I can’t believe it’s been 30 years…!

I saw the first Star Wars seven times in the theaters and it remains a definitive milepost of my childhood. I loved the movie; had several of the original stiff-legged action figures; read the comics; recreated the light saber battles with my friends; and tried like hell to choke my enemies from a distance with the powers of the Force I was sure I could tap into if I concentrated hard enough. The Empire Strikes Back is my favorite installment and Boba Fett is my favorite character, and now, 30 years later, Knights of the Old Republic is one of my favorite Xbox games and I’m enjoying the hell out of Star Wars: Legacy. (Check out this interview with Legacy creators John Ostrander and Jan Duursema.)

What’s most interesting about the world of Star Wars is that it offers a lesson to Marvel and DC about how to properly manage an expansive universe while moving it forward, giving every storyline a genuine sense of consequence, while letting characters evolve, procreate and die, without the need for a reboot every 5-10 years. It’s a much bigger sandbox than the MU and DCU combined, multiple earths included, and far more compelling stories can be (and have been) told within because of it.

While Legacy is the first spinoff I’ve ever read, I’m suddenly feeling nostalgic and am thinking about picking up a couple of TPBs and novels when I swing by Midtown in a few minutes.

May the Force be with you, indeed!