InStar Wars’ sprawling galaxy,Luke Skywalkerhas his work cut out for him as he does his best to destroy the Empire, talk some sense into his father, and try to rekindle the flames of the Jedi Order, with all of his problems stemming from the saga’s very first entry,Star Wars: A New Hope. In a piece of incredible art by the influential Alex Ross,Luke gets a tribute comic cover that harkens back to the original film’s iconic movie poster.
Now in his third decade of illustrating some of the most gorgeous artwork to have ever graced a comic,Alex Ross cut his teeth working for both Marvel and DC Comics in the ‘90s— 1994’sMarvelsand 1996’sKingdom ComebeingAlex’s breakthrough projectsfor each — and has continued his success in the industry as a big-time creator ever since.
Illustrating a variant cover for the first issue of Marvel’s 2015 relaunch ofStar Wars, Alex Ross (@thealexrossart) recently reposted the image on X (formerly Twitter), giving fans who have never seen it a treat of galactic proportions.
Star Wars' Luke Skywalker Is Front and Center in Jaw-Dropping Alex Ross Cover Art
Cover Art Design by Alex Ross (@thealexrossart)
Drawing Luke Skywalker centered while holding a lightsaber and looking ready to swing it,Alex Ross hones in on Luke’s determinationwhile nailing the mannerisms of the snarky Han Solo, the ready-for-anything Princess Leia, and the wise mentor figure known as Obi-Wan Kenobi. Bringing his signature hyper-realistic painterly art style to the Star Wars universe in a way that calls back to the original film’s similar poster design, Alex knows what makes an image like this pop, with his warm colors contrasting Luke and Obi-Wan’s blue sabers, theTIE Fighters’ green lasers, and the fiery aura of the Death Star.
Star Wars Marked Luke Skywalker’s Evolution into a Jedi Master With Help From His… Lightsaber?
Now that Star Wars canon has moved beyond the original trilogy, fans finally get to see Luke becoming a fully fledged Jedi Master.
Taking some visual cues from the second ofA New Hope’s two iconic posters (originally illustrated by Tom Chantrell),Alex Ross pays homage toStar Wars’ best heroesby swapping Luke’s blaster for a lightsaber, repositioning a few key characters like Obi-Wan Kenobi, Princess Leia, and Han Solo, and removing Chewbacca, Grand Moff Tarkin, C-3PO, and R2-D2 from the image entirely. Next, Alex further emphasizes Darth Vader and the Death Star’s dark presence by placing them behind Luke as looming centerpieces and completes this incredible art with a similar dogfight set around its edges just likeA New Hope’s poster.
Alex Ross’ Star Wars Art Is Comparable to the Original Film’s Iconic Movie Poster
Alex Ross is always sharing his artwork on social media as well as on comic store shelves, with his latest set of covers coming in the form of 2024’snear-future-setAvengers: Twilight, proving that no matter what fictional universe this creative talent decides to play in,Alex never fails to create something truly awe-inspiring that’s essentially fine art for nerds. Marvel is currently in betweenStar Warsvolumes as they set up a new era in comics that will explore the events immediately followingReturn of the Jedi, with the galaxy, as always, looking toLuke Skywalkerfor help.
Source:@thealexrossart
Luke Skywalker
The son of Anakin Skywalker and Padmé Amidala, Luke was brought up on the desert planet Tatooine. Initially mentored by Obi-Wan Kenobi, Luke fired the fateful shot that destroyed the Death Star, and he became a rebel hero. Despite the fears of Obi-Wan and Yoda, Luke’s faith in his father was proved well-founded when Vader returned to the light. With the Emperor defeated, Luke dedicated himself to bringing back the Jedi; his first attempt ended in tragedy due to Palpatine’s manipulations, but Luke’s legacy lives on in Rey.
Star Wars
Star Wars is a multimedia franchise that started in 1977 by creator George Lucas. After the release of Star Wars: Episode IV- A New Hope (originally just titled Star Wars), the franchise quickly exploded, spawning multiple sequels, prequels, TV shows, video games, comics, and much more. After Disney acquired the rights to the franchise, they quickly expanded the universe on Disney+, starting with The Mandalorian.
