Star Wars: The Marvel UK Collection Omnibus (Star Wars: Legends)

"A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away..."When George Lucas' space fantasy film "Star Wars" was released in England in 1978, British movie and science fiction fans embraced this grand cinematic saga just like audiences did across the Atlantic Ocean in North America. The "Star Wars" phenomenon would soon expand around the world. As fans in the United Kingdom grew, Marvel Comics' English division, Marvel UK, decided to publish "Star Wars Weekly," a magazine version of their popular American comic series of "the adventures of Luke Skywalker." This thick volume, "Star Wars: The Marvel UK Collection Omnibus," is a special remembrance of that magazine of an earlier, enchanting time, a kind of Earthly holocron of the first years of the "Star Wars" Saga.This 808 paged omnibus is part of Marvel Comics' "Star Wars Legends" line of reprint books. "Legends" titles specifically refer to published works of "Star Wars" tales called the "Expanded Universe," released over the years that are no longer considered canon or part of the official "Star Wars" continuity; notably since George Lucas sold his "Star Wars" franchise to the Walt Disney Company in 2012. This is especially true of the comic tales compiled in this collection. The heroic exploits of Luke Skywalker and his friends told in the stories in this tome are part of a unique publishing endeavor for the then growing"Star Wars' enthusiasts of the British Islands. Beginning in 1978, "Star Wars Weekly" debuted in Great Britain, a magazine released to coincide and compliment the premiere of the first "Star Wars" movie in England. It featured black and white reprints of the American "Star Wars" comics, published monthly in the United States, edited into serialized segments for a magazine that came out every Wednesday in the island nation. It also included text articles on the film that inspired it, from "Behind the Scenes" features on the movie's amazing special effects to information on the actors who portrayed the heroes and villains the world would come to know and love...or hate!"Star Wars Weekly" was an immediate success but its release date of every seven days meant that editorial choices eventually had to be made in the comic section of the magazine. The magazine's reprinting of the contents of the United States' monthly "Star Wars" comic consisted of editing the state-side 17 paged comic stories over an average of three issues of the "Star Wars Weekly" magazine. In this regard, these tales became even more reminiscent of the 1930s and 1940s adventure movie serials that were part of George Lucas' many inspirations for his stellar saga. These revised reprints of the American comics would continue until "Star Wars Weekly" #56. Finally exhausting the original U.S. comic tales, the magazine began publishing exploits of the Star Warriors that were exclusive to the English weekly. Most of the cosmic comic chronicles showcased in the opening third of this collection feature the work of the of the major creative team of the American "Star Wars" comic during the time after the movie that came to be sub-titled, "Episode IV: A New Hope:" scripter Archie Goodwin and penciller Carmine Infantino. This talented twosome produced exciting "Star Wars" comic adventures that truly captured the magic and charm of the Saga, and their creative success continued with these tales for "Star Wars Weekly." These exclusive to England tales also included contributions by other notable comic creators including: Chris Claremont, Howard Chaykin, Dave Cockrum, Alan Davis, Gene Day, Tony DeZuniga, Klaus Janson, Alan Moore, Walt Simonson, John Tartaglione, and Roy Thomas.Following is a list of the "Star Wars" adventures collected in this hardcover:"The Kingdom of Ice!"Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia Organa, and the droid pair C-3PO and R2-D2 travel to the wintry world of Arkuria Two to contact a new rebel group also in conflict with the evil Empire! (A special note.) This Luke and Leia adventure was originally published in "Pizzazz," a youth oriented magazine released from 1977 to 1979. This particular "Star Wars" serial ran in 3 paged installments starting in "Pizzazz" #10 until the cancellation of the magazine with issue #16. Unfortunately the end of the "Pizzazz" magazine left this "Star Wars" tale unfinished...until it was published in full starting in "Star Wars Weekly" #57-59, with issue #60 completing the tale, exclusively for the English audience."The Way of the Wookiee!"An average smuggling run for Han Solo and Chewbacca is complicated by suspicious Imperials and events from the giant Wookiee's past!"The Day After the Death Star!"Luke reflects on his life shortly after his adventures in the "Star Wars" movie and gets a lesson in war during a battle with a lone Tie Fighter pilot!"The Weapons Master!"Princess Leia recounts to Luke, Artoo Deetoo, and See Threepio how a young daughter of the peace-loving planet Alderaan had to learn to handle a weapon of violence!"World of Fire!"Luke, Leia, and their droid companions form an uneasy alliance with members of the Empire to defeat a monstrous threat on the mysterious world of Alashan!"Death Masque!"In an adventure after "The Empire Strikes Back," Luke encounters overwhelming Imperial forces in space as well as the threat of a nightmarish experiment of the Empire!"The Pandora Effect"Taking place in between "Star Wars" and "The Empire Strikes Back," Leia, Han, and Chewbacca are captured by "The Five," a group of immoral immortals who take delight in torturing those who they deem less than them...until they face one of their prisoners, a demon of the Force!"Dark Knight's Devilry"On the planet Jerne, Luke and Leia are prisoners of the Empire, then held captive by a band of native guerrillas but all are pawns in the machinations of the Dark Lord of the Sith, Darth Vader!"Tilotny Throws a Shape"Pursued by Imperial stormtroopers on a barren planet, Princess Leia stumbles upon a group of cosmic beings experimenting with the laws of reality itself!"Dark Lord's Conscience"On the the world called Cheelit, Darth Vader plays a game of strategy and treachery in which there can be only one living victor will triumph!"Rust Never Sleeps"On the droid disposal world of Ronyards, See-Threepio and Artoo Deetoo discover a robotic religion and more while on a mission for their master, Luke Skywalker, and the Rebel Alliance!"The Flight of the Falcon"A tale of legend: How Han Solo and Lando Calrissian first acquired the Millennium Falcon!"Blind Fury!"Responding to a distress transmission, Luke travels to the planet Garn, the sight of an ancient battle between the Jedi Knights and an evil cult, and where a lone survivor seeks a revenge thousands of years in the making!The other contents of this special Omnibus vary from things like:The "Star Wars" Ewoks Annual 1989;which featured a trio of "illustrated text stories" included here with drawings created in the style of the "Ewoks and Droids Adventure Hour" animated series produced for the ABC television network in 1986. These stories were originally published in a hardcover comic format traditional to British and European comic buyers."Profiles" on the actors responsible for bringing the "Star Wars" characters to life on screen, such as: Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford, Anthony Daniels, Peter Mayhew, Sir Alec Guinness, Peter Cushing, and David Prowes. These articles are accompanied with full color and black and white photographs.A pinup section showcasing artwork published throughout the history of the "Star Wars" Weeekly magazine.A rather lengthy section (54 pages!) devoted to the reprinting of a comedic comic strip, "Cyril: The Adventures of an Editor-Droid," which ran through the later stages of the magazine when it was titled "Return of the Jedi Weekly."A section reproducing the many covers to "Star Wars Weekly," "The Empire Strikes Back Weekly," and the "Return of the Jedi Weekly" over its years of publication, 1978-1986.Plus much, much more!!!This reviewer does recognize that much of what is collected in this omnibus edition may not interest many "Star Wars" fans. Some of the "Behind the Scenes" style features and other articles centering on the making of the Original Trilogy can get repetitive. I passed on reading the "Cyril" strips. My major personal focus was on the comic adventures of the Star Warriors. But this critic respects the intent of this book: a comprehensive compendium of a special publication of "Star Wars," published for an extremely fortunate country during the time of the birth of "Star Wars" fandom. From this particular perspective, this tome is an ambitious success.This longtime lover of the "Star Wars" Saga is glad to add this tome to my collection. To those fascinated by the remarkable continuing history of this unique phenomenon it comes with my sincere recommendation.May the Force be with you, always!

Beautiful reproduction of original material. Nicely bound. Highly recommend to any comic book fan.

Great rare collection for US fans

So glad to have found this book. Another addition to my star wars comic collection.

This hefty 750+ page tome does a phenomenal job capturing the era which birthed the original films. Along with a selection of comic strips that ran only in the UK, the book includes '80s-era articles about the actors, the movies, and more. A significant chunk of the book is devoted to this, and an UK-only creation called Cyril the Editor Droid. See attached photos to get an idea of the content.All of this is great for the Star Wars fan who wants a bundle of 80s nostalgia. I, however, was looking for an omnibus focused on the UK comic stories. While the book has this, it's only about half the volume. For a hundred-dollar cover price, it just wasn't enough comics entertainment. I would have preferred a less expensive edition that focused only on the content of legendary 80s creators like Archie Goodwin, Walt Simonson, and Dave Cockrum (all of whose UK work is showcased here, I'm happy to say).I found this omnibus to be a mixed bag. The stories that are included are fantastic; definitely worth 5 stars. The rest of the content depends on your perspective and what you're looking for.

CAN'T PUT THIS BOOK DOWN!!! This book should have been published in the 1990's.The alternate cover gallery in the back of the book is excellent. Everything through the Marvel Bumper Comics is included, and that is a lot cover art that never hit US shelves. If a cover never came out in the US, the book provides a full page treatment. This is favored over using thumbnails on a one-page gallery. Pin-ups are included as well.We finally get to see some of the cover artwork for UK exclusives. It can be noted that the Dark Horse Wild Space Vol. 1 Omnibus lacked cover artwork for some of the UK exclusive comics. All of the UK exclusives are given a hardcover treatment here with cover art.Star Profiles are included. This adds a nostalgia factor.Ewok SW Annual material is included. There are three short stories with artwork. They are Return of the Great One, Ice Princess, Chief Chirpa Kidnapped. The Marvel Droids and Ewoks Omnibus may include identical material, but I'm not entirely sure.Generally, the value here is getting in hardcover form all of the material from the UK weeklies that never was released in the US markets. This material takes the form of Cover Art, Pin ups, Star Profiles, Cyril the Editor Droid, Ewok Annual Material, UK exclusive comics with cover art. That amounts to a lot of material, over 800 pages!