The Star Wars #8

The Dark Horse Comics adaptation of the original George Lucas rough draft of Star Wars does indeed come to an end in this issue. Issue #8 doesn't appear to have an expanded page count. So either Dark Horse made an error in planning for how many issues this miniseries should run or Lucas had so many different ideas in how to wrap his story up that he failed to pace things out properly. It's got to be George Lucas' fault. I say this because so much happens in the finale compared to some parts of act one and two that drag out to a snail's pace. Star Wars was such a lucrative property for Dark Horse, if the publisher felt like a 9th or 10th issue was warranted, they would have approved an extension as this sort of thing happens all the time in order to boost sales. 

So what does happen in this closer:

* Annikin Starkiller infiltrates the Empire's Space Fortress in hopes of rescuing Princess Leia who's being interrogated under threat of torture.

*General Luke Skywalker and Han Solo somehow manages to teach a bunch of primitive Wookiees to fly Imperial fighters and organizes an assault on the gigantic space station.

* A new ally emerges.

* Lots of people die on both sides of the conflict.

*Lastly, we get an ending satisfying enough that should ticket sales be dismal, you feel like there was a happy ending. But you don't close things out too perfectly less the studios decide to green-light a sequel.

For those who finish this miniseries, you'll have to settle for option A. This was Dark Horse's swan song with the Star Wars franchise. With Disney buying Lucasfilm in 2012, the House of Mouse had plans for a new series of films as well as giving Marvel, which was also owned by Disney, carte blanche on publishing the further adventures of Luke Skywalker and company. In other words, Disney had no intention of looking backwards; nor were they willing to share a piece of the lucrative Star Wars pie.

Ironically, thanks mostly to the pandemic's crippling effect on the comic book market, Marvel had to source out some of its Star Wars catalog back to Dark Horse. Another irony, instead of giving them any of the established trilogies or the new generation series that was coming to movie screens, Dark Horse was given free reign to establish history of the Old Republic. While in 2014 it didn't look like 'The Saga of The Ophuchi', the proposed next chapter in The Star Wars, perhaps with multiverses being the main focus of the big 2 publishers and their visual arts media, maybe the time is right to continue the adventures of Annikin Starkiller...

I know I'd buy it.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

The Star Wars #7

Meet the Wookiees! Essentially, everything that George Lucas wanted to do with the people of Chewbacca's tribe in Return of the Jedi but had to replace with the much more marketable (In other word: cute and cuddly) Ewoks occurs in this chapter. 

The Wookiees appear more bestial like Bigfoot, with less fur around the face and chest and a bit more stocky. This design would eventually be reused as the character Zeb Orrelios, the last Lasat from Star Wars: Rebels; except with the change in fur color of Zeb's being purple and his having the ability to speak basic. 

There's an Imperial base on this planet. General Skywalker plans to train the Wookiees to attack it, using all those great wooden booby traps used during the Battle of Endor to destroy a squad of Imperial tanks that would eventually be utilized by the droid forces of the Separatists in Phantom Menace. Once the base is secured, they'll plan to steal all of the fighters, conduct a quick pilot training course before attacking the Space Fortress and rescuing Princess Leia who's currently being tortured by a Sith bloke who looks an awful lot like David Prowse. Good thing these primitive warriors understand how to fly heavy machinery.

This issue ends with a promise that the next  will wrap everything up. I don't see how. It feels like there's still like an hour of movie script to jump through. 

Trust the process, Padawan...

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

The Star Wars #5

General Skywalker, Annikin Starkiller and the royal family of Aquilae have procured passage off the besieged planet only to walk into a trap!

This was an action packed issue. It was also unnecessary. You do learn a little bit more about the Sith Knight that the Emperor recruits to capture the Princess. We're also introduced to a deadly gas that the Sith are immune to. But other than that, everything in this issue feels like a period of time George Lucas spent on the rough draft script in a state of writer's block.

They say that it was Lucas's first wife, Marcia Griffin Lucas, who took the parts of the original Star Wars trilogy that weren't working and made them into iconic scenes and characters. 'Polishing a turd' is how I have heard it referred to. In regards to this segment, I tend to believe that assessment. 

Great Mike Mayhew artwork. But really, this is an issue that you could skip and not miss anything because by chapter end, the protagonists are still exactly where they started. 

Rating: 6 out of 10 stars

The Star Wars #4

Yes, the reptilian Dewbacks were originally supposed to be angry looking ostriches.

After a trio of action packed issues, things slow down a bit in part 4. But don't worry. Skywalker, Starkiller and the Princess have made it to Mos Eisley Spaceport, called Wilson Spaceport, in the George Lucas rough draft.

All of the excitement of the Cantina scene is here. Han Solo, looking more like Swamp Thing with scales instead of Indiana Jones, is introduced. But don't expect Chewbacca. This smuggler works alone. 

Then plans are made with some members of the growing Rebellion against the Evil Empire. The young twin brothers of Princess Leia are placed in stasis. A forgotten character reappears only to die pretty unexpectedly as well as quite heroically. 

Oh, and Darth Vader and a very evil looking Sith Knight have arrived, joining the search for the Princess.

I had mentioned during my review of issue #1 that this miniseries has 8 parts. 9 if you count the #0 issue which is more of a showcase of artistic designs and character bios. Yet in my previous review, I said that this issue would be the exact midpoint of the storyline. That's because when I read this issue, I was under the assumption that issue #7 was the last issue. When I bought these books last year, I purchased them as a bundle with a label that the set contained issues #1-7. I had falsely assumed that I was purchasing a complete set.

With this issue ending with the main characters still stuck on Aquilae, I kept thinking that there's no way everything gets wrapped up by issue #7. I did some research and learned that I was right. I was missing the 8th and final issue. Thankfully I found a copy for a decent price and a fairly quick delivery date. So I am really looking for an epic conclusion. Still, considering how much at a snail's pace things are moving here, I have my doubts everything is going to be finished up when we get to issue #8.

I'm now halfway there. We shall see!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

The Star Wars #3

The scenes that you would expect to see in Episode IV on Tatooine and the Dune Sea occurs in this issue. With some subtle and blatantly different changes.

The droids emerge from their escape pod, argue over which direction to take, separate and somehow both wind up with General Luke Skywalker.

Princess Leia and her younger twin brothers have survived the assault on Aquilae. In the presence of Skywalker and his Padawan, Annikin Starkiller, it's imperative that the remaining royal family find safe passage off the planet.

Skywalker and company are attacked while attempting to reach the nearest space port. But instead of Tusken Raiders, they are attacked by stormtroopers brandishing laser swords. 

These storm troopers are way more violent than in the finished product. In A New Hope, they essentially barbecue Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru. Here in the rough draft, when dealing with a belligerent, the soldiers will string them up like on a rack, torture them, then kill them, while leaving them in place as a warning to others that the Evil Empire is not to be trifled with. George Lucas had added the death scene of the Lars family in order to secure a more favorable PG rating. Lucas felt a G rating might prevent older audiences from watching the film and I think he was right about that. But if he had kept the stormtrooper torture scenes in the final film, the first Star Wars film might have garnered a younger potential audience killing R rating! (Note: PG-13 ratings didn't exist until the mid-1980s.)

Lots of action. High levels of violence. This is not the Star Wars universe that I grew up with and I don't mind it one little bit. But we're almost at the half-way point and the heroes haven't even gotten to the space port. I have no idea where things are going. Is this really just a 7-issue miniseries?

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

The Star Wars #2

The planet Aquilae is under attack. The Evil Empire has decided to bypass diplomatic talks and to take the planet by force. To do so, the Emperor orders the Space Fortress commanded by the Sith Knight, Darth Vader, to attack the planet. 

In the attack, the King is killed, leaving General Skywalker in command until Princess Leia, the new ruler of Aquilae, can be retrieved from the University, where she studies. However, there are Imperial sympathizers in the ranks of King's royal advisors and they've clandestinely arranged an illegal surrender of the planet. With the threat of arrest for treason, the general must stand down. But he's not going to go quietly.

The attack on Aquilae plays out like the climatic battle of Yavin in Episode IV. So the level of action and adventure in this issue rises in leaps and bounds, considering how boring the opening chapter was. 

We're introduced to the prototypes of R2-D2 and C-3PO. (Their names are phonetically spelled out and henceforth will only be referred to as 'the droids'.) The droids turn out to be property of the Empire, housed aboard the Space Fortress. As Aquilae fighters begin their assault on the fortress, they will take that legendary escape pod and crash into the desert landscape below. Let me just say, it's really weird having the Galaxy's most beloved astromech droid speaking basic language instead of binary beeps and boops.

Let me talk about the art before I close. It's amazing. Mike Mayhew is the artist and he's got such an amazing touch of realism. I also think that he's trying to make some of the characters look like actors who potentially could have been cast back in 1977. Not the major characters, as they're based on the McQuarrie sketches. But I swear one of the Imperial officers who advise Darth Vader of the attack on Aquilae is Rene Auberjonois from Benson!

A much better second act. Things are starting to gel a bit more. Lots more action! Very little diplomacy and no, it's not because of the death of the leader of Aquilae and a large chunk of his trusted advisors.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

The Star Wars #1 (2026 Comic Book & Graphic Novel Reading Challenge)

The first chapter of a 2013-14 miniseries from Dark Horse Comics. It's based on a complete first rough draft from George Lucas that he completed in 1974. A few years before the release of this 8 issue series (9, if you count the #0 issue that acts as a primer for this completely different take on the Star Wars universe with character breakdowns and sketches), Lucasfilm had published the script on their website. With Lucas in talks with Disney to sell the franchise, Jonathan W. (J.W.) Rinzler, the executive editor of LucasBooks, obtained blessing from the creator himself to publish a visual representation of the original vision of Star Wars before it was too late. 

Rinzler, a noted writer and historian of several Star Wars novels and non-fiction works about the filming of the movies, adapted the rough draft. While Rinzler was extremely faithful to the script, artist Mike Mayhew sprinkled the pages with hidden treasures in the background like the Easter Bunny with an unlimited amount of eggs. Mayhew referred to the original character designs of artist Ralph McQuarrie. But he also made sure to make this new vision of Star Wars seem a little bit familiar to established fans.

The Star Wars opens with that familiar title crawl, explaining the story before. The old Empire has fallen. The Sith have established a new Empire by exterminating almost all of the Jedi-Bendu after a massive rebellion. One of the last surviving Jedi, General Luke Skywalker, leads the military forces of the planet Aquilae. The Emperor, seeking the planet's cloning technology, has demanded Aquilae's full surrender or face total war. Kane Starkiller and his son Annikin, have arrived to warn General Skywalker, of a sneak attack. Starkiller also makes a dying wish that Annikin becomes Skywalker's Padawan apprentice in the ways of the Jedi. 

As Kane Starkiller departs to arrange transport for the royal family to flee Aquilae, planetary defense radar sensors go wild. Something massive has entered the solar system. It's the size of a small moon. It moves with the speed of a comet. Also, it's man-made. The Emperor's Space Fortress has arrived!

There's a lot of drastic differences that look like they came from a galaxy far, far away. It's just not the galaxy you are used to. The Star Wars comic reads like an alternate dimension, similar to the Marvel Cinematic Universe's multiverse. General Luke Skywalker is more like a mixture of Obi-Wan Kenobi and Han Solo. The Han Solo here isn't even human. He's more like the Swamp Thing if the DC legend had only 3 fingers and toes on each appendage. The legendary star destroyers look the same. Only they're now shrunk to house only a 2-man crew and boast TIE fighter level maneuverability. As for the Death Star, referred to as the less intimidating Space Fortress, it's firepower is nowhere near on par to being able to destroy a planet with a single laser blast. 

While much of the first rough draft of Star Wars wouldn't make it to the silver screen in 1977, Lucasfilm has been like a Native American tribe taking down a buffalo: nothing went to waste. The original design of the Wookiee, of which Chewbacca is a proud member of, would eventually become Zeb Orrelios, from Star Wars: Rebels. The royal family escape plot would evolve into the basis of the opening act of Episode I: The Phantom Menace, with Jedi knights rescuing Queen Amadala of Naboo from invaders. Speaking of the prequel film, this issue is rather dull as diplomacy dominates a majority of the plot. The slow churn of the wheels of democracy is one of the biggest complaints of fans about Phantom Menace. Hopefully, the action will pick up in issue #2. 

The swan song of Dark Horse's tenure as the comic book publisher for the Star Wars franchise.  This is an essential read for the most fervent of fans who thrive on the technical manuals and creature compendiums that reveal the inner workings of the Galactic Senate, its Sith-led Imperial predecessor and the order of the Jedi Knights. It's unlike anything one has ever seen aside from those early McQuarrie drawings and paintings and with the Star Wars universe in the hands of Disney, it's a corner of the galaxy that looks to never be rediscovered anytime soon. 

Completing this review completes Task #39 (A Star Wars Comic) of the 2026 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge.

Rating: 6 out of 10 stars.

Willow #1-3 (2023 Comic Book & Graphic Novel Reading Challenge)

During the 1982 filming of Return of the Jedi, in the forests of the Pacific Northwest, a young child actor is making a giant impression. Warwick Davis, a British actor with dwarfism, is playing a tiny version of a Wookiee called a Ewok. In his first ever role as Wicket, Davis is showing such professionalism and passion for acting that Star Wars creator George Lucas promises the lad to create a movie for the newcomer to star in. 

Jump to 1987 and George Lucas kept his word. Working on an idea he first developed in 1972 originally called Munchkins, Lucas created the story of Willow. Set in an unnamed mystical world, Willow Ufgood is a struggling farmer and amateur magician with aspirations at becoming chief sorcerer of his race of little people called Nelwyns. 

One day, Willow's children find a baby girl floating on a makeshift cradle in the nearby river. The infant is a Daikini, the name of full-size humans who share the land with the Nelwyns. Tasked by his people to deliver the child to the first Daikini he sees, Willow begins an epic quest that promises to restore freedom to all of the people of the land.

The Daikini child is in reality Elora Danan, an infant princess who has been prophesied to one day overthrow the evil ruler of the land of Nockmaar, Queen Bavmorda. In order to stop Bavmorda, who wishes to sacrifice Elora Danan in a demonic ritual, Willow must find the aged sorceress Fin Raziel. Which Willow does. Unfortunately, Fin Raziel has been rendered powerless as Bavmorda changed her into a possum. All seems lost, unless the aspiring Nelwyn sorcerer can restore her back into human form. 

Aiding Willow in his quest is the mercenary Madmartigan; a mercenary of questionable character but unsurpassed swordsmanship. A pair of brownie warriors named Rool and Fanjean, whose diminutive sizes make Willow look like a Colossus in comparison add comic relief and some assistance as tiny combatants. Adding to the adventure is the warrior princess Sorsha, daughter of Queen Bavmorda, whom Madmartigan becomes enamored with and just might have a shot with, if she doesn't kill him and the infant first!

Willow was directed by Ron Howard. A protege of George Lucas, Howard starred in the Lucas' 1973 homage to the early 1960s, American Graffiti. With a script by first time movie screenwriter Bob Dolman, Lucas had hoped that Willow would be on par with E.T. as the new all-time money maker at the box office. While the film was a moderate hit, mostly bolstered by international movie sales, Willow face stiff competition against a 1988 American film slate included colossal blockbusters such as Big and Rambo III.

Willow went on to become a kind of cult classic. In the early 90s, George Lucas tasked X-Men's Chris Claremont to pen the Chronicles of the Shadow War trilogy. Set 15 years after the first film, a teenaged Elora Danan is the central character. Last year, an 8-episode sequel starring Warwick Davis aired on Disney+. Also titled Willow, conflicting reports list the series as cancelled after one season or in indefinite hiatus. 

As part of Lucasfilm and MGM's original marketing campaign, a number of tie-in products were issued. TOR issued a 6-player board game as well as a RPG source book. Tonka's 'action figures' were in reality die-cast figurines much like tin soldiers and lacked vital points of articulation. 

In the realm of comics, Marvel was tasked with a 3-issue adaptation. Star Wars' Jo Duffy penned the script. Artwork was by Bob Hall (Super-Villain Team-Up) with assists and inks by Romeo Tanghal (The New Teen Titans). The miniseries was later collected in 2 formats: as a tabloid sized Marvel Graphic Novel and in as an illustrated edition much like a trade paperback.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

Completing this review completes Task #5 (A Movie Adaptation) of the 2023 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge.

Star Wars: The Marvel UK Collection (2023 Comic Book & Graphic Novel Reading Challenge)

Marvel UK's Star Wars comics of the 1970s and 80s were quite a bit different than their American counterparts. For one thing, they were released on a weekly basis. Each issue only had about 8-10 pages of Star Wars story. So it might take 6-8 issues (2-3 months) for a storyline to resolve itself. Stories starring Star Lord, Alpha Flight and a segment called 'Tales of the Watcher' were comic segments that filled the rest of the weekly series.

More of a magazine than a traditional comic book, Star Wars Weekly would also include articles, interviews, contests and games, and activities for fans. Free gifts such as cut-out models of X-wings, attached sticker sheets and magic tricks meant that it's nearly impossible to find issues 100% intact. 

Most of the stories were reprints of the American Star Wars comic stories. But for one reason or another, the adventures often were released out of order. Often, shipping delays of the print plates were the result of the tales being published differently from that of the American run. However, the British version was also where rejected Star Wars tales got a second chance at life.

The frigid story 'The Kingdom of Ice' was originally slated to be published over a half dozen issues of the youth magazine Pizzazz. However, the publication's cancellation resulted in the story never reaching a conclusion, unless you happened to be a reader of Star Wars Weekly!

From early on, George Lucas put severe limits on Marvel's Star Wars titles. For one thing, none of the major characters could die (or if it appeared that they had died, it couldn't be permanent). There were a few other restrictions based on Lucas's plan for the sequels. The most important rule the publisher could not break was that Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader were forbidden from meeting each other in print!

Most of the rejected stories happened within the first year of the series. Once Marvel had a good idea what Lucas was looking for, the rejections ceased. Yet, it's not like these rejected tales never saw the light of day. Aside from appearing across the pond in Star Wars Weekly, the discarded tales were collected in a pair of Marvel Illustrated paperback books in the US. These collections now command a hefty price tag, generally with a current asking price of $40-100 each. 

Shipping delays from the American office would force Marvel UK to come up with some original material of their own. Alan Moore (Saga of the Swamp Thing) cut his teeth on no less than 3 shorts. They show flashes of Moore's genius as well as love for complex storylines that were very much not typical for a galaxy far, far away. Moore's 'Tilotny Throws A Shape' is a metaphysical piece where main character Princess Leia barely has anything to do with the plot. Yet the unexpected conclusion ranks up there with some of the greatest twists endings ever created by the staff of the legendary publisher EC Comics who made such finales an art form!

The Marvel UK Collection is over 750 pages and when it sold new in 2017, it retailed for $100. Ollie's would end up selling copies of this book for $29.99 in 2021. This anthology is massive, but as Star Wars Weekly (later going to monthly) ran for 171 issues plus and sister title Return of the Jedi Weekly squeaked out another 155 editions, it would be impossible to reprint all of the contests, articles and IQ quizzes that were included in these comics. That's probably a good thing as many of the pieces are repetitious to an ad nauseam degree. Plus a lot of this material has typos, erroneous facts and answers to solutions that are just plain wrong. 

At least fans can rest assured that all of the comics that ran as first run material in the UK are present in this gigantic tribute to Episodes IV-VI of the Star Wars trilogy!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

Completing this review completes Task #31 (Book over 500 Pages) of the 2023 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge.

1977: A Madman Turns 40: 2017- Day 144

 

  I've been looking forward to this day since I first came up with the idea of A Madman Turns 40. Today marks the 40th anniversary of the debut of Star Wars. 
   
      That epic story of good versus evil. A young farmer boy becomes the hero of a fledgling rebellion. 

       A love story that spans ages. Boy rescues girl. Boy kisses girl- a lot. Turns out boy and girl are siblings. 

Opening day of Star Wars at Mann's Chinese Theatre.

       I love Star Wars. It's always been around. Loved it so much, I was playing the soundtrack today during the cooking class I teach in honor of Star Wars turning 40.

      For most, turning 40 would freak them out. Not me. As long as Star Wars is my same age, I'm fine with it. I was that way when I turned 30. Same when I turned 35. Getting older doesn't bother me because Star Wars is the same age as I. Plus, Star Wars doesn't die. My parents, who encouraged my love of Star Wars, especially my dad, have passed. But Star Wars has always been there for me.

The original 4 Burger King glasses. I still need them for my collection.

       I really wanted there to be some sort of showing of the first Star Wars in theatres today.  But I guess Disney didn't think it through enough to do such a thing. That's okay- I've been catching up on episodes of Star Wars Rebels today instead. 

The early bird Star Wars figures.
Kenner didn't know that Star Wars would be so hot and didn't make enough
action figures. So for Christmas, 1977, Most kids got a certificate
promising to ship the figures ASAP.

        Star Wars changed the world. It changed movies. Inspired a generation of new film makers. It changed how sequels are crafted and film franchises are marketed not just to fans but specifically kids. Thanks to Star Wars, big blockbuster movies have to have toys and merchandise in order to help make money and meet customer demand. 

I even named 2 of my children after characters in the film-
Guess which 2. You'll never get the right answer!

        Star Wars and it's director, George Lucas changed how we consume. Yet, despite any draw backs, I wouldn't change a thing about it. 

      Okay- I would change 1 thing...

      HAN SHOT FIRST!

  
     Well, that's my look at 1977 for today. Until next time-

     May the Force Be With You...

1977: A Madman Turns 40: 2017- Day 124

   I'm still trying to get back into the habit of blogging again. It's been really tough. I love it, but I just lost a lot of passion after my last job. While I enjoyed the management experience, the whole thing was a soul sucker that took bites out of every aspect of my life. I missed time with my wife, my cats, my church, even my beloved Art Institute job. 

    But there was noway I was going to miss today. It's May 4th- Star Wars Day... As in May the Fourth Be With You???

   I know, it's a bad pun. But I didn't come up with it. 

   May the 4th has become a day for fans to be able to share their love of Star Wars without it seeming odd. To someone who has been alive as long as Star Wars has been around, it seems odd to me not to celebrate Star Wars everyday. 

   See to me, Star Wars isn't a religion. It's not a way of life. It's not an idol. It's not a god. 

   IT'S A FAMILY MEMBER...

   When friends or family moved away or died, or stopped liking me, Star Wars was still there. I call it my best friend. I know this seems weird to a lot of you- especially my wife. But to me, this has how it's been since the day I was born...

    Anyways, back to 1977. 40 years ago today there was only 2 things Star Wars at this point: the teaser trailer and the promo poster (see above.) 20th Century Fox didn't really think this was going to be a hit. There weren't any toys or collectible glasses or other items of the sort. The Star Wars comic book had been on stands for a couple of weeks, but it really looked nothing like the movie and as far as most people (especially collectors)  were concerned, it wasn't on their radar. And to the normal everyday public, May 4th, 1977 was just another day unlike any other.

Notice how Darth Vader is green, the Death Star
looks like a disco ball and well everything about Han is wrong, wrong, wrong!!!

     So before I go, I present to you what the original teaser trailer for Star Wars looked like in theatres at this time. Note how the distinctive Star Wars font doesn't even appear and how the special effects for the light sabers had yet to be colored in. Plus, when Luke and Leia swing over the chasm, I think you can see some of the safety harnesses as well. 

   Enjoy- oh and if you find any nits with the trailer, please let me know in the comments section!

   Until next time...
    

    
   
   

The 18 Days of a Star Wars Christmas Miracle +7: Day 4

 Santa Yoda is perhaps the most iconic Star Wars Christmas image. It was painted by Ralph McQuarrie, who was the concept artist on the original trilogy. Santa Yoda was used as the 1981 edition of Christmas card issued by Lucasfilm. If you were a member of the cast or crew of Empire Strikes Back, then you got this in the mail as a holiday greeting from George Lucas.

   Since 1977, Lucasfilm has issued a Star Wars themed Christmas card that it would give to actors, artists, craftsmen, and more as a thank you for all their hard work during the previous year. The cards aren't that rare, nor are some of the images used as many of them have been recycled in Star Wars trading card sets in the 90s. But since they have something to do with Star Wars, the Lucasfilm Christmas card of any of the past 37 editions are a highly sought after piece of memorabilia.

   For my Advent present today here is a look at some of the past cards issued by George Lucas. If you haven't been able to make Star Wars creator's Christmas card list, this may very well be the next best thing...

   Enjoy...

The 18 Days of a Star Wars Christmas Miracle +7: Day 1

   I start this Star Wars Advent with a tribute to the one that started it all: The Star Wars Holiday Special. After this what can only be described as a toy train wreck aired only once on CBS in 1978, the possibilities of Star Wars Christmas related stuff took off like a spaceship. There's been Star Wars Christmas wrap, music, ornaments, and much, much more. But in the beginning, the hopes of a Star Wars Christmas began with this 2-hour special which included Princess Leia singing something similar to Silver Bells, Bea Arthur as the owner of the Mos Eisley Cantina, Jefferson Starship doing LSD apparently, Diahann Carroll dancing around nearly naked like one of Jabba's slave girls, and the comedy stylings of Harvey Korman.
   
   There was one bright spot to this pile of bantha poo-doo: a 7-minute long cartoon called 'The Faithful Wookiee (sic).' It wasn't much, but it was the only time we got to see Luke, Han, Chewie, and Leia in animated form. Even better- it introduced the greatest bounty hunter of them all- BOBA FETT!

    The Holiday Special is something that George Lucas actually hates. In fact, he never renewed the trademark on this. Thus, the only way to find it is either as a bootleg or on Youtube. Why, even Disney doesn't own the rights to it! And to this day, Lucas vows that he'll smash every single copy in existence if it's the last thing he'll ever do.

 Below is a link to the special in its entirety- thus proving that no matter how many DVD copies Lucas might destroy, the legend of the Star Wars Holiday Special will forever live on...

May the Force Be With, If you Dare...

Star Wars: The Protocol Offensive

 This original Dark Horse Comics graphic novel from 1997 is co-written by the expert on protocol himself, C-3PO- Anthony Daniels. 'The Protocol Offensive' is a politically intriguing affair in which Threepio and his astromech partner R2-D2 must prevent two warring tribes from annihilating each other while negotiating a trade treaty with a mining company all at the same time.

 

 This story takes place in that strange period of time where the cartoon 'Droids' occurred (prior to Episode IV: A New Hope) when  both Threepio and Artoo were without masters. Like in that short-lived series, the droids undergo no less than 3 ownership changes. Only these point of sales take place the means of a 48-page story!

 

   I really enjoyed this story. The writing was really good and the dialogue perfect (and why wouldn't it be, it was written by Daniels who crafted the iconic character he's played for over 35-years now.) The art was also very good and I just loved the painted quality of it and the cover.

 

  Finishing this story, I did have one puzzling question: if Lucasfilm is to be believed, thanks to the new trilogy finally being made, any work made after Return of the Jedi was rendered no longer canon. Since the series 'Droids' as well as the 'Protocol Offensive' occurs before episode IV (but was published after Episode VI) is this story canon or not? Either way you want to answer this, and I challenge George Lucas to write an explanation in this review's comment section, this was a great story and a fun journey to a galaxy far, far away...

   Worth Consuming.

    Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.