Marvel Comics

Marvel Comics is one of the largest companies in the world of comic books. They were the company to first release comic books for the Star Wars saga, with their Star Wars series.

History
Marvel began in 1939 as Timely Comics, publishing popular superhero titles. In the 1950s, as Atlas Comics they published mainly other genres such as romance, crime, western, and war stories. By the 1960s, the superhero genre was becoming popular again, and the newly named Marvel Comics started creating a number of new superhero titles written by Stan Lee and illustrated by Jack Kirby. During the 1970s Marvel's sales were declining and the company was in trouble caused, in part, by poor distribution.

In the late 1970s the company's fortunes turned around with the smash success of the Star Wars film adaptation, which it began publishing in 1977 after prodding by Roy Thomas, as well as burgeoning successes like The Uncanny X-Men and Daredevil. Jim Shooter, editor-in-chief of Marvel from 1978 to 1987, would later say in an interview regarding the importance of Star Wars to the plight of the company, "Star Wars single-handedly saved Marvel... And that kept us alive."



Marvel also published stories in Britain under the imprint Marvel UK. In addition to reprinting the American Star Wars comics, the UK series produced a number of original stories.

Marvel continued to publish Star Wars comics until 1986, and the Droids and Ewoks series until 1987. The comic-book license for Star Wars was later picked up by Dark Horse Comics, which began producing Star Wars comics in 1991 with the publication of Dark Empire. Dark Horse would later reprint much of the Marvel-produced Star Wars material under the title Classic Star Wars.

In 2009, Marvel was bought by The Walt Disney Company. Their former collaborator, Lucasfilm Ltd., followed suit three years later, when George Lucas sold the rights to his company to Disney.

On January 3, 2014, an announcement was made that the Star Wars comics license was moving from Dark Horse back to Marvel in 2015.

Series

 * Star Wars (April 1977 – June 1986)
 * Ewoks (May 1985 – July 1987)
 * Star Wars: Droids (April 1986 – June 1987)

Miniseries

 * Star Wars: Return of the Jedi (October 1983 – January 1984)

One-shots

 * Star Wars Annual 1: The Long Hunt (November 1978)
 * Star Wars Annual 2: Shadeshine! (August 1982)
 * Star Wars Annual 3: The Apprentice (August 1983)

Published collections

 * Marvel Special Edition Featuring Star Wars (1977–1978)
 * Marvel Special Edition 2: The Empire Strikes Back (Spring 1980)
 * Marvel Super Special 16: The Empire Strikes Back (Spring 1980)
 * The Marvel Comics Illustrated Version of The Empire Strikes Back (May 1980)
 * Marvel Super Special 27: Return of the Jedi (1983)
 * Star Wars: Return of the Jedi (1983)
 * Star Wars: The Original Marvel Years Volume 1 (January 2015)
 * Star Wars Legends Epic Collection: The Empire Vol. 1 (April 2015)
 * Star Wars: Episode I &mdash; The Phantom Menace (May 2016)
 * Star Wars: Episode IV &mdash; A New Hope (May 2015)
 * Star Wars Legends Epic Collection: The New Republic Vol. 1 (May 2015)
 * Star Wars: The Original Marvel Years Volume 2 (June 2015)
 * Star Wars: Droids & Ewoks Omnibus (June 2016)
 * Star Wars Legends Epic Collection: The Old Republic Vol. 1 (July 2015)
 * Star Wars: Episode V &mdash; The Empire Strikes Back (August 2015)
 * Star Wars Legends Epic Collection: Rise of the Sith Vol. 1 (September 2015)
 * Star Wars: The Original Marvel Years Volume 3 (October 2015)
 * Star Wars Legends Epic Collection: The Empire Vol. 2 (November 2015)
 * Star Wars: Episode VI &mdash; Return of the Jedi (November 2015)
 * Star Wars Legends Epic Collection: Infinities (December 2015)
 * Star Wars Legends Epic Collection: The New Republic Vol. 2 (April 2016)
 * Star Wars Legends Epic Collection: The Rebellion Vol. 1 (July 2016)
 * Star Wars Legends Epic Collection: The Original Marvel Years Vol. 1 (September 2016)
 * Star Wars: Episode II &mdash; Attack of the Clones (September 2016)
 * Star Wars: Legends Epic Collection: The Newspaper Strips Vol. 1 (February 2017)
 * Star Wars: Legends Epic Collection: The Empire Vol. 3 (February 2017)
 * Star Wars Legends Epic Collection: Legacy Vol. 1 (October 2016)
 * Star Wars: Legends Epic Collection: The Rebellion Vol. 2 (May 2017)
 * Star Wars Legends Epic Collection: The Original Marvel Years Vol. 2 (July 2017)
 * Star Wars: The Marvel UK Collection Omnibus (September 2017)
 * Star Wars Legends Epic Collection: The Clone Wars Vol. 1 (January 2017)
 * Star Wars Legends Epic Collection: Rise of the Sith Vol. 2 (November 2017)
 * Star Wars Legends Epic Collection: The New Republic Vol. 3 (December 2017)
 * Star Wars Legends Epic Collection: Legacy Vol. 2 (January 2018)
 * Star Wars Legends Epic Collection: The Clone Wars Vol. 2 (April 2018)
 * Tag & Bink Were Here (May 2018)
 * Star Wars Legends Epic Collection: The Empire Vol. 4 (June 2018)
 * Star Wars Legends Epic Collection: The Original Marvel Years Vol. 3 (July 2018)
 * Star Wars Legends Epic Collection: The Menace Revealed Vol. 1 (October 2018)

Series

 * Star Wars: Kanan (April 2015 – March 2016)
 * Star Wars: Darth Vader (February 2015 – October 2016)
 * Star Wars: Poe Dameron (April 2016 – September 2018)

Miniseries

 * Star Wars: Princess Leia (March 2015 – July 2015)
 * Star Wars: Lando (July 2015 – October 2015)
 * Star Wars: Shattered Empire (September 2015 – November 2015)
 * Star Wars: Chewbacca (October 2015 – December 2015)
 * Star Wars: Obi-Wan and Anakin (January 2016 – May 2016)
 * Star Wars: The Force Awakens Adaptation (June 2016 – November 2016)
 * Star Wars: Han Solo (June 2016 – November 2016)
 * Star Wars: Darth Maul (February 2017 – July 2017)
 * Star Wars: Rogue One Adaptation (April 2017 – September 2017)
 * Star Wars: Captain Phasma (September 2017 – October 2017)
 * Star Wars: Jedi of the Republic – Mace Windu (August – December 2017)
 * Star Wars: Thrawn (February 2018 – July 2018)
 * Star Wars: The Last Jedi Adaptation (May 2018 – September 2018)
 * Star Wars: Lando: Double or Nothing (May 2018 – September 2018)

One-shots

 * Vader Down, Part I (November 2015)
 * Star Wars Annual 1 (December 2015)
 * Darth Vader Annual 1 (December 2015)
 * Star Wars Special: C-3PO 1: The Phantom Limb (April 2016)
 * Star Wars Annual 2 (November 2016)
 * The Screaming Citadel, Part I (May 2017)
 * Poe Dameron Annual 1 (June 2017)
 * Star Wars: Droids Unplugged 1 (June 2017)
 * Star Wars: Rogue One – Cassian & K-2SO Special 1 (August 2017)
 * Doctor Aphra Annual 1 (August 2017)
 * Star Wars Annual 3 (September 2017)
 * Star Wars: The Last Jedi – The Storms of Crait 1 (December 2017)
 * Star Wars: The Last Jedi – DJ – Most Wanted 1 (January 2018)
 * Star Wars Annual 4 (May 2018)
 * Darth Vader Annual 2: Technological Terror (July 2018)
 * Star Wars: Beckett 1 (August 2018)
 * Poe Dameron Annual 2 (August 2018)
 * Doctor Aphra Annual 2: Winloss and Nokk (September 2018)

Published collections

 * Star Wars Vol. 1: Skywalker Strikes (October 2015)
 * Star Wars: Darth Vader Vol. 1 &mdash; Vader (October 2015)
 * Star Wars: Princess Leia (November 2015)
 * Star Wars: Kanan Vol. 1 &mdash; The Last Padawan (November 2015)
 * Star Wars: Journey to Star Wars: The Force Awakens – Shattered Empire (November 2015)
 * Star Wars: Darth Vader Vol. 2 &mdash; Shadows and Secrets (January 2016)
 * Star Wars: Lando (January 2016)
 * Star Wars Vol. 2: Showdown on the Smuggler's Moon (January 2016)
 * Star Wars: Chewbacca (March 2016)
 * Star Wars: Vader Down (April 2016)
 * Star Wars: Kanan Vol. 2 — First Blood (May 2016)
 * Star Wars: Obi-Wan and Anakin (July 2016)
 * Star Wars: Darth Vader Volume 1 (July 2016)
 * Star Wars: Darth Vader Vol. 3 — The Shu-Torun War (August 2016)
 * Star Wars Vol. 3: Rebel Jail (August 2016)
 * Star Wars: Journey to Star Wars: The Force Awakens – Shattered Empire (September 2016)
 * Star Wars Volume 1 (September 2016)
 * Star Wars: Darth Vader Vol. 4 &mdash; End of Games (November 2016)
 * Star Wars: Heroes For a New Hope (November 2016)
 * Star Wars: Episode III &mdash; Revenge of the Sith (November 2016)
 * Star Wars: The Force Awakens Adaptation (December 2016)
 * Star Wars: Poe Dameron Vol. 1 — Black Squadron (December 2016)
 * Star Wars: Kanan Omnibus (December 2016)
 * Star Wars Vol. 4: Last Flight of the Harbinger (January 2017)
 * Star Wars: Han Sol (TPB) (January 2017)
 * Star Wars: Darth Vader Volume 2 (February 2017)
 * Star Wars: Doctor Aphra Vol. 1 – Aphra (July 2017)
 * Star Wars Vol. 5: Yoda's Secret War (July 2017)
 * Star Wars: Poe Dameron Vol. 2 — The Gathering Storm (July 2017)
 * Star Wars: Darth Maul (September 2017)
 * Star Wars: The Screaming Citadel (October 2017)
 * Star Wars: Poe Dameron Vol. 3 — Legend Lost (November 2017)
 * Star Wars: Journey to Star Wars: The Last Jedi – Captain Phasma (November 2017)
 * Star Wars: Darth Vader: Dark Lord of the Sith Vol. 1 — Imperial Machine (December 2017)
 * Star Wars: Rogue One Adaptation (December 2017)
 * Star Wars Vol. 6: Out Among the Stars (December 2017)
 * Star Wars: Doctor Aphra Vol. 2: Doctor Aphra and the Enormous Profit (February 2018)
 * Star Wars: Jedi of the Republic – Mace Windu (February 2018)
 * Star Wars Vol. 7: The Ashes of Jedha (April 2018)
 * Star Wars: A New Hope – The 40th Anniversary (April 2018)
 * Star Wars: Darth Vader: Dark Lord of the Sith Vol. 2 — Legacy's End (April 2018)
 * Star Wars: Poe Dameron Vol. 4 — Legend Found (May 2018)
 * Star Wars: Doctor Aphra Vol. 3: Remastered (July 2018)
 * Star Wars Vol. 8: Mutiny at Mon Cala (August 2018)
 * Star Wars: Darth Vader: Dark Lord of the Sith Vol. 3 — The Burning Seas (September 2018)
 * Star Wars: Thrawn (September 2018)
 * Star Wars: Doctor Aphra Volume 1 (October 2018)

Ongoing series

 * Star Wars (January 2015 – present)
 * Star Wars: Doctor Aphra (December 2016 – present)
 * Darth Vader: Dark Lord of the Sith (June 2017 – December 2018)

Miniseries

 * Solo: A Star Wars Story Adaptation (October 2018)
 * Star Wars: Han Solo - Imperial Cadet (November 2018)
 * Star Wars: Shadow of Vader (November 2018)
 * Star Wars: Age of Republic (December 2018 – March 2019)
 * Star Wars: Age of Rebellion  (April 2019)
 * Star Wars: Age of Resistance  (July 2019)

Forthcoming collections

 * Star Wars Legends Epic Collection: The New Republic Vol. 4 (October 2018)
 * Star Wars: Lando - Double or Nothing (November 2018)
 * Star Wars: The Last Jedi Adaptation (November 2018)
 * Star Wars Vol. 9: Hope Burns (December 2018)
 * Star Wars: Poe Dameron Vol. 5 (December 2018)
 * Star Wars: Doctor Aphra Vol. 4 (January 2019)
 * Star Wars: Darth Vader - Dark Lord of the Sith Vol. 4: The Black Fortress (January 2019)
 * Star Wars by Jason Aaron Omnibus (March 2019)
 * Star Wars: Ewoks - Flight to Danger (March 2019)
 * Star Wars Legends Epic Collection: The Old Republic Vol. 3 (April 2019)
 * Star Wars Vol. 10 (April 2019)