It’s That Day Again

Happy Intergalactic Star Wars day everyone, and I can’t let May 4th go by without making some form of Star Wars related post. This one will be on something that probably doesn’t count as an entirely canon part of the Star Wars expanded universe, and that is the content of two books that aren’t often seen.

These two books show a slightly more fun side of the Star Wars universe, and are presented in a format that may be slightly unfamiliar to some people. You read them back to front. They are the Star Wars Manga Black and Silver edition books. Now they have been around for about two years in Japan, but only recently have reached UK book shops and so when I saw Silver last weekend, and Black yesterday I couldn’t resist picking up a copy. And for our American friends, sorry but Tokyopop haven’t announced any plans to release these in the USA.

If you should see them lying around may I suggest that you pick them up. They look a little like this and are most definitely worth the £9.99 price that is usually attached to them. For those of you who don’t usually go in for Graphic novels these may just seem like a silly comic book that opens the wrong way, but they aren’t. OK there is some silliness, and Jar Jar haters may not want to see his son in Black, and yes they do open the wrong way, but once you get over the whole “Which panel’s do I read in what order?” thing (there is a little guide at the front) then you are pretty much set to just enjoy the stories that follow.

A quick rundown of the books for you all, The black edition contains three stories and a special ‘Letters to Anakin’ section at the end. The letters to Anakin are from his friend back on Tatooine, Kitster, and appear in Aurebesh as well as English. The three stories are most likely not Canon. One, titled ‘Tantive IV,’ involves Jar Jar Binks’ son on a rebel blockade runner when it is attacked by the empire, Another, titled Evil Eyes, tells the story of a young Jedi called Iguni who wants to grow up to be a big strong Jedi like Anakin Skywalker, with similar motivations, And part one of a story called ‘Perfect Evil’. I will come on to Perfect Evil after I have told you about Silver.

The Silver Manga edition has five stories in it. Apart from the continuation of Perfect Evil, there is ‘OH!! JAWA JAWA’ which is, unsurprisingly, about a Jawa. “Star Wars - Phantasmagoria’ looks into what Vader may have been thinking during that climactic scene in Return of the Jedi. ‘Vader Vs. ARTOO & THREEPIO’ is probably one of my favourite strips in this book. It shows us one of the single most famous scenes in cinema history in a light that will mean you can probably never watch the DVD again without thinking “What if…” and the final strip is, quite simply ‘Dark Jedi’. It features General Grievous who fights the Dark Jedi Kaa and Lii and it explains why he now has some Jedi lightsabers.

Now, Perfect Evil. There was great shock running through the Star Wars community when it was announced that Darth Vader had an apprentice. That should, had these books been read, not have been a shock. Whilst most of the stories in the book present a fun, happy, side of Star Wars, this two parter follows a very distinct arc that sees Vader finally return to his old home world. It even lets us really know why Episode IV became a New Hope, if you didn’t already have an idea.

These stories are great. They may not be entirely canon (but they are labeled as Infinities) but they may well be of interest to you. Infinities, ‘offers a world of endless Star Wars possibilities’, and I think that perhaps on this wonderful Intergalactic Star Wars day that is what we should look at. Star Wars, as films, exist as purely true, there is nothing more accurate for Star Wars knowledge. Some of the books may be true, some may not, George doesn’t really read them, so do they matter? There are the TV shows as well. But Star Wars can go beyond what everyone thinks actually happened ‘in Universe’. There are endless possibilities in Star Wars, OK so Jar Jar being allowed to reproduce may make some of us cry inside, but it could happen.

So on this day, let us not just celebrate some things Star Wars, let us celebrate the sheer diversity that exists in Star Wars, the endless possibilities of what could happen with our favourite (or not so favourite) characters. Now then, let’s all go and read the story of when a Jawa found an X-Wing.

May The Fourth Be With You