Star Wars comic book universe

Havok · Post by **Havok** » 2006-10-11 03:04am

So, I was reading Marvel and DC wiki at work today. (Slow day) I started thinking about all the superheroes and villans, mutants, meta-humans, androids, aliens, gods etc. etc. that both universes have on basically ONE planet. Thousands of characters with thousands of stories on one fucking planet.

Then I thought about the Star Wars comic book universe. Three or four titles spanning an entire fucking galaxy AND 40,000 years. WTMF?!?!

Why can't, or why doesn't, LFL start their own comic book universe? Launch it with say, 10 titles and see how it goes. Import the Dark Horse titles that are currently running. Why, in such a massive galaxy of possibilities, are we stuck with such a minimal body of work. Perhaps if the palet for telling the stories were larger we would get some more interesting ones.

There have got to be tons of good artists out there that would like to draw for a SW universe and there has to be a few good writers who would be willing to throw down as well.

Why am I.. why are WE, subjected to boring retread stories like Legacy?

Argh... just a rant I 'spose.

000 · Post by **000** » 2006-10-11 03:29am

Star Wars, at the moment, has four ongoing series, which is more than its ever had going at the same time.

Also, have you read Legacy? It's turning out to be quite a quality story-- hardly a boring retread.

Havok · Post by **Havok** » 2006-10-11 03:42am

000 wrote:Also, have you read Legacy? It's turning out to be quite a quality story-- hardly a boring retread.

You mean the comic where the Jedi are almost extinct, the Empire is controlled by a Sith Lord, after taking power from a galaxy spanning republic. A young Skywalker is the main character and there is a princess runing from the Empire controlled by the Sith Lord, which destiny/circumstance happens to lead to the main character, Skywalker?

I wonder if they will be able to destroy the "Kill Sun"

Oh, right. My bad.

VT-16 · Post by **VT-16** » 2006-10-11 08:31am

It's rehash alright (just check out the preview pages for Legacy#5) but it's decent, which is more than I believed it would be. Just don't go to the DH SW forums, aka. "Tool-Heaven".

Tychu · Post by **Tychu** » 2006-10-12 11:04pm

I actually really enjoy the Legacy comic series.
Its a rehash of the original trilogy but who cares. Its ripping off the greatest 3 movies of all time.

Plus theres 3 factions instead of 2 (Sith Controlled Empire, Imperials, The Jedi). The Jedi are split into 3 groups (Jedi Order, Imperial Guard and Freelancers)

Plust Luke came back in hologram form and is telling his great great great grandson? what hes doing wrong and what he has got to do.

Plus............spoiler maby

Jacen may be the Dark Lord who rules the Sith Controlled Empire with an iron fist

no seriously its worth while to pick up and read. if you like the original trilogy then youd like Legacy

Spanky The Dolphin · Post by **Spanky The Dolphin** » 2006-10-12 11:26pm

Ten simultanious ongoing titles rather than just four or five would oversaturate the particular niche market corner. Especially considering how much comic book issues cost these days.

I also suspect that continuity and story approval would be a pain in the ass to manage.

VT-16 · Post by **VT-16** » 2006-10-13 04:12am

Sith Controlled Empire, Imperials, The Jedi

If you count the Jedi, it would actually be four factions, with the remnants of the Galactic Alliance involved as well.

Drooling Iguana · Post by **Drooling Iguana** » 2006-10-13 10:05am

How would they handle ten simultanious series, all involving Han, Luke and Leia in some way, in which the entire galaxy is put into mortal peril each month?

000 · Post by **000** » 2006-10-13 11:22pm

A couple of points:

- Luke is a ghost, not a hologram.

- Jacen is not Darth Krayt: the Darth Who? contest confirms this.

- Legacy, while similar in style, is far from a direct ripoff of the OT.

- Only one of the current ongoings features the OT characters in any capacity, and even then they won't be in every story arc.

Havok · Post by **Havok** » 2006-10-14 03:37am

To start, I own and have read all the issues of Legacy, and I even like it. I didn't say it was a direct rip off of SW, but it is still boring rehash. It's like a movie remake. You tweak the story here and there to make it fresh, but it is still the same basic story.

The point I was making is that you have so many possibilities in the SW universe and comic books wich are the easiest medium to tell stories in, NEEDS to be explored more thouroughly. Star Wars in general, for almost 30 years, has been focused on the same 6 characters. Their stories have been told, and now they are being retold... again.

And as for continuity management. FUCK CONTINUITY. Why the hell does every single fucking event that happens in the entire galaxy have to be connected. Like I said you have THE WHOLE GALAXY to play with. 40,000 thousand years of history to explore.

Do a Mandalorian series that doesn't involve a Fett or Mandalore
Jedi series that doesn't involve a Skywalker
Sith series that doesn't involve the ones we already know about
Clone trooper series
Bounty hunter series that doesn't involve hunters we already know
Smuggler series that doesn't involve a Solo or Calrissian
Imperial series
Rebellion series
Stormtrooper series
Fallen Jedi series
Redemed Sith series
A barbarian series
A detective series
A vigilante series
A droid series
etc. etc. etc.......

Now yes I know that some of these have already been done, but most of the ones that were have been mini series that had to have the stories wrapped up fairly quickly. Let em run. See where they go. Let the Expanded UNIVERSE BE A UNIVERSE! Not a linear story line that HAS to have the fate of the galaxy constantly in the balance.

Again this is mostly just a rant out of frustration. I just see so much potential for the SW universe and not to many people exploring it.

"Explore the space!!"

VT-16 · Post by **VT-16** » 2006-10-14 05:02am

Well, the Dark Times series will focus on mostly unknown characters (and Vader and Palpatine, at least for a couple of stories), KOTOR definitely doesn't have movie characters involved, and Legacy#4 managed to tell a story without any principal characters involved whatsoever. Even Rebellion's writer said he'd like to work with unknown characters more than movie characters, because their lives aren't set in stone.
I hope this trend continues. 8)

Cykeisme · Post by **Cykeisme** » 2006-10-15 12:47pm

I think his point is that there should be stories that are even MORE disconnected from the galactic power struggle that's the core of the stories. It's like, if all the Star Wars stories so far have been about George Bush, Tony Blair, Saddam Hussein etc, why can't we have stories about drug runners, beat cops, or even perhaps botanists (studying the flora in the deep Amazon, perhaps)? And no, the characters in these stories don't end up getting swept along in the tide of galactic conflict..

000 · Post by **000** » 2006-10-15 08:21pm

Well, I agree with you there. Unfortunately, this is a problem with Star Wars in general, not just the comics.

Havok · Post by **Havok** » 2006-10-16 04:59pm

000 wrote:Well, I agree with you there. Unfortunately, this is a problem with Star Wars in general, not just the comics.

And the comics would be the best way to get away from this.

000 · Post by **000** » 2006-10-16 07:36pm

I'd argue a return of the old Adventure Journal would be a better way, actually. With a limited number of issues a year, Dark Horse is unlikely to focus on events that aren't galaxy-shaking or featuring familiar faces very often, just as Del Rey isn't with their limited number of book slots.

I also floated an idea to Pablo Hidalgo, Tom Hodges, and the others behind the webstrip about using that medium, since it's "low risk" and well suited to such a thing, as a testbed for a completely different flavor of Star Wars stories. Tom Hodges said he liked the idea, although he's already got two more strips to work on at the moment. We'll see what comes of it.