1997: THE OFFICIAL GUIDE TO STAR WARS TOYS (TOPPS)

From 1997: Topps presents THE OFFICIAL GUIDE TO STAR WARS TOYS, a one-shot spin-off from their regular STAR WARS GALAXY MAGAZINE.

Toy collecting, and (of course) Star Wars, were booming at the time... fuelled by Kenner's return to the galaxy far, far away after a prolonged absence due to market and consumer indifference.

Unlike the comic book proportioned regular SWG, this was scaled to larger magazine dimensions. Disregard the optimistic numbering, this never progressed any further.

1997: THE BEST OF STAR WARS MAGAZINE (TOPPS)

From 1997: THE BEST OF STAR WARS one-shot magazine, published in the States by Topps.

This harkens back to the halcyon days before the Prequels added a whole new layer of characters and mythology to the saga. At This point, things were so simple: three films, a few TV spin-offs (of the easy to ignore variety), the computer games and copious books and comics (which were equally of the take-it-or-leave-it variety). It was a lot easier to enjoy STAR WARS back then.

The magazine itself is nothing to write home about. Its just a collection of lists, of the sort that would bulk out the official magazine or your average issue of WIZARD, puffed out to fill a whole mag. Its not,despite the title, a compilation of material from STAR WARS GALAXY MAGAZINE or any of the other SW mags floating around at the time.

Loving the 1990s lens flare on the logo. Nice touch.

1994: STAR WARS GALAXY Issue 1 (Topps)

From the last quarter of 1994: the launch issue of TOPPS' STAR WARS GALAXY magazine.

The mid-nineties saw a profusion of officially licensed STAR WARS magazines as different publishers, in different territories, tried to grab a slice of the resurgent interest in the franchise (and, no doubt, hoped to be at the front of the line when liceses related to the impending new movies were dished out). 

The existing LUCASFILM FAN CLUB (companion company to the Official Trek outfit) had been publishing a flimsy wraparound for their mail order business since 1986 (which, in turn, had replaced the equally flimsy but less glossy Bantha Tracks published by the Star Wars Fan Club).  They started to offer better value for money, and chase shop sales, by rebooting as the STAR WARS INSIDER, from issue 23, in 1994.

The selection widened again in 1996, at least if you lived in the UK, when Titan Magazines added a SW title to their existing Trek offering.  The UK edition shared a lot of material with the US title and Titan eventually took over publication in 2007.  It's still going today.

Sitting in the midst of this, Card makers Topps took advantage of their existing (dating back to 1977) relationship with Lucasfilm to launch this magazine, borrowing the title from the card sets they'd published since 1993.

Topps, witnessing comicdom's expansion into the card business (at one point Marvel owned Fleer, Skybox and Panini), pushed back with an ambitious move into publishing.  But, they couldn't nab (although I'm sure they hoped to) the SW license from Dark Horse so they settled for the next best thing: a comicbook-sized magazine devoted to the saga and spin-off merchandise.  Following the tried-and-tested DOCTOR WHO MAGAZINE formula, they commissioned new SW strips from Dark Horse anyway.  Although I'm sure Topps hoped for the day that the license would come up for renewal and they'd have a chance to use their history, commitment to the brand and experience with other Hollywood franchises (notably THE X-FILES) to wrestle the rights away.  

Published quarterly, it ran for thirteen issues between late 1994 and late 1997.  Then, possibly to define its niche amongst the other licensed magazines, it relaunched as STAR WARS GALAXY COLLECTOR MAGAZINE with a larger format and, as the name suggests, a new emphasis on SW merchandise and collectibles.  They certainly had A LOT to write about during this period.  Eight issues appeared between February 1998 and December 1999.  

Each issue of original SWG maximized the synergy wrought by the Topps connection and came polybagged with trading cards.  Another highlight was the original illustrated covers, another benefit of the card art connection.  

The magazine is not to be confused with Titan's 2010 launch of the same name which reprinted US Dark Horse strips for the British market.  Despite a handsome format (the 'Collector's Edition format pioneered by Marvel UK/ Panini and subsequently adopted by Titan for their DC reprints), it closed after 24 issues. 

1995: THE X-FILES COMICS DIGEST Issue 1 (Topps Comics)

From December 1995: THE X-FILES COMICS DIGEST issue 1, published by Topps.

The main US broadcasters are busy announcing their new 2015-16 schedules at the moment, confirming what shows will return, which pilots will go forward to series and where everything will sit in the schedules.  At least for the first few weeks until poor ratings - and executive nerves - start to take their toll.

One of the shows confirmed to be returning, albeit with a very finite run, is the one-time ratings juggernaut (and the show, more than any other, that defined a Cult TV era: THE X-FILES.  It will return next January.  

I always thought the show worked best when it jettisoned the making-it-up-as-we-go arc (DARK SKIES, king of the wannabes,  had a much better one) in favor of the self-contained scares in the KOLCHAK tradition.  That's why I liked the second feature film far more than the first.  

Topps, the long-time trading card folk, probably couldn't believe their luck when they bagged the comic book rights... and (as any visit to a well-stocked 50p box will confirmed) milked 'em for all their worth.  

In addition to the core book (41 issues between 95-98), they also published adaptations of first-season episodes (a curiously old-fashioned concept, even at the time), an adaptation of the original novel GROUND ZERO, two annuals and (best I can tell) sundry specials and compilations.  

They also published three issues of THE X-FILES COMICS DIGEST, of which the first issue is above.  The digest, which ran original extended stories, appeared for three issues between December 1995 and the following September.  

The first issue, and possibly the other two, appeared with a choice of art or photo covers.  The interiors are the same in both.

There are oodles of reprint volumes available... the story from this edition apparently appears in volume 2 of the Checker Books run of trade paperbacks, published in 2008.  All three strips from the digests had, it seems,  previously appeared in DEAD TO THE WORLD, a 1996 compilation by Titan Books.  

There was a long-running British edition of THE X-FILES comic.  Although I have a stash (somewhere) I don't know if it reprinted the digests (entirely possible as Topps struggled to get new material approved by deadline, which must have left overseas publishers, with their own schedules, scrabbling for material).  If it did, it would have presented the art far larger than the original US editions.  

Topps Comics was open for business between 1993 and 1998.