Smash! (Odhams Press Ltd.) #01 (05 Feb 1966).
Tammy (IPC Magazines, Ltd.) #01 (06 Feb 1971).
Star Wars Weekly (Marvel Comics International Inc.) #01 (08 Feb 1978).
Judge Dredd: The Final Cut by Matthew Smith. (Black Flame; Feb 2005) ISBN-10: 1844161358.
First Appearances:
Bad Penny in Smash! (Odhams) #01 (05 Feb 1966).
Births:
Keith Watson (1935)
Deaths:
George Cruikshank (1878); L. Bruce Mayne (1968); Godfrey Douglas Giles (1941); Harry Parlett (1971); Bill Holroyd (2000); Ernest Dudley (2006); Shirley Bellwood (2016)
Notable Events:
Peter Fluck and Roger Law were castaways on Desert Island Discs, on BBC Radio 4, in 1987.
The Royal Mail released Greeting Stamps - Messages, a set of ten first class stamps bearing the likeness of Dan Dare, Rupert Bear and Biggles among others, in 1994. Released alongside the stamps were envelope stickers with comic-book iconography.
A statue of newspaper strip character GI Bride (from Lobey Dosser), sculpted by Ranald MacColl, was unveiled in Glasgow in 2011.
Showing posts with label Star Wars. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Star Wars. Show all posts
Friday, February 1, 2019
Friday, December 21, 2018
Star Wars Comic Vol.1 #7
05 Sep 1999. Cover price £1.25.
28 pages. Full colour.
Titan Magazines.
Edited by John Freeman.
Painted cover by Hugh Fleming.
r: cover from Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (Dark Horse) #04 (May 1999).
Contents:
I'm not saying that Freeman was recalling the good old days of Doctor Who, but this issue begins a sequence of random cover dates which zip back and forth with no consistency.
Having dragged on for six issues already, Star Wars Comic gets the rest of the saga out of the way in one chunk. The strangely muted battle, in which Darth Maul takes on Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan, lacks a certain something, and the coup de grâce is strangely absent - one might imagine, if the film was not referred to, that Qui-Gon merely fell over.
The destruction of the droid control ship is given a similarly too-brief moment, with two large explosions marring the surface, though there is no indication of the extent of the damage. A handful of panels charting the destruction over the following moments would have clarified that we are seeing its destruction rather than merely being severely damaged. It is a theme which has recurred throughout the series - stunningly beautiful artwork, marred by poor storytelling choices.
The final full-page image does the adaptation no favours, and as a conclusion there is a distinct lack of satisfaction to be had. Disappointingly, there is still no comedic flourish to offset the serious nature of the strips chosen. Levity, especially when dealing with such po-faced space opera, is required to keep from feeling drained at the relentless pomposity of it all. Star Wars is meant to be fun, and this exercise in repetition is hardly enjoyable.
28 pages. Full colour.
Titan Magazines.
Edited by John Freeman.
Painted cover by Hugh Fleming.
r: cover from Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (Dark Horse) #04 (May 1999).
Contents:
2 The Final Battle! text introduction (uncredited). / Contents / Indicia
3 Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace, part seven, 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) #04 (May 1999).
11 Forbidden Planet advertisement.
16 Use the Force advertisement for Lego Star Wars sets.
22 All-Out Star Wars Action! in-house advertisement for Star Wars Comic, Star Wars Magazine, and graphic novels.
24 Have Darth Maul on Yer Back competition.
25 Communications readers' mail; illustrations by Nicholas Jones and Richard Fallon.
26 Coming Next Issue
27 Subscribe & Save
28 Galaxion '99 convention advertisement.
I'm not saying that Freeman was recalling the good old days of Doctor Who, but this issue begins a sequence of random cover dates which zip back and forth with no consistency.
Having dragged on for six issues already, Star Wars Comic gets the rest of the saga out of the way in one chunk. The strangely muted battle, in which Darth Maul takes on Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan, lacks a certain something, and the coup de grâce is strangely absent - one might imagine, if the film was not referred to, that Qui-Gon merely fell over.
The destruction of the droid control ship is given a similarly too-brief moment, with two large explosions marring the surface, though there is no indication of the extent of the damage. A handful of panels charting the destruction over the following moments would have clarified that we are seeing its destruction rather than merely being severely damaged. It is a theme which has recurred throughout the series - stunningly beautiful artwork, marred by poor storytelling choices.
The final full-page image does the adaptation no favours, and as a conclusion there is a distinct lack of satisfaction to be had. Disappointingly, there is still no comedic flourish to offset the serious nature of the strips chosen. Levity, especially when dealing with such po-faced space opera, is required to keep from feeling drained at the relentless pomposity of it all. Star Wars is meant to be fun, and this exercise in repetition is hardly enjoyable.
#05
Star Wars Comic
#08
Thursday, December 20, 2018
Star Wars Comic Vol.1 #6
12 Sep 1999. Cover price £1.25.
28 pages. Full colour.
Titan Magazines.
Edited by John Freeman.
Painted cover by Hugh Fleming.
r: cover from Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (Dark Horse) #04 (May 1999).
Contents:
Another great cover, and one of the finest images of the often cartoonishly evil Darth Maul.
This installment of The Phantom Menace begins with so much abysmal dialogue that it seems to deliberately highlight Lucas' deficiencies as a writer. None of Qui-Gon or Obi-Wan's speech feels in the slightest realistic, and it is a problem which can't be overlooked when reading - there is no repartee here, being a series of apparently random sentences shoved into the Jedi mouths:
Qui-Gon's own story is a tad more refined, with beautiful artwork and superb characterisation throughout. I'm never going to get used to the naked C-3PO though.
28 pages. Full colour.
Titan Magazines.
Edited by John Freeman.
Painted cover by Hugh Fleming.
r: cover from Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (Dark Horse) #04 (May 1999).
Contents:
2 A Desperate Alliance text introduction (uncredited). / Contents / Indicia
3 Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace, part six, 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) #?? (1999).
13 Forbidden Planet advertisement.
18 20 Phantom Menace Graphic Novels Must be Won competition.
19 Subscribe & Save
20 Star Wars: Episode I - Qui-Gon Jinn, part two, w: Ryder Windham; p: Robert Teranishi, i: Chris Chuckry, lettering by Vickie Williams, colouring by Chris Chuckry.
r: Star Wars: Episode I - Qui-Gon Jinn (Dark Horse) nn (May 1999).
26 Coming Next Issue
27 See and Read the Film advertisement for graphic novel.
28 Buffy the Vampire Slayer - Let the Slaying Begin... in-house advertisement.
Another great cover, and one of the finest images of the often cartoonishly evil Darth Maul.
This installment of The Phantom Menace begins with so much abysmal dialogue that it seems to deliberately highlight Lucas' deficiencies as a writer. None of Qui-Gon or Obi-Wan's speech feels in the slightest realistic, and it is a problem which can't be overlooked when reading - there is no repartee here, being a series of apparently random sentences shoved into the Jedi mouths:
"I feel the presence of the Sith."This isn't, despite appearances, a handful of choice quotes, but rather a conversation. Who talks like this? That the artwork is so good makes the lapse in scripting especially noticeable. A brilliant image of the army walking through Naboo's mists is as good as Goseki Kojima or Hugo Pratt, although in other places there appears to be difficulties with perspective, rendering Darth Maul as somewhat short in stature.
"I'm sorry I've been so rebellious."
"You will become a great Jedi."
"Do you think the Queen will be successful?"
Qui-Gon's own story is a tad more refined, with beautiful artwork and superb characterisation throughout. I'm never going to get used to the naked C-3PO though.
#05
Star Wars Comic
#07
Thursday, December 13, 2018
Official Star Wars: Episode II Annual 2003
[2002] Annual. Original price £6.99.
72 pages. Full colour contents.
Egmont Books Ltd.
Edited by Jane Clempner.
Photo cover montage.
Back cover painting (uncredited).
ISBN-10: 0749856106
Contents:
Whatever gains in originality which Star Wars made throughout the eighties and nineties, with novels, comic strips, and television cartoons providing new storytelling avenues, was brutally stripped back to the bone with marketing for the second trilogy. Retelling the films again and again and again, the characters were robbed of their vitality through tedious repetition, plot points painfully exposed with each incarnation. After the novelisation, the young reader novelisation, the comic adaptation, later packaged as a graphic novel, along with sundry promotional tie-ins, there was absolutely no need to reprise the story once more.
And yet, for reasons best known to Lucasfilm, here we are again.
Worse than pointless, this is only of value for the images from the film. If I want to refresh my memory of the film I'll watch it. The last thing I want to do is read yet another take on something which has become so familiar that I am able to recount lines of dialogue without a great deal of effort. It isn't, I hasten to add, Whitehead's fault - if someone was going to ply forth the tale for the umpteenth time, then he is as good as any to tackle the job, and he injects as much life into proceedings as he is able.
These types of annuals pose an interesting question, which should generate serious concerns in license holders - if this account of the film's narrative exists, then why would a reader bother with the film? It is, after all, the same narrative, and packaged alongside numerous images from the film. Serving as a perfectly reasonable alternative, it might provide more use than sitting through the film. It will certainly take less time to get through.
If adaptations, as a whole, are to survive the transition to print, then they must provide something which the film doesn't contain. What this annual desperately needed was additional scenes, alternative takes on what we get to see in the film, scenes taken from original characters' points of view, or expanding events to depict the consequences of events seen in the film. By rigidly adhering to the film there is only one conclusion:
This book is a complete waste of time.
72 pages. Full colour contents.
Egmont Books Ltd.
Edited by Jane Clempner.
Photo cover montage.
Back cover painting (uncredited).
ISBN-10: 0749856106
Contents:
2 Jedi Forces Photo montage endpaper.
4 Credits
5 Contents
6 Anakin full-color pin-up.
7 Attack of the Clones, part one, text story by Dan Whitehead.
16 Padme Amidala character bio.
17 Padme Amidala full-color pin-up.
18 Anakin Skywalker character bio.
19 Anakin Skywalker full-color pin-up.
20 Obi-Wan Kenobi character bio.
21 Obi-Wan Kenobi full-color pin-up.
22 Mace Windu Quiz
24 Attack of the Clones, part two, text story by Dan Whitehead.
32 Zam Wesell character bio.
33 Zam Wesell full-color pin-up.
34 Jango Fett character bio.
35 Jango Fett full-color pin-up.
36 Vehicles, part one, illustrated feature.
38 Mace Windu character bio.
39 Mace Windu full-color pin-up.
40 Count Dooku character bio.
41 Count Dooku full-color pin-up.
42 Attack of the Clones, part three, text story by Dan Whitehead.
50 Yoda Quiz
52 Vehicles, part two, illustrated feature.
54 Clone Trooper character bio and photos.
56 C-3PO & R2-D2 character bio and photos.
58 Attack of the Clones. part four, text story by Dan Whitehead.
68 Mace Windu's Answers
69 Yoda's Answers
70 Sith Forces Photo montage endpaper.
Whatever gains in originality which Star Wars made throughout the eighties and nineties, with novels, comic strips, and television cartoons providing new storytelling avenues, was brutally stripped back to the bone with marketing for the second trilogy. Retelling the films again and again and again, the characters were robbed of their vitality through tedious repetition, plot points painfully exposed with each incarnation. After the novelisation, the young reader novelisation, the comic adaptation, later packaged as a graphic novel, along with sundry promotional tie-ins, there was absolutely no need to reprise the story once more.
And yet, for reasons best known to Lucasfilm, here we are again.
Worse than pointless, this is only of value for the images from the film. If I want to refresh my memory of the film I'll watch it. The last thing I want to do is read yet another take on something which has become so familiar that I am able to recount lines of dialogue without a great deal of effort. It isn't, I hasten to add, Whitehead's fault - if someone was going to ply forth the tale for the umpteenth time, then he is as good as any to tackle the job, and he injects as much life into proceedings as he is able.
These types of annuals pose an interesting question, which should generate serious concerns in license holders - if this account of the film's narrative exists, then why would a reader bother with the film? It is, after all, the same narrative, and packaged alongside numerous images from the film. Serving as a perfectly reasonable alternative, it might provide more use than sitting through the film. It will certainly take less time to get through.
If adaptations, as a whole, are to survive the transition to print, then they must provide something which the film doesn't contain. What this annual desperately needed was additional scenes, alternative takes on what we get to see in the film, scenes taken from original characters' points of view, or expanding events to depict the consequences of events seen in the film. By rigidly adhering to the film there is only one conclusion:
This book is a complete waste of time.
Wednesday, December 5, 2018
Star Wars Comic Vol.1 #5
22 Aug 1999. Cover price £1.25.
28 pages. Full colour.
Titan Magazines.
Edited by John Freeman.
Photo cover.
Contents:
Of all the covers, it had to be Jar Jar.
While I don't mind CGI, per se, the overt artificiality of the character as perfectly illustrated here (dead eyes, tombstone teeth hanging in a gaping grin, and skin which appears to be modeled after a mummified corpse) is simply too far from anything believably moving around and interacting with human characters. Creepy doesn't begin to describe the character.
Thankfully the Yoda poster presents a more reasoned approach to the utilisation of CGI, showing the Jedi master deep in thought. This is the kind of quality poster which makes Star Wars Comic worth sticking with, as it really is a great image. This installment of the film adaptation isn't as action-packed, with a fair degree of talk, but the pictures are pretty enough to mitigate such a slow and deliberate sequence.
Qui-Gon Jinn, taking the back-up strip position, barely gets a chance to establish itself with a mere three pages included. I know there's a limited number of pages available, but really, three pages is simply begging for mockery. Opening with Anakin's victory at the pod-race, the strip shows what can be achieved with digital colouring, and gives a new slant to a scene from the film.
The appearance of a letters page, even one which has an appeal to readers for assistance with a name more appropriate than Communications, is a welcome sight, and the cing on top is a spectacularly singular vision of Darth Maul by Martin Spiers. Yes, Paul D. Bianco's home-made C-3PO is impressive, but it had already appeared in Star Wars Magazine, SFX, and likely elsewhere.
I've thought about the model a few times over the years, and occasionally pondered on what has happened to the majority of notable Star Wars fan-art. If there's one glaring omission in the celebration of the franchise over the years, it is a exhibition of all the weird things people have made to show their love for the series.
28 pages. Full colour.
Titan Magazines.
Edited by John Freeman.
Photo cover.
Contents:
2 Escape from Tattoine text introduction (uncredited). / Contents / Indicia
3 Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace, part five, 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) #?? (1999).
14 UNTITLED Yoda poster; photograph (uncredited).
19 Explore the Gungan Frontier! competition to win Star Wars Episode I - The Gungan Frontier software.
20 Use the Force advertisement for Lego Star Wars sets.
21 Star Wars: Episode I - Qui-Gon Jinn, part one, w: Ryder Windham; p: Robert Teranishi, i: Chris Chuckry, lettering by Vickie Williams, colouring by Chris Chuckry.
r: Star Wars: Episode I - Qui-Gon Jinn (Dark Horse) nn (May 1999).
24 See and Read the Film advertisement for graphic novel.
25 Communications readers' mail.
26 Coming Next Issue
27 Subscribe & Save
28 Forbidden Planet advertisement.
Of all the covers, it had to be Jar Jar.
While I don't mind CGI, per se, the overt artificiality of the character as perfectly illustrated here (dead eyes, tombstone teeth hanging in a gaping grin, and skin which appears to be modeled after a mummified corpse) is simply too far from anything believably moving around and interacting with human characters. Creepy doesn't begin to describe the character.
Thankfully the Yoda poster presents a more reasoned approach to the utilisation of CGI, showing the Jedi master deep in thought. This is the kind of quality poster which makes Star Wars Comic worth sticking with, as it really is a great image. This installment of the film adaptation isn't as action-packed, with a fair degree of talk, but the pictures are pretty enough to mitigate such a slow and deliberate sequence.
Qui-Gon Jinn, taking the back-up strip position, barely gets a chance to establish itself with a mere three pages included. I know there's a limited number of pages available, but really, three pages is simply begging for mockery. Opening with Anakin's victory at the pod-race, the strip shows what can be achieved with digital colouring, and gives a new slant to a scene from the film.
The appearance of a letters page, even one which has an appeal to readers for assistance with a name more appropriate than Communications, is a welcome sight, and the cing on top is a spectacularly singular vision of Darth Maul by Martin Spiers. Yes, Paul D. Bianco's home-made C-3PO is impressive, but it had already appeared in Star Wars Magazine, SFX, and likely elsewhere.
I've thought about the model a few times over the years, and occasionally pondered on what has happened to the majority of notable Star Wars fan-art. If there's one glaring omission in the celebration of the franchise over the years, it is a exhibition of all the weird things people have made to show their love for the series.
#04
Star Wars Comic
#06
Thursday, November 29, 2018
Star Wars Comic Vol.1 #4
15 Aug 1999. Cover price £1.25.
28 pages. Full colour.
Titan Magazines.
Edited by John Freeman.
Cover painting by Hugh Fleming.
r: cover from Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (Dark Horse) #02 (May 1999).
Contents:
A dramatic image of Anakin in his pod-racer is a much better use of the cover than photographs, and seems more appropriate for the title. For such a slim issue, and this is a very thin publication, every opportunity to catch the attention of possible readers needs to be taken. Opportunities such as the contents page, which is likely the first page consulted before purchase, which are elsewhere squandered. It's an incredibly busy contents page, with a couple of stills from the film set in an awkward circle which calls attention to the design elements rather than the images or - crucially - what is is in the issue.
The Phantom Menace always felt like a film which dragged on, rather than the pacy and attention-grabbing original, and this adaptation seems to follow in the film's footsteps by seemingly never ending. Finally at the point in the story where Anakin takes to his pod-racer for a race which could grant him his freedom, there are some effective panels showing off the attention to detail here. Black panel borders work well, and the reproduction is flawless.
Without a poster, though, there's a sense that the title has given up on attracting readers. Without even a single text feature, or look into the production of the comic adaptation, we can only wonder at the machinations behind the scenes to bring the project to completion. When looking at Star Wars comics of the late 90s, the striking cover paintings are the most identifiable trait, yet there hasn't been nearly enough written on their creation. Did the artists do versions of the paintings with characters who were later digitally altered, or was the film in the can once work began? It bugs me not knowing.
Anakin's story, which hasn't really felt important, plants seeds for the film, with his mother remarking "I just want to look at you, Annie. Sometimes I have the terrible feeling that I'll never see you again." So subtle. If readers hadn't taken the hint, only a couple of panels later she says (to no-one in particular) "There's a storm coming." Slegehammer-like storytelling aside, there is a real sense of the strip's location being alive with activity, and its ending, while not a surprise, is a suitably grin-inducing moment.
Not a brilliant issue, though given that one story concludes in this issue it is unlikely that latecomers would have been satisfied with the material on offer.
28 pages. Full colour.
Titan Magazines.
Edited by John Freeman.
Cover painting by Hugh Fleming.
r: cover from Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (Dark Horse) #02 (May 1999).
Contents:
2 Whisperings in the Force text introduction (uncredited). / Contents / Indicia
3 Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace, part four, 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) #?? (1999).
7 Forbidden Planet advertisement.
18 Star Toons - the Cartoon Art of Science Fiction advertisement for the British Cartoon Centre exhibition; a: Don Lawrence.
r: image from Storm.
19 Star Wars: Episode I - Anakin Skywalker, part four, 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).
25 Make a Date With Star Wars! competition to win Star Wars Episode I - The Data File.
26 Coming Next Week
27 Subscribe & Save
28 See and Read the Film advertisement for graphic novel.
A dramatic image of Anakin in his pod-racer is a much better use of the cover than photographs, and seems more appropriate for the title. For such a slim issue, and this is a very thin publication, every opportunity to catch the attention of possible readers needs to be taken. Opportunities such as the contents page, which is likely the first page consulted before purchase, which are elsewhere squandered. It's an incredibly busy contents page, with a couple of stills from the film set in an awkward circle which calls attention to the design elements rather than the images or - crucially - what is is in the issue.
The Phantom Menace always felt like a film which dragged on, rather than the pacy and attention-grabbing original, and this adaptation seems to follow in the film's footsteps by seemingly never ending. Finally at the point in the story where Anakin takes to his pod-racer for a race which could grant him his freedom, there are some effective panels showing off the attention to detail here. Black panel borders work well, and the reproduction is flawless.
Without a poster, though, there's a sense that the title has given up on attracting readers. Without even a single text feature, or look into the production of the comic adaptation, we can only wonder at the machinations behind the scenes to bring the project to completion. When looking at Star Wars comics of the late 90s, the striking cover paintings are the most identifiable trait, yet there hasn't been nearly enough written on their creation. Did the artists do versions of the paintings with characters who were later digitally altered, or was the film in the can once work began? It bugs me not knowing.
Anakin's story, which hasn't really felt important, plants seeds for the film, with his mother remarking "I just want to look at you, Annie. Sometimes I have the terrible feeling that I'll never see you again." So subtle. If readers hadn't taken the hint, only a couple of panels later she says (to no-one in particular) "There's a storm coming." Slegehammer-like storytelling aside, there is a real sense of the strip's location being alive with activity, and its ending, while not a surprise, is a suitably grin-inducing moment.
Not a brilliant issue, though given that one story concludes in this issue it is unlikely that latecomers would have been satisfied with the material on offer.
#03
Star Wars Comic
#05
Saturday, November 24, 2018
Star Wars Comic Vol.1 #3
08 Aug 1999. Cover price £1.25.
28 pages. Full colour.
Titan Magazines.
Edited by John Freeman.
Cover photograph (uncredited).
Contents:
Scratch what I said about photographs not being effective. This is a dramatic cover, with the yellow background allowing the photograph of Darth Maul to really pop from the cover. Visual interest is maintained on the contents page with the wonderful "naked" C-3PO design looking appropriately futuristic and retro at the same time. This is an issue filled with wonderful images, and not exclusively throughout the strips.
The poster in this issue - Darth Maul once more - is a magnificent example of using promotional material inventively. Sure, the photographic element has appeared in a bunch of places, but rarely as impressively as here.
A step up in style, though it is difficult to generate suspense or thrills with the main story, having been driven into the ground with so much supplementary material during the release of the film.
28 pages. Full colour.
Titan Magazines.
Edited by John Freeman.
Cover photograph (uncredited).
Contents:
2 Meet C-3PO text introduction (uncredited). / Contents / Indicia
3 Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace, part three, 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).
14 UNTITLED poster; photograph (uncredited).
19 Forbidden Planet advertisement.
20 Use the Force advertisement for Lego Star Wars sets.
21 Star Wars: Episode I - Anakin Skywalker, part three, 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).
25 No Time to Lose! competition to win a Star Wars clock.
26 Coming Next Issue
27 Subscribe & Save
28 See and Read the Film advertisement for graphic novel.
Scratch what I said about photographs not being effective. This is a dramatic cover, with the yellow background allowing the photograph of Darth Maul to really pop from the cover. Visual interest is maintained on the contents page with the wonderful "naked" C-3PO design looking appropriately futuristic and retro at the same time. This is an issue filled with wonderful images, and not exclusively throughout the strips.
The poster in this issue - Darth Maul once more - is a magnificent example of using promotional material inventively. Sure, the photographic element has appeared in a bunch of places, but rarely as impressively as here.
A step up in style, though it is difficult to generate suspense or thrills with the main story, having been driven into the ground with so much supplementary material during the release of the film.
#02
Star Wars Comic
#03
Monday, November 19, 2018
Star Wars Comic Vol.1 #2
01 Aug 1999. Cover price £1.25.
28 pages. Full colour.
Titan Magazines.
Edited by John Freeman.
Cover photograph (uncredited).
Contents:
A photo-cover isn't nearly as effective as the painting adorning the first issue, though it made sense to tie-in to the marketing for the film in such a manner. Less understandable is featuring Jar Jar Binks prominently on the contents page, looking rather gormless - although I'm not sure he had another look, so any image of the character is bound to be a puzzling inclusion.
The film adaptation continues in a remarkably stylish fashion.
Star Wars posters, throughout the history of the franchise, tend to fall into two categories - there are some beautiful, wonderfully evocative images, full of colour and minor details, and there are... well, posters such as Qui-Gon Jinn and Darth Maul battling in a barren desert. It looks like a still from the film, with a softness to the reproduction which doesn't encourage readers to use the image as intended.
It's rather amusing to look at Star Wars comics, as with novels, or computer games, with an eye on what is being referenced. The call-backs, call-forwards, allusions, sly winks, and in-jokes throughout the stories are almost as entertaining as the storylines. In some cases more entertaining. Thankfully Anakin Skywalker, which fills in the life of the titular character prior to the events of the first film in the prequel trilogy, is a fine example good comics.
Art and script are in tune with what had previously appeared, and there are moments of character-development for most of the main cast. While there's nothing groundbreaking here, there are a lot of fine moments ("You're weird, Anakin Skywalker," being a favourite panel) and - of note - a background character who appears to be wearing clothes more often associated with Han Solo.
A perfectly fine, though unexciting, entry in the history of British Star Wars comics.
28 pages. Full colour.
Titan Magazines.
Edited by John Freeman.
Cover photograph (uncredited).
Contents:
2 Against the Dark Side text introduction (uncredited). / Contents / Indicia
3 Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace, part two, 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).
13 Star Wars: Episode I - The Gungan Frontier advertisement for computer game.
14 UNTITLED poster; photograph (uncredited).
19 Forbidden Planet advertisement.
20 Star Wars: Episode I - Anakin Skywalker, part two, 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).
25 Be a Star Wars Insider! competition to win Insider's Guide software.
26 Coming Next Issue
27 Subscribe & Save
28 Collect it. Trade it. Play it. Use the Force... Anywhere advertisement for tar Wars Collectible Card Game.
A photo-cover isn't nearly as effective as the painting adorning the first issue, though it made sense to tie-in to the marketing for the film in such a manner. Less understandable is featuring Jar Jar Binks prominently on the contents page, looking rather gormless - although I'm not sure he had another look, so any image of the character is bound to be a puzzling inclusion.
The film adaptation continues in a remarkably stylish fashion.
Star Wars posters, throughout the history of the franchise, tend to fall into two categories - there are some beautiful, wonderfully evocative images, full of colour and minor details, and there are... well, posters such as Qui-Gon Jinn and Darth Maul battling in a barren desert. It looks like a still from the film, with a softness to the reproduction which doesn't encourage readers to use the image as intended.
It's rather amusing to look at Star Wars comics, as with novels, or computer games, with an eye on what is being referenced. The call-backs, call-forwards, allusions, sly winks, and in-jokes throughout the stories are almost as entertaining as the storylines. In some cases more entertaining. Thankfully Anakin Skywalker, which fills in the life of the titular character prior to the events of the first film in the prequel trilogy, is a fine example good comics.
Art and script are in tune with what had previously appeared, and there are moments of character-development for most of the main cast. While there's nothing groundbreaking here, there are a lot of fine moments ("You're weird, Anakin Skywalker," being a favourite panel) and - of note - a background character who appears to be wearing clothes more often associated with Han Solo.
A perfectly fine, though unexciting, entry in the history of British Star Wars comics.
#01
Star Wars Comic
#03
Sunday, November 18, 2018
Star Wars
1978. Cover price 75p.
132 pages. B&W contents.
Sphere Books Ltd.
Based on the film by George Lucas.
Cover by Rick Hoberg & Dave Cockrum.
Contents:
Finding out more regarding the title had been problematic, with few references to its existence, and of those scant references none detail the reason this reprint appeared in the form it did. Adverts for the title's release are seemingly nonexistent, which makes accurate dating impossible at the moment.
132 pages. B&W contents.
Sphere Books Ltd.
Based on the film by George Lucas.
Cover by Rick Hoberg & Dave Cockrum.
Contents:
7 Introduction by Stan Lee
9 Preface by Roy Thomas
11 Chapter One: Star Wars w: Roy Thomas, based on the screenplay by George Lucas; a: Howard Chaykin.
r: Star Wars (Marvel Comics) #01 (Jul 1977)
30 Chapter Two: Six Against the Galaxy w: Roy Thomas, based on the screenplay by George Lucas; p: Howard Chaykin, i: Steve Leialoha.
r: Star Wars (Marvel Comics) #02 (Aug 1977)
50 Chapter Three: Death Star! w: Roy Thomas, based on the screenplay by George Lucas; p: Howard Chaykin, i: Steve Leialoha.
r: Star Wars (Marvel Comics) #03 (Sep 1977)
70 Chapter Four: In Battle with Darth Vader w: Roy Thomas, based on the screenplay by George Lucas; p: Howard Chaykin, i: Steve Leialoha.
r: Star Wars (Marvel Comics) #04 (Oct 1977)
89 Chapter Five: Lo, The Moons of Yavin! w: Roy Thomas, based on the screenplay by George Lucas; p: Howard Chaykin, i: Steve Leialoha.
r: Star Wars (Marvel Comics) #05 (Nov 1977)
108 Chapter Six: The Final Chapter? w: Roy Thomas, based on the screenplay by George Lucas; p: Howard Chaykin & Rick Hoberg, i: Bill Wray, Rick Hoberg, & Dave Stevens (uncredited).
r: Star Wars (Marvel Comics) #06 (Dec 1977)
127 -Fin- full-page illustrations
ACROSS THE TEEMING REACHES OF AIt must have seemed such a good idea, pulling together the entire story of the film in one handy little paperback. Unfortunately, the repro is simply too small to be anything more than a strain on the eyes. As a curio (and an interesting experiment in reusing the Marvel adaptation) this is delightfully strange, but to read it is to risk premature blindness. Some of the artwork, also, appears to have dropped out in resizing the strips.
GALAXY IN THE GRIP OF EVIL...
HURTLING HEADLONG THROUGH
HYPER-SPACE TO SUBDUE THE DARK
CHAMPIONS OF TYRANNY...
BLAZING THROUGH THE COSMOS ON A
MISSION OF VENGEANCE AND HONOR,
COMES
LUKE SKYWALKER
PROUD YOUNG REBEL PLEDGED TO
RESTORE JUSTICE TO THE UNIVERSE
AND RESCUE THE BEAUTIFUL
PRINCESS LEIA FROM THE DEADLY
IMPERIAL FORCES!
JOIN HIM AND THE DAUNTLESS HAN
SOLO, OBI-WAN KENOBI, ARTOO
DETOO, SEE THREEPIO AND
CHEWBACCA IN THE GREATEST
SPACE FANTASY ADVENTURE EVER!
Finding out more regarding the title had been problematic, with few references to its existence, and of those scant references none detail the reason this reprint appeared in the form it did. Adverts for the title's release are seemingly nonexistent, which makes accurate dating impossible at the moment.
Friday, October 19, 2018
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:
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.
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.
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.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.
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...
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.
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