Current Series | Latest Jumping-On Points | Compilations | 1st Appearance | Origin Story | Main Publication History | Secondary Publication History | Key Storylines | Media Source Material | Key Issues
by snowbi-wan, updated Nov 2019
STAR WARS is one of the largest media franchises ever created, all based on the 1977 epic space opera film of the same name from writer/director George Lucas. Star Wars has since become a world-wide pop culture phenomenon and needs little introduction. In the first chapter of the multi-film saga, seemingly simple farmboy, Luke Skywalker, is swept up in a galactic civil war when Princess Leia's fugitive droids cause him to encounter the last, old Jedi Knight, Obi-wan Kenobi. Kenobi teaches Luke the ways of the 'Force'--a universal power which certain sensitives can use to 'magically' manipulate their surroundings--before the mentor is killed by the sinister Dark Lord of the Sith, Darth Vader. Lord Vader is a powerful and evil Force user who had previously wiped out the Jedi Order. In their most desperate hour, Luke is able use his fledgling Jedi abilities to exploit a weakness in the evil Empire's massive battlestation, the Death Star, and destroy it, winning a major victory for the underdog Alliance to Restore the Republic. Future films would reveal dramatic secrets as the Rebel Alliance seeks to finally overthrow the Empire. But the Force itself has two sides: the Light Side and the Dark Side, and they--like the galaxy--will be locked in perpetual conflict for a franchise which appears will live in perpetuity.
Current Series
This is a curated list of the current series to help you get started with Star Wars comic books. The series listed in this section are predominantly series of individual comic issues, but the list can include digests and softcovers (and even hardcovers) if the material is original material.
Marvel currently has several ongoing and limited Star Wars series in publication. This multiple, overlapping release pattern has been their pattern since they reclaimed the license from Dark Horse in 2015. These stories are official new canon and take place in several different time periods among the saga movies. The ongoing series follow the well-established, modern comic story arc pattern of approximately 4-6 issues. The limited series are self-contained story arcs. Outside of Marvel, IDW has a license to publish Star Wars stories that are more all-ages. The Marvel storylines are more complex and involved. The IDW stories are less consequential, but technically still part of the official New Canon. Also, a massive series of one-shots from Marvel will pull from all three trilogies. Use the descriptions below to learn more about the deluge of Star Wars comic book material available each month!
| Publisher | Frequency | Series | |
|---|---|---|---|
| MARVEL | Ongoing | STAR WARS [2020] | (flagship title relaunch; set between ESB and ROTJ) |
| MARVEL | Ongoing | DARTH VADER [2020] | (3rd ongoing Darth Vader series) |
| MARVEL | Ongoing | STAR WARS: DOCTOR APHRA [2020] | (2nd ongoing Doctor Aphra series) |
| MARVEL | Ongoing | STAR WARS: BOUNTY HUNTERS [2020] | (ongoing ensemble series) |
| IDW | Ongoing - Transitioning | STAR WARS ADVENTURES [2017] | (1st ongoing series of all-ages, animation-style stories from IDW) |
| IDW | Ongoing - Transitioning | STAR WARS ADVENTURES [2020] | (2nd ongoing series of all-ages, animation-style stories from IDW) |
| VIZ | Varies (Digest) | STAR WARS: THE LEGENDS OF LUKE SKYWALKER [2020-DIG] | (manga adaptation of the New Canon novel of the same name) |
| MARVEL | Limited (4) | STAR WARS: THE RISE OF KYLO REN [2020] | (backstory mini-series on Ben Solo's transformation to Kylo Ren) |
| IDW | Limited (5) | STAR WARS ADVENTURES: THE CLONE WARS--BATTLE TALES [2020] | (weekly mini-series) |
| MARVEL | Limited (5) | STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER ADAPTATION [2020] | (official movie adaptation) |
| MARVEL | One-Shot | STAR WARS: THE ACTION FIGURE VARIANT COVERS [2020] | |
| IDW | One-Shot (Softcover) | STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER [2020-SC] | (all-ages movie adaptation) |
Latest Jumping-On Points
Comic books are serialized periodicals. The absolute best place to jump on with any comic series is a series beginning, but, if the run has gotten lengthy, the beginning of a new story arc or of a new creative team are other great--and perfectly acceptable--places to get started right away. This section contains a curated list of the latest issues from current and recent series where you can get started in Star Wars. Look below for series beginning or start of a story arc. Subsequent sections explore the subject's publishing history and indicate other less recent places to get started in Star Wars.
PLEASE NOTE: The issues presented in this section are either in-stock issues or pre-order/pre-sale issues. To get the largest discount, new comic books can be pre-ordered two months before they are published. We offer pre-sale books for issues that we plan to have in stock when they are published. If you purchase pre-order/pre-sale comics now, you will be charged now, and the comics will be shipped after they are all published. If you mix in-stock issues with pre-order/pre-sale issues, you will create two orders subject to separate shipping charges. In-stock issues will ship right away.
| Cover | Release Month | Series / Number / Storyline | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Quick View | Oct 2019 | STAR WARS [2020] #1 (series beginning) | IN STOCK | $3.99 | |
 Quick View | Jan 2020 | STAR WARS [2020] #2 | OUT OF STOCK | $3.99 | |
 Quick View | Feb 2020 | STAR WARS [2020] #3 | IN STOCK | $4.99 | |
 Quick View | Mar 2020 | STAR WARS [2020] #4 | IN STOCK | $3.99 | |
 Quick View | Apr 2020 | STAR WARS [2020] #5 | UNAVAILABLE | $2.59 | |
 Quick View | May 2020 | STAR WARS [2020] #6 | UNAVAILABLE | $2.59 | |
 Quick View | Jun 2020 | STAR WARS [2020] #7 | UNAVAILABLE | $2.59 | |
 Quick View | Feb 2020 | DARTH VADER [2020] #1 (series beginning) | IN STOCK | $19.99 | |
 Quick View | Mar 2020 | DARTH VADER [2020] #2 | OUT OF STOCK | $3.99 | |
 Quick View | Apr 2020 | DARTH VADER [2020] #3 | UNAVAILABLE | $2.59 | |
 Quick View | May 2020 | DARTH VADER [2020] #4 | OUT OF STOCK | $3.99 | |
 Quick View | Jun 2020 | DARTH VADER [2020] #5 | UNAVAILABLE | $2.59 | |
 Quick View | Apr 2020 | STAR WARS: DOCTOR APHRA [2020] #1 (series beginning) | UNAVAILABLE | $2.59 | |
 Quick View | Apr 2020 | STAR WARS: DOCTOR APHRA [2020] #2 | UNAVAILABLE | $2.59 | |
 Quick View | May 2020 | STAR WARS: DOCTOR APHRA [2020] #3 | UNAVAILABLE | $2.59 | |
 Quick View | Jun 2020 | STAR WARS: DOCTOR APHRA [2020] #4 | UNAVAILABLE | $2.59 | |
 Quick View | Mar 2020 | STAR WARS: BOUNTY HUNTERS [2020] #1 (series beginning) | IN STOCK | $3.99 | |
 Quick View | Mar 2020 | STAR WARS: BOUNTY HUNTERS [2020] #2 | OUT OF STOCK | $3.99 | |
 Quick View | Apr 2020 | STAR WARS: BOUNTY HUNTERS [2020] #3 | UNAVAILABLE | $2.59 | |
 Quick View | May 2020 | STAR WARS: BOUNTY HUNTERS [2020] #4 | IN STOCK | $3.99 | |
 Quick View | Jun 2020 | STAR WARS: BOUNTY HUNTERS [2020] #5 | UNAVAILABLE | $2.59 | |
 Quick View | Jan 2020 | STAR WARS ADVENTURES [2017] #30 FLOREAN CVR A | UNAVAILABLE | $3.39 | |
 Quick View | Feb 2020 | STAR WARS ADVENTURES [2017] #31 FLOREAN CVR A | UNAVAILABLE | $3.39 | |
 Quick View | Mar 2020 | STAR WARS ADVENTURES [2017] #32 FLOREAN CVR A (series end) | UNAVAILABLE | $3.39 | |
| Quick View | May 2020 | STAR WARS ADVENTURES [2020] #1 FRANCAVILLA CVR A (series beginning) | UNAVAILABLE | $3.39 | |
 Quick View | Jun 2020 | STAR WARS ADVENTURES [2020] #2 FRANCAVILLA CVR A | UNAVAILABLE | $3.39 | |
 Quick View | Mar 2020 | STAR WARS: THE LEGENDS OF LUKE SKYWALKER [2020-DIG] 1ST PRINT (stand-alone story) | IN STOCK | $11.99 | |
 Quick View | Jan 2020 | STAR WARS: THE RISE OF KYLO REN [2020] #2 (Part 2 of 4) | OUT OF STOCK | $17.99 | |
 Quick View | Feb 2020 | STAR WARS: THE RISE OF KYLO REN [2020] #3 (Part 3 of 4) | OUT OF STOCK | $5.99 | |
 Quick View | Mar 2020 | STAR WARS: THE RISE OF KYLO REN [2020] #4 (Part 4 of 4 (mini-series end)) | IN STOCK | $3.99 | |
 Quick View | Apr 2020 | STAR WARS ADVENTURES: CLONE WARS [2020] #1 (Part 1 of 5 (mini-series beginning)) | UNAVAILABLE | $3.39 | |
| Quick View | Apr 2020 | STAR WARS ADVENTURES: CLONE WARS [2020] #2 (Part 2 of 5) | UNAVAILABLE | $3.39 | |
| Quick View | Apr 2020 | STAR WARS ADVENTURES: CLONE WARS [2020] #3 (Part 3 of 5) | UNAVAILABLE | $3.39 | |
 Quick View | Apr 2020 | STAR WARS ADVENTURES: THE CLONE WARS--BATTLE TALES [2020] #4 (Part 4 of 5) | IN STOCK | $3.99 | |
| Quick View | Apr 2020 | STAR WARS ADVENTURES: CLONE WARS [2020] #5 (Part 5 of 5 (mini-series end)) | UNAVAILABLE | $3.39 | |
 Quick View | Jun 2020 | STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER ADAPTATION [2020] #1 (Part 1 of 5 (mini-series beginning)) | UNAVAILABLE | $3.24 | |
 Quick View | Apr 2020 | STAR WARS: THE ACTION FIGURE VARIANT COVERS [2020] #1 (one-shot) | UNAVAILABLE | $6.49 | |
 Quick View | May 2020 | STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER [2020-SC] (one-shot) | UNAVAILABLE | $8.49 |
PLEASE NOTE: The issues presented in this section are either in-stock issues or pre-order/pre-sale issues. To get the largest discount, new comic books can be pre-ordered two months before they are published. We offer pre-sale books for issues that we plan to have in stock when they are published. If you purchase pre-order/pre-sale comics now, you will be charged now, and the comics will be shipped after they are all published. If you mix in-stock issues with pre-order/pre-sale issues, you will create two orders subject to separate shipping charges. In-stock issues will ship right away.
Compilations
In modern comic publishing, it's common (and expected) for individual comic book issues to be collected into compilations of trade paperbacks and/or hardcovers, as well as other special compilations. Unlike the individual source issues, the collected editions typically stay in print for long periods and are less 'collectible.' If individual issues are out of reach or are not of interest to you or if you just need reading copies, the following collected editions of Star Wars comic books are the most recent in-print editions and are the perfect alternative to get started right away with Star Wars. The following compilations are presented in a chronologically-based suggested reading order with softcover editions before any hardcover editions (unless the only in-print editions are hardcover--these are integrated into the softcover list).
There is a multitude of Star Wars material in print, as Marvel is producing compilations of the Dark Horse material as well as their own material from the New Canon and the classic (70's and 80's) eras.
*As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Full disclosure
| Cover | Release Month | Series / Number / Storyline | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Quick View | Oct 2016 | STAR WARS LEGENDS EPIC COLLECTION: THE ORIGINAL MARVEL YEARS [2016-TPB] VOL 01 CURRENT PRINTING (classic Marvel Star Wars stuff) |  | Go to Amazon | |
 Quick View | Jul 2017 | STAR WARS LEGENDS EPIC COLLECTION: THE ORIGINAL MARVEL YEARS [2016-TPB] VOL 02 CURRENT PRINTING | | Go to Amazon | |
 Quick View | Jul 2018 | STAR WARS LEGENDS EPIC COLLECTION: THE ORIGINAL MARVEL YEARS [2016-TPB] VOL 03 CURRENT PRINTING | | Go to Amazon | |
 Quick View | Aug 2019 | STAR WARS LEGENDS EPIC COLLECTION: THE ORIGINAL MARVEL YEARS [2016-TPB] VOL 04 CURRENT PRINTING | | Go to Amazon | |
 Quick View | Oct 2015 | STAR WARS [2015-TPB] VOL 01: SKYWALKER STRIKES CURRENT PRINTING (beginning of the New Canon era) | | Go to Amazon | |
 Quick View | Jan 2016 | STAR WARS [2015-TPB] VOL 02: SHOWDOWN ON THE SMUGGLERS MOON CURRENT PRINTING | | Go to Amazon | |
 Quick View | Apr 2016 | STAR WARS: VADER DOWN [2016-TPB] CURRENT PRINTING | | Go to Amazon | |
 Quick View | Aug 2016 | STAR WARS [2015-TPB] VOL 03: REBEL JAIL 1ST PRINT | IN STOCK | $16.99 | |
 Quick View | Jan 2017 | STAR WARS [2015-TPB] VOL 04: LAST FLIGHT OF THE HARBINGER CURRENT PRINTING | | Go to Amazon | |
 Quick View | Jul 2017 | STAR WARS [2015-TPB] VOL 05: YODA'S SECRET WAR CURRENT PRINTING | | Go to Amazon | |
 Quick View | Oct 2017 | STAR WARS: THE SCREAMING CITADEL [2017-TPB] CURRENT PRINTING | | Go to Amazon | |
 Quick View | Dec 2017 | STAR WARS [2015-TPB] VOL 06: OUT AMONG THE STARS CURRENT PRINTING | | Go to Amazon | |
 Quick View | Apr 2018 | STAR WARS [2015-TPB] VOL 07: THE ASHES OF JEDHA CURRENT PRINTING | | Go to Amazon | |
 Quick View | Aug 2018 | STAR WARS [2015-TPB] VOL 08: MUTINY AT MON CALA CURRENT PRINTING | | Go to Amazon | |
 Quick View | Dec 2018 | STAR WARS [2015-TPB] VOL 09: HOPE BURNS CURRENT PRINTING | | Go to Amazon | |
 Quick View | Apr 2019 | STAR WARS [2015-TPB] VOL 10: THE ESCAPE CURRENT PRINTING | | Go to Amazon | |
 Quick View | Aug 2019 | STAR WARS [2015-TPB] VOL 11: THE SCOURGING OF SHU-TORUN CURRENT PRINTING | | Go to Amazon | |
 Quick View | Nov 2019 | STAR WARS [2015-TPB] VOL 12: REBELS AND ROGUES CURRENT PRINTING | | Go to Amazon | |
 Quick View | Feb 2020 | STAR WARS [2015-TPB] VOL 13: ROGUES AND REBLES | UNAVAILABLE | $11.69 | |
 Quick View | Oct 2017 | STAR WARS ADVENTURES [2017-TPB] VOL 01: HEROES OF THE GALAXY CURRENT PRINTING (IDW's all-ages stuff) | | Go to Amazon | |
 Quick View | Feb 2018 | STAR WARS ADVENTURES [2017-TPB] VOL 02: UNEXPECTED DETOUR CURRENT PRINTING | | Go to Amazon | |
 Quick View | Jun 2018 | STAR WARS ADVENTURES [2017-TPB] VOL 03: ENDANGERED CURRENT PRINTING | | Go to Amazon | |
 Quick View | Nov 2018 | STAR WARS ADVENTURES [2017-TPB] VOL 04: SMUGGLER'S BLUES CURRENT PRINTING | | Go to Amazon | |
 Quick View | Mar 2019 | STAR WARS ADVENTURES [2017-TPB] VOL 05: MECHANICAL MAYHEM CURRENT PRINTING | | Go to Amazon | |
 Quick View | Jul 2019 | STAR WARS ADVENTURES [2017-TPB] VOL 06: FLIGHT OF FALCON CURRENT PRINTING | | Go to Amazon | |
 Quick View | Nov 2019 | STAR WARS ADVENTURES [2017-TPB] VOL 07: POMP AND CIRCUMSTANCE CURRENT PRINTING | | Go to Amazon | |
 Quick View | Feb 2020 | STAR WARS ADVENTURES [2017-TPB] VOL 08: DEFEND THE REPUBLIC! CURRENT PRINTING | | Go to Amazon | |
 Quick View | Apr 2020 | STAR WARS ADVENTURES [2017-TPB] VOL 09: FIGHT THE EMPIRE | UNAVAILABLE | $8.49 | |
 Quick View | Jun 2020 | STAR WARS [2020-TPB] VOL 01: THE DESTINY PATH | UNAVAILABLE | $11.69 |
1st Appearance
The first appearance of a character in comic book form is often the most valuable issue featuring that character. It's a nice place to get started in Star Wars, if it's within your budget. Of only trivial interest perhaps, the first issue of STAR WARS [1977] was published on 12 Apr 1977, over a month prior to the 25 May 1977 movie debut.
- STAR WARS [1977] #1 (1st appearance of Star Wars; 1st appearance of Darth Vader)
Origin Story
The original presentation of an origin story or a retelling/recounting of it can be a good place to get started with a character or subject. But, there is no origin story, per se, for the Star Wars saga proper as the story spans generations. The first movie to be released, STAR WARS: EPISODE IV--A NEW HOPE, introduced the saga and was adapted in the first six issues of the 1977 series and has been reprinted several times in different formats. A brand new adaptation was published in 1997.
- STAR WARS [1977] #1-6
- MARVEL SPECIAL EDITION FEATURING STAR WARS [1977-TREA] #1-2 (treasury-sized reprint of STAR WARS [1977] #1-6 in 2 issues)
- MARVEL SPECIAL EDITION FEATURING STAR WARS [1977-TREA] #3 (treasury-sized reprint of STAR WARS [1977] #1-6 in 1 issue)
- MARVEL MOVIE SHOWCASE FEATURING STAR WARS [1982] #1-2 (reprints STAR WARS [1977] #1-6 in 2 issues)
- DROIDS [1986] #6-8 (retells Episode IV from the viewpoint of the droids)
- CLASSIC STAR WARS: A NEW HOPE [1994] #1-2 (reprints STAR WARS [1977] #1-6 in 2 issues)
- STAR WARS: A NEW HOPE--THE SPECIAL EDITION [1997] #1-4 (all-new adaptation in 4 issues)
Main Publication History
Series beginnings are always great places to get started in comic books. Here is the Main Publication History for Star Wars comic books. Star Wars has had over 100 different series since 1977. While most of these have been mini-series from Dark Horse, exploring a multitude of eras and characters, there have been several flagship ongoing series from both Marvel and Dark Horse.
- STAR WARS [1977] #1-107 (classic Marvel series; ANH and ESB are adapted within the run as #1-6 and #39-44 respectively)
- STAR WARS [1998] #1-45 (Dark Horse's 1st ongoing series takes place around TPM and beyond; numbering continues in STAR WARS: REBUBLIC [2002])
- STAR WARS: REPUBLIC [2002] #46-83 (numbering and time period continued from STAR WARS [1998])
- STAR WARS: EMPIRE [2002] #1-40 (ongoing series takes place right around ANH; continued in STAR WARS: REBELLION [2006])
- STAR WARS: KNIGHTS OF THE OLD REPUBLIC [2006] #0-50 (set thousands of years before the original trilogy)
- STAR WARS: REBELLION [2006] #1-16 (time period and numbering (in indicia) continued from STAR WARS: EMPIRE [2002])
- STAR WARS: LEGACY [2006] #0-50 (set ~137 years after the Battle of Yavin focused on a Skywalker descendant; continued in STAR WARS: LEGACY [2013])
- STAR WARS [2013] #1-20 (Dark Horse's 2nd ongoing series takes place between ANH and ESB)
- STAR WARS: LEGACY [2013] #1-18 (continued from STAR WARS: LEGACY [2006])
- STAR WARS [2015] #1-75 (flagship title New Canon relaunch; set between ANH and ESB)
- STAR WARS [2019] #108 (one-shot continuation of the original 1977 series)
- STAR WARS: EMPIRE ASCENDANT [2020] #1 (one-shot wraps up multiple series storylines before a major relaunch in early 2020)
- STAR WARS SAGA [2020] #1 (recap of the 2015 75-issue series)
- STAR WARS [2020] #1- (flagship title relaunch; set between ESB and ROTJ)
Selected Key Storylines
This section contains a curated list of some of the best storylines for Star Wars, any one of which can be a good place to get started.
| 1977 | STAR WARS [1977] #1-6 (official ANH movie adaptation) |
| 1980 | STAR WARS [1977] #39-44 (official ESB movie adaptation) |
| 1983 | STAR WARS: RETURN OF THE JEDI [1983] #1-4 (official ROTJ movie adaption) |
| 1991 | STAR WARS: DARK EMPIRE [1991] #1-6 (first Dark Horse Star Wars comics; continued saga after ROTJ; now Legends) |
| 1993 | STAR WARS: TALES OF THE JEDI [1993] #1-5 (Dark Horse begins exploring multiple ages in the SW universe; started a series of TOTJ mini-series; now Legends) |
| 1995 | STAR WARS: HEIR TO THE EMPIRE [1995] #1-6 (begins Timothy Zahn novels adaptations; Dark Horse comics become integral part of the Expanded Universe, now Legends) |
| 1999 | STAR WARS: EPISODE I--THE PHANTOM MENACE [1999] #1-4 (official TPM movie adaptation) |
| 2002 | STAR WARS: EPISODE II--ATTACK OF THE CLONES [2002] #1-4 (official AOTC movie adaptation) |
| 2005 | STAR WARS: EPISODE III--REVENGE OF THE SITH [2005] #1-4 (official ROTS movie adaptation) |
| 2014 | STAR WARS: DARTH MAUL--SON OF DATHOMIR [2014] #1-4 (adapted from unproduced screenplays for Season 6 of THE CLONE WARS tv show, a canon chapter of Darth Maul's saga) |
| 2016 | STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS ADAPTATION [2016] #1-6 (official TFA movie adaptation) |
| 2017 | STAR WARS: ROGUE ONE ADAPTATION [2017] #1-6 (official RO movie adaptation) |
| 2018 | STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI ADAPTATION [2018] #1-6 (official TLJ movie adaptation) |
| 2018 | SOLO: A STAR WARS STORY ADAPTATION [2018] #1-5 (official SOLO movie adaption) |
| 2020 | STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER ADAPTATION [2020] #1-5 (official ROS movie adaption) |
Media Source Material
If you've enjoyed non-comic media for Star Wars, this section describes the comic book source material for some of the most popular non-comic media. But, with Star Wars, movies and other media are typically not produced from comic source material. Comic book adaptations and comic book spin-offs are produced from movies and other media. See the Selected Key Storylines section for movie adaptations.
Key Issues
A key issue can be an acceptable place to get started with Star Wars, but they are more of a collector's checklist, as they can carry high price tags.
- STAR WARS [1977] #1 (1st appearance of Star Wars; 1st appearance of Darth Vader)
- STAR WARS [1977] #1 VAR NEWSSTAND ED (35 CENT) (the 'holy grail' of Star Wars comic book collecting, the 35 cent price variation of the newsstand edition; ~1500 copies)
- MARVEL SUPER SPECIAL [1978-MAG] #16 (ESB adaptation)
- STAR WARS [1977] #42 (1st appearance of Boba Fett in comics (in ESB adaptation))
- STAR WARS [1977] #68 (appearance of Boba Fett (in flashback))
- MARVEL SUPER SPECIAL [1978-MAG] #27 (ROTJ adaptation)
- MARVEL AGE [1983] #10 (Star Wars cover)
- STAR WARS [1977] #81 (appearance of Boba Fett, 1st since the events in ROTJ)
- STAR WARS [1977] #107 (final issue in series, low distribution)
- STAR WARS GALAXY MAGAZINE [1994-MAG] #1 (1st issue of this series)
- CLASSIC STAR WARS: RETURN OF THE JEDI [1994] #1 (popular cover)