Disney Returns STAR WARS License to Marvel!

After more than two decades at Dark Horse Comics, Disney (which recently acquired the Star Wars licenses via their purchase of Lucasfilm LTD) has chosen to move the Star Wars comic book license to Marvel Comics (another recent Disney acquisition).    Marvel previously held the license from 1977 t0 1991.  This deal will be effective as of 2015.

More on this monumental decision after the jump.

Here’s how Dark Horse reported this news on their Blog:

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.

This will certainly have a major impact on Dark Horse moving forward.  Their Star Wars titles were a major part of their business.  And it’s a void that will be difficult for them to fill.

But what will this mean for Marvel?  Well, it should bring a new group of readers to the company.  These people may sample other Marvel products.  It will also give a chance to unleash Marvel’s large talent pool on Star Wars material.  Especially those creators with exclusive deals with Marvel.

What do you think of this news?  And what creative teams would you like to see taking over Star Wars titles?  Leave your responses in the comments section  below.