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A 1977 Marvel Star Wars #1 comic book signed by most of the film's core cast of Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker), Carrie Fisher (Princess Leia), Harrison Ford (Han Solo), Peter Mayhew (Chewbacca), Anthony Daniels (C-3PO), and Kenny Baker (R2-D2) will be auctioned off on Thursday, April 29.
The comic, graded 9.6 by CGC Signature Series, has an opening bid of $15,000 and will be auctioned by Los Angeles, CA.'s Nate D. Sanders Auctions.
Marvel's original Star Wars #1 hit newsstand spinner racks in April of '77 - almost a full month ahead of the film's release in May of that same year.
Considered a long-shot at the time it came out due to the relative obscurity of Star Wars prior to its game-changing release, Marvel acquired the license after several publishers passed on adapting the film to comic books when Marvel's then editor-in-chief Roy Thomas took a gamble on the property. Thomas adapted the story himself alongside artist Howard Chaykin, who was also still in the process of making a name for himself in the comic book industry.
Of course, Star Wars went on to become an iconic, mega-hit franchise woven into the fabric of pop-culture. Marvel published Star Wars comics including adaptations of The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, along with original stories until 1986 – three years after Return of the Jedi – for a total of 107 issues and three annuals in its original run.
Dark Horse Comics acquired the license in '86 and published stories for nearly three decades, including many that are still reverberating in the Star Wars universe today. Marvel re-acquired the Star Wars license in 2014 after Marvel parent company Disney acquired Lucasfilm in 2012.
More information on the signed Star Wars #1 auction can be found here.
Marvel's Star War comic book line continues to publish a variety of new stories. Check out all the new Star Wars comic books coming up.
You can also check Newsarama's list of the best Star Wars comic books of all time from Marvel and Dark Horse.
