Manga Monday: Star Wars
Story and Art by Hisao Tamaki
Article by Mara Wood
I don’t know who you are–or where you came from, but from now on, you do as I tell you. Ok?
What do you get when you mix Star Wars with my favorite medium? Well, you get some pretty amazing comics, including Hisao Tamaki’s manga adaptation of the classic science-fiction series. For years, Dark Horse Comics published Star Wars comics covering the vast universe. Naturally, they published this fun manga.
With a manga adaptation comes certain nuances uncommon to other mediums. Tamaki’s series makes Luke more innocent and cute, Obi-Wan a solid and gallant knight, and Leia look like a shonen love-interest. Han is, of course, just as scruffy-looking as he is in any version of Star Wars. Tamaki conveys the heaviness of situations, like the build-up to the destruction of Alderaan and the impending show-down between Han and Boba Fett, with mastery. The scope of the story is conveyed through the double-spread artwork of the Falcon. Oh, and space looks AMAZING in this series.
It’s hard to keep an old story fresh. What Tamaki has done with Star Wars is perfect for old fans and new. The pace is perfect; Tamaki lingers just enough in all the right places and shows urgency when the action calls for it. The emotional connection between the characters – from a subtle wink at the end ceremony of A New Hope to the banter between Luke and Han over falling for Leia – is spot on.
Each movie is adapted into four manga volumes and published by Dark Horse Comics. It is definitely worth taking a look at if you are a fan of Star Wars comics.
