Classic Star Wars

{{Short description|Comic book series}}{{italic title}}{{Use mdy dates|date = June 2020}}

Classic Star Wars is a series of various classic Star Wars comics reprinted by Dark Horse Comics between 1992 and 1996. It notably includes compilations of the weekly newspaper Star Wars comic strips written by Archie Goodwin and illustrated by Al Williamson; these were published as 20 single issues between 1992 and 1994 with new cover art by Williamson and others,{{Cite book|last=Goodwin|first=Archie|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/31326940|title=Classic Star Wars: Volume One – In Deadly Pursuit|publisher=Dark Horse Comics|others=Williamson, Al|year=1994|isbn=1-56971-017-1|editor-last=Cooper|editor-first=Bob|edition=1st|location=Milwaukie, OR|pages=i, 192–194|oclc=31326940}}{{Efn|Williamson and his assistant Allen Nunis created new art to extend some panels to fit the comic-page-size layouts arranged by Dark Horse's editors. Nunis, Bret Blevins, Tom Yeates, Mark Schultz, and George Evans also created some of the cover art.|name=|group=}} and collected as three trade paperbacks between 1994 and 1996.{{cite web|last=Hansen|first=John|date=September 23, 2013|title='Star Wars' flashback: 'Classic Star Wars' Issues 1–7 (Goodwin/Williamson newspaper strips, 1981-82) (Comic book reviews) – Cold Bananas Movie & TV Reviews|url=http://coldbananas.com/2013/09/comic-books/star-wars-flashback-classic-star-wars-comics-1-7-1992-93/|accessdate=March 3, 2020|website=Cold Bananas Movie & TV Reviews}}{{efn|These also feature unique covers by Williamson and are titled In Deadly Pursuit (1994), The Rebel Storm (1995), and Escape to Hoth (1996). Each volume features an introduction; these are by Goodwin, Kevin J. Anderson, and Williamson, respectively. The first volume also includes an explanation of how Dark Horse compiled the comics by editor Bob Cooper.}}{{efn|Beginning with issue #8, an opening crawl recaps the story so far, but these are missing from the trade paperbacks, except for the beginning of Volume Three.}} While originally achromatic, these comics were colorized for the Dark Horse reprints.{{Efn|By artists including Steve Buccellato and Matthew Hollingsworth}}

The Classic Star Wars banner also includes reprints of Marvel's original adaptations of the original trilogy from the self-titled comic (over two issues each in 1994, with new colorization in the case of A New Hope),{{Cite web|title=Classic Star Wars: A New Hope #1 :: Profile|url=https://www.darkhorse.com/Comics/93-593/Classic-Star-Wars-A-New-Hope-1|access-date=2020-06-19|website=Dark Horse Comics}}{{Cite web|title=Classic Star Wars: A New Hope #2 :: Profile|url=https://www.darkhorse.com/Comics/93-785/Classic-Star-Wars-A-New-Hope-2|access-date=2020-06-19|website=Dark Horse Comics}}{{Efn|With covers by Arthur Adams, Adam Hughes, Williamson, and Cam Kennedy{{Cite web|title=Classic Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back #1 :: Profile|url=https://www.darkhorse.com/Comics/93-612/Classic-Star-Wars-The-Empire-Strikes-Back-1|access-date=2020-07-02|website=Dark Horse Comics}}{{Cite web|title=Classic Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back #2 :: Profile|url=https://www.darkhorse.com/Comics/93-807/Classic-Star-Wars-The-Empire-Strikes-Back-2|access-date=2020-07-02|website=Dark Horse Comics}}}} Russ Manning's comic strip (as Classic Star Wars: The Early Adventures),{{Cite web|title=Classic Star Wars: The Early Adventures #1 :: Profile|url=https://www.darkhorse.com/Comics/93-413/Classic-Star-Wars-The-Early-Adventures-1|access-date=2020-06-19|website=Dark Horse Comics}} a reprint of issue #98 of Marvel's Star Wars (as Classic Star Wars: The Vandelhelm Mission),{{Cite web|last=Wise|first=Philip|title=Rebelscum.com: Classic Star Wars Miscellaneous Comics|url=http://www.rebelscum.com/darkhorse_classic-misc.asp|access-date=2020-06-30|website=Rebelscum.com}}{{Efn|Originally titled Supply and Demand (1985), the comic by Goodwin and Williamson features Fondor, the shipyard construction planet they introduced in the Darth Vader Strikes newspaper story.}} and various colorized comics originally printed by Marvel UK's magazine,{{Cite book|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/1014354706|title=Epic Collection: Star Wars – The Original Marvel Years, Volume 3|publisher=Marvel Comics|year=2018|isbn=978-1-302-91133-1|editor-last=Beazley|editor-first=Mark D.|location=New York|pages=382|oclc=1014354706}} including many by Alan Moore (as Classic Star Wars: Devilworlds).{{Cite web|title=Classic Star Wars: Devilworlds #1 (of 2) :: Profile|url=https://www.darkhorse.com/Comics/96-553/Classic-Star-Wars-Devilworlds-1-of-2|access-date=2020-06-19|website=Dark Horse Comics}}{{Efn|The final page of Moore's story Dark Lord's Conscience was excluded in its original print because it was accidentally not delivered to the artist, John Stokes. Fourteen years later, Stokes created the last page for the comic's reprint in Devilworlds.{{Cite book|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/1014354706|title=Epic Collection: Star Wars – The Original Marvel Years, Volume 3|publisher=Marvel Comics|year=2018|isbn=978-1-302-91133-1|editor-last=Beazley|editor-first=Mark D.|location=New York|pages=436|oclc=1014354706}}}}