Star Wars became a big hit in 1977, both as a film and a Marvel comic book series. Star Wars also had a daily newspaper strip that ran from 1979 to 1984. When the feature first debuted, the artist was Russ Manning, known for Magnus, Robot Fighter, Tarzan, and other Gold Key comics. Al Williamson, who I think most people would say is one of the best Star Wars artists, took over the strip from 1981 to 1984 - and also did Marvel's Empire Strikes Back adaptation.
I just recently saw these fantastic images: Al Williamson's try-out sample strips for Star Wars back in 1978. They adapt the move and they are exquisitely beautiful. Archie Goodwin wrote the script. George Lucas had wanted a strip like Flash Gordon, and Williamson had been the artist on that.
Williamson was going to charge Lucasfilm $1200 for six dailies and a sample strip. However, there was some kind of delay in delivering the payment, and Williamson decided not to pursue the job any further. Luckily, he did illustrate Star Wars a few years later.
I found these strips originally on Paul Duncan's X profile who also explained the history. Thank you, Paul!
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