Some stories make such a strongly positive impression that you wish to own them but not necessarily rush to re-read them! Classic Star Wars by Archie Goodwin and Al Williamson is one such story. As part of my general upgrade to trades over comics, I secured copies of them some years back but had not read them. I read the issues but that was 20 years ago and I’m certainly not who I was then so how does it look to me now?
Originally published as a newspaper strip from 1982 to 1984, this 3-year tale focused on the then largely vacant gap between A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back (ESB). In this way it set the tone, perhaps unknowingly, for all subsequent bridging stories, at least up until the Clone Wars material – they wrote it knowing what they were bridging to! Dark Horse Comics decided to re-publish the strip but they wanted to publish it as a monthly comic, in colour. An extensive period of re-formatting and careful colouring followed, as colour could easily obscure the graceful linework by Williamson if done carelessly. The 20-issue series ran from 1992 to 1994, with it being collected into 3 trades in 1996.
Two decades on and I’d estimate that I’ve read around a couple of hundred Star Wars comics in that time, how can a 20-issue series, of material written in the 1980s compare to these? The answer is quite easily because quality is timeless and the one thing no would ever accuse either Goodwin or Williamson of lacking is superb creative skills! It also avoids a couple of pitfalls that older material, at least where the superheroes of Marvel and DC are concerned, regularly fall into.
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A few weeks back, a 
The first thing that I find important is to have the right casting. One of the main complaints from the Prequels is that some of the casting decisions were off and that hurt the movies. The casting for MCU has been really well done. They went out and found the right actors for the roles. Robert Downey Jr. is Tony Stark. His ability to fully embrace the character makes the movie more believable and enjoyable. Chris Hemsworth initially lured me in to the Thor movie but the chemistry between him and Tom Hiddleson is what keeps me coming back. I understand from the comics perspective that Hiddleson’s portrayal of Loki doesn’t always match up but I think it is easier to forgo that for fans because of how well the two actors fit together. Chris Evans’ ability to be a humble down home sexy is the perfect combination for what I want to see in a Captain America. Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury continues to show the brilliance of the casting decisions. MCU also had the guts to admit to a bad casting decision with the Hulk by recasting until they found the right fit for the series.
n one side, John Ostrander and frequent collaborator, Jan Duursema; on the other, John Jackson Miller. These individuals have arguably been the heart and soul of the comics Expanded Universe for the last decade. When both Legacy and Knights of the Old Republic were running, it was a golden age for Star Wars (SW) comics. Dark Horse Comics’ (DHC) axing of both titles was their biggest and most spectacular own goal, though opting for miniseries a la the Mignolaverse isn’t far behind.