With the Star Wars comic book rights reverting to Lucasfilm in 2015, naturally Disney is handing off that license to its own comic book publisher — Marvel.
But this won't be the first time that Marvel has published official Star Wars comics. Way back in 1977, the same year that the original Star Wars hit theaters, Marvel launched the first-ever Star Wars comic book series. It was a collaboration that lasted for nine years before the arrangement ended. (Dark Horse Comics would acquire the license after a five-year drought, in 1991.)
In January 2015, Marvel launches the first of three new Star Wars monthlies, this one titled simply Star Wars. Written by Jason Aaron (Thor, Original Sin) and drawn by John Cassaday (Astonishing X-Men, Planetary), the title will tell new stories starring the cast of the classic film trilogy.
To honor the past in style, Marvel hired celebrated comics artist and painter Alex Ross to pay homage to the original Star Wars #1's cover (drawn by Howard Chaykin) with a 2015 update. Ross answered the challenge with one of his finest works to-date, a stunning portrait that uses the composition of the Chaykin's issue to frame a gorgeous painting of the original cast in action.
Entertainment Weekly first posted the cover, which you can see below alongside the 1977 original.
