Since the debut of the very first Star Wars comic in 1977, the franchise has almost exclusively made its home at either Marvel Comics or Dark Horse Comics. Apparently the new philosophy in 2022 will be, "Why not both?".
Dark Horse announced it's regained the rights to publish new Star Wars comics and graphic novels. However, Marvel will continue to publish their own Star Wars comics and collections of existing material. Dark Horse appears to be replacing IDW Publishing as the home for all-ages and continuity-free Star Wars stories, while Marvel will continue to focus on core titles directly tied to the continuity of the films and Disney+ shows.
No specific comics have been announced yet, though Dark Horse's press releases teases "adventures in every era, from the High Republic through the rise of the First Order." It also remains to be seen if Dark Horse will continue current IDW projects like Star Wars Adventures.
Marvel originally held the rights to Star Wars comics from 1977 to 1987, with their monthly Star Wars series being among the first projects to flesh out the franchise beyond the scope of the original trilogy. Dark Horse then acquired the rights in 1991, with early projects like Dark Empire and Tales of the Jedi helping to establish the fledgling Star Wars Expanded Universe. The rights then shifted back to Marvel in 2015, as part of Disney's acquisition of Lucasfilm Ltd.
"Dark Horse has a rich history publishing Star Wars comics and graphic novels," said CEO Mike Richardson in a statement. "Star Wars is near and dear to all of our hearts and I've been a fan since I saw the original film nineteen times during its original release. I am thrilled that Dark Horse will once again bring new stories to life from this incredible galaxy and I’m not exaggerating when I say we can't wait to bring these new adventures to fans of every age."
What books do you hope to see from Dark Horse's new Star Wars line? Are you hopeful the publisher might revive the Expanded Universe continuity? Let us know in the comments below.
Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.