Star Wars comic books - are they any good?

A big part of the Star War's expanded universe are comic books. They started for real when Dark Horse comics acquired the rights to the franchise, which lasted until early 2010's with the Disney's takeover. These early comics focused mostly on the events after Return of the Jedi, and actually have never been considered canonic. The same goes for everything from expanded universe, which got crazier and crazier with every year. You see, there were no "restarts" as in DC or Marvel, even though the number of comic books being pumped out was considerable. This led to numerous contradictions and silly ideas, altering the entire franchise by killing off major characters and so on. So, looking at the Dark Horse era, which ones are worth reading?

Dark Empire was an instant hit and perpetuated the Star Wars comic book industry. From then on, many more trailed its way of speculation about what could have happened after the original trilogy. It's important to remember, that prequel trilogy was not out yet and many ideas may seem out of touch now, while some of them are  indeed very wrong, for example assuming that Darth Vader wore his suit before being maimed. Even though, they are a very good read - just consider them as elseworld stories, a kind of "what if?" in an alternative universe. Especially interesting to me were comic books taking place in the ancient era, thousands of years before the events of the movies. How did the Sith came to be, powerful wars impacting entire galaxies can be found. Such a distant timeline gives authors more freedom, because they don't have to worry about trampling all over the established Star Wars canon.

Exar Kun, a powerful Jedi turned Sith

Naga Sadow, an ancient Sith leader

Darth Bane, the creator of The Rule of Two

This creative freedom led to birth of numerous memorable characters that etched their way into the timeless pantheon of Star Wars. It's hard to discern now, which ones were created in comic books first, as the Expanded Universe was being developed simultaneously in many forms. This created an environment full of interesting ideas, interweaving with each other in many situations. 

The best example that comes to my mind is Darth Bane, the most important Sith in the whole Star Wars expanded mythology. His story was mentioned in every Expanded Universe medium, which in turn led to his introduction to the TV series "The Clone Wars", making him a part of the new Disney canon. The same can be seen in the case of Grand Admiral Thrawn, but that I will discuss in the segment about the books of Star Wars. The bottom line is, that when you make something great, it will stand the test of time.

With the Disney takeover, Marvel Comics are in charge of Star Wars comic books. This means bigger budgets and better talent. The new canon direction is also overseed by one creative team to ensure that no inconsistencies occur. I fear that it may mean less frivolous use of the license and we will never see some more wild ideas and ancient eras. Right now, the best new series is definitely Darth Vader, which knocked it out of the park with its first six-issue story simply called "Vader". This in turn led to a crossover event "Vader Down", which did not disappoint.

 

The future is bright for any comic book fan interested in Star Wars. Marvel can definitely make its run worthwhile for all of us. It also means bigger distribution and, in turn, lower prices!

QUESTIONS:

1. When do the current Star Wars comic books take place in the universe? 

2. What is your favourite cover art of a Star Wars comic book? Search the internet for candidates if needed!