Star Wars (2015 comic book)

• 1. The License Returns

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  On the 14th of January 2015, Marvel Comics published the first issue of a new Star Wars comic series. This event marked the return of the Star Wars license to Marvel after a long absence. The last time Marvel had published Star Wars material was in 1980 and 1981 with adaptations of the original film and its sequel. In 1991, the rights were sold to Dark Horse Comics. They held those rights until 2014 when Disney acquired Lucasfilm. Disney also owned Marvel Entertainment since 2009. By 2015, Dark Horse relinquished the rights back to Marvel. Before that handover, Dark Horse published their final title with the license called Darth Maul: Son of Dathomir. The Walt Disney Company bought out Lucasfilm and its subsidiaries in 2012. This acquisition set the stage for the 2015 relaunch. In July 2014, Marvel announced three new Star Wars comics. These included the main Star War series, Princess Leia, and Darth Vader. The move signaled a major shift in how the franchise would be presented to readers.

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• 2. Writers And Artists Shift

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  Jason Aaron wrote the initial run of the comic while John Cassaday provided the art. Their work began in January 2015. Stuart Immonen took over as artist starting with issue number eight in July 2015. He completed the second story arc through issue twelve. Simone Bianchi served as guest artist for issue seven. In 2017, Jason Aaron stepped down as writer. Kieron Gillen replaced him on writing duties. Salvador Larroca took over the art responsibilities at that same time. The series continued under this new creative team until 2019. That year, Marvel announced the original run would end after seventy-five issues. A relaunch followed with issue one released on January first, 2020. Charles Soule wrote the new volume with Jesus Saiz handling the art. This transition marked a fresh start for the ongoing narrative.

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• 3. Bridging The Timeline Gap

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  The comic is set between the 1977 film Star Wars and its 1980 sequel The Empire Strikes Back. It focuses on Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, Han Solo, Chewbacca, and R2-D2. As the series begins, Leia leads a covert Rebel mission to destroy an Imperial weapons factory. This action attracts the attention of Darth Vader. Luke returns to Tatooine in issues four and five searching Obi-Wan Kenobi's abandoned house. He fights Boba Fett during this search. He also discovers Obi-Wan's journals which he reads across multiple issues including numbers seven, fifteen, twenty, and twenty-six through thirty. In issue six, Fett reveals to Vader that the Rebel pilot who destroyed the Death Star is named Skywalker. The issue introduces Sana Starros as Han Solo's wife before revealing she was only legally married to him on one planet during a previous scam. Han had stolen her cut after their marriage ended. She becomes a recurring character throughout the run.

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• 4. Vader And Rebels Clash

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  Issues thirteen and fourteen form part of the Vader Down crossover with the Darth Vader comic series. The story involves the Rebels enlisting help from antagonist Doctor Aphra in issues sixteen through nineteen. A major plot point occurs when they capture a Star Destroyer between issues twenty-one and twenty-five. Issues twenty-six through thirty flash back to Yoda's history before the events of The Phantom Menace. These scenes are recounted in Obi-Wen's journals. The narrative then moves to Jedha where the Rebels fight to prevent Imperials from obtaining kyber crystals in issues thirty-eight through forty-three. They attempt to recruit Mon Cala to the Rebel cause while local unrest spreads across the world in issues forty-four through forty-nine. The Mon Calamari including Admiral Ackbar join their cause even as Queen Trios of Shu-Torun betrays them. This betrayal allows the Empire to attack. The Rebellion becomes crippled and scattered by issues fifty-six through sixty-one. Leia strikes back against Queen Trios with aid from unorthodox Partisans in issues sixty-two through sixty-seven. The closing arc sees the Rebels avoiding Imperial probe droids while aiding rock creatures on an unstable world against forces led by Vader.

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• 5. Crossovers Expand The Universe

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  The 2020 relaunch picks up before the epilogue of The Empire Strikes Back. Lando Calrissian returns to Cloud City to retrieve Lobot and help Luke look for his lightsaber. Unable to locate his old weapon, Luke learns of a High Republic-era Jedi outpost. He finds a yellow lightsaber there and battles the spirit of the Grand Inquisitor. Leia leads the Rebellion which includes parents of Poe Dameron. Their security codes are compromised by the Empire forcing the Rebels to improvise. Subsequently, the War of the Bounty Hunters crossover event begins. The Rebels try to rescue frozen Han from Crimson Dawn led by Qi'ra. Boba Fett recovers his prize and delivers it to Jabba the Hutt. Crimson Dawn's story continues in the Crimson Reign crossover event and spin-off miniseries Hidden Empire. The Rebels prepare to mount their last stand against the Empire as these events unfold.

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• 6. Relaunch And Future Plans

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  In 2019 Marvel announced that the original series would finish after seventy-five issues. The series relaunched with issue one on January first 2020. Charles Soule wrote this new volume while Jesus Saiz provided art. The story continued after the events of The Empire Strikes Back. Trade paperback collections gathered the early issues starting with Star Wars Vol. One: Skywalker Strikes published October sixth 2015. Later volumes collected subsequent arcs including Showdown on the Smuggler's Moon released January twenty-six 2016. A hardcover Omnibus edition collected issues one through thirty-seven plus related crossovers released May tenth 2022. In 2022 Lucasfilm and Marvel enacted a dual distribution deal allowing IDW Publishing and Dark Horse Comics to publish new Star Wars comic series again. This arrangement marked a return for multiple publishers to share the license. The ongoing narrative continued into the High Republic era with new creative leadership guiding the direction of future stories.

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