Or the last great Star Wars movie???

Return of the Jedi was released in May of '83. It wasn't for another year that I picked up New Mutants issue 15, which started my collection of comic books, but the Return of the Jedi limited series made its way into my home before then. I don't know where I purchased it or if it was a gift. I fathom I got them one summer at camp. This limited series and the picture book (remember school book sales?) gave me the option to relive the movie. It was so good that I already knew when the next one came out in '86, it would be great.

I purchased a few of the Star Wars comic books here and there. Reading the exploits of my favorite childhood heroes kept me going, but as much as I enjoyed seeing Luke, Han, and Leia, my focus slowly changed to Illyana, Sam, and Dani. Month after month passed and I wanted more. I collected the Uncanny X-Men, Invincible Iron Man, and the Avengers while periodically checking in with the Fantastic Four. At issue 200 I stopped collecting Iron Man every month as well as the other two. It was the mutant titles I coveted and stuck with, like the New Mutants series, even when during times I thought it was . I mean seriously...Birdboy???

In '86 the next Star Wars movie never came out. I thought maybe in '87 and then in '88 I would finally see what happened to my first idols. It wasn't until '91 when Timothy Zahn wrote an Heir to an Empire that Star Wars jumped to the forefront of my collecting desires. This novel helped catapult Star Wars back into my life. Dark Horse solidified that with Dark Empire. Recently Star Wars has seen a revival stronger than when the Phantom Menace fizzled in '99.

The New Mutants was then cancelled, patching the way for X-Force, revitalized and cancelled again 13 issues later. A third time was not the charm as 50 issues later they were left in the wind. Today the character I fell in love with l, along with her beloved brother Peter, has had her sorceress ways placed among the X-Men and so many years later I get to see what happens to my original heroes after they get older and pass the torch to a younger generation. May the force be with you.

Thanks for reading

Tnerb

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