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Post by rom on Aug 26, 2016 22:06:07 GMT -5
Great thread! I was a kid when these original SW newspaper strips hit, but I only remember the Russ Manning ones in my area - not the later Goodwin/Williamson strips.
So, I've got a soft spot for the Russ Manning versions, because I do remember cutting those out of the newspaper as they came out, and then taping them to cardboard so I could "collect" them. I don't remember where any of these are anymore, however.
I did get the '90's Dark Horse comic series of both the Manning & Goodwin/Williamson strips & those were great. However, these were edited to smoothly tell a continuous story (instead of being repetitive like the original strips) so I believe some of the art was missing.
IIRC, before it was announced that Marvel would take over the SW comic franchise from Dark Horse several years ago, DH had mentioned that they were going to release the unedited versions of the SW Newspaper strips in several collections. However, before they could do this, Marvel took over the SW comic license. So, I doubt that will ever happen at this point. Marvel is too focused on their new material & re-releasing some of DH's series - so spending a lot of time/effort to put together these unedited strips is probably not a high priority for them.
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Post by wildfire2099 on Aug 30, 2016 12:36:57 GMT -5
Those are the ones that came out as 'Classic Star Wars', right? That's some good stuff  |
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Confessor
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Post by Confessor on Aug 31, 2016 3:54:23 GMT -5
Those are the ones that came out as 'Classic Star Wars', right? Yes, that's it. |
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Post by thwhtguardian on Aug 31, 2016 12:06:58 GMT -5
Great thread! I was a kid when these original SW newspaper strips hit, but I only remember the Russ Manning ones in my area - not the later Goodwin/Williamson strips. So, I've got a soft spot for the Russ Manning versions, because I do remember cutting those out of the newspaper as they came out, and then taping them to cardboard so I could "collect" them. I don't remember where any of these are anymore, however. I did get the '90's Dark Horse comic series of both the Manning & Goodwin/Williamson strips & those were great. However, these were edited to smoothly tell a continuous story (instead of being repetitive like the original strips) so I believe some of the art was missing. IIRC, before it was announced that Marvel would take over the SW comic franchise from Dark Horse several years ago, DH had mentioned that they were going to release the unedited versions of the SW Newspaper strips in several collections. However, before they could do this, Marvel took over the SW comic license. So, I doubt that will ever happen at this point. Marvel is too focused on their new material & re-releasing some of DH's series - so spending a lot of time/effort to put together these unedited strips is probably not a high priority for them. I don't know if they've published them, but on Marvel Unlimited they have all the ones that Dark Horse put out under the Classic Star Wars banner a while back that Wildfire mention. I'd love to see a real collection similar to say the collections of the Peanuts or Calvin and Hobbes which preserve the strip format. I need to get back to doing more reviews for these. |
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Post by rom on Sept 1, 2016 17:16:28 GMT -5
I know for a fact that Marvel has not reprinted the Manning or Goodwin/Williamson newspaper strips in their entirety. Marvel Unlimited is just re-reprinting what Dark Horse did back in the '90's. What I had heard rumored back around 2011/2012 was that DH was going to reprint the strips unedited. In the early '90's, Russ Cochran publishing produced an excellent 3-volume oversized HC set of books reprinting all of the Goodwin/Williamson strips as they originally appeared. I was lucky enough to read these not long after they came out, but don't own the volumes (got them out of a local library); I don't remember if the Sunday strips were in color or not. In any case, this 3-volume set is extremely expensive these days. So, it would be nice to be able to read these in much more affordable volumes: www.mycomicshop.com/search?TID=36084173 |
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Post by thwhtguardian on Nov 15, 2016 16:20:45 GMT -5
Iceworld
October 4th-November 14th, 1982
Written by Archie Goodwin
Art by Al Williamson
LA Times Syndicate
Summary: Fleeing a squadron of Tie fighters on his way back from his mission Luke hides in the tail of a passing comet to make his escape but soon finds that he's trapped by the comet's slipstream and and can't pull out until it crashes onto an icy planet...a planet we know as Hoth! Plot: In this chapter Williamson not only fully bridges the gap between A New Hope and Empire Strikes Back by having Luke discover Hoth but also creates a fun survival/ mystery story which is a fun tact to take within the Star Wars universe. I was initially thrown by the shoddy science the story started with as Luke and Threepio comment that the comet is traveling faster than any known starship and it's gravitational pull is too strong for Luke's ship to escape but I quickly got over it as it's not as if Star Wars was ever big on hard science to begin with. Once past that we get a fun story of Luke trying to survive the wilds of Hoth and a mystery of who his saviors are and while we never really get a satisfying reason for who his saviors are other than that they are imperial life model decoys it was a solid read. Art: When working with only a few panels in each week's installment and no color telling a story and making is visually interesting is a huge challenge but the way Williamson frames his panels and the creative inking tricks he uses never cease to amaze. It could easily feel simplistic or repetitive but Williamson seems to delight in experimenting with style. On of my favorite examples would be this strip from October 18th:  To start with, rather than opening the strip with another shot of Luke and Threepio in the starship he pulls back for an exterior shot which with it's beautiful scratchy, snowy look instantly sets a dire mood, breaks up the visual look of the setting in the ship and foreshadows a future development with the mysterious figure on the Tuantuan. That's a lot for one image which is a great use of the limited space allowed...but he doesn't just stop there as in the third panel he goes for an inverted, negative look which makes for a stunning black and white image. The man is an absolute master.
Continuity tidbit: The end of the story features the early title for the third Star Wars film as well as a sneak peak at Admiral Ackbar:  I like the more pointed, squid like look Ackbar sports here. : While a little simplistic the story provided a fun bridge between a New Hope and Empire Strikes back and featured some fantastic artwork. Grade:B- |
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Confessor
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Post by Confessor on Nov 15, 2016 17:02:11 GMT -5
Great to see this thread starting up again, thwhtguardian. I enjoyed this story a fair bit, but the next one -- the one that introduces Admiral Ackbar and the Mon Calimari -- is probably my favourite of all the SW newspaper strips. Definitely looking forward to reading your review of that one. That Al Williamson art is stunning and you're right, Williamson was an absolute master. If you can find the funds, the recently released Al Williamson Star Wars Artist Edition book from IDW is absolutely fantastic.  |
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Post by thwhtguardian on Nov 15, 2016 17:09:52 GMT -5
Great to see this thread starting up again, thwhtguardian. I enjoyed this story a fair bit, but the next one -- the one that introduces Admiral Ackbar and the Mon Calimari -- is probably my favourite of all the SW newspaper strips. Definitely looking forward to reading your review of that one. That Al Williamson art is stunning and you're right, Williamson was an absolute master. If you can find the funds, the recently released Al Williamson Star Wars Artist Edition book from IDW is absolutely fantastic. I love those Artist Edition books that IDW has, so I'll have to put this on my wish list. I've also been thinking about reading the adaptation of Empire too, it's been too long since I read it. |
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Post by rom on Nov 16, 2016 16:08:16 GMT -5
Thanks for the info. about the AW SW Artist Edition - didn't know that was out. Al Williamson was THE best Star Wars comic artist, hands down. His art really fit the series, and emphasized the "sci-fi pulp" elements that SW was inspired by in the first place; it also helped that AW had also drawn Flash Gordon comics (I think), since the old FG strip/movies had also influenced the first SW film.
It's too bad that Williamson only drew a limited # of comics in the Marvel SW series, i.e. the ESB & ROTJ adaptations, as well as most of #50 & all of #98.
However, he almost made up for this with the great SW newspaper strip from the early '80's - excellent art/stories here!
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Post by thwhtguardian on Nov 20, 2016 17:30:44 GMT -5
Revenge of the Jedi November 15-January 23 1983 Written by Archie Goodwin Art by Al Williamson LA Times Syndicate  Summary: With work finally complete at the Fondor docks Lord Vader takes control of his new flag ship the Executor and sets out to christen it by destroying as many rebel bases as he can! With his campaign begun the Rebels scramble to find no allies to hold off this terrible weapon and they find it in the Mon Calamari. Plot: In one of the longer strips to date Goodwin chronicles the Rebel's first meeting with Admiral Akbar, and although it introduces a key character into the Star Wars universe it comes across as a little flat. It starts out well enough with a great moment with Vader who wishes to forgo a champagne toast to christen his new vessel for a christening in blood it sputters after that. Perhaps it would be different if I hadn't have already known that Akbar is in Return of the Jedi, but because I know he's alive at that later date the panels detailing his destroyed ship, and the subsequent search of the planet for him although beautiful are a real slog because there is no tension as we know he must be alive so it ultimately just feels like filler. And then, although I love the visuals of the swamp the slug monsters and the way they just grabbed the Falcon and imprisoned it at the bottom of their lake just felt like yet another stalling tactic. Why would otherwise mindless creatures simply hold onto the ship? Why didn't they destroy it if its noise bothered them? The answer of course is because you can't destroy the Falcon and it gives Akbar a way to showcase his tactical skills. In the end what could have been a high energy rescue mission turned into just another way to get from point a to point b with nothing really all that interesting to see along the way. I was really excited for this one Confessor, but it looks like our views differ wildly! Art: While some of the plot elements that precipitated the panels in question may have had me rolling my eyes I have to say that the back drops that Williamson created were truly spectacular:
 That swamp is absolutely teeming with strange life and yet it never looks cluttered but rather totally organic as it should. On top of that the panel is so dynamic that you could almost swear that it was animated which is no small feat for a static image.
Conclusion: Although there is some beautiful artwork from Williamson that's just full of life that's the only energy you'll see on display here as the narrative itself lacks any real sense of energy or urgency. Hopefully the stories that actually detail the escape from Yarvin end up being worth the slog to get to.
Grade: C- |
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Post by thwhtguardian on Dec 12, 2016 18:05:55 GMT -5
Doom MissionJanuary 24—April 17, 1983 Written by Archie Goodwin Art by Al Williamson LA Times Syndicate  Summary: The deadly Darth Vader has nearly reached his ultimate destination in his new superweapon but before he can General Dodonna's son and Luke Skywalker launch a desperate attack to buy the rebels the time they need to evacuate. Plot: With the ease of how star ship seem to move about the galaxy in Star Wars and the size of the Imperial armada I'm still not really sure why the Rebels have been able to remain on Yarvin IV or why it took Vader to get there even in just this strip. That aside though Goodwin crafts a story with a great sense of intrigue, that had me wondering how it was going to come out right to the end. The minute the scout ship appeared out of no where I knew something was going on, and the fact that only Luke actually saw was a perfect opening for drama that Goodwin exploited to his fullest extent making you wonder if Dodonna's son was just a coward or something more...and more importantly how would it affect Luke as his co-pilot. The best part however was this bit of dialogue delivered by Han Solo:
 It's just a great bit of self referential humor that had me smiling from ear to ear as until that point I hadn't realized just how similar the escape from Yarvin IV was to the ending of a New Hope. it's a bit of symmetry that is subtly done but once realized makes for a very satisfying end.
Art: In an interesting turn of events from the last strip this one was really carried by the narration rather than the art. That's not to say Williamson's art was subpar, not by a long shot, he still draws an amazing Vader and all his star ships are absolutely perfect... it's just that unlike the last few strips with new worlds to explore this one took almost exclusively inside star ships so there wasn't a whole lot for Williamson
to get really creative with or any real exciting action to portray.
Conclusion: After the disappointment of the last chapter Goodwin really bounces back as he delivers a subtle thriller in the wake of the Rebel exodus.
Grade: B+
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Post by thwhtguardian on Jan 10, 2017 15:39:12 GMT -5
Race For SurvivalApril 18th-July 10th, 1983 Written by Archie Goodwin Art by Al Williamson LA Times Syndicate  Summary: After thwarting Vader's attempt to destroy them once and for all the Rebellion is on the ropes and running. Plot: I always wondered what happened to General Dodonna and among other things that's what Goodwin achieved here. Although there are still elements of space travel that bother me a little bit; the ships of the Rebel fleet need to attain a certain speed in order to attain hyper space in this strip but in the films they jump at will. I get that it provides a necessary element of suspense to the plot and logically it does make sense but the inconsistency does stand out a bit. That said the story as a whole is fantastic, Dodonna's noble sacrifice and the short but moving build up to it with Luke was fantastic and the way Vader intentionally held himself back to dispatch of a would be rival for the Emperor's attentions was beautifully done. Of all the strips so far, this is undoubtedly my favorite by far; it's mix of action, suspense and characterization in a short newspaper strip really illustrates Goodwin's skill. Art: Just as Goodwin was at the top of his game storywise in this strip Williamson really blew me away with his art here. His ability to create truly cinematic moments with his art in this strip has always impressed me but there are several moments in this strip that goes beyond what could be attained on screen at the time and visually rivals even what we can do today:  Grade 10/10 |
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Post by tarkintino on Jan 15, 2017 9:36:11 GMT -5
Willaimson's daily strip work was near flawless. While the actor likeness was not strong, he still captured a spirit not matched by any modern day Star Wars artist(s).
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Post by thwhtguardian on Jan 15, 2017 9:51:01 GMT -5
Willaimson's daily strip work was near flawless. While the actor likeness was not strong, he still captured a spirit not matched by any modern day Star Wars artist(s). Strangely, the likeness to the actors seems to come and go, in some strips it looks like a scene right out of the films while in others they just look close enough to be recognizable. I've often wondered that if the few panels with the real, photorealistic characters were traced.  vs |
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Post by tarkintino on Jan 15, 2017 22:26:51 GMT -5
Willaimson's daily strip work was near flawless. While the actor likeness was not strong, he still captured a spirit not matched by any modern day Star Wars artist(s). Strangely, the likeness to the actors seems to come and go, in some strips it looks like a scene right out of the films while in others they just look close enough to be recognizable. I've often wondered that if the few panels with the real, photorealistic characters were traced.
Traced--perhaps from light table projection, considering the period. From the strip you posted, we see exactly how traced some of the work was...  |
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