While the Star Wars fandom reels from the ride that was The Book of Boba Fett, lovers of the galaxy far, far away, begin to look ahead at what is next for the Mando-verse. What kicked off with The Mandalorian back in 2019 has evolved into a full-blown universe within the Lucasian lore. The adventures of Din Djarin and Grogu (aka Baby Yoda) have revitalized the Star Wars name, and it feels like this is only the beginning.
Leading into Season 1 of The Mandalorian, Star Wars was suffering from a bit of an identity crisis. Midway through that first season came the completion of the Skywalker Saga with The Rise of Skywalker. And with the launch of Episode IX came the question of "what's next?"
Well, Mando proved that the streaming world was what was next for the franchise, with two seasons now in the rearview, The Book of Boba Fett adding on to this new canon, and The Mandalorian Season 3 now in production.
But that initial debut of Mando and his tiny green pal will remain unforgettable and looks to be becoming immortalized in a whole new medium.
The Mandalorian Comes to Comics
Star Wars announced plans of Marvel adapting Season 1 of The Mandalorian for the comic page.
Kicking off this June, the eight-issue run will go through events of that initial Mando season, with each issue covering an individual episode.
The project will be written by Rodney Barnes with art by Georges Jeanty and will feature multiple variant covers for each issue.
Barnes called this "a dream gig," expressing his love for "Westerns, fantasy, science fiction, comedy, [and] drama:"
“I love Westerns, fantasy, science fiction, comedy, drama…it’s a dream gig for any writer. I’m just glad I was chosen for this assignment!”
As for what Jeanty brings to the table is a "detail-oriented" look, telling Star Wars, he "looks forward to adding visually to the already rich tapestry that makes up this universe:”
“Star Wars, especially where bounty hunters are concerned, is a messy landscape. I love drawing all the little details. My look has always be detail oriented, and with The Mandalorian there is so much going on with the character and in the background, and I look forward to adding visually to the already rich tapestry that makes up this universe!”
Adapting a Galaxy Far, Far Away
To some, this may seem like a small bit of cross-branding from one branch of the Disney tree to another, though it could actually be an indication of what is to come. Fans have seen graphic novels and comic takes of various Star Wars adventures, but never has it been a straight adaption of this magnitude.
So one has to wonder, could this be just the start of a larger initiative from Marvel, Star Wars, and Disney? The Mandalorian has been one of the biggest names in modern Star Wars, so could the Walt Disney company be starting with this Mando story and then maybe taking on more from across the franchise?
Perhaps down the line fans could see straight multi-issue adaptions of the Star Wars films. Or how about a graphic novel (akin to something like Spider-Man Blue or Batman: Year One) on stand-alone films like Rogue One or Solo?
Some may moan and groan at the idea of retreading stories like this in a new medium, but it could serve as both an entry point for younger fans who love comics and have yet to discover the Star Wars films and TV shows. And it could also be a nice collection piece for longtime lovers of the galaxy far, far away.
Issue 1 of Marvel's The Mandalorian hits store shelves in June 2022.
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