Movie promotion has become an exercise in saturating the internet with multiple trailers, social media posts, costume reveals, and other bits and pieces that are teased for months, even years, leading up to a film’s release. Long before this practice became the norm, marketing departments relied on other tactics, like toy releases, restaurant premiums, and in the case of Star Wars, comic books. Now, the interests of comic art collectors and Star Wars fans intersect in Hake’s Auction #238.

The first issue of the Star Wars comic adaptation was actually in comic shops before the movie arrived in theaters. The marketing move proved beneficial, pulling comic fans into the galaxy far, far away for both the iconic film and the comic series which went from a six-issue adaptation to over 100 issues of an ongoing series, and hundreds more comics over the years.

In their current auction, Hake’s is selling Star Wars #1 page 26 original art by Howard Chaykin. Split into six panels, the first two panels show Luke Skywalker looking for C-3PO and R2-D2 at the Lars homestead, and C-3PO informing Luke that R2-D2 has left on his mission. The remaining four panels show Luke and C-3PO searching for R2-D2 with binoculars, then rushing off to hunt for the droid in Luke’s landspeeder. Luke appears in four of the six panels, while C-3PO appears in five of them. Chaykin signed the last panel.

According to Hake’s no original art from the first issue of Marvel’s original Star Wars comic series has ever been offered at auction, giving collectors an exciting opportunity to add a marquee piece to their collection. Auction #238 is loaded with Star Wars material and original comic art, which are open for bidding through Tuesday and Wednesday, July 25-26, 2023.