November 17 will mark Star Wars‘ annual Life Day celebration, and Marvel is releasing four beautiful variant covers to celebrate the occasion. A fictional festival within the Star Wars universe, Life Day goes back to 1978, and has become a beloved part of the galaxy far, far away’s fandom.
Marvel has revealed four new variant covers coming November 2023, appearing on that month’s issues of Star Wars, Star Wars: Darth Vader, Star Wars: Doctor Aphra and Star Wars: Bounty Hunters. The images show Han Solo and Chewie hanging Life Day’s signature glowing baubles; Doctor Aphra and Krrsantan in good spirits, Chef Gormaanda preparing a new dish, and Anakin and Shmi Skywalker sitting down for a meal.
Coming from Mike Del Mundo and Rod Reis, the variant covers will be released as follows:
Issue | Artist | Release Date |
|---|---|---|
Star Wars #40 | Mike Del Mundo | November 1 |
Star Wars: Darth Vader #40 | Rod Reis | November 8 |
Star Wars: Doctor Aphra #38 | Rod Reis | November 15 |
Star Wars: Bounty Hunters #40 | Rod Reis | November 22 |
What Is Star Wars’ Life Day?
Within Star Wars canon, Life Day is an ancient Wookiee tradition that started on Kashyyyk and gradually spread across the galaxy. Intended as a celebration of life and connection to nature, it’s also a time to remember the dead and departed, and is considered a sacred day. In real life, the concept originates with the infamous 1978 Star Wars Holiday Special – releasing after the original Star Wars and before The Empire Strikes Back, it was poorly received, but was later embraced by fans both for its semi-ironic silliness and its place in the franchise’s history – for example, the special served as the first appearance of Boba Fett, who stars in an animated short.
Star Wars Is Still Celebrating Life Day (Despite a Rocky Start)
Star Wars itself often celebrates Life Day with some kind of tribute in November, with ornaments, apparel and a dedicated cook book available to purchase. This year, Mike Del Mundo and Rod Reis’ cover art marks the occasion, bringing back Star Wars Holiday Special‘s Chef Gormaanda and showing a sweet, humanizing moment in Anakin Skywalker’s childhood, confirming that even Darth Vader once enjoyed this celebration of life and light.
The comic covers are sure to be a major hit with Star Wars fans, even if the cheery art doesn’t reflect the adventures within. In Marvel’s ongoing Star Wars comics, the galaxy is currently caught up in the Dark Droids event – a horror-tinged battle between the galaxy’s biological life and the droid-possessing AI known as the Scourge. If there’s an opposite of Life Day, it’s the Scourge’s plan to consume the entire galaxy, which just makes it all the more important to celebrate Star Wars‘ festive season while it’s still possible to do so.
