Newish Book: Star Wars: The Rise of a Hero

One more Star Wars book:

Simonson, Louise. Star Wars: The Rise of a Hero. Art by Walter Simonson, Tom Palmer, and Laura Martin. Los Angeles and New York: Disney-Lucasfilm Press-Disney Book Group, May 2017. 978-1-4847-9933-8

Released in celebration of the fortieth anniversary of the original Star Wars, Star Wars: The Rise of a Hero details the life of young Luke Skywalker through words and images based on the film; however, in design, it is very unlike traditional picture books. Instead, it offers an illustrated narrative reminiscent of illustrated comic strips, like Hal Foster’s Prince Valiant. Louise Simonson’s text (which is sometimes a bit too close to the dialogue of the film) is depicted in a comics-style font with related features of italics and bold accents; this is presented alongside and around the comics-like images produced by her husband Walter Simonson and his fellow artists Tom Palmer and Laura Martin. For the most part, the text and images are depicted separately, but a few pages include the text boxes within the image panels; at other occasions, the images are stacked creating an even more comics-like page. Both occurrences further reinforce the work’s connection to the comic form.

More details and ordering instructions from Disney Books at https://books.disney.com/book/star-wars-the-rise-of-a-hero/.

Of Interest: Marvel's Star Wars: A New Hope—The 40th Anniversary

Also of interest:

Harrold, Jess. Star Wars: A New Hope—The 40th Anniversary. Book design by Adam Del Re with Salena Mahina. New York: Marvel Worldwide-Marvel Ent., 2018. 978-1-302-91128-7

Very much a companion to the earlier Star Wars: The Marvel Covers Vol. 1, Star Wars: A New Hope—The 40th Anniversary is a celebration of both forty years of Star War and a spotlight on Marvel’s renewed association with the franchise. The book begins by reproducing a series of forty-eight variant covers, which ran across Marvel’s new and expanded Star Wars line in 2017, retelling iconic scenes from the original film through fresh images. Each cover includes a plot synopsis (often very much indebted to the dialogue of the film) and samples of concept art or (sometimes) comic art from Marvel’s 1977 adaptation of the film that depicts a similar image. The next section (similar to Marvel’s earlier collection) allows the creators involved in the commemorative celebration to comment on their experiences with the original film and highlight their role in furthering its legacy. Another section offers a selection of other recent covers and variants from a number of Marvel’s current Star Wars series, serving as somewhat of an incomplete continuation of the material reproduced in Star Wars: The Marvel Covers Vol. 1. The final section reprints the first issue of Marvel’s 1977 comic book adaptation of the original Star Wars along with writer Roy Thomas’s introduction to the series and a further text piece (possibly a studio press release) on the film, both also from the issue.

A digital copy is available from the publisher at https://comicstore.marvel.com/Star-Wars-A-New-Hope-The-40th-Anniversary/digital-comic/47717.

Of Inteterest: Star Wars: The Marvel Covers Vol. 1

Apologies for the long absence, but here's a recent book that might be of interest:

Harrold, Jess. Star Wars: The Marvel Covers Vol. 1. New York: Marvel Worldwide-Marvel Ent., 2015. 978-0-7851-9838-3

Star Wars: The Marvel Covers Vol. 1 is focused on the Marvel re-launch of Star Wars comics in 2015. The bulk of the book is composed of reproductions of the cover art for the initial arc of the three new series Star Wars, Darth Vader, and Princess Leia, and this gallery includes the regular covers as well as all the variants. These sections also include interviews with the writers and artists involved in the project, and they reminisce about their experiences with the Star Wars franchise and comment on their contribution to its latest manifestation in the comics medium. A final section offers a selection of covers from Marvel’s original Star Wars line—including Marvel Treasury Edition Featuring Star Wars (1977), the main Star Wars series (1977-1986), and the Star Wars: Return of the Jedi limited series (1983-1984)—plus cover images from the publisher’s recent reprinting of its earlier Star Wars line books in new collected editions.

The digital version can be purchased direct from the publisher at https://comicstore.marvel.com/Star-Wars-The-Marvel-Covers-Vol-1/digital-comic/39963.