This week ushers in a new era for Star Wars comic books. After more than two decades in the hands of indie publisher Dark Horse Comics, Star Wars will once again call Marvel home as the entertainment giant begins to publish new comics that are to be considered official canon alongside the films.
In addition to creating new stories, Marvel will also be republishing some of the best Dark Horse Star Wars stories in collected format. Some are already available digitally via Comixology. If today's release of Star Wars #1 has you in the mood to read anything and everything containing X-Wings and lightsabers, you can't go wrong with checking out some of the most notable Star Wars comics from the Dark Horse era below.
This is where it all started. Dark Empire kicked off the Dark Horse Star Wars run with a bang 23 years ago and it is still an essential part of the expanded universe today. Set six years after Return of the Jedi, this series sees the resurrection of the Emperor (via cloning), Luke Skywalker giving in to the temptation of the Dark Side and brand new super weapons for the Rebel Alliance to worry about -- the World Devastators. Okay, so maybe some aspects of the storyline don't hold up (namely the Emperor clones and yet another Empire super weapon in the vein of the Death Star), but it's hard to forget your first. With such stellar artwork and iconic moments, Dark Empire, despite its flaws, is a must-read for Star Wars comic book fans.
Based on the book series of the same name, X-Wing: Rogue Squadron focuses on the real reason we all fell in love with Star Wars -- epic space battles. Wedge Antilles, the ace X-Wing pilot who contributed to the Rebel victories during the battles of both Death Stars, leads Rogue Squadron through hell and back as the elite fighting force attempts to put the nail in the coffin of the Empire after the events of Return of the Jedi. You won't find much talk about the Force here. Instead the book serves as an in-depth look at the military side of the Star Wars universe, and the sacrifice of the men and women who give their lives on the near-suicidal missions Rogue Squadron becomes known for.
Much of the expanded universe exists in a post-Return of the Jedi world. That's not the case with Knights of the Old Republic. Taking its name and setting from the much loved video game, KOTOR took readers thousands of years into the past to experience a Star Wars universe that was in some ways familiar but in other ways completely foreign. We are accustomed to Jedi always being the straight and narrow do-gooders depicted in the films, but KOTOR showed that sometimes being a Jedi means dealing in shades of gray as the series follows a padawan framed for the murder of a group of Jedi learners. It may not star Luke, Han or Leia, but KOTOR allowed for outside-the-box storytelling that still holds up today.
The period between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope has always been ripe with storytelling potential. It's one of the great unfilled voids of the Star Wars timeline, as the Republic crumbles and the Empire rises to take its place. It's not surprising then that the new animated show Star Wars Rebels is looking to fill in some of the gaps, but before Disney's animated series there were comics like Purge helping to chart the rise of the Empire. First on the Empire's to-do list? Hunt down the remaining Jedi. Whereas Rebels leaves much of the Jedi hunting to the Sith-like Inquisitor, Purge depicts Darth Vader himself mercilessly and relentlessly hunting down his former comrades. Numerous Jedi that fans had come to know and love from the Dark Horse expanded universe met their end in this very comic, and went on to show that Darth Vader was not a villain to be trifled with.
Stepping away from the more serious tales that make up the bulk of this list, Tag and Bink are a breath of fresh air. Rebel officers Tag Greenly and Bink Otauna are minding their own business upon the Tantive IV when they are thrust into the middle of the Star Wars saga. Rather than accept their deaths at the hands of Darth Vader, they do something way more reasonable -- they run for their lives and disguise themselves as stormtroopers. Along the way the two rebel goofballs watch from the sidelines of the entire original film trilogy and even some of the prequels as they encounter iconic Star Wars characters. If you are looking for a light-hearted take on the Star Wars saga filled with inside jokes and clever writing, Tag and Bink is guaranteed to bring a smile to your face.
Remember those incredibly cool looking guards, draped in red and briefly glimpsed in Return of the Jedi? That's the Imperial Guard, the most dedicated, deadly and loyal servants of the Emperor. So what happened to them after the Emperor's death? That's the story Crimson Empire sets out to tell. It's a tale of betrayal, revenge and loyalty, as guardsmen Carnor Jax murders his comrades in a bid to become the new leader of the crumbling Empire. However, he killed all but one -- Kir Kanos, whose undying loyalty to the Emperor will see Jax destroyed and his order avenged no matter the cost. The grand finale is an epic 12-page battle between the two former brothers-in-arms that still serves as one of the most spectacular duels in the entire expanded universe.
To this day there is not a Star Wars story riskier than Legacy, and it is in many ways still surprising the series ever saw the light of day. Launched in 2006 by Dark Horse as a means to revamp its Star Wars line of comics, Legacy would throw Star Wars into uncharted territory, more than 100 years past the timelines of the movies. This wasn't the Star Wars we grew up with. Instead of a lightsaber-wielding hero, readers instead got Cade Skywalker, a descendant of Luke who had turned his back on the path of the Jedi and instead makes a living as a bounty hunter. Gone was the Sith "rule of two." Instead a number of new Sith looked to control the galaxy, including fan favorite Darth Talon. Much like Knights of the Old Republic, Legacy featured a galaxy far, far away that was familiar yet strange, and allowed for more creative freedom in the Star Wars universe than ever before.
