The announcement:
IDW Publishing and Marvel are proud to announce that they will expand their relationship once again… this time in a galaxy far, far away!
Ever since Star Wars took the world by storm in 1977, comic books have been an integral part of building its massive mythology. Now IDW Publishing is bringing Marvel’s wildly successful run of Star Wars comics to two unique formats that IDW pioneered.
“Marvel has been a terrific and loyal partner, and Star Wars represents an incredible opportunity to further expand our relationship,” said IDW President and COO Greg Goldstein.
STAR WARS ARTIST’S EDITIONS
IDW Publishing’s award-winning Artist’s Edition line presents complete stories with each page scanned and printed directly from the actual original comic book art at full size. While appearing to be in black & white, each page has been scanned in color to mimic as closely as possible the experience of viewing the actual original art—affording readers the opportunity to see blue pencils in the art, editorial notes, art corrections, etc.
This amazing and unique line has previously featured some of Marvel’s most beloved characters and creators, like Walter Simonson’s The Mighty Thor, John Romita’s The Amazing Spider-Man, and David Mazzucchelli’s Daredevil Born Again. In late fall of 2015, IDW and Marvel will team up once again to add Marvel’s Star Wars creators to this already illustrious list.
“Since the inception of our Artist’s Edition program, we’ve had Star Wars on our wish list,” said Goldstein. “During its original nine year run at Marvel, an all-star list of artists provided material for these now classic comic books from the likes of Howard Chaykin, Walter Simonson, Carmine Infantino, Tom Palmer, and of course the legendary Al Williamson, to name a few.”
“The collaboration between IDW and Marvel has produced some of the most immaculate collections of reprinted original comic book material ever to be offered,” says Marvel SVP Sales & Marketing David Gabriel. “Now with the addition of the Marvel Comics’ 1977 Star Wars being gathered in this over-sized format, this collection truly is a pantheon of content that any and all fans of Star Wars will want to get their hands on.”
STAR WARS MICRO COLLECTORS FUN PACKS
Star Wars is also coming to the Micro Collectors Fun Pack line; a format pioneered by IDW that has fast become a fan-favorite. Micro Collector Fun Packs consist of a full-length, pocket-sized comic-book story, along with exclusive inserts including posters, standees, or stickers. Micro Collector Fun Packs continue to reach new audiences with great content and are available at both local comic shops and mass retail locations like Target and Toys “R” Us.
Each Star Wars Classic Micro Collector Fun Pack release will include a collectible classic Star Wars comic for fans to collect. The first set of Star Wars Classic Micro Collector Fun Packs, which have been designed to be enjoyed by Jedi of all ages, are planned for a fall 2015 release.
