• TikTok
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • YouTube
  • Star Wars Kids
Star Wars Logo

Search

My Account Logout
  • More More
    • NEWS + FEATURES
      • THE LATEST
      • ANDOR
      • CELEBRATION
      • QUIZZES + POLLS
      • BOOKS + COMICS
    • VIDEO
      • ALL VIDEO
      • THIS WEEK! IN STAR WARS
    • FILMS
    • SERIES
      • All Series
      • Andor
      • Skeleton Crew
      • Ahsoka
      • The Mandalorian
    • GAMES + INTERACTIVE
      • View All
      • Star Wars Outlaws
      • Games + Apps
      • VR + Immersive
    • DATABANK
      • ALL DATABANK
      • ERAS
    • DISNEY+
      • STREAM NOW
      • EXPLORE
      • THE DISNEY BUNDLE
Local Nav | Drop-Down Phase III - 20231020
Local Nav | Drop-Down Phase III - 20231020
My Account Logout
  • other
  • instagram
  • twitter
  • facebook
  • youtube
  • other
STAR WARS | DISNEY+ STAR WARS ON DISNEY+

All

  • Andor
  • Star Wars Celebration
  • Skeleton Crew
  • The Mandalorian
  • Ahsoka
  • The Acolyte
  • Obi-Wan Kenobi
  • The Book of Boba Fett
  • The Bad Batch
  • The Clone Wars
  • Visions
  • Behind the Scenes
  • Books + Comics
  • Characters + Histories
  • Collecting
  • Creativity
  • Disney Parks
  • Disney+
  • Events
  • Fans + Community
  • Films
  • Games + Apps
  • ILM
  • Interviews
  • LEGO Star Wars
  • Lucasfilm
  • Merchandise
  • Opinions
  • Quizzes + Polls
  • Recipes
  • Rogue One
  • Solo
  • Star Wars Day
  • Star Wars Rebels
  • Series
  • The High Republic
Books + Comics
Star Wars in the UK: Star Wars School Supply Offers and More from 1978's Star Wars Weekly #11!

Star Wars in the UK: Star Wars School Supply Offers and More from 1978's Star Wars Weekly #11!

Revisit Marvel's classic UK comic, which continued its adaptation of Star Wars, featured fun offers, character guides, and more.

Mark Newbold
Mark Newbold
September 27, 2016

Revisit Marvel's classic UK comic, which continued its adaptation of Star Wars, featured fun offers, character guides, and more.

19th April 1978. Sounds like a lifetime ago…heck, it IS a lifetime ago, but even as far back as 38 years, the spirit of Star Wars was Wookiee strong. The world was learning new things about the film, even though few besides George Lucas believed it would truly go on to become a saga. Every day, kids hungry for information sought fuel for their imaginations and would voraciously buy anything with the Star Wars logo on it. A record 63,500,000 shares may have been traded on the New York stock exchange on 17th April, but right then, Star Wars was the best license to print money on the planet.

While we were dreaming of sandy worlds, metal moons, winsome warriors, and feisty princesses, what was the soundtrack of the day? Here in the UK, "Matchstalk Men and Matchstalk Cats and Dogs" still sat on top of the pile for a third week while "Night Fever" by the Bee Gees leapt up 14 places to number two. "Wishing on a Star" by Rose Royce completed the top three, while in the album charts, 20 Golden Greats by Buddy Holly and the Crickets was number one for a third week with ABBA The Album at 2 and The Kick Inside by Kate Bush at 3. Over the next three days, George A. Romero’s Dawn of the Dead and I Wanna Hold Your Hand by Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale would be released in US cinemas. Fitting, especially as we are about to go back to the future and check out issue 11 of UK Star Wars Weekly.

Star Wars Weekly #11

The UK Marvel releases of the day certainly adopted the hyperbolic showmanship of its main man Stan Lee. ‘The Greatest Space Fantasy Film Of All!’ still topped the cover, all as Darth Vader -- with a flaming, Kylo Ren-esque lightsaber blazing -- watched as Luke and Artoo literally smashed through a window, scattering stormtroopers to the winds. A typically bombastic cover, it led eager readers to turn the page…

sw_weekly_issue_011_pic_1
A change from the norm, the Who’s Who In Star Wars page had been tweaked. Now showing just four character panels, it paired off eight characters. Artoo-Deetoo and See-Threepio were described as "servants and comrades. These two prove that even machines can be humourous, fallible, intelligent – and save a galaxy too." Han Solo and Chewbacca are "a free-wheeling team of mercenaries" who "traverse the stars aboard the Millennium Falcon in search of high-risk, high pay work." Darth Vader and Obi-Wan Kenobi are "Ex-Jedi Knights and masters of the Force" who now "fight in opposite camps." And of Obi-Wan, the box-out asks "Is he really defeated?" And finally Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia Organa -- who are shown about to lock lips in this pre-Return of the Jedi era -- are described as "a young farmer from Tatooine and the Princess of Alderaan" who "join forces to smash the evil Galactic Empire."

sw_weekly_issue_011_pic_2
Hop across the page and it’s our summary of the story so far. We see Leia’s agony as her homeworld of Alderaan is destroyed before her eyes and watch as the Falcon is pulled into the Death Star. Luke and Leia swing across the metal canyon and Luke -- a part of Blue Squadron, prior to its change to Red Squadron -- is sitting in a very snub-nosed X-wing about to attack the Death Star. “It’s DO OR DIE!!” yells Blue Leader, and he’s not kidding. Written and edited by Roy Thomas with art by Howard Chaykin and the legendary Archie Goodwin as consulting editor, it’s a blast through the trenches of the Death Star run. We lose Blue Six (also known and referred to in the comic as Lt. Tono Porkins) and Biggs remembers his friend, calling him "Piggy." Vader enters the fray, taking out Blue Leader and we end as Luke, Wedge, and Biggs prepare for their second, historic run.

sw_weekly_issue_011_pic_3

"EMERGENCY STATIONS -- A WARNING TO ALL REBELLION SPACE CADETS!"

Yes, I was definitely a space cadet (some would say I still am), and a headline like that would scream to my 7-year-old self to do what the man said and place an order with my newsagent. Back in the day, it was often the case that your surname would be written in unforgiving ink on the top of your comic, so any hopes of having a mint condition run of the title was lost. I didn’t care, I just wanted the comic every week!

The bottom half of the page hyped the Official Collectors Edition, 80 glossy pages for 95p, but it was the next page which really did the trick. "STAR WARS COMES TO SCHOOL!" along with a drawing of C-3PO in a classic British schoolboy cap and satchel, looking more like Billy Bunter than a protocol droid.

sw_weekly_issue_011_pic_4
Within this issue's pages lay adverts and insert pages for other Marvel titles, making sure readers of the day knew that there were other stories happening within the Marvel universe. Of course, back in ’78 there was nothing else happening in the Star Wars comics galaxy, so Marvel took the opportunity to load the pages of Star Wars Weekly with back-up stories like Tales of the Galaxy, presented by Stan Lee. These stories sought to educate young readers, not only on the broader scope of the Marvel universe, but to also do something that Star Wars had itself done -- educate the readership on the creative talent behind the scenes. Via these strips, young readers got to know the names of folks like writers Doug Moench and Bill Mantlo, and artists Alex Nino (who provided many of the Pin-Ups seen in the weekly title) and Keith Giffen. It was a good bit of business. As the Star Wars age went into temporary hibernation in the mid '80s, many fans turned their collecting attention to Marvel.

Issue 11 rounded off with two final Star Wars related images. On the inside back page was an oh-so-'70s advert hyping the following week's issue, which would bring the story of the movie adaptation of Star Wars to a close. "NEXT ISSUE: THE NOT TO BE BELIEVED CONCLUSION OF THE MOVIE OF THE CENTURY WILL BE UNLEASHED IN: STAR WARS WEEKLY #12. ON SALE IN SEVEN DAYS!”

What self-respecting kid would risk missing that? (And just in case you did miss it, be sure to check back here next month for a nostalgic look at issue 12.)

Mark is the owner of Jedi News, has written for Star Wars Insider since 2006, DeAgostini's Build The Millennium Falcon partwork magazine and co-hosts RADIO 1138 and Take Cover on the Jedi News Network. He's an honorary member of the Rebel Legion and the 501st and when he’s not talking, tweeting or writing about Star Wars he can usually be found sleeping where he’ll most likely be dreaming about Star Wars.

Related Topics

star wars in the uk Star Wars Weekly

Related Stories

  • Star Wars in the UK: Flipping Through 1978's Star Wars Weekly #12!
    [object Object]

    Star Wars in the UK: Flipping Through 1978's Star Wars Weekly #12!

    April 24, 2017

    April 24, 2017

    Apr 24

  • Star Wars in the UK: C-3PO Letters Page, Spot-the-Difference Contests, and More in 1978's Star Wars Weekly #10!
    [object Object] [object Object]

    Star Wars in the UK: C-3PO Letters Page, Spot-the-Difference Contests, and More in 1978's Star Wars Weekly #10!

    June 28, 2016

    June 28, 2016

    Jun 28

  • Star Wars in the UK: The Amazing Vintage Ads, Comics, and Posters of Star Wars Weekly #4
    [object Object]

    Star Wars in the UK: The Amazing Vintage Ads, Comics, and Posters of Star Wars Weekly #4

    September 17, 2015

    September 17, 2015

    Sep 17

  • Star Wars in the UK: Star Wars Weekly #3
    [object Object]

    Star Wars in the UK: Star Wars Weekly #3

    July 23, 2015

    July 23, 2015

    Jul 23

  • Star Wars in the UK: Star Wars Weekly
    [object Object]

    Star Wars in the UK: Star Wars Weekly

    March 19, 2015

    March 19, 2015

    Mar 19

  • 'Star Wars Ambassadors' Hit the UK Convention Scene
    [object Object]

    'Star Wars Ambassadors' Hit the UK Convention Scene

    June 6, 2014

    June 6, 2014

    Jun 6

  • Star Wars in the UK: Farthest From 5 and Star Wars Fan Fun Day 5
    [object Object] [object Object]

    Star Wars in the UK: Farthest From 5 and Star Wars Fan Fun Day 5

    May 29, 2014

    May 29, 2014

    May 29

  • Star Wars in the UK: Lyons Maid Ice Cream
    [object Object] [object Object]

    Star Wars in the UK: Lyons Maid Ice Cream

    January 9, 2014

    January 9, 2014

    Jan 9

More From Star Wars:
  • TikTok
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Youtube
  • SWKids
  • Terms of Use
  • Additional Content Information
  • Privacy Policy
  • Children's Online Privacy Policy
  • Your US State Privacy Rights
  • Disney Store | Star Wars
  • Star Wars Helpdesk
  • Interest-Based Ads
  • Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information

TM & © Lucasfilm Ltd. All Rights Reserved