The return of Star Wars to Marvel Comics is nearly upon us. Not one but three different Star Wars series are coming early next year from the comic giant, among them the Star Wars: Princess Leia mini-series from writer Mark Waid and artist Terry Dodson. Now we have our first look in-color look at some of the interior art from the first issue, and it's hard not to get excited for more.
Okay, sure, so these preview pages courtesy of Starwars.com show nothing new. It is in fact a familiar scene -- the award ceremony at the end of A New Hope, where Leia awards Luke and Han medals for their service to the rebellion after the destruction of the Death Star. But seeing the scene in a new light thanks to Dodson's art is a welcome starting point.
The comic will pick up right after the events of A New Hope and dive into the character of Leia as she struggles with the loss of her home planet. Like all the Star Wars comics and books moving forward, this comic will be considered official Star Wars canon, so it will likely be a must-read for fans.
Waid spoke with Starwars.com shortly after Marvel announced the comics, and says the mini-series will deal with the aftermath of Leia losing her home. But Leia is far from your ordinary damsel in distress, and she quickly picks up the pieces and begins to rebuild. Part of that rebuilding will be finding those who called Alderaan home but happened to be off the planet at the time of its destruction, as Leia attempts preserve the memory and culture of her home.
"So it's a five-issue story [arc] that takes her across the galaxy in search of others of her kind to try and pull them together," Waid says. "Of course, some of them are going to be suspect, because they suspect this could be some sort of weird trap by the Empire. Some of them are going to be very angry, as they rightly or wrongly blame the house of Organa for what happened. Obviously, Leia will be traveling as low profile as she possibly can. If and when the Empire gets wind of the fact that Leia is doing is this, they're going to be very interested themselves in what she's doing, what she thinks she's doing, and what information there is to be mined from these people."
You can check out Star Wars: Princess Leia in March.
