fan comics

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originally published as a blog on starwars.com, we present this article by keith ryan kappel aka nar cranor of fandom comics,  keith's site, fandom comics is linked at the top of the page, and a darn good site it is too.  all opinions expressed below are those of keith ryan kappel.



Cracken's Crew:  -  http://www.fandom.swnsu.com

a page from crackens crew, art by steve criado


Jawa Force: The original Star Wars Fan comic. This is the one that started it all. While the concept is kind of laughable, basically a bunch of commando Jawas, the book is actually pretty good. There are 5 issues at the link above, all in full color. Now saying there are 5 issues is a bit misleading. Each issue has a different number of pages, ranging from 22 pages to 43 pages. Still one of the best out there. The story is fairly interesting, the Jawas actually have some character and you CAN tell them apart. Ties in nicely to the original movie, just not too believable. The art is also good, but leaves a bit to be desired. Four out of Five Stars.
http://www.theforce.net/comics/fancomics/jawaforce/html.asp

the cover of jawa force


Bungo & Rusti: Also known as the "Official Fan Comic". This fan comic was actually published in a few issues of the Star Wars Adventure Journal put out by West End Games for the RPG game back in the day. These were more or less humorous stories centred around a Sullustian working for Sorosuub and his uppity droid and their encounters with sentient BanthaQuik burgers. Wacky things of that nature. A wacky story with great, though highly stylized and cartoony, art. Four out of Five Stars.
http://www.theforce.net/comics/fancomics/bungo&rusti/

a page from bungo and rusti


The Hidden War: A dramatic fan comic following the adventures of a few rebel miscreants, The Hidden War is one of the other long running Fan Comics at Six issues with some support materials for the WEG system. While these fan comics were good, and the art was great and very professional, the entire series seemed dated somehow. It just had a very 80's feel to it. Very marvel/WEG ish. You will either love that or hate it, I happen to be on the side of the coin that hates it, but I do understand and respect it. Three out of Five Stars.
http://www.theforce.net/comics/fancomics/thw/

hidden war issue one

hidden war issue two


Fate of the Jedi: This is a sort of retelling, or guessing, of what was supposed to happen for E2 and E3. This is actually just a series of mini comics, Four issues that are each 12 or fewer pages. The art is fantastic, but the story itself is VERY infinities since the release of E2 and E3. Darth Maul surviving and Aurra Sing and Boba Fett's relationship round out three of the core players in the story. The art is great though. Three out of Five Stars.
http://www.theforce.net/comics/fancomics/fate.asp

the cover of fate of the jedi


Warchild: This is a 7 page mini comic by Tom Whalen. Tom creates an awesome animated style of artwork that could work really well for Star Wars, but it looks like he is experimenting with panel placement, and his story doesn't seem to have much place in the Star Wars galaxy. It seems more fit to an Ender's Game universe or some other sci-fi universe. Mecha have no place in Star Wars though, IMO. This could have been a better anime-ish type fan comic. Two out of Five Stars.
http://www.theforce.net/comics/fancomics/warchild.asp

a page from warchild by tom whalen


Yoda: Padawan: This comic follows Yoda during his padawan years. It is a single issue that goes on for 64 pages and counting. I haven't actually had the time to read through this entire book, plus I find the concept of Yoda with a yellow mohawk very disconcerting. Regardless, the art isn't bad at all. So while this is an unfair rating, since I haven't read it and can't really judge it, I give it Three out of Five Stars based on my first impression. Alright, I took the time to actually read this one. A contrived plot with bad yoda dialogue compounded by poor character design kind of makes it so that the good line work is unable to carry the comic. Gotta drop it down to two of out five stars.
http://www.theforce.net/comics/fancomics/yodapadawan.asp

yoda: padawan, art by josh diffey


Dark Evolution: Another 13 page mini comic by Tom Whalen. Again with the cool stylized art. Again with the experimental panel layout. What saves him here is a much more "Star Wars" oriented story. A female jedi kicking butt on a star destroyer. Four out of Five Stars.
http://www.theforce.net/comics/fancomics/de.asp

dark evolution by tom whalen


Family: A small story about a jedi and his mercenary friend, this comic has very raw artwork that is still good in it's own way. The story so far is dreadful though. Also, the presentation is more of a web slideshow than it is comic book. Two out of Five Stars.
http://www.theforce.net/comics/fancomics/family.asp

page art from family, by darrel miller


Imperial Jedi: A Simpson's/Star Wars spoof/humor comic, Imperial Jedi is a pair of mini comics that focuses mostly on humor. Mildly amusing. Simpson's fans will get an extra kick out of it. Two out of Five Stars.
http://www.theforce.net/comics/fancomics/impjedi.asp

the cover to imperial jedi


Dimensional Trouble: This is horrible. It is a comic made with simple computer graphics and movie stills, designed to be funny. It was really awful. Takes place outside continuity. One out of Five Stars.
http://www.theforce.net/comics/fancomics/dtrouble.asp

the first page of dimensional trouble


Dark Sun Rising: Done by Fan Force Wales, this manga inspired comic seems really well done on the art end, but I haven't yet had a chance to read it all the way through yet. It shows a lot of promise though, and has five chapters, each with about 14 pages. Four out of Five Stars, though the story could make or break it once I read it. I'll update this post when I do. Well, the story broke it. This story actually takes place on earth in modern times. In Australia no less. Drops the entire thing down to 1 out of five stars. The art in the first two chapters is kind of sub standard from the sketch work I saw before. Not really worth the read.
http://fanforcecomic.tripod.com/comic/

a page from dark sun rising


Diary of a Crazed Mimbanite: A very humorous comic strip, more so than fan comic. Still, it is very good. 65 strips are on the site. I would encourage everyone to read through these at least once. As humor strips I give them Five out of Five Stars, but they aren't quite fan comic books.
http://www.jediknight.net/3do/strips.htm

a strip from diary of a crazed mimbanite by al macdonald


Kromag Vs. Rictor: A goofy site again going for humor, this comic was done with Kenner action figures. It is sort of an action comedy, but it is fairly uninspired, especially when compared to what the wizard staff puts together with toy fare. Two out of Five Stars.
http://www.geocities.com/rickyriolo/kromagvsrictor.html

the cover to kromag vs rictor


Jaxxon's 11: I think this is one of the best fan comics out there, even though it is really a humor comic. The Art is great, if cartoony, and the writing is top notch. So funny, your blue milk will squirt out of your nose! If you haven't ever read this and were a fan of the old Marvel comics, definately check this out! Five out of Five Stars.
http://www.theforce.net/humor/jaxxon/

page one of jaxxon's 11


The Adventures of Abner Meade: So far this is just a single page, but apparently focuses on a Duros smuggler. The art is fair and the story is ok for what we have seen so far. Its just one page, but Three out of Five Stars.
http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Corridor/7410/comic.html

a panel from the adventures of abner meade


The Irregular Web Comic: This lego comic strip is humorous, haven't had a chance to read through it all yet. Rating Pending. Got a chance to read through these. I chuckled out loud on a few of them. Funny stuff. 3 out of 5 stars.
http://www.irregularwebcomic.net/cast/starwars.html

two panels from the irregular web comic


The Fall: Probably the best fan comic overall. The story covers what happens to Mace Windu after he is beaten by Anakin and Palpatine. It is really really really good. Five out of Five Stars.
http://www.saturnite.50megs.com/starwars/index.html

a page from the fall


The Adventures of Luke Skywalker: Great little fan comic without much story posted yet. Great artwork though. Definitely a unique approach to a fan comic, pretty unique.
http://www.injenn.net/~foximon/Luke/

page one of the adventures of luke skywalker


Seed of Evil: Great short comic that details Dooku's early dealings with Lord Sidious, shortly after Sidious kills his master. Easily one of the best fan comics out there.
http://trashcompactorchronicles.co.uk/SEED01.html

page one of seeds of evil


The Race: An early Dash Rendar story on Kessel. Some kind of race. Its somewhat innovative with the mouse-over pop up dialogue/narrative boxes, but the story doesn't seem to have much point other than exploring the format concept.
http://trashcompactorchronicles.co.uk/RACE01.html

a page from the race


Knight Visions: Same innovative format as before. This time they seem to be using photography for panels instead of line art. Interesting, but again, not much actual story.
http://trashcompactorchronicles.co.uk/KNIGHT01.html

a page from knight visions


Prologue: This story is just kicking off, seems somewhat interesting, but the dialogue is somewhat sub par, and the artwork is only fair.
http://trashcompactorchronicles.co.uk/PRLOG01.html

a page from prologue


Shades of Grey: This one makes absolutely no sense to me whatsoever. It looks pretty cool, I just have no idea what is going on.
http://trashcompactorchronicles.co.uk/GREY01.html

a page from shades of grey


I Don't Like Sand: A great fan comic pitting Darth Vader against A'Sharad Hett. Same creative team that did Seed of Evil, very well done.
http://trashcompactorchronicles.co.uk/SAND01.html

a page from i don't like sand


Dengar's Tale: I actually enjoyed the unique art style for this one, but the story didn't seem like one that needed to be told. there actually wasn't much story there.
http://trashcompactorchronicles.co.uk/DENGAR01.html

a page from dengar's tale


Pride's Due: Sweet art style, but only one page is up so far.
http://trashcompactorchronicles.co.uk/PRIDE01.html

artwork from pride's due


Creature Cantina: A very funny humor strip that has been running for 4 years. I can't believe I didn't already know about this.
http://www.creaturecantina.com/thecantina/

a panel from creature cantina


Obi-wan Kenobi Doujinshi: This manga star wars is actually really good, if only a 10 page story. It features a 15 year old Obi Wan. I give it 5 out of 5 stars, very touching. Definitely a great read.
http://www.ztarr.net/sw_doujinshi/archive/manga/part%201/001.html

page one of obi wan doujinshi


Darksiders Syndicate: A pretty solid comic featuring some Order 66 survivors. Looks like it has potential, though there are some minor continuity errors. Nar Shaddaa being a place of power for sith and jedi alike? Nar Shaddaa being a hidden planet only one clone senator knows how to reach? Nonetheless, it is coherent, so that gives it big points IMO. 3 out of 5 stars.
http://www.swsyndicate.com/php-bin/gallery/displayimage.php?album=43&pos=0

the cover of darksiders syndicate