io9 has a first glimpse into a new project from Dark Horse that’s simply called Star Wars. Randy Stradley lets fans know that they have brought in author Brian Wood (of DMZ, Channel Zero, and Northlanders fame) to helm what they’re calling a “back-to-basics” approach to Star Wars comics and narratives.
We — the Dark Horse editorial team and the folks at Lucas Books — felt that the time was right to rack focus back on the core characters of the Original Trilogy. It has been a few years since there had been any comics stories set in the era of the OT, as it’s called, and the time was just right. Both we and Lucasfilm had ideas for how to return to the classic characters, and all told it took us about a year to work out a plan with which everyone was happy.
As for how this series is “different” from past entries in this time period, I guess the answer would be that we’re trying very had to keep everything fresh — as if Episode IV had just come out in theaters. This is the Star Warsseries for everyone who has loved the films, but has never delved into any of the comics or novels. There is no vast continuity that a reader needs to know beyond the events in A New Hope. This is the beginning of the adventures of Luke, Leia, Han, and Chewie.
This is probably as close to a reboot of any part of the Star Wars franchise as you’ll see in your life. By the sounds of it, this project is going to be something that’s accessible to new comics and expanded universe fans, something that isn’t bogged down by thirty years of continuity dead weight. Frankly? That’s a good thing. It can be difficult for new fans to so much as set foot in the EU because there’s so many strands of continuity to keep track of. For someone that wants to get their foot in the door, a project like this might be just the gateway needed.
No doubt this is going to cause an uproar among the continuity diehards in the fandom, but I’m not worried. Maybe I’m just at the point in my personal fandom where I don’t care about the continual canon angsting anymore. If this series delivers a solid narrative, I will be more than content.
(via)
