The franchise needs no introduction now, but a long time ago in this very galaxy, even Star Wars had to entice an audience into the theatre. A new book called Star Wars Art: Posters collects some of the most iconic — and stylistically diverse — broadsides from A New Hope through Revenge of the Sith, plus a bit of Clone Wars and limited edition extra action.
There’s a lot of history in these pages, starting with a fitting intro by Drew Struzan. If you’re not familiar with his name, you definitely — absolutely, positively — know his work. His painterly depictions of characters from the Star Wars universe are just as memorable as the movies themselves. Tangential side note: I highly recommend the documentary Drew: The Man Behind the Poster. This guy is beyond talented, and he also appears to be one of the most gentle, kind people on the planet. You’ll be amazed at just how much his vision has influenced the way we see — and remember — modern cinema.
Conceptual designer Ralph McQuarrie and illustrator Tom Jung’s work are represented as well, along with a lot of work from less familiar hands. Here’s a selection, and you can nab a copy of the book here. It all makes me wonder what kind of official teasers we’ll start seeing for Episode VII… [Wired]
Black-and-white concept treatment for The Empire Strikes Back style “A” (“Gone With The Wind“) theatrical one-sheet by Roger Kastel, c. 1979
Final painted artwork for Star Wars style “D” (“Circus”) theatrical one-sheet by Charles White III/Drew Struzan, 1978
Black-and-white concept treatment for The Empire Strikes Back poster by Tom Jung, c. 1979
Final mixed-media/digital artwork for The Phantom Menace theatrical advance poster by Ellen Lee, 1998
Final photomosaic for The Phantom Menace poster by Robert Silvers, 1999
Final printed artwork for The Phantom Menace poster; Promotional reproduction of original manga art for Tentomushi Comics by Kia Asamiya, 1999
Black-and-white concept treatment for Revenge of the Sith poster by Drew Struzan, 2005
Final digital artwork for Knights of the Old Republic video game promotional poster by Mike Sass, 2003
Final digital artwork for Star Wars: The Clone Wars promotional poster by Lucasfilm Animation, 2010
Star Wars Limited-Edition Mondo Screen Print by Olly Moss, 2010
Black-and-white concept treatment for Star Wars style “A” theatrical one-sheet by Tom Jung, 1977
Final painted artwork for Star Wars “Poster 1” by Howard Chaykin, 1976. (A copy is up for auction on October 17 if any superfans got some cashola burning a hole in their pocket.)