Topps Trading Cards Pack: Series 2

I only have one more of these packs to collect (series 1) before I have a full set, so I need to get on to that pronto. Meanwhile, here is series 2 which contained cards with the red borders.

The Novelization: Book Club Edition

Nowadays, when a book is published, the hardcover edition usually comes first and then the paperback. But back in 1976, the Star Wars novelization (by Alan Dean Foster but accredited to George Lucas) first appeared in paper back. Then, came the hardback version with the gold border but before that, the Science Fiction Book Club put out a version for it's members with different artwork and, according to the excellent A Universe of Star Wars Collectables by Stuart W. Wells III, is the earliest hardback edition of the book.  

As with other editions, the book comes with plenty of full color stills from the movie. I also enjoyed the blurb from the inside flaps, especially the bit about 'Chewbacca the Pirate and his human companion Han Solo'!

Also, check out that old school 'W' in the logo on the back cover! 

 

Topps Trading Cards Pack: Series 4

Series 4 seems to be the only series that had borders that matched the pack colours (green). 

Star Warp Magazine - April 1978

This is issue #1 of a cheap sci-fi magazine that lasted 7 issues. The '6 Gigantic Star Wars Posters' emblazoned on the cover is a bit cheeky as the so-called posters are merely black and white full page illustrations and seem to be part of a promotion for a 'Star Wars Portfolio' by artist Clifford Bird which can be sent away for.  

The rest of the magazine is a pretty good read with info on upcoming sci-fi flicks like Superman (1979) De Palma's Carrie follow-up The Fury (1978) and the Invasion of the Body Snatchers remake (1978). In an interesting parallel to the present cries of 'Hollywood has run out of ideas!' the writer calls for more originality in sci-fi films even to the point of dismissing the inevitable Star Wars sequels as mere cash-ins. I suppose back then the idea of a sequel matching its original in terms of quality was unheard of and nobody could have predicted just how good The Empire Strikes Back was really going to be.   

Elvis Presley died less than a year before this issue's publication and pages such as the one below make greasnapshots of the time period.  

Topps Trading Cards Pack: Series 3

Series 3 came with the yellow borders as shown below.

Happy Birthday Star Wars! + Burger King and Burger Chef Commercials

Well, it's been 35 years and we can all feel a little old today. May 25th, 1977 was the date that changed cinema. It never fails to amaze me how old my all time favorite movie really is. And it's a little frightening to be honest. To celebrate, here's a couple of fast food commercials from way back then...

Starlog Magazine - December 1978

I've only just picked up an issue of this Sci-fi fan favorite magazine and can only say that it's brilliant! The quality is top notch in comparison with the slew of cheaper magazines put out at this time. As well as covering the upcoming Star Wars sequel, issue #18 of Starlog also has a feature on Battlestar Galactica which I also like mainly as it stylistically borrowed so much from Lucas (probably down to Dykstra's involvement). There's also an update on the Star Trek motion picture which was in development at the time and several articles on monsters and make-up that one might expect to find in Famous Monsters of Filmland.

The article on 'the continuing adventures of Luke Skywalker' is a very interesting read. I'm surprised that Empire had a name this early on (a good year and a half before the film's release), albeit a working title. Gary Kurtz is really hammering home the point that 'Star Wars II' is actually 'Episode IV' and it's interesting to see the discussions on how confusing this could get for fans in the future. We coped with it Gary! Although he keeps referring to a possible 12 installments... I'm kind of glad they left it at 6!  

 There's a few tasty advertisements in its pages too.