Star Wars Comics return to Marvel in 2015
Looks like an end to an era, but not one that comes as any surprise. Dark Horse Comics will lose its Star Wars Licensing in 2015 at which point future Star Wars books will be published under the Marvel Comics imprint.
In the press release, Dark Horse Publisher Mike Richardson states:
All things come to pass. So too, do all licensed deals. I am sad to report that Disney, the new owner of Lucasfilm, has notified us here at Dark Horse of their intention to move the Star Wars publishing license to another of their recent acquisitions, Marvel Comics, beginning in 2015. This will end a partnership that has lasted more than two decades.
For those who are new to the industry, Dark Horse revolutionized the treatment of comics based on films. After a history of movie properties being poorly handled with little regard for execution and continuity, Dark Horse took a new approach, carefully choosing licenses and approaching them with excitement and creative energy. Our goal was to create sequels and prequels to the films we loved, paying careful attention to quality and detail, essentially treating those films as though they were our own. Star Wars has been the crown jewel of this approach. We began chasing the title as far back as 1989, and with the launch of Tom Veitch and Cam Kennedy’s Dark Empire, a new era in comics was born. I’m not ashamed to admit that we were Star Wars geeks, and we have been determined to spare neither effort nor expense in the pursuit of excellence.
It is ironic that this announcement comes at a time when Dark Horse is experiencing its most successful year ever. For obvious reasons, we have prepared for this eventuality by finding new and exciting projects to place on our schedule for 2015 and beyond. Will they take the place of Star Wars? That’s a tall order, but we will do our best to make that happen. In the meantime, 2014 may be our last year at the helm of the Star Wars comics franchise, but we plan to make it a memorable one. We know that fans of the franchise will expect no less. The Force is with us still.
Mike Richardson
Dark Horse currently has two ongoing titles in the Star Wars universe and will be wrapping them up before the end of the license agreement.
Of course with mega media giant Disney buying up both Marvel Comics AND LucasArts/LucasFilm, it only makes sense that they would consolidate their properties together under its giant mouse shaped umbrella.
Marvel did hold the original run of Star Wars comics including the film adaptations, so this is a return home for the property.
January 7, 2014
I remember really enjoying the Marvel adaptation of the original trilogy when I was a kid. That said, Marvel’s history of adaptations wasn’t a good one, and I fear quality control there could be better, particularly on licensed properties.