The circle is now complete.
With this release, Marvel completes their trifecta of hardcovers collecting the classic Star Wars Trilogy comic adaptations. By now readers should know what to expect. The original material is dressed up in a larger size, given a shiny new coat of paint and a spiffy new cover courtesy of Adi Granov. It’s a solid package, but perhaps a little too pricey for what it offers.
The Return of the Jedi graphic novel boasts the same creative team as the recent The Empire Strikes Back graphic novel – writer Archie Goodwin, artists Al Williamson and Carlos Garzon and completely redone, modernized coloring colors from Sotocolor. Interestingly, Return of the Jedi was the only one of Marvel’s three adaptations not to take place within their ongoing Star Wars comic. Instead, it was published as a separate, four-issue mini-series several months after the movie hit theaters.
These days, the Marvel Star Wars adaptations are more interesting in terms of curiosity value than storytelling prowess. They’re certainly not superior to the source material in any way. They are, at least, very competent adaptations that adapt the structure of the movies to a serialized format. Return of the Jedi lends itself well to the four-issue treatment here, with each issue reaching a natural cliffhanger point. But at one issue less than Empire and two less than the original Star Wars adaptation, this comic does feel a bit compressed at times. Several key moments from the film are either shortened or removed altogether. For example, Luke is shown quickly departing Yoda’s hut to let the aging Jedi Master sleep rather than watching him die. Meanwhile, Leia’s bond with the plucky Ewok warrior Wicket is completely excised from the story (ironic, considering that Wicket is on the cover and actor Warwick Davis penned the foreword for this hardcover).
The appeal in reading these older Star Wars comics is more about seeing the various embellishments and changes the creators made in adapting the screenplays to the comic book medium. In that sense, Return of the Jedi is a little disappointing. The previous adaptations were based on early drafts of the screenplays for Star Wars and The Empire Strikes Back. As such, the creators had to make their own storytelling choices that sometimes took interesting detours from the course of the films. They also included scenes and dialogue that were cut from the final versions of the films. By comparison, this adaptation is more straightforward. Apart from those scenes that are compressed or removed, this book offers a pretty straightforward account of the events of Return of the Jedi. The one significant deviation involves the way in which Vader meets his end.
Presumably, the fact that the mini-series didn’t begin shipping until October 1983 means that Goodwin, Williamson and Garzon had more exposure to the film before starting work on the comic. Again, this is a very competent adaptation of the source material (especially compared to the rushed, unsatisfying film-to-comic adaptations we generally see today), but it doesn’t do much to stand out from that source material, much less improve upon it.
Williamson and Garzon’s art certainly stands the test of time, however. With a heavy emphasis on shadow and lighting, they’re very adept at channeling the slightly gritty, lived-in vibe of the Star Wars universe. They also have a talent for giving the iconic characters a distinctive and consistent look that recalls the actors without relying on photo-referencing. The storytelling is sweeping and cinematic, with my only complaint being that they devote very little attention to the epic space battle unfolding in and around the Death Star.
As with the previous two graphic novels, the revamped coloring can be both a help and a hindrance to the story. Modernized colors can help older comics feel more modern and presentable, but they can also create a garish feel that obscures some of the finer details of the original art. Sotocolor’s work generally enhances the art, particularly when it comes to brightly lit elements like explosions, lightsabers, blaster bolts, etc. Certain pages wouldn’t look out of place in a contemporary Star Wars comic. It’s mainly the skin tones where the coloring stands out in a negative way. There’s too much contrast between the light and dark areas of the facial work, as if Han, Luke and Leia are radiating some sort of ethereal glow.
In terms of bonus features, this hardcover includes a gallery showcasing some of the original covers and various pages of Williamson and Garzon’s uncolored art. The book also reprints the original pinup galleries that were included in each issue of the mini-series. Unfortunately, that’s about the sum total of what this collection has to offer. The oversized hardcover format is nice, but between the flimsy paper quality and the overall short length, this book doesn’t necessarily justify its cover price.
If you’ve been collecting Marvel’s classic Star Wars trilogy adaptations, you’ll no doubt want to add Return of the Jedi to your shelf. Just don’t expect this book to diverge from the source material as often as the previous volumes. This hardcover offers a straightforward adaptation that uses the four-chapter structure well but doesn’t offer anything new or interesting to a familiar story. Between the shorter length and relative lack of bonus content, this hardcover costs a little much for what it offers.
