Top 10 Dark Horse ‘Star Wars’ Comics

Star Wars: Dark Empire (1991-1992)

Star Wars: Dark Empire was the first Star Wars series published by Dark Horse; therefore, it has to be on the Top 10 Dark Horse Star Wars Comics list. But putting it on the list just because it is the first is silly. Dark Empire was a huge hit and, as a result, paved the way for the rest of Dark Horse’s run of Star Wars. When it came out, fans were hungry for a return to the galaxy far, far away and wanted to know what happened after Return of the Jedi. Tom Veitch’s story was so compelling that similar threads were seen in The Rise of Skywalker. Cam Kennedy’s use of watercolor art had also been a topic of conversation. Dark Empire ran for six issues as a bi-monthly series and told the story of the New Republic’s battle with Imperial remnants six years after the Battle of Endor, the return of a cloned Emperor, and Luke’s turn to the dark side. It was popular enough for two sequels: Dark Empire 2 (1994-1995) and Empire’s End (1995).

Classic Star Wars (1992-1994)

This is specifically about the 20 issues that ran from 1992-1994. There were more volumes with the title Classic Star Wars than ran until 2003. This selection was a reprint Dark Horse did of the Archie Goodwin/Al Williamson newspaper prints that ran in the early 1980s. The team of Goodwin and Williamson was classic in and of itself and the main reason why Classic Star Wars #1-20 made this list. This series focused on the time between A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back. The rebels were searching for a new base, facing off against nightbeasts, Ben Kenobi imposters, pirates, and a certain bounty hunter on Ord Mantell.

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Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi (1993-1994)

Tales of the Jedi, the 8-story arc, was not referred to as such until much later. The Tales of the Jedi series I’m referring to is the first 5-issue series that ran from 1993-94, written by Tom Veitch with various artists. This particular arc focused on the reluctant Jedi-to-be Nomi Sunrider, who refused to learn about the Force, even after her Jedi-husband, Andur, was killed by pirates. Nomi finally agrees to become an apprentice to Thon (Andur’s former master). The stories of Tales of the Jedi occurred four millennia before A New Hope and saw the rise of the Sith Empire. For anyone interested in learning about ancient Jedi and Sith, this is the place to start.

Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi - Dark Lords of the Sith (1994-1995)

Dark Lords of the Sith was part of the 8-story Tales of the Jedi arc. However, this arc focused on the rise of Exar Kun from Jedi apprentice to Dark Lord of the Sith. In Legends, Exar Kun was one of the most powerful and influential Sith whose spirit would haunt the Massassi temple on Yavin IV into the days of Luke Skywalker’s Jedi Academy.

X-Wing: Rogue Squadron (1995-1998)

In the mid-1990s, Michael Stackpole’s X-Wing novels were all the rage. Kickstarting their popularity was the X-Wing: Rogue Squadron’s 35-issue comic book series. Rogue Squadron not only showcased great starfighter battles, but also the camaraderie between pilots, some of which would later appear in Stackpoole’s book series of the same name. Rogue Squadron was good old-fashioned fun and touching at the same time.

Star Wars: Republic (1998-2006)

Star Wars: Republic made the list because they added loads to the prequel era as the films were released. Starting before The Phantom Menace, with the Prelude to Rebellion arc, it served as a prequel to the prequels. Republic gave a closer look at specific clone soldiers and Jedi not named onscreen. In addition, this series gave George Lucas the idea to put Aalya Secure in Revenge of the Sith and add a backstory to Quinlan Vos. Initially called Star Wars for the first 45 issues, Republic started with issue 46 and ran for 83 issues.

Star Wars: Infinities (2001-2004)

Star Wars: Infinities was the What If…? of Star Wars. It took the main storylines from the original trilogy and turned them completely upside down. What if Luke’s proton torpedo missed? What if Leia joined the Empire? What if Luke died and Leia became the next Jedi Knight? Each of the three volumes ran for four issues.

Star Wars: Dark Times (2006-2013)

Dark Times stood out because it continued where Star Wars: Republic left off, and covered the dark times. It followed Jedi-in-hiding Dass Jennir leading a Nosaurian army into a doomed conflict. Doug Wheatley’s photo-realistic art for Dark Times was arguably the best of any Star Wars Dark Horse series. Unfortunately, Dark Times suffered from several delays and would eventually be cancelled. Hopefully, Wheatley will return to Star Wars again next April when Star Wars returns to Dark Horse. Star Wars: Dark Times ran for 32 issues.

Star Wars: Legacy (2006-2010)

Like some of the other titles of this list, Star Wars: Legacy pushed the timeline to its limits. Whereas Tales of the Jedi was close to the starting point of the timeline, Legacy took place over a century after the original trilogy and focused on a new member of the Skywalker family tree, Cade Skywalker. Cade Skywalker had wanted no part in his family’s legacy, refusing any affinity to the Force. Legacy also brought us Darth Krayt, one of the coolest Sith in Star Wars.

Star Wars: Agent of the Empire (2011-2013)

This one might be a head-scratcher for some but bear with me. Agent of the Empire did not get a lot of attention upon its release, but it was described as Star Wars meets James Bond, which was never done before. We got Star Wars horror, comedy, plenty of war and adventure but never a mystery until Agent of the Empire. It followed Imperial Agent Jahan Cross, who was not your typical Imperial. Agent of the Empire only ran for 10 issues, but if you’re looking for something different, Agent of the Empire definitely has that.

Under Dark Horse, Star Wars had a rich history of telling great stories. The above list is but a small sample of how expansive the Star Wars galaxy was with Dark Horse. A good chunk of the stories took place between A New Hope and Empire Strikes Back, and during the prequels. Maybe there are just so much materials within those time periods realistically? Perhaps, but one thing is for sure there certainly was not a shortage of stories to choose from for Star Wars with Dark Horse.

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Written By Eric Onkenhout

Source(s): Wookieepedia

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