Disney has recently released the first in what promises to be a series of graphic novel adaptations of the Star Wars films. The first volume, Star Wars: The Original Trilogy is a 208-page hardcover book that tells the story of A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi.

This graphic novel is produced by Disney Publishing under its Lucasfilm Press imprint. It is interesting that Disney went with this approach instead of having Marvel do a new adaptation, but given the results it is very hard to argue with.

This graphic novel adheres very closely to the story and dialogue of the films with some minor alterations and omissions. You won’t see Ponda Baba lose his arm or Oola lose her life, but what you will see is pretty amazing.

What appears on the page are comic panels that look more like classic 2D animation film cels than the typical comic book. The colors are vibrant, the captions are fun, and the overall presentation is pleasing to the eye. I am a big fan of Disney’s classic 2D animation and feel that something is lost in the dramatic shift towards 3D animation for feature-length animation.

If the style of art was translated into animated Star Wars it would be my personal favorite of all animated Star Wars productions. (If you know anyone at Lucasfilm or Disney you may want to politely ask them to bring this to the big screen.)

Disney promises more volumes in this series and I can hardly wait. With an MSRP of $19.99 and availability from various retailers such as Amazon for around $12, this is a must-buy for any Star Wars or Disney animation fan.

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