Following the purchase of buying George Lucas’ Star Wars and Indiana Jones franchises and production company Lucasfilms, Disney commenced full development of a Sequel Trilogy, a computer animated TV show, “Star Wars Rebels” and a comic book series published by Marvel. The first six issues consist of a storyline set immediately after “A New Hope.” Luke Skywalker and his allies battle the Galactic Empire. Their mission is to destroy a weapons factory. Luke’s not alone. He encounters Darth Vader for the first time. The Sith Lord becomes interested him. We know how this comes into play in “The Empire Strikes Back.”
All six issues of “Skywalker Strikes” and a seventh standalone issue, “From the Journals of Obi-Wan Kenobi” were officially published in January-July 2015. It received positive reviews from critics, fans and readers alike. As of 2025, Marvel’s canonical comic book series is ongoing filling the gaps prior to “The Empire Strikes Back” & “Return of the Jedi.” Anyway, Jon Favreau is working on a follow-up film to “The Mandalorian” titled “The Mandalorian and Grogu.” Pedro Pascal will reprise his role as Mando. The film will be released on May 22, 2026. The exact same year “Attack of the Clones turns 25. Before Mando and Grogu return, I wanna share my thoughts on Marvel’s canonical Star Wars comic book series. By the way, Ryan Gosling will star in “Star Wars: Starfighter” coming in May 28, 2027. The year A New Hope will turn 50.
It doesn’t matter if SPOILERS are listed. We already know every single character’s fate in The Original Trilogy.
Light Side & Dark Side Aspects
Light: Jason Aaron did a decent job writing the six issues and the seventh standalone issue.
The late John Cassaday made great artwork visually telling Star Wars in comic book format. The likenesses for Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill & Carrie Fisher are spot on. Whenever I read the dialogue, I can hear their voices in my head.
Action Sequences are awesome. Darth Vader uses the force and chopping off an AT-AT hijacked by Han & Leia. Also, a call forward to “The Empire Strikes Back.” That one scene with his son, Luke destroying a single AT-AT by tossing a bomb inside it. Like father, like son taking out a big vehicle.
All six issues contain an Opening Crawl just like the movies. Let’s be honest, it’s not the same without playing John Williams’ opening score. I played it on Spotify to replicate the atmosphere.
Without Obi-Wan guiding him, Luke struggles without training and purpose to become a Jedi like his father, Anakin. Luke doesn’t act like a wimp as he did in The Sequel Trilogy. He has an existential crisis. His Character Development in the comics gives us more context.
Han & Leia often bicker. They haven’t gone first base in The Empire Strikes Back. The pair have better chemistry than Anakin & Padme in “Attack of the Clones.” Heck, a billion times better than Finn & Rose in “The Last Jedi.”
Boba Fett’s recruited by Vader to track down Luke. Boba & Luke have a legit fight in Obi-Wan’s abandoned home.
After a fight with Luke, Boba visits Vader informing him about Luke’s last name. It comes full circle to the lightsaber duel in Bespin.
In issue #6 when Han & Leia evade TIE Fighters in a hideout, a mysterious woman named, Sana Starros claims she’s the wife of Han. Awkward with a capital A.
Luke opens Obi-Wan’s case which contains a diary hiding from the Galactic Empire in Tatooine while keeping an eye on Luke. It’s an interesting standalone story. Too bad Obi-Wan’s mini-series didn’t do so well. As they say, “You can’t win ’em all.”
Dark Side: Storyline’s short spanning seven issues.
The Final Verdict: A-
All six issues of Star Wars: Skywalker Strikes and the seventh standalone issue, “From the Journals of Obi-Wan Kenobi” are a must-read for Star Wars fans. Buy them in either physical or digital format. The choice is yours my young Padawans.
Nickthemoviecritic.com 