The initial issue of the Star Wars comic book series belonging to Legends is Star Wars 1. Roy Thomas penned it, drawing from a story and screenplay by George Lucas. Howard Chaykin provided the illustrations. Its original release date was April 12, 1977. This issue presents an adaptation of the beginning events found in the film Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope, which debuted in cinemas the following May.
Behold the comic adaptation of A New Hope! Encounter such characters as Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, Obi-Wan, and the nefarious [sic] Darth Vader!
Darth Vader, leading Imperial Forces, seizes the vessel of Princess Leia Organa, who is carrying out a mission for the Rebel Alliance. Two droids, specifically R2-D2 and C-3PO, successfully flee the Rebel ship while carrying crucial data for the Princess's objective.
Upon landing on the nearby planet of Tatooine, the droids are purchased by Luke Skywalker, a young moisture farmer, and his uncle Owen Lars for work on their farm. Luke discovers a portion of an urgent message intended for Obi-Wan Kenobi from Leia, stored in R2's memory. R2 then runs away from the farm, intending to locate Kenobi independently. Luke, fearing repercussions from his uncle for the droid's disappearance, pursues R2 into the Jundland Wastes, where they are ambushed by a group of savage Sand People.
Contained within this issue is a page of text entitled Star Wars: The Ultimate Space-Fantasy, which details the background of the film's narrative and its creators. Given the absence of fan letters for the inaugural issue, Roy Thomas, the writer, utilized the letters page, named Star Warriors, to elucidate how Marvel Comics secured the rights for the comic adaptation.
The Bullpen Bulletins page, typically used to spotlight significant happenings within Marvel Comics for that month, acknowledges the debut issue of the Star Wars comic adaptation.
Despite the cover indicating a July date, the issue was actually dispatched on March 8 and made available for purchase on April 12.
In commemoration of Star Wars Day on May 4, 2016, Marvel reissued Star Wars 1 as part of their True Believers affordable reprint initiative, which offers reprints of well-known comic titles at a suggested retail price of $1.
The story presented in this issue features several scenes set on Tatooine that were omitted from A New Hope. These include Luke Skywalker observing the opening space battle, Luke sharing his observations with Camie and Fixer (who call Luke by his nickname "Wormie"), and Biggs Darklighter informing Luke about his intentions to join the Rebellion.
The cover illustration for this issue was derived from Howard Chaykin's original convention poster, which has since become one of the most prized posters among Star Wars collectors. The artwork incorporates Obi-Wan Kenobi and Han Solo, despite their absence from the series until issue 2, as well as X-wing, Y-wing, and TIE fighters, which do not appear until issue 5.
The Star Wars logo on the covers of this issue and the subsequent one displays a separation between the first and last two letters.
This comic marks the initial mention of the Cosmic Force concept. Darth Vader's famous quote, "The ability to destroy a planet is insignificant next to the power of the Force," is altered to specifically mention "the Cosmic Force." More than 35 years later, "Voices," an episode of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, revealed the connection between the Cosmic Force and the Living Force.
- UPC 071486028178; [5] April 12 , 1977 ; Marvel Comics ; First printing [1]
- (No UPC) ; September 29 , 2015 ; Marvel Comics; Digital edition [6]
- UPC 759606085071; May 4 , 2016 ; Marvel Comics; True Believers edition [7]
- UPC 759606097968; December 4 , 2019 ; Marvel Comics; Facsimile edition [8]
- UPC 75960621261300111; April 9 , 2025 ; Marvel Comics; Facsimile edition second printing [9]