Unless you’d been living off the grid over the past weekend, you’ve probably heard about the epic Star Wars comic book humble bundle, presented by Dark Horse Comics. This offer is running for just over another week’s time and, honestly, should not be missed. Whether you have maybe some, but not all, of these comics, or you’ve never picked any up before, this is a great way to get into it.
You might wonder if you should bother reading these since they are all going to be largely considered Legends and Marvel has new comics coming out soon. I, for one, still highly recommend looking into the Dark Horse run. The stories are, for the most part, very high quality, and Marvel also recently announced that they will be reprinting many of the inter-trilogy stories developed and published by Dark Horse over the past twenty years.
I was planning on doing a big elaborate article on the announced titles that are included, but that’s been done by the main website itself! Instead, I’m going to give you my reasons for wanting each of the titles that are included therein.
Star Wars Omnibus: A Long Time Ago . . . Volume 1
The first issues of the original Marvel run from 1977, which began immediately following the movie. If for no other reason, this is worth some historical value to see what was being written following Episode IV, but before Episode V.
Star Wars: Empire Volume 1 Betrayal
This is title features a look at Imperial intrigue leading up to the events of A New Hope. Don’t expect any talk about taxation and trade disputes here. Just good ol’ Imperial backstabbing.
Star Wars: Jedi Volume 1 – The Dark Side
What were the two best parts of Episode I? Darth Maul (who we’ll get to later) and Qui-Gon Jinn. In this mini-series, we get to see more of Qui-Gon and (gasp!) his apprentice before Obi-Wan.
Star Wars: Crimson Empire Volume 1
This is, by far, one of the best reasons to get this bundle. Crimson Empire, conceived and written by Dark Horse president Mike Richardson, is one of the all-time classics and is considered a must-read, especially for fans of the Empire, post-Endor.
Star Wars: Darth Maul – Death Sentence
Oh, look, it’s the other best part of Episode 1! This collection actually fills in some gaps in The Clone Wars between seasons four and five. Just looking at the preview on darkhorse.com, this is the kind of brutal storytelling you expect from the brothers of Dathomir.
Star Wars: Blood Ties – Jango and Boba Fett
One of the first Boba stories to be printed following all the events of Episodes II and III and the Clone Wars, this story weaves events from Jango and Boba’s time together with struggles Boba faces later in life. I, for one, want more of this.
Star Wars: Darth Vader and the Lost Command
Another of my favorite topics to explore, this story follows Vader not long after the events of Episode III. Unlike the novel The Rise of Darth Vader, this story does focus on Vader and his struggles following his life altering decisions in the movie and the tasks his new boss sends him on.
Star Wars: The Old Republic Volume 1 – Blood of the Empire
This is the one volume of Old Republic comics I did not read, so I will be looking forward to it. Like Threat of Peace, this was originally developed and published as a webcomic on the official Old Republic website leading up to the game’s release.
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic Volume 1 Commencement
This is one of my personal all-time favorite storylines. This one, as well as another I’ll mention, came from what I consider to be the apex of Star Wars comics. Great authors (John Jackson Miller) combined with amazing artists (Brian Ching) really make this an amazing book. The finale of the very first issue will keep you coming back for more.
Star Wars: Legacy Volume 1 – Broken
A favorite of mine and Leo, Legacy came out just a couple months after the first issue of KOTOR above. Another example of a fantastic writer/artist team (John Ostrander and Jan Duursema, respectively), this story takes place over a hundred years after Return of the Jedi, but does make connections to the later books, including New Jedi Order, Legacy of the Force, and Fate of the Jedi.
Star Wars: Dark Times Volume 1 – The Path to Nowhere
Also released not long after KOTOR and Legacy, this is another set of stories that take place soon after Episode III. What was most interesting about this series was that it carried on the numbering from the prior series Republic, it just changed the tone and title to reflect the change within the story.
Star Wars Volume 1: In the Shadow of Yavin
One of the more recent series, this features a return to the classic trilogy era, right after the events of Episode IV, which hadn’t been featured for a number of years. Expect a lot of stories like this to be appearing soon. This one, which I just began reading, is a fun and, actually, kind of dark story about the Rebels struggling after the Battle of Yavin.
Although those are all the ones currently listed, there are more to come later this week. Be sure to follow the link to the home of the Star Wars Humble Bundle and check out these great series, which are all downloadable in whatever format you need for your device or medium.