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Marvel Comicshas grown into a brand every bit as successful and recognizable asStar Wars , but the House of Ideas may have gone under if not for George Lucas ’ immortal distance saga . Now both brands are owned by Disney , but the truth is thatStar Warssaved Marvel at a time when the publisher was contend , much like the Millennium Falcon swooping in at the last minute to help Luke Skywalker blow up the Death Star .
“ gross sales were defective and falling , ” Shooter writes of Marvel Comics in the late 70 , painting a dire portrait of the company before they got thelicense to makeStar Warscomics : " The comics overall were breakeven at best … It seemed like the company as a whole was in a last spiral . "
Marvel Comics Acquired the Rights toStar WarsJust as Trouble Loomed, Potentially Saving the Entire Company
Comic Sales Were Slipping in the 1970s
It was n’t just Marvel . The comics diligence as a whole was struggling in the late 70 . This was before there was a far-flung direct marketplace of specialty risible ledger stores , when most cartoon strip were still deal via the classical newsstand dispersion system ( grocery stores , gas station , drug store , etc.).The newsstand market was becoming untenable for many publishers in the 1970s , as sales began to slump and interest in comedian go down . Perhaps the majuscule evidence of this was the“DC Explosion , ” an go-ahead from DC Comicsthat was think to found several new titles , only for all of them to be speedily canceled .
At the fourth dimension , Shooter was an associate editor forge at Marvel , and he minces no news about the world-wide land of the publisher during this period : " Marvel was a pile throughout the mid-1970s and during my two years as ' associate editor in chief , ' from the beginning of 1976 through the end of 1977.“According to Shooter , it was fellowMarvel editor Roy Thomaswho brought Lucas ’ new moving-picture show to the newspaper publisher ’s attention . " Roy proposed that we license some upcoming skill fiction picture show calledStar Wars , " Shooter writes , only for Thomas to be met with resistance .
Star Wars is at long last pit Master Yoda against the major galactic villain who never was , now made canon after 39 years in Marvel ’s Jedi Knights .
Shooter further describes Marvel ’s reluctance to take on the adaptation : " The Prevailing Wisdom at the time said ' science fabrication does n’t sell . ' adapt a picture with the hokey title’Star Wars’seemed like folly to most . “With sales flagging , it ’s intelligible that Marvel would be hesitating to take a jeopardy on an untested moving picture . Much like how nearly every studio in Hollywood lead on Lucas ’ unearthly infinite movie , Marvel almost passed on the chance to makeStar Warscomicsas well .
The Popularity of theStar WarsComics at Marvel Completely Changed the Company’s Outlook
Marvel Sees Hope in a Galaxy Far, Far Away
" There was a batch of opposition toStar Wars , " Shooter explains , before going on to state that the animosity go pretty richly up in the company:“Even Stan [ Lee]wasn’t keen on the estimation . ” Shooter choke on to tell an anecdoteinvolving Lucas himself , aboutthe time the filmmaker purportedly came to the Marvel agency to discussStar Warscomics :
“ I was told — don’t have it off for sure — that George Lucas himself came to Marvel ’s position to come across with Stan and help convince him that we should licenseStar Wars . I was told that Stan kept him waiting for 45 minutes in the reception room . Apocryphal ? Maybe . Roy would be intimate . But if so , it still reflect the mood at the time . ”
Even though there was a mess of resistance to the musical theme , Thomas was able-bodied to secure the rightfulness toStar Warsfor Marvelbefore the going of the film in 1977 . “ I do n’t know how Roy got it done , ” Shooter writes,“But , Roy got the hatful done and we publishedStar Wars . ”Star Wars#1 reach the comic record racks on April 12th , 1977 , a full month and half ahead of the celluloid ’s May 25th tone ending . come from the creative squad of Thomas and Howard Chaykin , the first six issues adapted the film before continuing with all - young adventure .
The Force Was Strong with Marvel Comics Thanks to ItsStar WarsAdaptation
The Now-Classic Series Kickstarted Sales
Fortunately for Marvel , Star Warswas not just a hit , buta once - in - a - generation achiever taradiddle that would change picture palace and shape pop culturefor decade to add up . Shooter describes how the comics sold in the wake of the motion-picture show , and it ’s hard not to feel the tangible excitement of the time :
“ The first two issues of our six ( ? ) issue adjustment came out in advance of the motion-picture show . Driven by the advancement marketing for the movie , sale were very good . Then about the clip the third egress ship , the movie was released . Sales made the jumping to hyperspace . Star Warsthe pic stayed in theaters forever , it seemed . Not since the Beatles had I see a ethnic phenomenon of such business leader . The comics sold and sold and sold . We reprinted the adaption in every potential format . They all sold and sell and sold . ”
Star Warswas able to rein the power of accredited media in a elbow room that few other movies had before , and Marvel benefit in a big way . At the time of the original film ’s release , possess the nameStar Warson a Cartesian product was fundamentally a licence to publish money . For Shooter , this achiever was essential toMarvel ’s natural selection as a publisherat the time : “ In the most conservative term , it is inarguable that the winner of theStar Warscomics was a significant factor in Marvel ’s survival through a couple of very hard years , 1977 and 1978 . ”
Marvel is still publishing Star Wars comics to this day . Do n’t forget to checker out its recent mainStar Warstitle by Alex Segura and Phil Noto , launch May 7th , 2025 .
It ’s easy to seewhyStar Warsdid so well at Marvel . At the time of the original film ’s release , the concept of “ moving picture franchises ” was still in its infancy . There were n’t video game or many other forms of tie-in - in media , so the only place for audiences who were thrilled at theadventures of Luke Skywalker , Han Solo , and Princess Leia on - screen to take new adventures star those persona was the ongoing Marvel serial publication . Marvel benefited greatly from this , with many reports of sales agreement figure at the prison term suggest thatStar Wars#1 had sold a million transcript over the course of 1977 .
Would Marvel Comics Exist Today If Not forStar Wars?
The Answer Is Pretty Clear
It may vocalise excessively dramatic , but Shooter ’s statement thatStar Warssaved Marvel in the previous 1970s paint a picture ofhow important Lucas ’ motion-picture show was not only to the publisher , but to the entire comics industry . While the serial publication remain a strong seller throughout the release of the intact original trilogy , pursuit eventually started to wane with no new films on the horizon . Marvel canceled the record book in 1986 , and the license was later on acquired by thesmall indie publisher Dark Horse Comics .
It ’s wild to call back about , but Marvel Comics might not exist today if not forStar Wars .
Marvel go the license once again in 2015 , bring in the Galaxy Far , Far Away home once more to the publishing house that take a chance on it all those years ago . No matter who is publishing its comics , Star Warshas been a fixing of the comic Scripture industry for several decades now , with no shortage ofStar Warscomics readily useable for fan eager to explore Lucas ’ world on the print Sir Frederick Handley Page . It ’s wild to think about , butMarvel Comicsmight not live today if not forStar Wars .
The originalStar Warscomic book series is usable now from Marvel Comics .
informant : Jim Shooter
Star Wars is a multimedia franchise that started in 1977 by Almighty George Lucas . After the firing of Star Wars : Episode IV- A New Hope ( originally just titled Star Wars ) , the enfranchisement quickly exploded , spawning multiple sequels , prequels , TV show , video games , comics , and much more . After Disney adopt the rights to the franchise , they quickly flesh out the existence on Disney+ , start with The Mandalorian .
Star Wars is a multimedia franchise that started in 1977 by creator George Lucas. After the release of Star Wars: Episode IV- A New Hope (originally just titled Star Wars), the franchise quickly exploded, spawning multiple sequels, prequels, TV shows, video games, comics, and much more. After Disney acquired the rights to the franchise, they quickly expanded the universe on Disney+, starting with The Mandalorian.
Star Wars is a multimedia franchise that started in 1977 by creator George Lucas. After the release of Star Wars: Episode IV- A New Hope (originally just titled Star Wars), the franchise quickly exploded, spawning multiple sequels, prequels, TV shows, video games, comics, and much more. After Disney acquired the rights to the franchise, they quickly expanded the universe on Disney+, starting with The Mandalorian.
