Review by C.J. Bunce
Magazines were the only way Star Wars fans clung to their fandom between movies during the original trilogy and in the decades leading to the prequels. Going back to fan newsletter Bantha Tracks, they were a way to see photographs and read about the people who made the movies. Star Wars fans probably know more about the dedicated Lucasfilm staff solely because of these publications, but the one that led the way was Star Wars Insider, which is seeing its final issue after 38 years next month for Star Wars Day. Filled with retrospectives by the people who created the magazine and supported the Lucasfilm fan club over the years, it features the final interview with Kathleen Kennedy as president of Lucasfilm, but really it’s a tribute to Dan Madsen, who set the wheels in motion as the first fan club president for the fandom nearly 50 years ago after beginning the fan club for that other big fandom, Star Trek. Add Issue #237 to your pull list at Elite Comics, your local comic shop, or watch here at Amazon for availability soon. It will be published with multiple cover options.
Back in the 1970s if you wanted to see more of your favorite movies, you went to the grocery story with a couple of quarters and bought Topps trading cards. The thrill of seeing photographs from every corner of the latest Star Wars movie filled fans with excitement. Titan Magazines’ Star Wars Insider was a continuation of a magazine that began as a Lucasfilm fan magazine, simply because no Star Wars project was in the works for a lengthy period–although Dan Madsen saw that each issue gave some attention to Lucas and his most famous movies. Since then it’s tracked the latest Disney+ TV series, previewed all kinds of toys and other products, and spotlighted individual fans for their costumes or unusual fan activities.
The final issue is 100 pages with that same level concept artwork, poster art, and photographs from the movies and TV series, this time with a key focus on the impact of the magazine. But it also includes the key features that kept a niche audience subscribing. Back in the 1970s and 1980s we would have pulled a year’s supply of art from this book and affixed it inside our lockers with tape–especially behind the scenes images of the filming of the very first scene in the first movie, where Luke and Owen bought the droids from the Jawas. The images are a fantastic reminder of why Star Wars will always be around, and fun to read about.
Contributions in the book come from editors and writers for the magazine over its entire run, plus quotes from artists and even Mark Hamill. In the interview with Kathleen Kennedy she gives credit to the fans for the success of the franchise. Christopher Cooper provides his last fiction story for the magazine. Readers will find several new products in support of the new The Mandalorian and Grogu movie, with some discussion of the next movie after that, Star Wars: Starfighter starring Ryan Gosling, and the second season of Ahsoka, now in post-production. Look for an interview with Rogue One: A Star Wars Story’s John Gilroy, catch one more segment on special effects, and recount Shadows of the Empire 30 years later.
It’s difficult to put out a print publication when the Internet supplies entertainment news instantly. Now what else will you flip through at Barnes & Noble while you’re waiting for your coffee?
Add Star Wars Insider–the final issue–Issue #237 to your pull list at Elite Comics, your local comic shop, or watch here at Amazon for availability soon. It will be published with four cover options shown above, including a shiny Han in carbonite cover.
MTFBWY!
