In 1977, Marvel Comics published the very first 'Star Wars' comic book. Now, nearly 40 years later, George Lucas' beloved universe is coming home. In an act of unsurprising corporate synergy, Lucasfilm has announced that, beginning in 2015, Marvel will exclusively publish new 'Star Wars' comic books for the fans hoping to experience the saga outside of the main films.

Lucasfilm and Marvel revealed the news via press release, and it should surprise no one who keeps at least one eye on the entertainment industry. After all, Disney acquired both Marvel and Lucasfilm in the past few years, giving them a monopoly on everyone's childhood (and paving the way for the inevitable 'Star Wars vs. The Avengers' movie in 2021). In short, it would be silly for the major corporation at the heart of all of this to not merge their interests.

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."

Everyone wins! Well, everyone wins except for Dark Horse Comics, the smaller label that's been publishing 'Star Wars' comics since 1991 and currently has a number of ongoing series and miniseries on the shelves. What does this mean for comics like Brian Wood's well-liked 'Star Wars,' which takes place between Episodes IV and V? We'll guess it'll end its run soon, but maybe Marvel would consider cutting the right people a check and bringing it over intact. In any case, the Marvel exclusivity doesn't begin until 2015, so everyone has 52 weeks to get their ducks in a row.

Disney's official statement on the matter was exactly what you'd expect it to be:

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.

In any case, expect a whole bunch of new 'Star Wars'-related content to hit comic shop shelves just in time for 'Star Wars: Episode 7' in 2015.

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