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| Russ Manning's lovely Mediascene magazine cover promoting the debut of the 1979 Star Wars newspaper strip. |
Adventure. Excitement. A Jedi may not be allowed to crave these things, but Star Wars fans couldn't get enough of those elements in the galaxy-spanning adventures of our bold rebels led by Luke Skywalker and company. And in 1979, the storytelling realms of the saga got a lot bigger thanks to the debut today, forty years ago, of the superb Star Wars newspaper strips from the Los Angeles Times Syndicate, brought to life in its first sumptuous and innovative year by the specially selected Russ Manning, no stranger to iconic heroes having been the long-time master of the visually impressive Tarzan newspaper strip, and having enjoyed the realms of science fiction action with his own creation in Magnus Robot Hunter, 4000 A.D.. Manning really was the perfect choice to helm the strip, his enthusiasm for the George Lucas saga and the characters prevalent on every panel of work he did before illness sadly saw him retire from strip creating duties.
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| Manning with his first gorgeous colour strip page. Image: John May. |
In his memorable near two-year run, Manning (and assisting writing colleagues/artists) took us back in greater exploratory detail to the Wookiee planet of The Star Wars Holiday Special, helped cement Boba Fett's popularity further before the bounty hunter's debut proper in The Empire Strikes Back, brought in dark clad Deathtrooper-types long before the cinematic arrival of Rogue One, introduced the 'sinister agents' of Darth Vader (including the elusive Blackhole), and even showcased the equally vindictive wife of the late Grand Moff Tarkin!
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| The very first art panel for the series. |
Four decades on, the visually captivating work, and Manning's overall legacy, lives on to inspire all-new generations of fans, whilst further inspiring the creative talents now shepherding the saga into all-new storytelling avenues.
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| Advertising preview showcasing saga icons. |
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