Star Wars has firmly established itself as a pop-culture titan of the industry, and primarily as a live-action and theatrical franchise. However, there are still plenty of great and bizarre stories in the galaxy far, far away in other mediums. Arguably one of the other mediums that a sci-fi fantasy epic like Star Wars lends itself best to is comic books.
Disney, of course, struck much of the Extended Universe stories out of the new mainline canon — assuming they weren’t already — and into its canon under the “Legends” banner. Regardless, the franchise has amassed a dense catalog of wild story arcs that span decades of comics.
Dark Empire
Perhaps the wildest thing about the Dark Horse Comics Dark Empire comic book series was how it ended up influencing Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker. Dark Empire starts shortly after the events of Return of the Jedi, revealing the twist that Emperor Palpatine was able to survive his supposed demise at the hands of Darth Vader by transferring his soul into a clone body.
As Star Wars‘ most powerful Sith Lord, Palpatine reappears with a newly established Imperial armada and even temporarily turns Luke Skywalker to the Dark side. These were both key plot points in The Rise of Skywalker and also sparked some controversy at the time for undermining Vader/Anakin’s sacrifice and redemption.
Legacy
Dark Horse Comics was known in decades past for publishing some great Star Wars stories, which will surely excite longtime fans to see the publisher get licensing rights to the franchise again. Legacy is one of the most ambitious Star Wars comics, as it takes place 130 years after the events of Return of the Jedi.
A new Sith Lord named Darth Krayt has thrown the infamous “Rule of Two” away and established the “One Sith,” a group of them that all bow down to him. The series follows a jaded former Jedi, bounty hunter, and descendent of Luke who’s eventually thrust back into the ways of the Force.
Prey
After the aforementioned Dark Empire also popularized the return of Boba Fett, he began featuring in various Star Wars comics. One such story includes Dark Horse’s anthology series Star Wars Tales, specifically the issue Prey. The story revolves around Darth Vader and Boba Fett racing to see who will apprehend Han Solo first.
Prey culminates in the two characters fighting, Fett drawing a lightsaber he picked up from a dead Jedi, and nearly killing Vader. Just as it sounds, the story contains quite a bit of eye-rolling fanservice, with Prey contorting itself trying to make Fett using a lightsaber and beating Darth Vader believable. Nonetheless, it’s one of Boba Fett’s most memorable panels in Star Wars comics.
Infinities: A New Hope
In a series of “what if?” stories, Dark Horse’s Infinities series takes some fun — and even darker — creative liberties to established Star Wars canon. Three of these stories chronicled alternate-timeline versions of the beloved and timeless Star Wars Original Trilogy.
Of course, Infinities: A New Hope makes Luke missing his one-in-a-million shot at destroying the Death Star I at the Battle of Yavin IV a major plot point. Losing this battle resulted in the Rebels having to retreat to an underpowered state, with Vader kidnapping Princess Leia — and turning her to the Dark Side.
Heir To The Empire
Of all the Legends canon Star Wars stories out there, the Heir to the Empire series is among the biggest fan favorites. This trilogy was originally a series of novels but was later adapted into a comic book format by Dark Horse. Heir to the Empire is also known as the Thrawn Trilogy, as this was the first appearance — Legends or mainline canon — of Grand Admiral Thrawn.
Just as well, the series was famous for introducing Mara Jade, an ex-Palpatine disciple-turned-bounty hunter and love interest of Luke. Of course, Thrawn has since been incorporated into the main canon through Rebels, new novels by the same author, and will play a major role in Star Wars‘ upcoming Ahsoka series.
Infinities: The Empire Strikes Back
Of the three Infinities comic book stories retelling the Original Trilogy, The Empire Strikes Back entry is perhaps the bleakest of the bunch. The movie begins with Luke needing to be rescued from the snowy and desolate planet of Hoth, and this comic reimagines it as if the young Jedi died there.
From there, it is Han Solo and Princess Leia that need to make the trek to Dagobah in an attempt to get former Grand Master Yoda’s guidance. However, upon arriving on the swamp planet, Yoda tells the two that it is Leia that must be trained as a Jedi, that Luke was her brother, and Vader is her father.
The Destiny Path
Venturing back into the realm of the main Disney canon, Marvel Comics has been going all-in on its Star Wars investment. There are many series out and ongoing, including the main Star Wars comics. Marvel’s latest run at the series is still fairly fresh, with last year’s The Destiny Path arc bringing together the most unlikely of confrontations.
Taking place after The Empire Strikes Back and before Return of the Jedi, this arc follows Luke trying to stabilize himself on the path of the Jedi after losing his lightsaber, getting dismembered, and being defeated by his father. This vision quest leads him to a planet where he fights the Grand Inquisitor, who turns out to be a spectral prisoner of Darth Vader.
Infinities: Return Of The Jedi
Similar to Infinities: The Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi alters the beginning of the movie and spins it out into its timeline. It also might be the most “bizarro world” of the three stories given how it ends. Infinities: Return of the Jedi begins with the heroes’ attempts to rescue Han Solo from Jabba the Hutt’s palace going haywire and Fett escaping with the famous smuggler.
Luke is then captured in the Death Star but, with the help of Leia, succeeds in redeeming Vader back to the Light Side of the Force as a Jedi. Palpatine escapes the wreckage of the Death Star II, but Luke, Leia, and Anakin Skywalker (complete with an all-white life support suit) gather the rebels to hunt him down.
The Star Wars
A New Hope — then simply titled Star Wars — proved to be an acclaimed phenomenon, but veteran fans couldn’t help their curiosity in wondering what the original screenplay for the movie was. And, in the most alternate-timeline fashion, Dark Horse got George Lucas’ blessing to adapt his original rough draft into a standalone comic book series.
The Star Wars is a crazy ride largely for how entertainingly jarring it is to read a sort of parallel universe with familiar pieces presented in such an unfamiliar way. Luke is essentially Obi-Wan, “Annikin Starkiller” is Luke, and Han Solo is a reptilian alien.
Crimson Empire
Since comics can allow the likes of Star Wars to dive into pieces of lore that movies might not concern themselves with, it’s both surprising and unsurprising that Dark Horse published a saga focusing on Emperor Palpatine’s mysterious Imperial Royal Guard. The series hones in on the aftermath of Return of the Jedi through the lens of the remaining Royal Guard members.
Kir Kanos has had to survive as a bounty hunter after being betrayed by fellow Guard Carnor Jax, which caused a rift in the remaining group. It’s a unique look at the Star Wars galaxy, especially for worldbuilding in showing the grueling history of how the Imperial Royal Guard came to be by Vader’s fist.
