Star Wars - '77 - '80 Collector's Blog

Famous Monsters of Filmland #142

2012-02-05T16:00:00.018+01:00

It's been a long time since I blogged. Things have been chaotic but the good news is that a new job = an increased income so I have hunted down a few items I'll be taking a look at over the next few weeks.

First up is this issue of Famous Monsters of Filmland from April 1978 featuring the Dark Lord of the Sith himself on the cover. This was the 20th anniversary issue of the magazine that began in 1958 and it's a whopper of an issue at 132 pages.

Star Wars had been released nearly a year previously and was still a hot topic in many magazines. FM takes a look back at the movie in an article entitled 'Lord Darth Vader: Badnik or Merely Misunderstood?' which, (well ahead of its time), points out that he may not be such a bad dude after all.

Being the 20th anniversary issue, a ton of film stars and film makers wrote in and sent signed photos wishing FM all the best. Here's one from Lucas himself and appears to be a behind the scenes shot from the movie.

There's also an abundance of Star Wars related ads including a fantastic one for the Kenner figures which I've never seen before.

Artoo Detoo's Activity Book

2011-09-26T05:41:00.010+02:00

Random House put out a bunch of these activity books in 1979 filled with the usual word searches, puzzles as well as a few oddities like Star Wars based recipes and ideas for things to make. Although this one is called 'R2-D2's Activity book' it really belongs to C-3PO too and is mainly based around their Tatooine adventures.

Marvel #38 - Riders in the Void

2011-08-19T10:29:00.016+02:00

We come now to the final issue of Marvel's Star Wars comic book before it began its 'The Empire Strikes Back' adaptation. This issue from August 1980 is known for both its superb and fantastically weird artwork from the hand of Michael Golden and the story line which runs into deeper sci-fi than the usual swashbuckling action Star Wars is known for. This was the issue that should have been part 1 of The Empire Strikes Back, but due to a reshuffling in Marvel, fans got this off-beat one-shot while the long awaited Empire #1 was postponed til the following month.

While on a mission for the Rebels, Luke and Leia are attacked by an Imperial Star Destroyer and narrowly escape into hyperspace with their crippled craft. Dropping out, they discover that they have gone beyond the borders of their own galaxy and are drifting in a starless void. Sucked up by a large alien ship which appears to be more organically grown than constructed, they find the ship deserted and soon are up against the games of its supercomputer which views them as part of a training simulation.

Luke first goes up against a lightsaber wielding robot which he defeats but both he and Leia soon find themselves being sucked out of the ship. Upon witnessing their compassion for each other, the ship lets them live and tells them its story. Once a humanoid, the ship's pilot fled his home world which was destroyed by war and after drifting for so long in the void, pilot, computer and ship became fused as one. Luke and Leia have reminded him what compassion is and he agrees to take them back to their own galaxy.

Upon arrival they find the Star Destroyer that caused all the trouble and the alien ship blasts it with anti-matter pods, letting Luke and Leia ago free in their newly repaired ship.

Kenner 3-3/4" Action Figures - The Droids 2

2011-08-01T11:29:00.008+02:00

Kicking off Kenner's second wave of action figures from 1979 here with three droids. Pretty much the whole second wave consisted of background characters (other than Luke in his X-wing gear and Greedo) which gave Kenner the excuse to make a whole bunch of weird aliens and robots much to the delight of young fans who were hungry for more Star Wars figures.

Probably one of the cuter Star Wars action figures, the Power Droid (or 'Gonk' droid as he came to be known) can be seen wandering around in the background of the movie supplying power to ships like some kind of walking battery.

He's quite a simple action figure with the feet being the only movable parts. Like R2, his stickers have a tendency to wear off over time and there are a couple of patches of orange paint that can also get worn.

The Death Star droid is often assumed to be wrongly named as this droid can clearly be seen in the Jawa's sandcrawler. In fact there is one on the Death Star (just when Luke, Han and Chewie head into the elevators) so he's something of a generic droid seen throughout the Star Wars galaxy.

Very similar to the C-3PO figure, the stiff joints quickly become extremely loose and his silver paint job is tricky to find in good condition. In fact he's pretty much a silver version of the 3PO figure with some different details on the head and torso.

Poor old R5-D4. If his motivator hadn't blown at a critical moment, Star Wars would have been a very different film. Denied his moment of fame, R5 was relegated to being little more than a background character.

Essentially this is R2-D2 with red markings and a different head. Still, quite a nice addition to a growing collection and the Jawas are hardly complete without some droids to sell.

MAD Magazine: January 1978

2011-07-16T19:20:00.000+02:00

Some say that parody is the highest form of flattery. If this is true then Mad magazine must have really been kissing Star Wars' butt in its January 1978 issue. Their 7-page ribbing of the previous year's biggest blockbuster entitled 'Star Roars' makes all the gags you might expect (and have probably seen since countless times in the last 30+ years) and a few that you might not. I had actually never considered that if a starship can fly beyond the speed of light, and has lasers that travel at a bit less than the speed of light, would it be possible for a starship to shoot itself down? A few other things tickled me too like the sign on R2-D2's body that says '25c to see what the butler saw'.

Anyway, the artwork is superb and really gets the actors spot on. Mad isn't for everyone but you can't deny the cultural factor here. It's been around since 1952 and, like Star Wars, it is a part of American culture. In those early days of 1978, Star Wars had no chance of escaping the eventual Mad treatment.

Marvel #30 - A Princess Alone

2011-07-13T19:00:00.009+02:00

Issue #30 (from December 1979) was kind of a special one dedicated solely to Princess Leia. In it she travels to an industrial planet called Metalorn which is essentially a slave labor camp run by the Empire. Here she hopes to contact Arn Horada - her old tutor and inform him that the Imperial news broadcast that Alderaan was destroyed by a meteor shower was false and that the planet was in fact destroyed by the Empire.

Donning a funky one-piece, Leia infiltrates the workforce and steals a Stormtrooper's rifle before going on the run through the factory complex. Baron Orman Tagge makes another appearance as a visiting Imperial authority and shows his exasperation at the bungling governor's failure to capture the rebel princess.

Leia hooks up with Arn in the cafeteria and passes on her message. Tagge turns up with his lightsaber to finish her off, but she is able to escape thanks to the help of Arn and a young girl.

As Leia's ship takes off into hyperspace, her pilot expresses his concern that the mission was a failure, but Leia reminds him that the message of hope to the planet's inhabitants is a more valuable victory.

Here we have an ad for Kenner's Millennium Falcon - probably one of the coolest toys ever made - iron-on transfers featuring the stars of yesteryear and a bunch of ads promoting Saturday morning TV.

The Gang's All Here...

2011-07-12T19:00:00.000+02:00

Well, the first twelve of them at least.

Recently I completed a small collecting dream of mine - to bring together a complete set of the original twelve Kenner figures. Not a particularly impressive feat in this age of Ebay, but I've been wanting to get my hands on the first line of Star Wars figures since I started collecting way back in my teens. It's taken me so long because I've often been distracted by the temptation of other collectibles and haven't always had a steady job to afford to indulge my little pleasures.

They're not in mint condition, but pretty good shape nonetheless. All are complete with original accessories. Now to make a start on the '79 wave!

Marvel #29 - Dark Encounter

2011-05-27T12:05:00.001+02:00

Issue #29 from November 1979 opens with a scene on a Star Destroyer and this cracking shot of Vader interrogating some poor sap. From this unfortunate, the Dark Lord of the Sith learns the name of Tyler Lucian; a rebel deserter who knows the identity of the one who destroyed the Death Star.

At the same time, our old friend Valance aka The Hunter is searching for that very same person on the planet Centares. After blasting his way out of a cantina not unlike a certain establishment on Tatooine, he makes his way to Rubyflame Lake, a body of acidic liquid heated by deep lava beds. In this lake is a towering citadel where we find Tyler Lucian (who looks a bit like Luke Skywalker with three-day-old stubble) hiding out and contemplating suicide. Valance approaches him and Lucian flees into his tower at the sight of Vader's approaching TIE Fighter.

What follows is an almighty showdown between the cyborg bounty hunter and the Sith lord. Valance manages to knock Vader down but is soon diced up by the red lightsaber. As he walks away, Vader's ankle is gripped by the wounded Valance and the two of them nearly tumble into the corrosive waters below. Vader finally dispatches him once and for all and makes for the tower.

Having witnessed the altercation from a high window, Lucian finally summons some courage and takes the plunge, plummeting down to his death leaving Vader fuming and contemplating the continuing hunt...

There's a lot of nostalgia for the Saturday morning cartoons of yesteryear so I hope you enjoy the glimpse of what NBC had scheduled circa 1979 here. I remember watching most of these cartoons. More Marvel superhero goodies. Do kids today still have licensed lunchboxes? And a pretty large collection of Shogun Warriors follows...

Kenner 3-3/4" Action Figures - Luke and Leia

2011-05-14T18:07:00.005+02:00

The hero and heroine of Star Wars! Oddly enough these two were the last of the original 12 I picked up mainly due to their being a bit more pricey than their plastic companions. Don't know why the major players from the movie should be the hardest to come by in action figure form, but there it is.

I have never found an explanation as to why Luke came with a yellow lightsaber. It's not like Kenner didn't have that colour plastic as Obi-wan came with the correct blue variety. Just one of those little oddities that make the Kenner Star Wars figures so charming.

In comparison to the weird and wonderful figures Kenner put out in this and subsequent lines, the Luke figure is a pretty bland affair, most notably the face. Now I know in this age of 'laser-imaging' to get good character likenesses on action figures, it's easy to be overly critical of efforts in bygone eras, but even for the 70s, this is pretty bad. I don't know if its the bright yellow hair or the generic 'plastic-man' face that bears no resemblance to Mark Hamil whatsoever, but this figure has all the identity of a Lego man.

Princess Leia, for some reason has been the most difficult (and expensive) figure for me to track down from the original 12. I would have thought that the slightly rare figures like the Jawa would cost me a few bits but not one of the major characters. I'm guessing that Leia figures are quite rare today because it was mostly boys buying these things back in their hey-day and not too many boys are willing to tread that thin line between action figures and 'dolls'.

This is quite a nice figure with good attention to detail on the hair. She comes with a fairly unique blaster of the small slim 'ladylike' variety. As with other white figures, Leia has a tendency to discolour over time.

Marvel #28 - Whatever Happened to Jabba the Hut?

2011-04-19T08:02:00.009+02:00

No, that's not a typo in the title, Jabba the 'Hut' was how it was spelled back then. And check out how he looks!

This was the vile gangster's physical appearance in the early days, long before it was decided that he would be the giant slug we would see in Return of the Jedi.

This issue lets us know what Han and Chewie get up to after our heroes are split up in the aftermath of the whole 'Wheel Saga'. Setting down on a rainy planet called Orleon, they hide out in a cave which appears to have a few leaks. Jabba and his cronies soon arrive, keen on killing our heroes and taking their ship. During a firefight, Han and Chewie make the frightening discovery that their cave is infested with 'stone-mites' - a species created during the Clone Wars as a form of biological warfare. These critters secrete an acid that could eat through the hull of the Falcon.

Han has the great idea of burning the creatures off with some sort of 'de-icer' force field. Eventually, they blast through the rock which is little more than a shell now after the stone mites have devoured half of it and soar away to freedom.

Encountering Jabba's space-cruiser in orbit, Han and Chewie learn that their arch enemy is in a spot of bother. One of his crew members inadvertently brought some of the infernal creatures aboard and now the irate Hut has a hole in his hull. Escaping in a spacesuit, he begs entry aboard the Falcon and receives it only after agreeing to cancel Han's debt to him.

Meanwhile in the adverts... Marvel underoos! And a few other superhero goodies. A gold Cylon commander from Battlestar Galactica and a slightly odd ad for Chiquita Banana walkie-talkies and compasses.

Kenner 3-3/4" Action Figures - The Droids

2011-04-03T19:33:00.006+02:00

C-3Po came with no accessories and other than his dazzling gold finish, the figure might seem a bit of a poor effort. But really, what else does old Goldenrod need to do other than stand around looking pretty?

This is probably the figure that ages the worst starting right from the point of being taken out of his plastic bubble. He is made of a much more rigid plastic than the other figures and his stiff joints loosen up at an alarming rate so much so that most of the figures these days are floppy and limp as wet lettuce. The other point is his gold paint which flakes off very easily. This example looks Ok from a distance but up close he is as patchy and mottled as he is in the film. An that is unintentional of course.

R2-D2 on the other hand rarely has problems with his joints in that he only has two of them and to be honest, they rarely get used much whatever pose you put him in. His shiny golden dome suffers much the same problem as his counterpart's golden finish and is often found faded by sunlight. The only other thing that can really age the figure is the sticker on his midsection which, after spending many years in toy boxes clattering around with other figures, is often faded, scratched and worn.

Marvel #27 - Return of the Hunter

2011-03-17T12:22:00.006+01:00

A popular villain returns in this issue, namely Valance aka The Hunter. We last saw him tracking down the Starhoppers (Han's buddies who he believed to be the rebels who destroyed the Death Star) and we know a couple of facts about him. 1 - he is part cyborg after a nasty accident. 2 - he has a deep hatred of droids and is disgusted by the idea that Luke Skywalker treats them as equals.

Since his disappearing act in the last issue that featured him, Valance has been hanging out on a world called Feriae Junction, gunning down two-bit hoodlums in seedy cantinas. One of his employers pays him in droids which Valance promptly blasts into smithereens. Part of this may be some sort of twisted therapy for his self-loathing at being a cyborg, but part of it is due to his desire to destroy the two droids that Luke treats as his friends.

Meanwhile, Luke and 3PO are scouting out an Imperial blockade and narrowly avoid destruction by a Star Destroyer. They hop into hyperspace and make for Junction where they plan to pick up parts for repairing R2 units. Valance is alerted to their presence and makes to intercept them, but stops to quickly dispose of an imperial spy who has been keeping tabs on him.

The showdown between Luke and Valance goes down in a scrapyard and after a shot from his blaster is deflected by Luke's lightsaber, Valance takes it in the face and his cybernetics are revealed. This doesn't stop him from disarming Luke and things look bad for our intergalactic farmboy until 3PO steps between the two of them, prepared to die for his master. This totally blows Valance's mind as he cannot comprehend the reasoning a droid might have to sacrifice itself for a human. He lets Luke and 3PO go on their merry way while he presumably rethinks his life...

Kenner 3-3/4" Action Figures - Tatooine Dwellers

2011-03-04T10:39:00.001+01:00

That blisteringly hot desert planet with the twin suns would lend several more characters to Kenner's action figure range when they released their second line in 1979, but amongst the original 12 there was just three (not counting Luke). Ben 'Obi-Wan' Kenobi, Jawa and Sandpeople.

Obi-Wan Kenobi (who went under the name 'Ben' back in the early days) was one of only three figures with lightsabers from the first movie. Blue is the correct colour (unlike the inexplicable yellow of Luke's saber). He sports a brown vinyl cloak and the only major variation that I'm aware of is his hair colour which came in white and grey (shown here).

'Sandpeople' was an odd title for the Tusken Raider figure, not least because it uses the plural when only one figure was released per card. The name was changed in later lines to 'Tusken Raider'. Like Ben (and Darth and Leia), this guy came with a vinyl cloak. The one shown here is of the stiffer variation with a short 'cropped' collar. I've seen examples of the figure with the other softer cloak and higher collar too. Another variation is the 'hollow cheek tubes' one which is much rarer than the 'solid tubes' variation shown here.

The cool thing about this figure is the position he holds his 'gaffi' stick. If you raise his arms, he mimics the pose struck by one of his number in the movie before attacking Luke. It's difficult to find this guy without at least some paint loss on the various silver 'knobs' on his head and face. This one has seen better days and I may consider replacing him some day, but he'll do for now.

Few figures have caused such excitement among collectors as the Jawa. Notoriously hard to find even back in '78 (the Jawa was one of the last figures of the original 12 to be released), the figure then underwent a major change. The original version came with the Kenner stalwart vinyl cape. Allegedly, to make the diminutive figure give more bang for your buck, Kenner replaced this with a more expensive looking cloth cape (shown here). I don't have to tell even the most casual collector how valuable a vinyl-cape Jawa is today.

I really like this figure. Sure, he's tiny and I can imagine many kids didn't feel that he was worth the $2 price tag (Kenner really should have released 2 figures per card). But he's got some great detail for his size like the tiny yellow eyes. The cloth cape kind of obscures everything about the figure though, and you have to take it off (Jawa striptease!) to see what's underneath, as it were. Anyway, the whole deal is quite a contrast to the other figures in the line and that's probably why I find it so striking.

Marvel #24 - Silent Drifting

2011-02-21T13:58:00.001+01:00

This one's an interesting issue. After telling of Luke's pre-movie adventures, Marvel went and told a story of Ben Kenobi's past during the time of the Old Republic. The whole tale is framed by Leia telling a story to Han and Luke after Han successfully blasts a couple of TIE Fighters by luring them in with a false explosion.

The story takes place aboard a pleasure cruiser. One of the passengers is Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi en route to meet his old friend Bail Organa. It's great to see an early interpretation of the Jedi Knights. Ben seems to be wearing a military style uniform rather than his Jedi robes. I guess back then everybody just assumed that Ben's clothes in the movie were just his desert hermit garbs rather than an extension of what he was wearing 20 years previously. I know I was surprised when the prequels came along that all the Jedi were dressed up like Tatooine hermits.

Nice one-liner, Ben! I can totally see the Ewan McGregor version of the character pulling this stunt off. Even the Alec Guinness version possessed some of that cheeky humour so I think Marvel interpreted a younger Obi-Wan perfectly. After teaching the above scumbag some manners, Kenobi is approached by another villainous looking fellow and offered a share in a partner ship. Tagging the man as a slaver and smuggler, Kenobi declines.

Trouble strikes when a group of 'Merson' ships attacks the cruiser. Kenobi is called to the bridge and takes command, using the force to detect the fighter ships and giving orders for the cannons to be fired, blasting them in turn.

Word reaches him that somebody aboard is sending signals to the Merson ships and upon heading back down to the bar, he finds the scumbag who approached him earlier being threatened by the rest of the passengers. Choosing to destroy the fermentation device as a distraction, Kenobi inadvertently knocks out the signal transmitter, thus saving the day.

None of this seems particularly like Han's evasion of the TIE Fighters, so I don't really know what Leia's point is here. I guess she just wanted an excuse to tell a good story.

Landspeeder Toy

2011-02-14T12:05:00.001+01:00

Check out this little beauty! Luke's landspeeder was one of the first wave of vehicles released alongside the original 12 figures in 1978 (the other two being the X-wing and TIE-fighter). Despite being slightly more brownish in colour than shown in the movie (I guess Kenner didn't think a pink toy would be much of a hot seller to young boys), this vehicle is surprisingly faithful and pretty much to scale. With all the cool Tatooine figures released at that time I can imagine that Kenner's landspeeder went trundling across many a shag carpet, knocking down Jawas, Stormtroopers and cantina scum with Luke and Ben behind the controls.

It's got some neat features too, like the pop-open hood which shows the engine and has room for some weapons to be stored. Also, the gear stick makes some spring loaded wheels pop down which causes the landspeeder to wobble about as if floating. It was often advertised showing R2-D2 and C-3PO sitting on the back as shown in the movie, but they would just slide off as soon as the landspeeder was given a playful shove unless their feet were fixed into the small pegs on the rear of the seats.

These aren't hard to pick up in decent, complete condition for low prices, but there are a few bits and pieces that can go missing over the years such as the dashboard stickers, hood, seats and windshield which has a tendency to yellow over time.

I don't have the box for mine, but here's what it looked like below. As far as I know the landspeeder was only released as part of the Star Wars line (and not repackaged for The Empire Strikes Back or Return of the Jedi). It was however re-released in 1984 along with a few other older vehicles as part of Kenner's 'Collector Series'.

Tarkin is Back!

2011-02-11T10:55:00.001+01:00

I set this blog up purely as a 'retro' showcase of stuff made over 30 years ago, so it was never going to be a 'latest news' type of blog. But every so often I get wind of a little snippet that, although only connected in a small way, hits all my geek buttons and I can't resist sharing.

www.starwars.com have recently revealed that an upcoming character in the current TV series The Clone Wars will be none other than original Star Wars villain; Grand Moff Tarkin!

Now, The Clone Wars is a bit of a sticky point for most old school fans with many dismissing it as little more than an extension of the often derided prequel trilogy. Personally I think it's far better than that. Where the prequel trilogy got bogged down in politics and huge amounts of 'set up', a TV series has much more room to get back to what Star Wars was all about in the first place - swashbuckling, serialized adventures in outer space! Sure, it's all 'Anakin, Obi-wan and Ahsoka' rather than 'Luke, Han and Leia', but a lot more care seems to have been taken to cater to the fans by working in little bridges to the original trilogy such as this recent revelation.

It is not known what Tarkin will be up to in the series (although he seems to be going under the title of 'Captain Tarkin' so it looks like a promotion is on the horizon). I think the character has been terribly underused over the past three decades seeing as he was pretty much the main villain in Star Wars (the one 'holding Vader's leash' so to speak) so I'm glad he's getting a look in now. I honestly thought he would play a major part in the prequels, but was to be disappointed.

It probably won't happen, but I think it would be really cool for Tarkin to appear in a scene alongside Count Dooku, just for the excuse of reuniting Hammer veterans Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing on screen again. I know, I know; it's not really them, but you can see where I'm going with this right?

Pizzazz #10 (July 1978)

2011-01-28T15:07:00.001+01:00

Pizzazz was a magazine put out by Marvel between 1977 and 1979 aimed at teenagers. Focusing on movies, pop/rock stars and TV, the magazine only ran for 16 issues but is a fantastic time capsule of late 70s pop culture. Of course Star Wars would inevitably pop up on occasion and Pizzazz in fact ran two serialized comic strips separate to Marvel's regular Star Wars monthly comic book.

Yep, that's Peter Frampton and the Bee Gees on the cover, taking a stroll around the set of the utterly bizarre and largely derided musical Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1978). This was the 10th Pizzazz which began the second Star Wars story entitled 'The Kingdom of Ice'. Frustratingly, this story was never completed as Pizzazz folded after issue #16. But anyway, here is the beginning of what looks to be a pretty good story...

The rest of the magazine has some great stuff and no teen-magazine is complete without an 'agony aunt' column. These are usually good for a few laughs (especially the really dated ones). These kids writing 30+ years ago don't seem to have any problems that would be out of the ordinary today, but it was one of the less than sensitive 'solutions' offered that really caught my eye. When one kid writes that her sister thinks she's fat, even when she isn't, 'Miss Pizzazz' suggests some reverse psychology; "Try telling her she is fat and should weigh herself." - Yeowch!

As always the ads are worth a look too. I can't say that 'Gee, your hair smells terrific!' has ever got me anything but a restraining order though...

Marvel #17 - The Crucible

2011-01-24T21:11:00.001+01:00

Keeping going with the one-shot story format, Marvel brought out this story of Luke's pre-Star Wars adventures in the very next issue where we see him living an average teenager's life on Tatooine; bulls-eyeing womp-rats (not in his T-16, but from his landspeeder this time) and generally mooching about and complaining about how Biggs gets to go to the academy while he has to stay put and help out his uncle.

The artist's depictions of Owen and Beru are pretty far from what we see of them in the movie, particularly Beru who actually looks like quite the cougar here...

Luke heads off to Beggar's Canyon for Biggs' farewell do and they race their Skyhoppers. After the race a landspeeder crashes the party (literally) and a wounded militia scout is dragged from the wreckage, babbling about Tusken Raiders on the warpath with newly acquired weapons after one of their sacred wells was poisoned. This seems to draw some sort of parallel between the Tusken Raiders and Native Americans of the Old West, which I've never really considered before.

The Sandpeople arrive and there is a firefight. Luke and Biggs try to make for one of the Skyhoppers to get help, but are attacked and Biggs takes a hit in the shoulder with a garderffi stick with its tip dipped in sand bat venom. With the poison working fast, Luke pilots the Skyhopper through the deadly 'Diablo Cut' and narrowly avoids being blasted by more Sandpeople. He lands back at his uncle's farm safely where Biggs presumably gets the medical treatment he needs, leaving Luke to gaze at the twin suns and daydream once more. We are then treated to a great one page panel montage of future events...

This Micronaut cruiser here which can split into 7 different vehicles looks thoroughly awesome.

Read Along Book and Record

2011-01-19T18:07:00.000+01:00

I don't have a record player so I've no idea how this plays but the vinyl looks in pretty good shape. There were several Star Wars read along records (eventually re-released on cassette tapes of course) covering the movies and a couple of new stories in the kiddified wake of Return of the Jedi. This one is from 1979. I was planning to scan a few pages to give a taste of what the book is like but a quick Youtube search shows that some kind soul has gone that extra mile so we can all enjoy this product pretty much as it was intended complete with scratchy pops and crackles!

Those are some pretty nifty pictures for the young Star Wars fan in the days before home video entertainment and my copy of the book is pretty well-thumbed. With only a few pages to tell the entire story of the movie, there are naturally a couple of cheeky shortcuts, most notably the quick shift from Luke discovering Leia's message to going off to visit Ben Kenobi. There is no mention of R2 running away or of any Sandpeople.

None of the original actors reprised their roles for this despite authentic sounds and music from the movie. It's really odd hearing other people voice Luke, Han and the gang (most especially strange is Darth Vader). But Corey Burton, who voices Luke, does a pretty good job at capturing Hamill in my opinion. Little trivia fact; Burton is still working closely with the Star Wars franchise by voicing Count Dooku among others in the Clone Wars.

Marvel #16 - The Hunter

2010-12-30T15:43:00.007+01:00

I hope everybody had a nice Christmas or whatever you celebrate (if anything at all). It's been a busy time so I haven't really done much to the blog recently but I thought I'd take advantage of this odd, quiet bit between Christmas and New Year to do a quick post. So, let's take a look back at October 1978...

Here is the first of the one shot issues. Up until this point we had been given the six-part adaptation of the movie, a four-part arc that saw Han and Chewie running into trouble on Aduba-3 and a five-part arc that had Luke and Leia team up with them on a watery planet in the Drexel System. Now it's time for some evil skulduggery in the form of Valance 'The Hunter'; a brand new villain dreamed up by Marvel to fill the void left by Vader...

This was the first issue that did not feature any of the regular gang (other than in a brief flashback) and instead opens with a gang of mercenaries led by blue armour-wearing baddie 'Valance'. Raiding a medical station, these chaps have not come for loot but merely to destroy everything and Valance seems to have a burning hatred for all droids blasting any that cross him to smithereens.

In a sick bay they come across old Don-Wan Kihotay - the Jedi wannabe (or perhaps he really was, who knows?) who teamed up with Han in the earlier issues. Mumbling in his delirium, the old duffer babbles about his adventures with Han Solo and a gang of Star-hoppers including a young farmboy. Valance is mightily pleased by this revelation, mistaking the 'farmboy' for the one desperately wanted by the Empire for destroying the Death Star.

With dollar signs in his eyes, Valance sets off to track down the Star-hoppers and claim the bounty on the farmboy's head. Poor old Jaxxon (remember the giant green rabbit?) is the first to be pinned and is tortured before being saved by Amazia who blasts all but one of Valance's men sent to do the job. The sole survivor overhears them discussing Aduba-3 and heads off to tell his boss.

Fleeing to Aduba-3, Jaxx and Amazia manage to warn Jimm (the farmboy) that his pleasant farm life is about to be disrupted. They lead Valance and his men into an ambush. Stampeding Banthas ensue and wipe out most of Valance's gang but the blue-suited bounty hunter himself is enraged beyond belief to discover that the farmboy he has been chasing in no way resembles the farmboy on the Death Star security tapes. In a fit of rage, he blasts the Star-hoppers with a gun that seems to replace his hand for a brief instant before taking off in his ship alone. In the comfort of his cockpit, he begins to absently claw at his face to reveal...

An ad for the third 'Bad News Bears' movie here, a series which I've never seen. I love these Marvel toys. There seems to be no end to them. How many different cars do you think Spider-Man ended up with?

Marvel Annual 1979

2010-12-07T21:33:00.011+01:00

As I've finished going through the various Marvel story arcs and with only a handful of one-shot issues to go, I thought it was time I took a look at the only Star Wars annual Marvel did in the pre-Empire Strikes Back era. Coincidentally, this 33-page annual was released this month 31 years ago!

So, what's the story? Well with a thicker format to work with (this comic even has a spine!) there was plenty more room to fill with an all new tale of Luke, Han and Leia getting into yet another intergalactic scrape. This time the villain is Kharys, the Magestrix of Skye, a green-skinned winged warrior woman who goes around with a posse of 'Catumen' warriors. She bumps into Leia (deliberately, incidentally) whilst Luke and the Princess are mooching around the planet of Tirahnn, setting off a brawl and a back-street chase between our heroes and the 'Cats'.

Luke and Leia make it back to the Falcon where Han has hooked up with yet another old flame, this time in the shape of superfly, seventies-chick Katya M'Buele. I'll take this time to mention that the artistic team-up of penciller Mike Vosburg and inker Steve Leialoha is superb here and they really capture the likeness of the characters which, to be fair, has been pretty spotty throughout the Marvel series so far.

Upon the relation of their tale, Katya recognises the description of Kharys. And Han knows her too, having severely ticked her off during his smuggling days.

Later on, a strange being enters the Falcon whilst all are asleep; some sort of fire elemental. It kills Katya, making her a totally throwaway character, before trying to take on Luke who dispatches the entity with his trusty old lightsaber. The gang then set off for Skye for a showdown with Kharys but upon arrival are shot down by a squadron of Imperial TIE fighters. Luke and Leia escape in a pod while Han and Chewie carry on in the Falcon and are presumably killed.

Captured by the Highland Clans, Luke and Leia are dragged before the winged council on charges of trespassing. Luke is recognised as an enemy of the Empire (who the people of Skye are subservient to) but his lightsaber is also recognised as having belonged to their 'wingless brother' and the Highland Clans decide to help them rescue Han and Chewie who are alive and being held in the Imperial stronghold.

So begins an aerial assault on the sky-lair of Kharys who has an army of stormtroopers at her command. Leia gets into the palace and blasts her way to the torture chamber where Han is experiencing Kharys' hospitality. Kharys reveals that it was she who sent the 'smoke demon' onto the Falcon and is very interested in handing Luke and Leia over to Darth Vader who she serves. Leia busts in and rescues her comrades. Luke meanwhile tackles the stormtroopers below and soon finds himself up against Kharys herself who also possesses a lightsaber and is very good at using it...

Luke eventually kills Kharys and fulfills a prophecy that states that the 'one' would come and free Skye from Imperial tyranny. He is told that years ago during the Clone Wars, a Jedi called Obi-Wan Kenobi and his two pupils saved Skye from destruction. A few years later, one of the pupils - Darth Vader - returned to say that he had killed Kenobi and the Jedi Knights and the Skye was now under Imperial rule. And the other Jedi pupil? Why, Luke wears his 'saber...

I love it when Marvel incorrectly fills in the gaps like this. Something about the idea of Kenobi gallivanting around the galaxy with TWO pupils, one being Luke's father and the other Darth Vader just amuses me. Also any mention of the Clone Wars in something over 30 years old just tickles my nerd-bone.

The only advert I saw in the annual that I haven't covered before was this Mego Superhero Dolls one. And the last few pages are dedicated to the extra artwork readers in the UK got as the comic was printed weekly there thus requiring extra cover art.

Star Wars PSAs

2010-11-27T18:26:00.002+01:00

There are several vintage Public Service Announcements that were designed to use characters and settings from Star Wars to reach youngsters and teach them about the dangerous things in life. Two of them featured Anthony Daniels and Kenny Baker and one was even set in the famous cantina. Probably nothing new for you guys, but I like to showcase whatever video clips from that era that I can get my hands on.

Childhood Immunization - 1977
The sound is a bit low on this one.

Friends don't let Friends Drive Drunk! - 1979
Good to see those costumes from the film get a dusting off and put to further use.

Anti-smoking.
I don't actually know when this last one was made; some sources say 1980 and others 1982, but I thought I'd put it up as if fits nicely with the other two. Lots of people have pointed out the irony of this one as many of us have seen shots of Anthony Daniels on the set of Star Wars puffing away on the old 'death sticks'. Presumably he quit before filming this. And 'Galaxay?' Who was responsible for that blunder?

Marvel #35 - #37

2010-11-21T21:00:00.001+01:00

Here we are at last; the final story arc in Marvel's Star Wars comics before the Empire Strikes Back adaption came out and the comics went beyond the range of this humble blog. But I have a few one-shot issues to cover still so I'm not done with Marvel just yet.

The last story arc saw the undoing of Baron Orman Tagge and his brother as their cruiser was frozen by their own Omega Frost device and subsequently destroyed by the Falcon.

Issue #35 sees Vader finally learn the name of the rebel who destroyed the Death Star and hook up with General Tagge (brother of Orman) and reveal to him that the former Baron and his brother are alive and in stasis. The simple push of a button could revive them and Orman would reclaim his title which has passed to General Tagge. Vader holds this up as a threat to ensure Tagge's cooperation.

Meanwhile on Yavin IV, Luke and the rest of his X-Wing squadron (still called 'Blue Squadron' here, despite the changing of their name to 'Red' in the movie) rescue an unknown ship from the Imperial blockade that has surrounded the planet. On board is 'Domina' a priestess of the 'Order of the Sacred Circle' based on the planet of Monastery. Domina requires the Alliance's help as Darth Vader has landed on their planet to recruit their support of the Empire. Being neutral, the Sacred Circle requires a representative from the Alliance. Luke is chosen (now wearing his brown jacket that he wore during the movie's medal ceremony) and journeys with Domina to Monastery with Han and Leia secretly pursuing in the Falcon to keep an eye on things. The issue ends with a conversation between Vader and Domina which reveals that she is the sister of the Tagge brothers and is working in league with Vader to kill Luke in revenge for her brother's death.

Issue #36 begins with the Falcon being boarded by Tagge's cruiser. Han and Chewie play innocent with Leia stashed in the smuggling hold we saw in the movie. Meanwhile, down on the planet, Luke prepares for his audience with the Sacred Circle and the Imperial representative in the form of Darth Vader. But he's been double crossed. As the meeting quickly goes against him, Luke realizes that this whole business was a trap for him set by Vader and he challenges the Sith Lord outright, prompting Vader to suggest a duel to the death to settle things.

Back on Tagge's cruiser, Leia sneaks out from the Falcon's hold and blasts her way to Han and Chewie who are cooling their heels in the detention area. Making it back to the Falcon, they escape only to find a stowaway on board... the recently awoken Baron Orman Tagge!

Issue #37 features the long awaited duel between Vader and Luke. But before we get to that, there is the issue of Han and Leia dealing with their uninvited guest. During a bumpy landing, Orman Tagge is knocked off his feet and Leia grabs his gun. Fleeing, Tagge makes his way into the Crystal Valley where his sister, Domina, has arranged a duel between Luke and Vader with the intent of seeing them both killed.

Luke battles Vader only to discover that through a trick of the force, he has killed Baron Tagge. Vader lures him forward and Luke narrowly avoids being skewered by a crystal that thrusts itself up from the ground. Vader then, inexplicably flees in his TIE Fighter. Luke makes his way back up to where Domina is waiting with Han and Leia. Domina is distraught that her brother is dead (didn't she think he was already?) and declares that although the Sacred Circle cannot fight against the Alliance, she will always be an enemy of Luke's.

The final page is an odd one, and tries its best to lead into The Empire Strikes Back by having Jabba the Hut (sic), still portrayed as a humanoid alien (it had not been decided yet that he was to be a giant slug) come across the remains of Crimson Jack's cruiser (remember him?). Jabba sets a price on Han's head and Han blasts the unfortunate bounty hunter who comes after him. Presumably this is on Ord Mantell - the encounter Han mentions in Empire. Oh, and notice the promise at the bottom of the page stating that the Empire Strikes Back adaption begins next issue? Lies! Due to some new distributional system, the adaption was postponed for a month and instead the one shot issue 'Riders in the Void' was put out instead. But I'll get to that.

I put up an ad for 'The Black Hole' figures in my last Marvel post, but here are a couple of much better ones. And I've never seen these 'Lord of the Rings Figures'. Presumably they were influenced by the Ralph Bakshi animation of 1978.

I think almost every boy born in the last 50 years had little green plastic soldiers at one time. I used to get them in small plastic baggies but this 'footlocker' idea looks pretty cool. 'The Juice' was quite the spokesperson back in the day it seems with his image popping up in Marvel comics fairly often promoting some sports-related product or in the last case, cowboy boots (which seem to be totally ripped off in the ad following it by a clearly different company).

Promotional Flyers

2010-11-13T20:12:00.000+01:00

Bit of a half-assed post today, but I've had these things lying around for ages and thought it was time I stuck them up. Promotional flyers such as the top one from 1979 were inserted into boxed Star Wars toys (like vehicles and playsets) and were like mini catalogues showing off all the Star Wars goodies that were available.

The second one from 1978 released in conjunction with now defunct fast food outlet; Burger Chef, styled itself as an 'activity booklet' and included a 'connect the dots to discover the hidden character' (it's a stormtrooper), a wordsearch and a 'space maze' on the rear cover. Don't know what a Tusken Raider is doing aboard the Death Star, but what the hey. Sandwiched in between was the usual array of Star Wars figures, toys and games.

'The Tagge Saga' Marvel #31 - #34

2010-11-03T14:44:00.004+01:00

I've jumped ahead 4 issues here as I said that I would focus on the story arcs for now and cover the various one-shot issues at a later date. Since Luke's escape from the gas clouds surrounding Yavin and his destruction of Baron Tagge's space station, he has been sent back to Tatooine to recruit blockade runners as the Alliance is making plans to up sticks and find a new base. But Baron Tagge is hatching a new dastardly scheme on that very same planet.

An interesting note about this issue: it features a vehicle designed by toy company Kenner - the Imperial Troop Transporter! At this stage in the game (late 1979), Kenner had pretty much made all the toys they could think of in relation to the movie and had started coming up with their own designs never featured in the film. There was obviously some kind of deal between Kenner and Marvel here as this is pure product placement!

Getting back to the story, Luke and the droids rediscover the remains of his old home and run into Camie and Fixxer - his childhood chums that, like the Troop Transporter, were never seen in the movie, but unlike the Troop Transporter, were in Lucas' original script and can be seen in deleted scenes on YouTube as well as being in the novelisation and Marvel's adaptation of the movie. They also find a dead bantha in a canyon, frozen stiff. Certainly an odd discovery on a desert planet, but it is soon revealed that the unfortunate creature's demise was due to a fall out effect from an experimental device operated by Tagge's men nearby.

Luke heads on to the Mos Eisley Cantina and runs into Han and Chewie, who, true to their Marvel incarnations, are in the midst of a bar brawl. Fixxer appears on the scene once more and warns Luke that he was forced to notify the Imperial authorities of his whereabouts. Stormtroopers arrive and Luke, Han, Chewie and the Droids flee into the desert...

Issue #32 picks up with our heroes in the desert trying to fix their busted speeder. Hitching a ride with some Jawas, they are soon under attack by an Imperial patrol. I like the written interpretation of the Jawas' language! Almost looks like Arabic.

They discover what appears to be a giant moisture vaporator, but are actually in a trap set by Tagge's men and soon find themselves test subjects in his freezing experiments. Fleeing the sandcrawler at the last minute, the rebels make their way back to Mos Eisley.

Issue #33 sees our heroes depart Tatooine on board the Falcon but they soon spot a House of Tagge mining explorer and decide to follow it. They then witness a meeting between the Tagge ship and an Imperial cruiser and see the transfer of some technology. Luke once again dons the snazzy yellow space suit and heads out to infiltrate the loading crew. Unfortunately he is captured and Han does the smart thing and scarpers back to Yavin IV where a very irate Leia is awaiting news.

On board the mining explorer, Luke tries to escape but runs into Baron Tagge and a lightsaber duel occurs. There's not nearly enough lightsaber action in the Marvel comics so it's refreshing to see a good old fashioned duel underway. Luke busts Tagge's cybernetic vision and makes a dash for it, escaping in a TIE Fighter.

Great opening page for Isssue #34 here with Han, Chewie and Leia in the cockpit of the Falcon, leading the rebel fleet through the Feriae Junction where Baron Tagge's operation is waiting with the deadly Omega Frost weapon. Luke is MIA once again, having fled the Baron's cruiser in a TIE Fighter. Running out of fuel, he ejects the craft before it is smashed to smithereens by an asteroid.

With the knowledge that the rebels are heading into a trap, Luke sets down on an asteroid which contains one of the Omega Frost devices and destroys it with his lightsaber, putting an end to Tagge's plan to freeze the rebel fleet. The rebels, now in range, attack the Tagge cruiser, destroying it completely along with two of the Tagge brothers (Baron Orman and Silas).

On to the ads. I can't get enough of these '70s toys. The comic strip style ad for Star Wars stuff is interesting. I had the MPC 'Darth Vader's Tie Fighter' model as a kid and it was the best model I ever made. Star Trek and The Black Hole action figures look like they conformed to the 3 3/4" standard set by Kenner. I saw just The Black Hole for the first time the other day. Not a bad bit of '70s sci-fi. Don't know how well the toys sold though.

Lego on the back covers again and another ad for the Star Trek movie. Also, an offer from Chiquita Bananas promoting the 1980 Winter Olympics (which were held in Lake Placid, NY that year, if I'm not mistaken). Also note the 'When your mom buys...' line. Wouldn't get away with such sexism these days.

A Star Wars Halloween

2010-10-31T05:13:00.000+01:00

Well, Happy Halloween, folks! Couldn't really think of much to do for a Star Wars Halloween post, but I recently came across this ad in the December 1978 issue of Marvel's comic featuring a bunch of Ben Cooper stuff and put it aside especially. I don't know why this was printed in December. Either the ad was left over from 1978's season, or this is mightily early promotion for 1979.

Ben Cooper Inc. pretty much had a monopoly on Halloween costumes in the 70s. Ultra cheap to produce, the costumes usually consisted of a plastic mask and some sort of vinyl smock. Licensed characters including superheroes, movie monsters and film and TV personalities were popular. Rather than faithfully recreating the outfits of these pop icons, Ben Cooper costumes famously had the name (and sometimes the image) of the character printed on the front of them, presumably to make sure people knew exactly who they were looking at.

I don't have any of the stuff featured on the advertisement, but I managed to pinch a few pics from the net. Later, more characters were added to the line (like Leia and R2).

Here are some prime examples of the 'mask and smock' combo that one could expect from Ben Cooper Inc.

Another variation for that year was the 'poncho' look.

The Chewbacca 'disguise kit' looks intriguing. I've seen those teeth many times since used as parts of vampire costumes, but I wonder what the wig looked like.

Marvel Comics Barcodes

2010-10-15T15:04:00.011+02:00

I thought I'd do a short post about an issue that used to really bug me and I know I'm not alone among collectors about this: the issue of barcodes on Marvel comics and whether or not different variations indicate a reprint.

Shortly after I started collecting Star Wars comics, I began noticing that certain comics would either have their barcode struck out, blanked out or replaced by a little Spider-Man head as shown below.

These comics also have a different design around the price and issue number. Instead of these details being surrounded by two separate boxes (below left), the special barcode comics have a black diamond surrounding them (below right).

As the same comic seemed to come with either one design or the other, I suddenly got a horrible feeling that I had been buying reprints at the full price of originals. In a rage I started trawling forums and websites seeking confirmation. What I found out put my mind at rest and I thought I'd now share this with other collectors, or at least my general understanding of the issue.

Comics with the special barcodes and black diamonds are not reprints. They are genuine issues that were sold alongside the regular ones. The only difference is that the two types of comics were sold to different purchasers and are now considered to fall into two categories: Newstand Editions and Direct Market Editions. The deal with newstands (who only wanted to stock current issues) was that they could return any unsold comics to the companies they bought them from and recuperate their money. But these companies also sold directly to comic book stores. As these stores specialised in hoarding back issues, Marvel wasn't about to start paying them for all their old stuff. To make sure none of these Direct Market editions made their way back to the Marvel warehouse, alterations were made to the covers (i.e. the barcodes and issue numbers) to distinguish them from the Newstand editions.

So, all fears can be laid aside: comics featuring the weird barcodes are just as genuine as the normal looking ones. Personally I prefer the Newstand editions as I just think they look better, but there should be no difference in price for us collectors.

Topps Trading Cards: Series 1

2010-10-07T13:16:00.017+02:00

Until now, I've held out on collecting sets of Star Wars trading cards, deeming them beyond my budget. But it does appear that complete sets can be picked up on EBay for good prices. If condition isn't too high on your list of priorities. Admittedly, this set is a little tatty, but I prefer to consider it 'well-loved'. Mint condition cards are the ones that were never carried around in some young fan's pocket circa 1977, doing the rounds on the playground.

What I have here is the complete 66 cards that comprised Series 1. Each series had a different colour border (series one being blue). The images on the fronts range from scenes from the movie or promotional 'portraits' showing the characters. Stickers were also released within the packs, but these are often sold separately to the cards themselves nowadays.

Several of the cards had bits of a puzzle on their reverse and formed two large pictures shown below (sorry about the glare).

Other cards either had 'Story Summaries' or 'Movie Facts'.

Marvel #25 - #26

2010-09-28T14:50:00.017+02:00

First I want to start off by saying that I love the retro yellow space suits in #25. I wonder if 'The Clone Wars' team took their inspiration for their episode 'Blue Shadow Virus' from this as Padme wears something very similar.

Anyway, on with the story.

Our heroes have been split up once more with Luke and Leia (and the droids) heading back to Yavin IV without Han and Chewie. En route, they trade in Governor Greyshade's luxury space yacht for a hunk of junk that is a little more conspicuous. Before they leave the planet, they see a mining explorer belonging to the Imperial- affiliated House of Tagge blast off towards the Yavin system. On board is Baron Tagge himself, a new villain devised by Marvel. This guy has a bone to pick with Darth Vader and dreams of taking his place at the Emperor's side as his favorite. Hence his dastardly plan...

Following Tagge, Luke and Leia discover that Yavin IV has been blockaded and narrowly escape being blown to smithereens by some magnetic mines launched by the mining explorer. They decide to get a closer look at the ship and so don the spiffy yellow space suits and drop down onto a small moon. From here they witness Tagge launch a squad of TIE fighters down into the gaseous storms surrounding the planet. Luke and Leia get back to their ship to warn the alliance, but are blasted by a returning TIE fighter...

Issue #26 has Luke and Leia rescued by the quick intervention of a squad of X-Wings. Finally setting down on Yavin IV, they show General Dodonna what they recorded with Luke's macro binoculars. Theorising that the Tagge TIE fighters must be armed with some sort of special device that allows them to navigate through the gas of the planet, Luke sets off to salvage the TIE that was shot down over the small moon. He succeeds in locating the downed craft but its pilot is still alive and blasts R2.

Luke pilots the TIE back to Yavin IV where a new plan is formulated to destroy whatever operation Tagge has hidden down within the gas giant. Luke sets out once more in the captured TIE, and successfully navigates the storm. Slamming all his torpedoes into the gigantic space station that has been constructed, Luke makes a run for it, but the destruction of the station means that the eye of the storm through which Luke came becomes unstable. Using the force, Luke finally manages to escape and return to the rebel base, but unknown to him, Baron Tagge also survived, following him out...

New Kenner Figures! Its crazy how long they took to come out with these things. All 20 figures are here from both the 78 and 79 lines. And Han is still called 'Hans'. Mego dolls were also big whoop in the 70s (just ask Plaidstallions).

The Solo Adventures

2010-09-25T18:37:00.007+02:00

This doesn't really have anything to do with collecting, but it's just too awesome to not post about. Created by students of the Dave School (www.daveschool.com) this short animation focusing on one of Han and Chewie's pre-Star Wars adventures won the fan film award at the recent Star Wars V celebration.

I absolutely love it. I've often wondered what a series dealing with the classic characters done in the spirit and style of 'The Clone Wars' would look like and this seems pretty close to the mark. And whoever voiced Han pretty much nails Harrison Ford's cynical tones. Great stuff. Check it out here

'Captain Solo is Doomed, Artoo!' Marvel #18 - #23

2010-09-06T12:00:00.002+02:00

Finally got around to doing a proper post rather than sticking a few youtube videos up. These Marvel ones take some time. Also, I've been working on a new blog involving all things pulpy and trashy. Check it out! 20th Century Trash

We last left our heroes on their way to Yavin, having defeated both the water-bound Governor Quarg and space pirate Crimson Jack in issue 15. I've skipped a couple of issues here as they are really only one-shot stories which I'll cover at a later date. Issue 18 begins the third multi-issue story arc.

Issue 18 has the gang journeying through hyperspace towards Yavin IV when Luke passes out during his Jedi meditation, alarming both Han and Leia no end. Deciding to drop out of hyperspace to find a nearby system with medical facilities, the Falcon stumbles across a destroyed cruiser belonging to the Tagge family (who are thick with the Imperials, one member being a Fleet Commander). Amidst the wreckage they pick up a wounded rebel who tells them that the Tagge ship was destroyed by the Empire and made to look like a Rebel attack.

Just then, a light Imperial cruiser arrives on the scene and the Falcon has to scarper double quick. Chased into another sector, the companions find themselves in the shadow of 'The Wheel' which is explained as a luxury gambling resort full of sin and debauchery (naturally, Leia thoroughly disapproves, although Han is more then happy to put down in the nearest docking bay). Displaying a total disregard for his friend's well-being, Han then heads off to hit the casinos, dragging Leia in tow and leaving the droids to take Luke to the medical bay.

Now, normally, the Empire's jurisdiction does not extend to the Wheel, it being under the authority of Senator Greyshade. But the bald Commander Strom of the pursuing cruiser isn't about to let such protocols stand in his way of catching the rebels and so he dispatches a squad of stormtroopers to search the station. When Greyshade complains, Strom notifies him that the destroyed Tagge cruiser was carrying the Wheel's own profits to the bank. I sense a double-cross here as it is pretty clear that Strom was the one who destroyed the cruiser for reasons unknown. The issue ends with Greyshade spotting Leia on one of his security monitors and instantly clocking her as the daughter of his old senate rival...

Issue 19 picks up with Han and Leia battling stormtroopers in the corridors of the Wheel. Senator Greyshade's security forces arrive on the scene and order the Imperials to step down. Han and Leia are split up with Han taken away by security and Leia escorted up to the senator's quarters. Here she tells Greyshade of her suspicions surrounding Commander Strom, but the villainous Imperial arrives in time to cut a deal with Grayshade. Grayshade will keep quiet about what he has learnt about Strom if he is allowed to keep Princess Leia on board the Wheel with no Imperial interference (this all seems remarkably similar to the deal struck in The Empire Strikes Back between Vader and Lando). Leia's friends on the other hand, are to be disposed of.

With Luke still out of the picture in the medical bay and the droids under the possession of Wheel security, Chewie has fallen afoul of some ruffians and is soon fighting for his life in the gladiatorial arena. Han on the other hand, has been released by security, but with an expensive fee to pay should he wish to remain on board The Wheel, he decides to try his luck on the casino floor. Luck isn't with him however, and soon he too finds himself signed up for gladiatorial combat. Gee, I wonder what's going to happen next...

Issue 19 recaps the action with a conversation between Senator Greyshade and Commander Strom who have cut a deal to ensure that Princess Leia remains a prisoner aboard the Wheel and her companions are killed. Meanwhile, Han and Chewie (oblivious to each other's predicament, for the time being) are being put through their paces in the gladiatorial arena. Han soon finds himself up against a nasty beastie with four arms (each brandishing a poison dagger). He suspects, quite rightly, that foul play is afoot.

Meanwhile, Leia has busted out of her quarters by jamming the locking device with a serving knife and the droids have been rescued from having their memories wiped by Greyshade's personal robot assistant. Leading them down to the medical bay, they discover that Luke has now vanished...

Issue 21 and Darth Vader is back! Hurray! Granted it's only in a trippy dream sequence at first as Luke's disappearance is explained. Obi-Wan visits him in in his unconscious state and guides him in a fight against Vader. It is then revealed that it was not Vader he was facing, merely his own fears (another strange parallel to The Empire Strikes Back). Luke awakens and busts free of his bonds to go roaming around the space station and meets up with Leia.

Then we are treated to an interlude featuring the real Darth Vader encountering a massacred rebel information retrieval team on the planet Ultaar. It appears that somebody got here first (this somebody is the cyborg mercenary 'The Hunter' who got his own story in the one-shot issue #16). Vader tracks the rebels to the Wheel where all hell is breaking loose. Senator Greyshade has dispatched a squad of security troops to destroy the imperial cruiser. On board they discover the stolen Wheel profits that were said to have been destroyed aboard the Tagge cruiser. Witnessing this from the shadows is Luke and Leia.

Meanwhile, Han continues his fight for money in the gladiatorial arena, but who is this he is up against now? Why, it's his old pal Chewbacca...

Issue 22 kicks off with this cracking two page spread of Han against a brilliant blue background. I haven't spliced the two halves together very well, but what the hey. Han discovers that his blaster isn't working, deepening his suspicions that something stinks about this whole thing. Chewie's gun doesn't fire either and yet the two of them manage to take out all of their opposition by deflecting laser bolts with their deflector shields.

There's some double-crossing going on up in the control room as Senator Greyshade slips something into Commander Strom's drink causing him to keel over.

Luke and Leia are still hot on the tail of the looted Wheel profits and discover that they are being loaded aboard Greyshade's private space yacht. A brief firefight ensues resulting in Luke and Leia being taken hostage by Greyshade who has just arrived on the scene.

Darth Vader is still on the trail of the one he felt through the force in the previous issue and has tracked them to the Wheel, despite the impertinent comments of his underling.

Meanwhile, Luke and Leia view the gladiatorial games on Greyshade's monitor. He has a plan to take Leia away with him where they can live happily ever after upon the stolen profits. In the arena, Han and Chewie are the only ones left and Leia watches in horror as Chewie is forced to open fire on Han...

Issue 23 begins with Leia reluctantly agreeing to go along with Greyshade so that she doesn't have to see any more of her friends killed. Luke is given the boot but not before he and Leia have a quick smooch. Careful, Luke! You'll come to regret this sort of romantic tomfoolery!

Of course, Han isn't really dead. We are told that he avoided death by concealing a shield beneath his shirt and for the meantime is happy to play dead to get out of this infernal arena.

Meanwhile, the droids are busy causing havoc by playing a tape recorded by R2, depicting the theft of the Wheel profits from the Imperial Cruiser by Greyshade's security for all the station to see. Peeved that the Empire has been playing them for fools, the Wheel's inhabitants start a riot.

Stormtroopers charge the cargo bay and Luke is forced to retreat back to Greyshade's yacht. The Senator has a sudden conscience check and gives his life so that Luke and Leia can escape on his ship, killing his enemy Strom in the process. Han and Chewie make for the Falcon and the two groups of heroes meet up in outer space.

Vader's back on the scene! Attempting to suck Luke and Leia in via his ship's tractor beam, Vader is surprised to see the Falcon (a ship he most certainly recognises) come up on his rear and blast the bridge. Luke then connects with the Dark Lord's mind via the force and knocks the evil Sith for six, allowing the rebels to escape to fight another day.

Some images from between the covers here including some rather nifty-looking Spider-man toys. Good collection of Star Wars stuff here including the Kenner figures (minus only the Jawa). I never realised Marvel did a Jaws 2 adaption and its great to see a Kiss commercial in a Marvel comic. These were the four solo albums released by the band members in 1978.

I was pretty chuffed to see the Lego Car Chassis set on the back of several issues as I had this very one as a kid. I recently sold it on eBay for around $100 - money which ironically, went towards these comics (among other things). It's also fun to see some Battlestar Galactica stuff as I love the original series.

Kenner Toy Commercials

2010-09-04T19:22:00.007+02:00

Well, It's been a while since my last post. Things have been busy. I'm currently going through some comics and working on a new Marvel Star Wars post, but for the meantime, I thought I'd feature some vintage commercials dredged up from Youtube. You've probably seen all these before, but personally, I can't get enough of these.

This first one was the one that started it all. The 'Early Bird Certificate Package'. I can't imagine how exciting it must have been for the young Star Wars fan to see this on the TV screen for the first time.

This one (starring Anthony Daniels himself) was aired during the 1978 Holiday Special if I'm not mistaken. Funny how commercials back in the day were aimed at parents rather than the kids themselves. 'May the Force Be With You... And Your Children!'

Me too! Eee Eee Eee!

Kenner 3-3/4" Action Figures - Han and Chewie

2010-07-20T14:41:00.000+02:00

Another couple of figures from the original '78 line here. These guys must have been near the top of most kids' lists back in the day. Other than the fact that having anybody else piloting the Millenium Falcon is some kind of blasphemy, these guys are just pretty cool figures on their own merits.

This is the original 'Small Head' Han Solo. With the release of the Empire Strikes Back line, Kenner repackaged the figure with a newly sculpted (and butt-ugly) head that was significantly larger than this one. The 'Large Head' Han stuck around for the duration of the line but kids who got into the figures in the late 70's would have had the much nicer one featured here.

I love Kenner's Chewbacca figure. Sure, he features the same limited articulation as the Stormtrooper (i.e. rigid head and shoulders), but he's a great looking guy with nice detail on the eyes and teeth. His big-ass gun is pretty cool too, even though it's not exactly his trademark bowcaster as featured in the movie.

The Mystery of the Rebellious Robot

2010-07-08T21:43:00.000+02:00

In 1979, Random House put out three storybooks aimed at younger readers. Here we have 'The Mystery of the Rebellious Robot' and it's a hoot. I absolutely adore the illustrations. They have a great 70's borderline-surreal charm to them and I've never seen anything like them in relation to Star Wars before.

That's one scary looking Chewbacca! He's an absolute monster in this book and I wouldn't be surprised if he gave a few kids reading this nightmares. Anyway, the story revolves around Han, Chewie and R2 aboard the Falcon, heading to Tatooine with some supplies for Luke who is leading a team of scientists to build 'super-vaporators' to combat the drought there. Chewie gives R2 some oil and the little droid promptly goes berserk and takes control of the Falcon.

Ha ha! Another great image of Chewie. He's certainly having a hair-raising experience here! Han sends a distress signal to Luke down on Tatooine and soon the Jedi-in-training sets off in his X-Wing (called simply a 'plane' here) to help.

Luke guides the Falcon down to the planet and reveals to Han that computers and machines have been breaking down all over the planet. Stuff's been going missing too and it looks like somebody is trying to sabotage the project. Whilst discussing this in the conference room, there is a tremendous explosion. Luckily nobody is injured but 3-PO is taken off to maintenance for some repairs. After an oil bath, 3-PO's systems shut down. A handy R5-unit discovers that contaminated oil it the problem.

It is discovered that the Jawas are at the bottom of all the trouble. They've been contaminating the oil in order to get their hands on droids and machinery. Chewie chases them around for a bit and catches them all up in one swoop.

Chewie finally gets his medal!

Topps Trading Cards Pack: Series 5

2010-06-25T11:24:00.001+02:00

I had no idea that some of these packs of trading cards were still around in unopened state until recently. They seem to pop up on ebay all the time at quite low prices so I guess there's still a few kicking around. I've even seen those large cardboard multi-pack boxes that stores would have displayed a few times.

I haven't started collecting the individual cards sets that Topps put out back in the day, but I couldn't resist picking up this little preserved gem. It even has a stick of 33 year old gum inside. Series 5 was the last set released and was the ones with the orange border as seen below.

Han Solo at Stars' End by Brian Daley

2010-05-27T17:41:00.001+02:00

Today, Star Wars novels number in the hundred's. But back in the late 70's there was Alan Dean Foster's Splinter of the Mind's Eye and the Han Solo adventures by Brian Daley, and that was it. Daley wrote three, beginning with the above, a tale of Han and Chewie before they met up with Luke, Ben and the Droids in the Mos Eisley Cantina and their lives (and ours) were forever changed.

Published on 1st April, 1979, Han Solo at Stars' End eschews the usual hordes of Stormtroopers, TIE Fighters and Imperial Cruisers that form the villains in most Star Wars works, and instead Daley creates the 'Corporate Sector Authority' (usually shortened to the 'Authority') as a foil for our heroes. This is my main disappointment in the novel. I like Stormtroopers. I like TIE Fighters. They're a huge part of Star Wars (especially in the early days of '79), and without them, the book feels a little like it's set somewhere else, like Han and Chewie have crossed over into a different Galaxy.

Anyway, the story begins with this all-powerful Authority trying to impound the Millennium Falcon, insisting that Han needs a special waiver to operate in its sector. So Han and Chewie bust out and jet off to find 'Doc' a shady technician that can do the job on the cheap. Upon arrival, they meet Doc's daughter, Jessa (an old flame of Han's, naturally) who tells them that her father has gone missing. She'll agree to do the job on the Falcon if they head off to Orron III and pick up a search party that has been looking for Doc and some other troublemakers who are believed to have been captured by the Authority.

Of course the mission goes totally balls-up with betrayal and murder in their midst and Chewbacca is captured and hauled off to Stars' End, the Authority's ultra-secure prison camp. Cue daring rescue with Han and his new found chums masquerading as an entertainment troupe to sneak in and bust everybody out.

Being a veteran EU reader from my teenage years, I noticed many terms in this book like 'vibroblades', 'holocubes' and 'Z-95 Headhunters' that later became EU staples. As they were never mentioned in the movie or novelisation, I am led to wonder if they were all inventions of Brian Daley and have since become regular pieces of the Star Wars universe. If so that's pretty impressive. One other thing that put a smile on my face is the name of one of the droids in the book. Now, maybe this is only funny to British people, but calling a character 'Bollux' is just asking for unintentional hilarity. I read somewhere that when the book was published in Britain, the name was changed to 'Zollux' to avoid testicular connections.

All in all, it's not a bad book. I honestly didn't know what to expect as some of this early EU stuff can be pretty bizarre. It's not nearly as off model as some of the Marvel comics. The plot is ok, nothing special, and the lack of pretty much all things Star Wars other than Han and Chewie just makes it all feel a bit mediocre. Being a first paperback edition, I bought it as a collectible, not for its reading value and I'll be picking the sequels up as and when they appear on ebay for reasonable prices.

'We Want Those Robots, Boy!' Marvel #11 - #15

2010-05-25T09:53:00.000+02:00

The pairing of Roy Thomas and Howard Chaykin who had done the original 6-part adaption and first non-movie story arc had come to a close and the new guys, Archie Goodwin and Carmine Infantino, picked up the writing and penciling duties here with the second original story arc. When we last left our heroes, Han and Chewie and their new found friends had just defeated Serji-X Arrogantus and his gang of Cloud Riders on Aduba-3. Luke was MIA on a mission to find a suitable location for the rebel base and Leia had gone off after him.

Issue #11 picks up with Han and Chewie deciding to head back to Yavin IV. Throwing their lot in with the rebels for the time being seems preferable to gallivanting around the galaxy with a price on their heads. Unfortunately, upon entering the Yavin system, they run into their old pal Crimson Jack. But there is a further surprise on board for them in the form of Princess Leia who apparently didn't get very far in her mission to find Luke (didn't she start out from Yavin?). After a brief shootout with Jack's men, Han comes up with a plan and tells ol' Redbeard that there is a rebel stash of loot that only Princess Leia knows the location of. If Han can get the Princess to talk, Jack agrees to go 50/50 with him.

Leia and Han put on a little spat for the pirates (although Leia doesn't really seem to be acting much) before the Drexel system is named as the location of the loot. The Drexel system is where Luke went missing in the last story arc, so I don't know what Leia's reasoning is here. Perhaps she thinks that Luke is capable of taking on the whole of Jack's crew. Well, I guess handing out the names of random systems to enemies is kind of in character for her (remember Dantooine?).

Meanwhile, Luke and the droids have crash-landed on a watery planet in the Drexel system, and are under attack by a giant sea snake. Narrowly escaping, they witness the arrival of a second creature, only this one seems to have a rider...

I don't know about you guys, but this last bit really reminds me of the Holiday Special cartoon, when Luke and the droids crash a Y-Wing on a jelly-like planet and are attacked by a giant lizard only to be saved by Boba Fett on a similar creature. Maybe the '78 cartoon was loosely based on this issue?

Issue #12 carries on with Luke's storyline. The man riding the beast turns out to be a Dragon-Rider, but doesn't get to introduce himself as a gang of local pirates arrive on the scene and see him off. Luke and the droids are taken to the pirates' ship and introduced to their captain, Governor Quarg, who seems to be suffering from some sort of Napoleon complex.

Meanwhile, Crimson Jack's pirate ship makes its way to the Drexel system, but upon arrival, Jack's suspicions are raised as it appears that the planet is completely made of water. How could the rebel loot be hidden on a water world?

Issue #13 has Luke trying to impress
his captor, Governor Quarg, who would normally execute any newcomers. R2 repairs one of the damaged hydra-skimmers, but it's not enough to win the pirate chief over. Quarg instructs Luke to show off his target practice in the repaired skimmer. On the way out to the floating target, Luke is attacked by a burly looking man who has been hiding in the back of the skimmer. It is revealed that he is the master machine smith and is not at all pleased by the prospect of being replaced by Luke and his droids. A fight ensues at high speed and Luke succeeds in booting the machine smith out before heading off to destroy the target and win a place on Quarg's crew.

Quarg reveals to Luke that his father was once a Governor in the Old Republic who had a penchant for using sonic jamming devices to wreck and salvage ships. Rumbled by the Jedi Knights, he and his people fled but crash landed on the watery world of Drexel. A mutiny broke out between the settlers and was quickly quashed, but the ringleaders were set adrift by Quarg's father, only to master the local sea-dragons and become the Dragon-Riders, mortal enemies of Quarg and his men.

Meanwhile, in orbit above Drexel, things aren't looking too good for Han and Chewie. Crimson Jack doesn't believe that the watery planet could be the location for the rebel treasure, but doesn't get much of a chance to ask further questions as his cruiser is suddenly gripped by Quarg's sonic jammer. Amidst the confusion, Han, Chewie and Leia make their escape on the Falcon and head down to the water world below, landing right in the middle of a battle between Quarg's pirates and the Dragon-Riders. One of the pirates opens fire on the Falcon and is blasted by Luke who is unable to control himself upon seeing his friends fired upon. He brings his skimmer to a stop and is grabbed by the great hairy arm of Chewbacca who assumes that it was he who attacked the Falcon...

In Issue #14, things are looking pretty bad for our heroes. Luke and the droids are back in Governor Quarg's holding cell for blasting one of his skimmers, and their cell-mate Chewie, is none too pleased to see them, thinking that it was Luke who killed Han. Wait, Han's dead?! Not really, he was taken by the Dragon-Riders after hitting the water when the Falcon crashed. 3PO manages to trip up Chewie and R2 squirts him in the face with his firefighting foam, knocking the big Wookie out cold. As for Princess Leia, she's been captured by Quarg too and is looking pretty grumpy about it.

Quarg is still trying to bring down Crimson Jack's cruiser, but doesn't have enough juice to do it. He reasons that if Luke can tap the engines of the Falcon, then his sonic jammer will be powerful enough to do the job. If Luke refuses, well then it's bad news for Leia...

Meanwhile, Han is making pals with the Dragon-Riders and they all set off to do battle with Quarg's men. Han gets there first and boards his beloved Falcon to stop Luke from sucking all the juice out of its engines. Luke then cracks him one on the chin for this as he won't risk Leia's life not even to save the Falcon. The link up is completed and has a bad effect on the sea-dragons who begin to drop like flies. Leia chooses this moment to make a run from it with the newly revived Chewie's help. Onboard the Falcon, Luke and Han discover that their ship is operational again, and see a chance to end the battle by blasting the sonic jammer. But there's a problem...

Leia has made it to the top of the mast which puts a hole in the boys' plans to blast it to kingdom come. Cue Luke's swashbuckling heroics. Swinging from one mast to the other, Luke sweeps Leia away, reminiscent of their Death Star chasm stunt, just in time for Han to blow the mast (and presumably Governor Quarg) to bits. This may seem like the end of the story arc, but readers (along with a worried looking Han) might remember the huge imperial cruiser in orbit and its crew of bloodthirsty pirates...

Issue #15 ties up the loose ends involving Crimson Jack. Our heroes are trying to get the Falcon up and running again when they are attacked by an outfitted Y-Wing from the pirate cruiser. Heading off into space, Han and the gang attempt to take on the whole of Crimson Jack's starfighter force, One of whom is the man-hating pirate wench, Jollie.

At this point we are given a quick look at Jollie's childhood where her father abandoned her in the face of an imperial attack and her mother is promptly killed, thus explaining her hatred for all men.

The space battle continues and Jolli's ship is critically wounded. Jack refuses to send help and tells her to make it back on her own. Han tells Jack that whilst he and Chewie were aboard his cruiser, Chewie transferred all the navigational maps to the memory banks of the Falcon. If Jack destroys the Falcon, then the pirates will be marooned in outer space.

A deal is struck and Jack agrees to trade a gyro control module for the navigational charts. Han and Jack meet between the two ships (sustained by a magnetic field), but as could be expected, Jack pulls a fast one and has all his men launched into space to open fire on Han. Suddenly, Jollie appears and she's mad as hell at having been abandoned. Opening fire on her old crew, she then slams her Y-Wing into Jack's munitions deck, destroying his ship. Han pops a laser cap in Jack's ass and the other heroes drag the gyro module into the hold of the Falcon. In between its wreckage lies the dying form of Jolli who Han kisses (her first and last kiss). Turns out she wasn't such a bad girl after all.

With all their enemies dead and the Falcon fitted out with a new gyro control module (whatever that is), our heroes head off to Yavin IV and so ends this story arc.

Here's a few images from between the covers including an advertisement for the hugely popular Kenner figures which were just coming out around this time (notice the absence of the Jawa, Sandpeople and Death Squad Commander - these guys came out a little bit later). I love how off-model the illustrations are. Check out the collars on Ben and Darth, not to mention the colour-schemes on Han and R2. Ben looks like he's playing a round of golf with his lightsaber, and 'Hans' Solo...? Whilst not Star Wars related, I also liked the advertisement for Close Encounters trading cards hidden in packs of sliced bread.

A couple of images from the back pages.

Kenner Action Figure Case

2010-05-22T22:31:00.001+02:00

This 'Mini-Action Figure Collector's Case' was put out by Kenner in 1979 and was a much more effective carrying case than the infamous Darth Vader version released later. It remained a fixture of the line right up until 1983, with the artwork and logo changing to reflect the later films. Back when the Kenner line consisted of only 20 figures (plus Boba Fett who was put out the same year), the first carrying case had enough space for both the '78 and '79 line of figures plus a few extra stormtroopers or tusken raiders.

I picked this one up for quite a nice price on Ebay, although it's not in the best condition. As most of these things have spent the last two decades in people's basements and garages, the paper illustration behind the clear plastic has a tendency to warp and crease over time. Also a few of the characters' stickers are missing from the trays, but these things are pretty hard to pick up in mint condition.

Star Wars - The Novelisation

2010-05-18T18:41:00.000+02:00

I love how this bears the subtitle: 'From the Adventures of Luke Skywalker' as if 'Star Wars' is just the name of one chapter in an on-going series about Luke rather than the name of the franchise itself. Well, I guess that was kind of true in the early days before all the 'Episode IV, V, VI' business. Published on November 12th, 1976, a good six months before the movie was released, this novelisation was the very first piece of Star Wars merchandise. It includes several pages of stills from the movie which must have been exciting for those who hadn't seen it yet.

The front cover would have you believe that it was penned by George Lucas himself. Yeah, right. It was actually ghostwritten by veteran Sci-Fi writer Alan Dean Foster, who would go on to write the Star Wars 'sequel' Splinter of the Mind's Eye in 1978. Foster has also written a shedload of other movie tie-ins including Alien (1979), Clash of the Titans (1981), Krull (1983) and Pale Rider (1985) and is showing no signs of stopping having recently novelised Transformers (2007), Star Trek (2009) and Terminator: Salvation (2009).

Upon reading it, I was surprised by how closely the novel sticks to the film. Considering the amount of editing and rewriting that goes on during a film's production, I would have expected more deviations. There are a few differences, most notably the inclusion of stuff deleted from the final film such as the Anchorhead scenes between Luke and Biggs which were fun to read. The Jabba the Hutt scene in Docking Bay 94 is present too, although this was before it was decided that the character would be a giant slug-creature and Jabba is described as: "a great mobile tub of muscle and suet topped by a shaggy scarred skull". That sounds a little like the portrayal of Jabba by Declan Mulholland in the deleted scene from the film. Apparently Lucas wanted to insert a Harryhausen-esque stop-motion creature in post production. Of course that scene was dropped, but not before Alan Dean Foster had written it into the novel, seemingly using production photos like the one below as a guide.

A few other inconsistencies exist such as 'Red Squadron' (the X-Wings in the climatic battle) being labelled as 'Blue Squadron' in the book and 'Gold Squadron' (the Y-Wings) as 'Red Squadron'. According to starwars.com this is because blue markings on a ship don't work too well when the ships are shot against bluescreen. So in the film, Blue Squadron became Red, and Red became Gold. Even Kenner didn't get the memo as late as 1979 it seems, as their die-cast Y-Wing came with a red paint job having based the toy on early ILM photographs.

The other thing that really stuck out to me was how the Emperor is portrayed in the book. It is made clear on several occasions that the Empire is controlled by corrupt officials and corporations and the figure of the Emperor is merely an isolated puppet controlled by others. A far cry from the all powerful master of the force we would later see in Return of the Jedi.

All in all I enjoyed the book. It wasn't overly long, and yet it didn't skimp on the action or details. Having seen the movie way too many times, I found myself predicting the next line a character would say as the book sticks pretty religiously to the script. But I imagine that back in the days before home video entertainment, this was one way fans could bring the movie home with them and keep on enjoying it in some form or another.

Kenner 3-3/4" Action Figures - The Imperials

2010-05-12T19:34:00.000+02:00

Ahh! The Kenner action figures! Pretty much every kid who liked Star Wars back in the day had a bunch of these. Retailing at about $2.00 each, these were small and cheap in comparison to other action figures of the day (Big Jim, GI-Joe, Mego etc). This meant that kids really could 'Collect 'em all' and Kenner could produce a line of vehicles and playsets that were actually in scale to the figures (kind of).Being born in '83, I really missed the boat with all things Star Wars. I would be about 10 when I got to see my first Star wars movie, but my relationship with the franchise goes back much further. When I was about 5 or 6, my neighbor (who had a kid a few years older than me) was clearing out her attic. She handed me a plastic carrier bag filled with funny little aliens and robots who had very limited articulation and tiny, tiny guns that were very fiddly to fit into their hands. I took them home and my dad (who had seen the movie several years previously) told me that they were Star Wars figures.

'?' my face must have said because he then gave me a very brief run-down on the plot; Darth Vader wants to take over the universe with his army of stormtroopers and the good guy, Luke Skywalker, tries to stop him. This was all my imagination needed and the figures became a regular fixture in my own play-scenarios, sharing the stage with He-Man and Thundercats figures and probably the occasional Ninja Turtle.

A few years later I finally got around to renting a Star Wars movie from our local library - Return of the Jedi. Yeah, I know, completely the wrong one to start with. I can't remember why I chose that one - either the other two weren't in stock, or it simply just had the coolest cover. Nevertheless I fell in love with it and can remember being thrilled to see my action figures personified as living, breathing characters on the TV screen.

Not much later I sold all my Kenner figures at a yard sale for peanuts (D'oh!). But in my teenage years I rediscovered Star Wars and began collecting, picking up a few of the lil' ol guys from comic book stores where they were kept in glass cases.

Darth Vader here is sporting a vinyl cape that was pretty much a staple throughout the Kenner line. Kenner did issue a few of their figures with cloth capes later on, but in the late '70's vinyl was the rage. The great thing that amused me as a kid was the 'slide-out' lightsaber that can be seen emerging from his right arm. You'll notice that it has a little tip on the end. Originally the lightsabers were supposed to be telescoping, but for some reason Kenner quickly changed the design to the 'solid' lightsaber seen here.

The trusty Stormtrooper is quite possibly the most common Star Wars figure. Everybody had a couple of these or more it seems. This guy is even less articulated than the others as his head and torso are one solid part. The pristine white armor can be tricky to find in nice un-yellowed condition these days.

The Death Squad Commander was later named 'Star Destroyer Commander' presumably to avoid any Nazi connotations. Nevertheless, these guys are pretty much the SS in the Star Wars galaxy. In the films this is more prominent due to their all-black uniforms. I have no idea why the action figure was moulded in grey.

'Keep firing Chewie!' Marvel #7 - #10

2010-05-10T21:31:00.000+02:00

Here we have, most probably, the first original Star Wars story (other than the film and novelisation), and the first entry in what became the Expanded Universe (EU) in later years. After Marvel had finished their six-issue adaptation of the movie, naturally they wanted to carry on with a good thing. Beginning in January 1978, Marvel put out a four-issue story arc depicting the post-Star Wars adventures of Luke, Han and Leia. Many more story arcs and one-shot issues continued in the years leading up to the release of The Empire Strikes Back and the resulting 38 issues of Marvel Star Wars goodness remains a well-loved (if often downright bizarre) piece of nostalgia in the hearts of many fans.

Widely regarded as non-canon now in the wake of prequels, novels and other comics, the Marvel series was all fans had to go on once the film had left theatres (other than Alan Dean Foster's 'Splinter of the Mind's Eye' novel which came out about the same time as this story arc). Marvel didn't always get things right (a giant green rabbit called 'Jaxxon'? Honestly?), but they damn well tried. They did at least get some minimal approval from Lucas for each storyline, but took their time in bringing Darth Vader back in as a villain as it was not clear at that point what the plans were for the character in the upcoming sequel. So there were plenty of other villains devised to fill in the gaps in the meantime.

Issue #7 picks up pretty much immediately after the ending of the film when all the rebels are presumably recovering from their post-Death Star destruction celebrations. Han and Chewie head off on the Falcon with their reward money with the intention of paying off Jabba the Hutt (spelt 'Hut' here). Unfortunately for them they are boarded by a pirate known as 'Crimson Jack'. the cool thing about this guy (the only cool thing) is that he is cruising around in a hijacked Imperial Star Destroyer. He relates to Han in a later issue just how he came by this. After pilfering all Han and Chewie's money, Jack gives them the boot (theorising that he can rob them again sometime if he lets them go free). Poor old Han. Return to Start. Do not collect $200.

With a price on their heads and not a cent to their name, Han and Chewie decide to lay low on a backwater planet called Aduba-3. Here they get into some trouble with a mob of locals who object to a 'borg' (cyborg) being buried in a local cemetery (why Han cares about this or decides to get involved is beyond me). After brawling with the hoodlums, our heroes decide to hit the bars and check out the local girls. Their fun is interrupted by some cheerless looking fellows who have a job proposition...

Issue #8 tells us that the local moisture farmers are being plagued by a gang of 'Cloud-Riders' led by one 'Serji-X Arrogantus' who rustle their banthas and take off with their women. Han agrees to help for no fee, purely out of the goodness of his charitable heart (the writers here didn't seem to have a handle on Han's mercenary/scoundrel image yet) and so, in the upstairs room of a seedy dive, he begins interviewing potential guns for hire (with his shirt off for some reason). His chosen six include the aforementioned green rabbit, an eccentric old buffer called Don-Wan Kihotay (geddit?) who claims to be a Jedi Knight and even has a lightsaber, a 'spiner' called Hedji, a human kid called Jimm (who likes to be known as 'The Starkiller Kid'), a droid called FE-9Q ('Effie'), and Amaiza Foxtrain, an old acquaintance of Han's who, it is explained, used to head the infamous 'Black Hole Gang'.

Meanwhile, back on Yavin IV, Luke heads off with the droids to search for a new base for the Rebels. This bit is pretty brief but serves to assure us that the writers haven't forgotten Luke and Leia and the rest of the Rebels who are, with good reason, concerned that a fleet of extremely irate Imperials will be coming down on them pretty soon.

Back on Aduba-3, Solo and the gang soon encounter Serji-X who arrives with his crew on speeder bikes. Some banter is made and the battle lines are drawn with Serji-X taking off spouting threats.

Issue #9 sees Solo and his gang making their way across Aduba-3 to the village they have been hired to protect. En route they are attacked by 'High Hounds', giant bloodthirsty birds. Han spots one of the villagers, a pretty girl in a loincloth, being attacked and saves her. The birds take off and the gang reach the village.

Meanwhile, Luke's mission to find an new location for the Rebel base has brought him to the Drexel system. He makes contact with Leia, but something seems to frighten him and he abruptly breaks off contact.

On Aduba-3, Han and his chums are confronted by an old man known as the 'Old One' who claims that their help is not needed, as he has faith in a mystical solution he once beheld in his youth. Ignoring him, the six companions take on Serji-X and his men who have just arrived on the scene. A battle ensues in which both Effie and Don-Wan bite the dust. Things look bad, but are set to look worse as the Old One summons a gigantic lizard creature from the mountain which brings us to...

Issue #10 - 'Behemoth from the World Below!'
The creature (which has a built in blaster) begins attacking Serji-X and his men, but its heavy footsteps begin an avalanche. It also inadvertently steps on Serji-X as well as the old duffer who summoned it. 'Heavenly Hutches!'

With the Cloud-Riders dealt with, Han and the gang attempt to take on the beast themselves with little success. Then, Don-Wan (who is somehow alive again - continuity, guys!) rushes to meet the creature head-on in chivalrous knight fashion...
Cut to a brief segment on Leia as she leaves Yavin IV to search for Luke who is now missing in action.

Don-Wan has little success against the beast with his lightsaber and Hedji tries flinging a few spines at it to no avail. Han theorises that the lightsaber is only making the monster madder and snatches it from Don-Wan and plants it right in the big lizard's chest. This causes the creature to rapidly disintegrate, leaving Han as the hero of the day.

The gang receive a handsome reward from the villagers for their efforts (weren't they doing it for free? Another continuity issue, I'm afraid). The girl Han saved in the last issue hitches up with Jimm and the heroes go their own separate ways. And so ends the first non-movie story arc in the marvel canon. But what about Luke Skywalker? Well, that's a different story...

I also came across some great Star Wars related ads within the pages of these comics. The first shows some 1978 calendars including a Frank Frazetta one which must have been awesome. Artist Howard Chaykin also treats us to a 'pin up' of the heroes. I wonder if any kids actually tore this out of their comic and pinned it to their bedroom wall. You've got to love Chewie's 'cat-face' and who the hell did Chaykin have in mind when he was drawing Leia? 'A Galaxy of Star Wars Treasures' greets us here showing all the staples such as those t-shirt transfers that seemed to be everywhere back then. I love how Obi-Wan is politely tapping that stormtrooper on the shoulder who is admiring a poster for the movie.

A couple of images from the back covers. The first is a particularly nauseating 'Patty Prayer Doll'. I can't imagine who Marvel thought its target audience was with this one. Presumably the same ad made its way onto the backs of Spider-man and Incredible Hulk comics too.

People Weekly, July '77

2010-05-07T14:03:00.001+02:00

Another great little item from Ebay is this issue of People Weekly which came out right amidst the hype of the theatrical release of Star Wars. It's items like these that really make collecting fulfilling for me; little snapshots of that era that cover so may things other than Star Wars itself. The advertisements are great too.

'How come I enjoy smoking and you don't, you pussy!' I'm too young to remember the joys of Peter Frampton and as for the 'Thrust of the matador', I think I'll pass thanks.

The article on Star Wars didn't really tell me anything I didn't already know, but it does have some nice behind the scenes pictures I've never seen before.

The '78 Holiday Special Animated Segment

2010-05-06T12:01:00.001+02:00

Few Star Wars fans need an introduction to the infamous 'Holiday Special' that was aired November 17th, 1978. I wasn't around then, but I've seen it since and yes, it truly is dreadful. I won't go into the details here (perhaps at a later date), but by far the best part of the whole debacle was this 9 min animated short which famously introduced the bounty hunter Boba Fett who wasn't even in the first film. By then, the hype was building for 'Star Wars 2' and the following year Kenner released an action figure of the character in both the small and the 12 inch lines with 'Star Wars' packaging.

The animated segment was produced by Canadian company Nelvana Studios (who would go on to produce the 'Droids' and 'Ewoks' cartoons of the late 80's). What is special to me about this cartoon is the fact that most of the original cast voice their characters. Try getting Harrison Ford on board such a project these days! Anyway, here it is, 'The Faithful Wookie'...

Official Poster Monthly #2

2010-05-05T19:31:00.001+02:00

First item for this blog is a little gem I picked up relatively cheaply on Ebay about a year ago. The 'Official Poster Monthly' was a magazine begun by Paradise Press in the US in late '77. Basically it's one gigantic poster (2ft by 3ft) with newspaper style articles on the reverse depicting little snippets of info on the making of the film and bios on characters and vehicles etc.

In issue 2 (released Nov '77) we have one of those great little bits of 'pre-Empire Strikes Back' lore on Darth Vader which, needless to say, gets it totally wrong. As with the writers of the Marvel comics (some of those later), publishers were really sailing without a compass when it came to the histories of the characters. Let me quote;

"Those who learn about the Force must be on their guard, however. As on earth where we have White and Black Magic, so the Force has its dark side and Vader, for reasons that are unclear, became consumed by it. It led him to that fateful day when, in a fierce battle, he killed Luke Skywalker's father.
What is less well-known, is that Vader was then almost killed by Ben Kenobi, who was understandably enraged at his disciple's fall from grace. Vader's life might have ended then and there with a quick stab from a light saber; instead, during the fight, Vader stumbled backwards and fell into a volcanic pit where he was nearly fried alive."

An interesting little piece of early Star Wars merchandise, and probably one of the first mentions as to why Vader wore that black suit and mask in the first place. On the reverse of the magazine is an advertisement for some vintage memorabilia like the '78 Calendar, t-shirt transfers, key chains and 'Authentic Darth Vader Communicator' which I have no idea about, although it humorously states that its mirror can be 'used to see your own reflection'! Wow, that space-age technology...