I’ve been looking forward to this weekend project for a while… sorting, bagging, and boarding a full run of vintage Marvel Star Wars comics (107 issues, April 1977–June 1986). Some, but far from all, were bagged, but next to none were on boards, and the bags used were from quite an array of mismatched sources.

We’ve been using BCW comic and card storage products for a while, and it’s nice to be able to have everything match perfectly (affiliate link: BCW at Mighty Ape). The vintage Star Wars comics work well in “Modern”-sized storage systems, so we used 6-7/8″ x 10-1/2″ bags and 6-5/8″ x 10-1/2″ acid-free boards.

As well as the knowledge that our comics are safely organised and archived, part of the reason I was looking forward to tackling this task was that it was just a great excuse to check out all the cool covers and internal artwork along the way. Issue 18 was a pre-TESB issue that interestingly bore the title “The Empire Strikes”. It was the first issue I collected before working to backfill earlier issues. Some specific issues have been very well read, but because they are my originals, I don’t feel any need to upgrade them. I particularly liked the Walter Simonson era of the vintage Marvel Star Wars comics (issue numbers 50s–60s). They felt very Star Wars (at the time, and in the context of material available).

…and done. 107 continuously-numbered standard issues, 3 softbound annuals, 4 Return of the Jedi adaptation issues, and 3 vintage 3D Blackthorne Publishing issues thrown in for good measure.

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The long awaited third instalment of the Bill & Ted movie series, Bill and Ted Face the Music, starring Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter as Ted “Theodore” Logan and Bill S. Preston esq, respectively, has just launched in selected theatres and through video-on-demand channels. We watched it via the latter, and although this post isn’t intended as a review, I have to say that we really, really enjoyed it. It was no small ask to return to these characters nearly 30 years after the last film, and maintain the feel of both the characters and humour of the original movies, while updating just enough to make use of modern film-making techniques and catering to a 21st Century audience. But Bill and Ted Face the Music has already struck the right note with fans and critics alike, and I am in full agreement that this was a fun arc that went far enough pushing things beyond the charm of 1989 & 1991 movies.

But that’s not what we’re here for today. This article is to reflect on a different Bill and Ted medium… the short run of Bill and Ted’s Excellent Comic Book series that ran for 12 issues in 1991 and 1992. The Excellent Comic Book series was published by Marvel Comics, written and illustrated by Evan Dorkin, and followed on directly after Bill and Ted’s Bogus Journey.

Sadly, I don’t quite have a full run of this series, but intend to track down the remaining 4 issues that I need to complete the full set. Nevertheless, I fondly remember purchasing and reading these among the many comic titles that I indulged in during my early university years.

Issue no.1 starts during Bill and Ted’s pre-wedding ceremony, and features all the historic figures from their Excellent Adventure, not to mention the range of significant characters from their Bogus Journey, including Station, and the good robot Bill and Teds. Rufus has time-traveled back to fifteenth century England to procure some medieval musicians for the imminent wedding, but inadvertently brings back a couple of miscreants intent on stopping the the wedding with the princesses, in order to win back the hands of Joanna and Elizabeth.

I’ll sign off on that note, to avoid spoilers, and because I’ve got a couple more issues to revisit and re-read. The series has been collected in a couple of trade paperback archives, which can be found through Amazon or eBay (affiliate links). Party on dudes!

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Very saddened to hear of Stan Lee’s passing overnight, aged 95. He was an ever-present figure, whose contribution to the comic and superhero world, including Star Wars, was uniquely unsurpassed. We were fortunate to have crossed paths with him a couple of times at DragonCon conventions (2011 and 2012). Although I’ve been a fan of other Marvel superhero comics since childhood, it was his connection to Star Wars that prompted Kristy and I to get the above photo with him in 2011. The following year, during the set-up for the DragonCon parade in 2012, we happened to be situated right next to the vehicle transporting both Stan and Lou Ferrigno, as we waited for that costuming event to kick off. His involvement in the fandom and convention was lively and enthusiastic.

Marvel Comics were the publishers of the Star Wars movie adaptation, and the bulk of the early Expanded Universe stories and material. As a kid, that ongoing availability of stories featuring the heroes and villains of the Rebellion and Empire, as well as new creations and scenarios, played a big role in my passion for the Star Wars galaxy and characters.

Although the news of his death is saddening, it is satisfying to know that Stan Lee lived to see his comicbook creations achieve such success on the big screen, to be involved directly in that phenomenon, and to see Star Wars stories return to the Marvel Comics catalogue as the Star Wars fandom extends to generations beyond those who originally experienced it.

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My first of the original series Marvel comics happened to be issue number 18 (September 1978). I purchased them weekly thereafter and subsequently went back and got hold of the earlier issues, to now have the full run of 107 issues. I love the cover art of issue 18 (Carmine Infantino & Bob Wiacek), and the fact that it was about the Empire Striking, well before the The Empire Strikes Back movie began its marketing campaign. Internal art was by Carmine Infantino, who was a mainstay of the early Marvel Star Wars comics, filling the pages with action, urgency, and dramatic angles.

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