The Ultimate Guide To Reading Star Wars Comics: Where To Start, Reading Order, And Formats

1K

Want to start reading Star Wars comics but don’t know where to start? Did you try to start reading but got confused with the different Star Wars comic formats? This guide to reading Star Wars comic reading guide from DrunkWooky is here to help. The most common question I see on online forums, subreddits, and groups is how to get get started reading Star Wars comics.

The question is typically a variation of the following:

• What is the best way to read Star Wars comics?
• Where should I start reading Star Wars comics?
• What is the best Star Wars reading order?
• Where should I begin with Star Wars Canon comics?

If you are having the same questions and you are wanting to get started reading and collecting Star Wars comics then know that your question is one that pretty much everyone who reads comics has asked.

It’s not always clear the best places to start.

Star Wars Comic Formats: Know What Your Want Before You Buy

One of the things that confuses most new Star Wars comic readers is the different formats that the comics come in. Most online retailers just assume you know the difference between an omnibus and a trade paperback. But considering many of these different formats are labeled very similar and use the same art on the cover as others it can be easy to get confused.

Let’s break the different formats for reading Star Wars Comics.

Star Wars Single Issue Comics

Single comic issues are pretty self-explanatory. Each individual comic from a series is released in 18-30 page comics every month (usually). Single-issue comics are the best way to stay up to date with current comic series as the larger formats can take months or years to come out. That being said past series can be very hard to come by at a reasonable cost because of their collectability. So if you are going to take my advice on this page and start at one of what I believe are the best starting points for Star Wars comics I suggest you start with one of the formats below.

If you want updates on single-issue Star Wars comics as they come out check be sure to follow the @drunkwooky Instagram page.

Star Wars Trade Paperbacks

A trade paperback (TPB for short) is a collection of stories and comics republished together in a paperback book format. They are usually organized by Volumes. So if you see Star Wars The High Republic Volume 1 it typically means this book collects the first 4-6 comics in that series. This term can be used for books of all sizes but it’s usually the smallest of the collected editions with 4-6 comics included in the book. Your standard Trade Paperbacks typically retail around $12.99-$19.99 depending on how sought-after they are.

You can see a full list of Star Wars Omnibuses, Trade Paperbacks, and Epic Collections coming out this year on our mega-post here.

Star Wars Legends Epic Collections

Star Wars Epic Collections are trade paperbacks that hold more stories and include more comic issues than your typical trade paperbacks. Consider them to be the middle child between a Trade Paperback and Omnibus. Size can vary but typically hold between 12-20 individual comics inside. Epic Collections typically retail in the $33-$44 range but out-of-print editions can get expensive fast.

You can see a full list of Star Wars Omnibuses, Trade Paperbacks, and Epic Collections coming out this year on our mega-post here.

Star Wars Omnibuses

An omnibus is a collection of individual comics or short graphic novel reprints into one large book with, typically, a cohesive story. So instead of buying 26 different Darth Vader comics (some of which may now be $100+ each) you can buy the Darth Vader Omnibus to get the entire run in one place. Star Wars Omnibuses are typically the largest of the collected editions of comics. Ranging anywhere from 12-35+ comics in the book. Omnibuses typically retail between $80-$125 depending on how large they are.

You can see a full list of Star Wars Omnibuses, Trade Paperbacks, and Epic Collections coming out this year on our mega-post here.

Canon Vs Legends

Star Wars Canon Comics vs. Legends Comics

Other than comics that are adaptations of canon movies all comics published prior to Disney rebooting comics and books in 2013 are considered “Legends.” When Disney acquired Lucasfilm in 2013 they wanted a fresh start that did not need to adhere to the stories that were established in the Star Wars Expanded Universe.

Now, this does not mean they are not worth reading. Dark Horse did a fantastic job with Star Wars comics prior to losing the Star Wars IP contract to Marvel. Since then, many Legends characters have been re-canonized through shows, movies, books, and comics. However, for those just getting started with Star Wars comics, I personally suggest sticking to canon comics as you get familiar with the comic structure.

NOTE: If you did want to get into Star Wars Legends comics just know that buying each individual comic is going to be very expensive as titles with key moments like first appearances can be as expensive as hundreds of dollars each. The good news is that Marvel is reprinting most of the Legends comics’ new Omnibuses and their Marvel Epic Collections in 2021. These are the best way to read these stories on a budget unless you read comics online.

You can see a full list of Star Wars Omnibuses and Star Wars Legends Epic Collections coming out this year on our mega-post here.

Star Wars Comics: Where To Start

“Where to start with Star Wars comics” can be a tricky question as people who are new to Star Wars all have different tastes, interests, and reasons for wanting to get more Star Wars content.

Because of that, I took the top “goals” that I often see people mention when asking this question and am offering five different starting points that could be the best fit for you depending on which category you find yourself in.

Here are the 5 categories I am using.

• Best place to start for those who want to start small with Star Wars comics.
• Best place to start for those who want more original trilogy-era Star Wars stories.
• Best place to start for those who want more Sith lore and Darth Vader stories.
• Best place to start for those who want more stories after Return of the Jedi
• Best place to start for those who want new Non-Skywalker-Saga stories.

I also prioritized series that you can find the larger collected editions like Omnibuses, Trade Paperbacks, and Epic Collections at decent costs.

The Best Canon Star Wars Comics to Read First: Star Wars: Darth Maul Son of Dathomir

For: Best place to start for those who want to start small with Star Wars comics.

Star Wars: Darth Maul Son of Dathomir is the ideal starting point for those who are just wanting to dip their toes into Star Wars comics for the first time as it’s a short 4-part mini-series. It’s also my personal favorite comic storyline. It’s perfect for those who’ve enjoyed the prequels and/or The Clone Wars and want more.

So while there are other series that are longer and may feel letter better starting points I like to suggest this series to those who want to give comics a try without committing to reading 25-75 issues of something.

Here’s the publisher’s description: Getting cut in half by Obi-Wan Kenobi and being rejected by his former Sith Master Darth Sidious isn’t going to defeat Darth Maul. In fact, it only makes him mad enough to take on the galaxy – with an army of Mandalorians! After forming the Shadow Collective – a criminal organization composed of the Hutts, Black Sun, the Mandalorians, and the fearsome Nightbrothers – Maul wages war against Darth Sidious and his generals, Count Dooku and General Grievous! Adapted from unproduced screenplays for Season 6 of The Clone Wars television show, this is the final chapter planned for the Darth Maul saga.

The Best Canon Star Wars Comics to Read First: Star Wars (2015) Comic Series by Jason Aaron

Best for place to start for those who want more original trilogy era Star Wars stories.

Star Wars (2015) is the best place to start reading Star Wars comics if you want canon content centered around Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, and the events of the original trilogy.

Star Wars (2015) was the first Star Wars canon comic series published by Marvel after Disney established the difference between canon and legends. Much of this run that started in 2015 was written by Jason Aaron and tells the story of what Luke, Leia, Han, Chewie, etc. were up to in between A New Hope and Empire Strikes Back.

This is probably the most common suggestion for those asking “Where should I start with Star Wars comics?” and it’s certainly a good suggestion. As I mentioned above, 75 issues were released over 4+ years since Star Wars #1 was published in 2015.

The Best Canon Star Wars Comics to Read First: Star Wars Darth Vader (2015)

Best place to start for those who want more Sith lore and Darth Vader comic stories.

Star Wars: Darth Vader (2015) by Kieron Gillen is a fantastic comic series that is my choice as a starting point for anyone who wants to start reading Star Wars comics featuring the Dark Lord himself, Darth Vader.

Star Wars: Darth Vader (2015) was the first Star Wars canon Darth Vader comic series published by Marvel after Disney established the difference between canon and legends. This series focuses on Darth Vader struggling to maintain his loyalties to Emporer Palpatine while reeling from the destruction of the Death Star by a certain force-sensitive Rebel Pilot. All stories in this series are set between A New Hope and Empire Strikes Back.

Publishers Summary: One of the greatest antagonists in all of fiction rises again! Fresh from a stinging defeat at the hands of the Rebel Alliance, Darth Vader must reassert the Empire’s iron grip on the galaxy. But will his personal desire for vengeance against the young Jedi who destroyed the Death Star distract from Vader’s duty to the Emperor? As a fateful quest begins, the Dark Lord of the Sith will face fresh threats to his power. And, as other villains old and new play their part — from Boba Fett and Jabba the Hutt to diabolical debutant Doctor Aphra and the killer droids Triple-Zero and BeeTee-One — will Vader’s imperial march continue, or will his schemes prove his undoing?