoda.

Disregarding the poster, what we are left with are free stickers, some nice art, and the opening of Anakin's story.