Princess Leia #1 tells a Star Wars story immediately following A New Hope, and probably includes the variant cover you’re looking for.
As we approach The Force Awakens‘ release date, Star Wars new expanded universe is really starting to take shape. Novels and television shows are breaking new ground in the galaxy far, far away, while Marvel’s new comic books tell original stories about our favorite characters. Of all these entries, one of the most promising is the Princess Leia series, where Mark Waid and Terry Dodson will present new adventures of science fiction’s most famous heroine.
Princess Leia begins immediately after the events of A New Hope, where the Rebels celebrate the destruction of the Death Star. But for Leia Organa, who just lost her entire homeworld, the real challenge is figuring out what to fight for now. “How does she really cope with losing her entire world once the events around that loss have calmed down somewhat?” Mark Waid said at SDCC 2014. “Does she choose to be a princess of nothing – or does she set out to rebuild her heritage and civilization?”
That’s the question Princess Leia explores, charting her path from “former” princess to one of the Rebellion’s greatest leaders. It’s a solid premise that Marvel certainly expects to succeed, while the preview art (attached below) looks great. The real variety, however, comes in the metric ton of variant covers, including work from Alex Ross, John Cassaday, Skottie Young, and more.
All the artwork looks fantastic, but my personal favorite has to be the Action Figure Variant by John Tyler Christopher. Making your comic cover look like a 1970s collectible toy box is a clever nod to Star Wars merchandising history, and a well-presented one to boot.
Princess Leia #1 launches on March 4, 2015.
