Marvel Comics has done some amazing things for the Star Wars galaxy. Its various series have provided a plethora of additional development for beloved characters while adding several brand new characters to the galaxy at large that have garnered followings in their own right. However, the best thing that Marvel’s Star Wars comics have done is fill the narrative gaps within the Original Trilogy of films.
At present, Marvel’s centerpiece Star Wars run takes place between the fourth and fifth episodes, showing the fallout of Darth Vader’s reveal that he is Luke Skywalker‘s father, as well the the aftermath of the Empire scattering the Rebellion after the Battle of Hoth. A really cool element of the run is the brand new lightsaber wielded by Luke Skywalker after losing his father’s weapon during Empire Strikes Back, and a new variant cover gives fans their best look yet at the blade.
When Vader made his iconic reveal to Luke, he also cut off Luke’s hand, which caused the young Jedi-in-training to drop his lightsaber into the depths of Cloud City below. When Luke, Leia, and Lando returned to Cloud City in the comic series, Luke was unable to recover his lightsaber, but he did receive a vision of a woman calling out to him through the Force to follow his destiny. Despite his recently stoked doubts, Luke resolved to find the woman, who is revealed to be Verla, a survivor of Order 66 and the Jedi Purge. While she has abandoned the ways of the Jedi, she shares the location of an old Jedi temple, and it’s there that Luke discovers his new lightsaber, as shown in a recently announced variant cover.
In Star Wars #6, written by Charles Soule with art by Roman Rosanas, Luke now wields a yellow-bladed lightsaber from the High Republic that once belonged to the Jedi Temple Guards. In that moment, all of Luke’s doubts about his destiny fade away, and Luke decides that he will continue his training and become a Jedi. Readers can now commemorate this epic moment with Star Wars #7 and a recently revealed variant cover from artist John Tyler Christopher.
It’s rare to see yellow lightsabers in Star Wars, especially during the Original Trilogy era where the Jedi are all but extinct. Given that Luke is one of the last Jedi living, to see him wield a lightsaber that is so tied to the Jedi’s history is truly significant and really cool. In the temple, Luke gains a new perspective and understanding of the Jedi. He’s not just training to be a a Jedi. He’s training to be a part of the Jedi Order.
The variant cover is an NYCC collectible cover running for $25, with only 4,000 units being printed. Even though many fans won’t be able to get their hands on a physical copy, the artwork is still absolutely gorgeous, providing an up-close look at the hilt that seems to fit Luke really well for this period of the Star Wars timeline, even if it is only a temporary weapon before he builds his own green lightsaber seen in Return of the Jedi.
