Awesome Characters and Lore Introduced to Star Wars Through the Comics

Some of the most fun I’ve ever had with stories set in the Star Wars universe has been in the world of comic books and graphic novels. Sure, it’s hard to beat the theatrical experience when it comes to the galaxy far far away, but for those who love to dig deeper into their favorite characters and the lore behind the movies, Star Wars comics are the way to go.

 

From the classic camp of the original Marvel series to the vast library of Dark Horse comics from the Expanded Universe era (now dubbed “Legacy”) and now back to the new canon stories from Marvel, the amount of Star Wars comics available for consumption is really an embarrassment of riches.

 

 

Marvel has even reprinted a lot of the classic comics, but now that the originals are out of print, some of those comics and graphic novels can actually be worth quite a bit of money if you happen to still have some lying around. Should you be interested in making a move to sell your comics, then certainly give it some thought. Of course, you would only ever consider doing this so you could buy more comics, though, am I right?

 

Whether you’re a new fan or you’ve been hanging around in the Star Wars galaxy for a long time, there’s a comic book out there for you. In fact, a lot of really cool characters actually made their debut in a comic book. Some of them are just too awesome to be contained in a comic book panel and have made their way into other Star Wars media. Let’s take a look at a few of them.

 

 

The Mandalorians

The Mandalorian

 

The term “Mandalorian” has been part of Star Wars culture for years, but even if you were unfamiliar with the term a few years ago, with the advent of the smash Disney + hit The Mandalorian, you’ve likely heard it by now. Originally conceptualized as a group of white-armored super-commandos for The Empire Strikes Back, the Mandalorians were ultimately simplified into one character, the bounty hunter Boba Fett, who first appeared in the Star Wars Holiday Special. Later, the prequels would expand on the character’s origin as a clone of the armored Jango Fett, who also happened to be the genetic template for the Republic’s clone army.

 

With The Clone Wars television show, fans got an even deeper look into Mandalorian culture. The warlike Mandalorians would be explored further in the follow up series Star Wars: Rebels, even calling back to their original conception as Imperial super-commandos.

 

 

But before all that, back when the term Mandalorian was a much lesser known facet of Star Wars lore, there was Marvel’s Star Wars #68 (the first actual appearance of the Mandalorians), followed years later by the Tales of the Jedi series, where we got our first glimpse into Mandalorian history as they fought alongside the Sith against the Jedi (something referenced in The Mandalorian tv show). Those comics may be non-canon, but as with all Star Wars tales, they help expand the lore, and a lot of their content has even been preserved in various canon works to date.

 

 

The Sith

 

Although the Sith technically got their first mention in the 1976 novelization of Star Wars, it wasn’t until the early to mid-1990s that the history and origin of the Sith were established in Dark Horse’s Dark Empire and Tales of the Jedi comic series. A more recent series, Star Wars: Legacy (2006), a story set over a hundred and thirty years after the original films, delved into the history of the Sith even more and added some new Sith villains to the mix as well.

These comics are all now considered non-canon, but the amount of content that has been cherry-picked from them in canon works like The Clone Wars and Rebels television series is substantial, cementing the relevance of the comics in every way, even if they’re not one-hundred percent canon. But even so, there are a lot of gems to be discovered if you take the time to look, and you might just discover some of your favorite Star Wars tales along the way.

 

 

Doctor Aphra

 

 

One of the more recent additions to the massive list of Star Wars characters, rogue archaeologist Chelli Aphra has become a quick fan-favorite. Making her debut in Kieron Gillen’s Darth Vader #3, the not-so-good doctor has crossed over into multiple other Star Wars comics, has two series of her own, and even has her own action figure along with her murderous droid counterparts 0-0-0 (Triple Zero) and BT-1 (Bee Tee).

 

What makes Aphra so special? Why did she and her droids get the action figure treatment where others of her station got nothing? Because the fans demanded it. She’s a great character, plain and simple, and it won’t be long before she finds her way to the screen. But if you’re willing to pick up a comic book, you can enjoy Aphra and her misadventures any time you like.

 

 

Darth Talon

 

The Star Wars: Legacy comic is one that I’ve not gotten around to yet, but it’s definitely on my reading list. But even so, I’m familiar with the character Darth Talon, mostly thanks to cosplayers. The red-skinned and scantily clad Twi’lek Sith Lady has her way of showing up in the fandom, and she is apparently a force to be reckoned with. In the comic, Talon was the apprentice of the Legacy villain Darth Krayt and even the master (for a time) of Luke Skywalker’s own (non-canon) descendant, Cade Skywalker.

 

Her Sith tattoos and red skin are a callback to fan-favorite villain Darth Maul, and she is every bit as fierce as the Zabrak Sith Lord himself. She certainly strikes an imposing figure, so it’s no wonder that she was even tossed around in the early stages of the sequel trilogy as a possible villain. Much like Aphra, I think it’s only a matter of time before we see some version of Darth Talon on the screen.

 

There are so many other great characters in the Star Wars comics. Who are some of your favorites? Which of them would you like to see cross over onto the screen? Let us know in the comments below!

 

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Jordan Pate is Co-Lead Editor and Senior Writer for Star Wars News Net, of which he is also a member of the book and comic review team. He loves all things Star Wars, but when he's not spending time in the galaxy far far away, he might be found in our own galaxy hanging out in Gotham City or at 1407 Graymalkin Lane, Salem Center, NY.

Jordan Pate (Hard Case)

Jordan Pate is Co-Lead Editor and Senior Writer for Star Wars News Net, of which he is also a member of the book and comic review team. He loves all things Star Wars, but when he's not spending time in the galaxy far far away, he might be found in our own galaxy hanging out in Gotham City or at 1407 Graymalkin Lane, Salem Center, NY.

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