5. Spoilers? Who Cares!
Fans would be aware about the intense security around the release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens. So it would come as a surprise to this generation fan that, in April 1977, the first two issues of Marvel’s six-part Star Wars adaptation actually came out before the movie premiered.
In fact, Lucas insisted on it in the original contract. He was hoping that it will intrigue comic book readers enough to actually go see the films. Readers got more than they had expected since their adaptation had additional scenes (by Thomas and Chaykin) that never made it into the final edit of the film.
6. Star Wars Mania
The first two issues did well in the market for Marvel. And that might have raised expectations but when then the movie came out, and boy oh boy it surpassed all previous expectations. Star Wars craze gripped the entire world. Sales went bonkers, hitting over a million copies a month which was four times more than the amount their top book (Amazing Spider-Man) had been selling.
The resulting financial windfall was like manna from heaven for Marvel which was on the brink of bankruptcy. The timing couldn’t have been more opportune for Marvel couldn’t have come at a better time for Marvel.The former editor-in-Chief Jim Shooter said on his blog “The success of the Star Wars comics was a significant factor in Marvel’s survival, Roy Thomas saved Marvel.”
