Marvel Comics and Lucasfilm Publishing have announced Star Wars/Marvel: Hope Assembles, the first Star Wars crossover series ever. The five-issue comic, by writer Kevin Smith and artist David Marquez (Civil War II), features a meta plot where a “reality-shattering spell” causes the Rebels and Imperials of the original film trilogy to appear on Earth-616, and to team up with its own heroes and villains. Issue #1 will be released in January, with the series finale arriving in comic book stores in time for the 50th anniversary of A New Hope in May 2027.
Michael Siglain, creative director at Lucasfilm Publishing, states, “On April 12, 1977, Marvel Comics introduced readers to a galaxy far, far away with Star Wars #1. Now, 50 years later, it’s only fitting that the Star Wars galaxy collides with the Marvel Universe to celebrate the 50th anniversary of A New Hope. With Hope Assembles, Kevin Smith has written a true love letter to Star Wars, to Marvel, and to comics in general.” He adds, “[It] is exciting, unpredictable, and heartfelt. In short, it’s comics at its best, and we can’t wait for readers to experience both franchises as never before.”
Smith comments, “Back in the early ’80s, I had a subscription to Marvel’s Star Wars comics. And as fun as it was to follow the continuing adventures of Luke, Leia, and Han, I always wished that Spider-Man or Doctor Doom could cross over into their cinematic saga. So when the opportunity arose to actually tell that story, nobody had to Force my hand! I’m ecstatic to be writing Hope Assembles for the 50th anniversary of Star Wars! Many thanks to Marvel Comics and Lucasfilm for trusting me to fly the Falcon and the Quinjet!”
Marvel describes the premise as resolving the issue of the Marvel Universe “being the ‘World Outside Your Window,’ [where] the Star Wars franchise firmly exists on Earth-616.” Marquez is not quoted in the press release, but outgoing Marvel editor-in-chief C.B. Cebulski reveals, “It’s an idea we’ve wanted to explore since getting the Star Wars license back over a decade ago [in 2014], but we knew we’d have to wait with the patience of a Jedi to make it happen. The 50th anniversary of A New Hope has finally given us the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to bring these two universes together.”
His successor Stephen Wacker adds, “Marvel and Star Wars’ histories have been intertwined for 50 years and continue to set the standard for storytelling across the world… and across the media landscape. Lifelong lovers of both Star Wars and Marvel have a lot to look forward to as we finally bring the characters together in ways fans have been dreaming about for decades!”
A Star Wars comic book crossover is a rarity for the franchise, despite how much former publisher Dark Horse loved teaming up properties. At one point in the mid-2000s, the company started developing a Superman crossover with DC, Kurt Busiek, and Alex Ross, but the project fell apart over alleged financial and creative disputes. The only time a crossover transpired was in 2004’s non-canon Star Wars Tales #19, where Indiana Jones discovers Han Solo’s body in the wreck of the Millennium Falcon.
As for Star Wars crossovers in general, that rubicon was already crossed by toys, games, and 2014’s Disney Channel special Phineas and Ferb: Star Wars. However, the concept has remained a popular topic, with Patton Oswalt‘s Parks and Recreation character infamously pitching a Marvel crossover during a filibuster on his appearance in 2013, and a Saturday Night Live sketch featuring Guardians of the Galaxy star Chris Pratt in “Marvel’s Star Wars” the following year.
You can check out Marquez’s covers for the series individually below. Expect more big news from Disney in the run-up to and during the D23 conference this weekend (August 14-16). For all of The Beat‘s coverage of the latest Star Wars news, click here. In the meantime, Marvel will stage another crossover to mark 50 years of a similarly beloved Disney property, The Muppets Take the Marvel Universe, on September 23, and launch a new Indiana Jones comic, The Sword of Pandemonium, this December. A darker crossover series, Alien vs. X-Men, will also begin on September 30.
