10 Best Star Wars Comics Set Between A New Hope & Empire Strikes Back
Publishers like Dark Horse Comics explored the iconic era in Star Wars: Empire while Marvel Comics rebooted the whole timeline after A New Hope.
Nearly three years passed between the A New Hope and Empire Strikes Back films, both in the real world and the Star Wars universe timeline. What became of the Empire after the destruction of the Death Star? When did Darth Vader learn Luke Skywalker’s name? What never-before-seen events did Han Solo and Leia Organa experience?
Some of the best Star Wars comics take place between Episodes VI and V, detailing the continued struggle between the Empire and the Rebellion. Canon comics introduced new characters like Doctor Aphra, while Legends comics like Splinter of the Mind’s Eye serve as fantastic “what if” Star Wars scenarios.
Alongside their new Star Wars mainline series, Marvel Comics published several miniseries, each focusing on an iconic Star Wars character from the “Age of the Rebellion.” Mark Waid and Terry Dodson, two comic legends, teamed up for Princess Leia, the five-part story directly after A New Hope, extending the ceremony scene where Leia gifted Han and Luke their medals.
Leia scours the galaxy, searching for remnants of her homeworld. After losing her family and friends to the power of the Death Star, Leia desperately wants to prove she’s not the last of her kind. Princess Leia is a wonderful story that allows Leia to breathe and mourn Alderaan, something that felt fairly rushed in A New Hope.
The second story arc of Marvel’s 2015 Star Wars comic is nearly as great as the first. These six issues feature absolutely stunning art by Stuart Immonen (known for his work on All-New X-Men and Amazing Spider-Man). “Showdown on the Smuggler’s Moon” is a great follow-up to “Skywalker Strikes.”
“Smuggler’s Moon” expands on Star Wars lore with the introduction of the Arena of Death and enriches Luke’s character as he continues to discover more about the old Jedi Order. Marvel delivers some fan service when Leia, Han, and Chewie enter that bloody arena and are forced to pick up lightsabers—though Han notably reiterates his blaster preference.
Years before Marvel published its new, canonized version of Star Wars comics set between A New Hope and Empire Strikes Back, Dark Horse devoted a comic series to the exact same premise and time period. Star Wars: Empire acts as an anthology series following the rise of the Empire.
Originally published in 2002, Empire ran for 40 issues, with many notable story arcs including “Betrayal,” Darklighter,” and “In the Shadows of Their Fathers.” These arcs bounced around between Vader, Leia, and even TIE fighter pilots, creating an overarching view of the war between the Rebels and the Empire in a version of the Star Wars universe that is no longer canon.
The identity of the person who fired the killing shot on the Death Star is a plot point that comes up in Marvel’s 2015 Star Wars series, but that plot thread served as the main story for the 1999 Dark Horse miniseries Vader’s Quest. Directly after the events of A New Hope, Vader tortures information out of a Rebel pilot who attacked the Death Star, learning the name of the individual who destroyed it: Skywalker.
Hellbent on keeping this name a secret, Vader must now hunt down the very same bounty hunters he hired to find this individual in the first place. Vader’s Quest informs so much of his attitude and goals in Empire Strikes Back. Vader doesn’t necessarily want to turn Luke Skywalker over to the Emperor, but instead wants his son to join him.
Doctor Aphra and Luke Skywalker forge an unlikely alliance in the “Screaming Citadel” story arc that spans a one-shot and two issues of the Star Wars and Doctor Aphra series. Doctor Aphra happens to have a Force artifact on her while Luke Skywalker searches for answers to his burning questions concerning the Jedi and the Force.
They work together to enter the Screaming Citadel and stop its queen. Aphra was created during this Marvel Comics era and quickly became a fan-favorite. Artwork from illustrators like Marco Checchetto propelled this to one of the best Star Wars crossover events with a dark, magical tone.
Originally debuting in the pages of Marvel’s first Darth Vader comic, Doctor Aphra rose in popularity, earning her own comic title. Alongside dark droids like 0-0-0 and BT-1 and the large Wookie bounty hunter Black Krrsantan, Aphra scours the galaxy.
Doctor Aphra is a vessel for telling certain Star Wars stories through a new lens. A morally ambiguous character who has teamed up with both Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker, Aphra walks the line between good and evil, usually collecting artifacts or uncovering galactic secrets for her own gain. Her original series, which ran for 40 issues, serves as a fantastic follow-up to her appearances in Darth Vader.
The hunter becomes the hunted. After two decades spent hunting Jedi, followed by years spent hunting the Rebel Alliance, Darth Vader finds himself stranded in an alien world, surrounded by the Rebel Alliance and galactic organizations that are not too fond of the Empire.
“Vader Down” is the best crossover event from the Marvel-era Star Wars comics. It combines the main Star Wars series with Vader’s own solo title. One of the best action scenes in recent Star Wars comics punctuates the epic event: Rebels surround Vader in the desert as he unleashes a Force wave, ripping through their vehicles and weapons, demonstrating why he’s the Dark Lord of the Sith.
Based on the novel of the same name, written by Alan Dean Foster and released just one year after the first Star Wars film, the Splinter of the Mind’s Eye comic miniseries was written by Terry Austin with art by Chris Sprouse and James Sinclair. Follow Luke and Leia after the events of A New Hope as they find themselves on a new world controlled by the Empire.
Luke ultimately faces off against Darth Vader years before Empire Strikes Back. Splinter of the Mind’s Eye isn’t canon, but it is a strange, interesting time capsule. Foster wrote this “sequel” without knowledge of George Lucas’s future film plans, which is why Han and Chewie are absent and the characters don’t follow paths leading to Empire.
The galaxy kneels before Darth Vader and this Marvel Comics series proves it. Set directly after the events of A New Hope, Darth Vader learns the identity of the Rebel pilot who destroyed the Death Star. As Vader hunts for Luke Skywalker, he crosses paths with bounty hunters like Boba Fett and Black Krrsantan, as well as space archaeologist and new Star Wars character Doctor Aphra.
While dealing with external issues across the galaxy, Vader also contends with threats within the Empire. Ever trying to prove himself to the Emperor, Vader competes with high-ranking Imperial officers and potential apprentice replacements. However, they’re insignificant next to the power of the Force.
Marvel published a new Star Wars comic series the same year The Force Awakens entered theaters. Star Wars (Vol. 2) was set between A New Hope and Empire Strikes Back and chronicled Luke, Leia, and Han’s three-year journey from the destruction of the Death Star to their new Rebel base on Hoth.
Readers saw how Vader learned the name of the young man who destroyed the Death Star, how Han Solo had a wife long before Leia Organa, and how Ben Kenobi trained on Tatooine while protecting Luke. Star Wars is 14 volumes long, but it all started here with an Imperial-Rebel chase soon after A New Hope.
