STAR WARS fortan bei Marvel- Dark Horse Comics verliert Lizenz

Kaum ist das neue Jahr gestartet, werden bei Disney bereits Synergien umgesetzt. Dem MouseHouse gehört auf der einen Seite Marvel Entertainment, auf der anderen Seite hat es sich LucasFilm einverleibt. So erscheint der gerade bekannt gegebene Schluss, die Star Wars-Comics fortan nicht mehr wie in den letzten über 20 Jahren beim bisherigen Lizenznehmer Dark Horse Comics, sondern hausintern bei Marvel zu publizieren, recht konsequent. Zumal Marvel im März 1977 bereits das erste, über eine Million mal verkaufte Comic STAR WARS #1 publizierte und neun Jahre lang die Serie vertrieb. Für Marvel ist es laut offiziellem Statement ein Coming Home, für den durch Filmcomics crossmedial orientierten Verlag Dark Horse Comics natürlich ein herber Verlust. Hintergrund zum Wechsel im Jahr 2015 ist natürlich die Fortführung der Krieg der Sterne- Saga im Kino, Star Wars Episode VII startet am 17.12.2015 in den deutschen Kinos, natürlich auch in 3D.

Hier das Statement von Mike Richardson, Gründer von Dark Horse Comics:

All things come to pass. So too, do all licensed deals. I am sad to report that Disney, the new owner of Lucasfilm, has notified us here at Dark Horse of their intention to move the Star Wars publishing license to another of their recent acquisitions, Marvel Comics, beginning in 2015. This will end a partnership that has lasted more than two decades.

For those who are new to the industry, Dark Horse revolutionized the treatment of comics based on films. After a history of movie properties being poorly handled with little regard for execution and continuity, Dark Horse took a new approach, carefully choosing licenses and approaching them with excitement and creative energy. Our goal was to create sequels and prequels to the films we loved, paying careful attention to quality and detail, essentially treating those films as though they were our own. Star Wars has been the crown jewel of this approach. We began chasing the title as far back as 1989, and with the launch of Tom Veitch and Cam Kennedy’s Dark Empire, a new era in comics was born. I’m not ashamed to admit that we were Star Wars geeks, and we have been determined to spare neither effort nor expense in the pursuit of excellence.

It is ironic that this announcement comes at a time when Dark Horse is experiencing its most successful year ever. For obvious reasons, we have prepared for this eventuality by finding new and exciting projects to place on our schedule for 2015 and beyond. Will they take the place of Star Wars? That’s a tall order, but we will do our best to make that happen. In the meantime, 2014 may be our last year at the helm of the Star Wars comics franchise, but we plan to make it a memorable one. We know that fans of the franchise will expect no less. The Force is with us still.

Hier die offizielle Pressemitteilung von Marvel zum Star Wars-Deal:

The Walt Disney Company’s Lucasfilm Ltd. and Marvel Entertainment are joining forces to bring new Star Wars adventures to readers across the galaxy, with Marvel granted exclusive rights to create and publish Star Wars comics and graphic novels beginning in 2015.

The agreement marks a homecoming for the Star Wars comic books. Marvel Comics published the first Star Wars comic book, STAR WARS #1, in March 1977, which went on to sell more than 1 million copies. Marvel Comics published its STAR WARS series for nine years. In 1991, Dark Horse Comics took over the license, publishing fan-favorite titles like Dark Empire and Star Wars: Legacy. Last year, Dark Horse released The Star Wars #1, an adaptation of George Lucas’ original rough-draft screenplay for the film, garnering rave reviews and national media attention and ranking among the top-selling Star Wars comics of all time.

“Dark Horse Comics published exceptional Star Wars comics for over 20 years, and we will always be grateful for their enormous contributions to the mythos, and the terrific partnership that we had,” said Carol Roeder, director of Lucasfilm franchise publishing, Disney Publishing Worldwide. “In 2015, the cosmic adventures of Luke, Han, Leia and Chewbacca will make the lightspeed jump back to Marvel, to begin a new age of adventures within the Star Wars universe.

“We here at Marvel could not be more excited to continue the publication of Star Wars comic books and graphic novels,” said Marvel Worldwide Publisher and President, Dan Buckley. “The perennial brand of Star Wars is one of the most iconic in entertainment history and we are honored to have the opportunity to bring our creative talent pool to continue, and expand Star Wars into galaxies far, far away.”

“We’re incredibly excited by this next chapter in the Star Wars saga,” said Andrew B. Sugerman, executive vice president of Disney Publishing Worldwide. “Bringing together the iconic Lucasfilm and Marvel brands to tell new stories will allow us to continue to thrill lovers of the original Star Wars comic books and entertain generations to come.”

Welche Möglichkeiten sich über die Fortführung der Saga, erweitertem Storytelling und Spin-Offs hinaus ergeben, wird man abwarten müssen. Sicherlich scherzen viele über ein MashUp zwischen Guardians of the Galaxy, dass Marvel/Disney am 28.08.2014 in die Kinos bringt, doch spielt sich Star Wars ja bekanntlich vor langer Zeit in einer weit, weit entfernten Galaxie ab, während die Guardians in der ersten Formation im 31. Jahrhundert spielen, bzw. das Reboot und wohl auch die Filmadaption in der nahen Zukunft, den Gerüchten nach im Jahr 2045. Da müsste also noch ein Zeitreise-Element zur Verbindung der Universen eingefügt oder eine neues alternierendes Raum/Zeit-Gefüge etabliert werden. Der nächste Schritt scheint aber erstmal eine Animationsserie der Guardians als Futter für den TV-Sender Disney XD zu sein.

In diesem Sinne: Live long and prosper!

Bilder © Dark Horse Comics, Marvel · Alle Rechte vorbehalten.