This year, Lucasfilm is celebrating the 25th anniversary of one of the most successful films in movie history, Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace. Aside from returning the entire Skywalker Saga to the theaters in May, the franchise will also release a very special comic, The Phantom Menace 25th Anniversary Special #1, under Marvel Comics. To celebrate its upcoming release, Star Wars gives a first look at the young Anakin Skywalker as he aspires to be a Jedi, along with the other film’s characters, like Emperor Palpatine, Qui-Gon Jinn, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Padmé Amidala, and more.
The Phantom Menace 25th Anniversary Special #1 cover features a young Anakin in the middle as he’s about to start his journey to become a Jedi. It also features his mom, Shmi Skywalker, with a sad look on her face as he sees her son leaving, and other characters, like Obi-Wan, Qui-Gon, Jar Jar Binks, and Amidala, who play major roles in his life as he fulfills his role as the Chosen One of the Jedi Order. Of course, his story won’t be complete without Palpatine, who looms above them alongside a Tusken.
The preview pages also show a grown-up Anakin fighting off the enemies with his yellow lightsaber. A young Anakin also talks to his mom as he prepares to leave with Qui-Gon. He’s then revealed talking to Jar Jar in Coruscant, followed by an emotional discussion with a teary Obi-Wan, probably telling him about Qui-Gon’s demise after a lightsaber duel with the Sith Lord Darth Maul.
You can see the preview below:
Credit:
Lucasfilm / Marvel Comics
Credit:
Lucasfilm / Marvel Comics
Credit:
Lucasfilm / Marvel Comics
Credit:
Lucasfilm / Marvel Comics
Credit:
Lucasfilm / Marvel Comics
What is The Phantom Menace 25th Anniversary Special #1 about?
Written by Greg Pak, with illustrations by Will Sliney and cover by Phil Noto, Anakin’s dream to be a Jedi will come to life in The Phantom Menace 25th Anniversary Special #1. The one-shot comics gives a new look at Anakin, set in the years between The Phantom Menace and Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones, and focuses on his point of view.
You can read the synopsis below:
Explore the earliest days of ANAKIN SKYWALKER with never-before-seen, revelatory moments set before, after, and between the scenes of the classic movie! Featuring the dream of a JEDI, the gift of a TUSKEN, the heart of a GUNGAN, the ache of a mother and the horror of a hero!
Talking about this new comic, Pak told Star Wars he was only eight when Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope was released. So, during his formative years, he believed the franchise was synonymous with the original trilogy. Despite that, he dug deeper into the prequels when he became the writer of Marvel’s Darth Vader comics by watching and rewatching the movie series.
And I found myself dazzled by the long game George Lucas was playing in laying out the tragedy of Darth Vader. It's been an absolute thrill to contribute to that legacy by revisiting The Phantom Menace with new scenes from the point of view of young Anakin.
The Phantom Menace 25th Anniversary Special #1 is set to be released on May 1, 2024. It’s now available for pre-order on Amazon and local comic shops. Fans who want to relive Anakin’s journey as he makes his way to become the Hero with no Fear and later the Dark Lord of the Sith can read this new one-shot.
