Star Wars: Republic (Dark Horse Comics)

Speaking of which, most Star Wars fans know that there is a huge “expanded universe” well beyond the Star Wars films, ranging in time from 4000 years prior to Episode I to many years after Return Of The Jedi. On a few occasions, the gaps between films have been filled in, most notably by novels. However, I think the current Dark Horse comic book series Star Wars: Republic is one of the best tie-ins I’ve read. It covers the months and years between the end of Episode II to the period leading up to Episode III, i.e. The Clone Wars. The Cartoon Network aired a mini-series of five-minute animated shows also covering The Clone Wars, but I like the artwork and darker tone of the comic series. You get to see Anakin continue to struggle with the Dark Side, and the stories seem to set up a believable transition to his ultimate fall in Episode III. It’s even a little topical, with terrorism, chemical weapons, political power grabs and civil war. You can catch new issues on the last Tuesday of each month (No. 70 was released last week) or pick up the trade paperbacks which compile many of the issues from the series (Volume 5 is due this month).