Star Wars: Visions is going to be the first Star Wars anime series. Considering how much Star Wars draws from Japanese cinema and culture, as well as the success of projects like The Animatrix, it's a little surprising it's taken so long to get a Star Wars anime, but there have been a ton of Star Wars manga worth reading. Before Star Wars: Visions hits Disney+, you ought to read the following Star Wars manga.
The Original Trilogy + Phantom Menace
In the late '90s, the original Star Wars trilogy was adapted into several manga, with the then-new The Phantom Menace receiving a similar treatment. As these are adaptations of the original scripts for each film, they are remarkably similar to the original films, offering only small differences in terms of style to the original -- most notably, the incredibly expressive character designs. Of note, the Dark Horse release of Hisao Tamaki's A New Hope earned an Eisner Award for the Best U.S. Edition of Foreign Material.
Star Wars Manga: Black and Star Wars Manga: Silver
These two manga volumes, published by Tokyopop in 2005, contain multiple short stories. All of these are non-canon, but they explore some compelling narratives. One story focuses on General Grievous pursuing Jedi, while another focuses on Vader's thoughts right before he turned on the Emperor in Return of the Jedi. One focuses on C-3PO realizing who created him after his memory wipe, all while R2-D2 challenges Vader to a lightsaber duel.
Arguably the most compelling story is the manga's longest, where Vader, after surviving the Battle of Yavin, tries to figure out the identity of the person who destroyed the Death Star, all while training his own secret apprentice -- someone who isn't Galen Marek or Ahsoka Tano.
Lost Stars
Lost Stars is an adaptation of the novel of the same name by Claudia Grey. This three-volume adaptation explores a span of time between 11 BBY and 5 ABY, focusing on the lives of two youths, Thane Kyrell and Ciene Ree, as they enter the Imperial Academy together. Over time, Thane sees the horrific lengths the Empire goes to maintain their rule, turning toward the Rebellion instead. Ciene, who has grown up with Thane, is forced to choose her loyalty to the Empire or her friends as the Rebellion kicks into high gear. The novel is compelling, but the manga brings the conflict to life in a way that truly hits home.
Star Wars Rebels
Star Wars Rebels is a manga adaptation of the cartoon of the same name. If you are familiar with the cartoon series, then you should basically know what to expect: it follows the same events, only in a manga format. The manga also adapts a few associated short stories that were not part of the cartoon itself, such as a partial adaptation of the novel Lords of the Sith.
Leia Organa: Ordeal of the Princess
Leia Organa: Ordeal of the Princess is a manga adaptation of the novel Leia, Princess of Alderaan by Claudia Grey. The manga takes place in 3 BBY, outlining a similar period of time explored during Star Wars Rebels. Though only the first volume has been collected and published in English so far, the entire series has been published online, adapting the full novel. Fans of the novel might find themselves delighted to see the words of the story reimagined, while those unfamiliar with the novel will have a great time.
The Legends of Luke Skywalker
The anthology manga The Legends of Luke Skywalker, yet again, adapts an already written Star Wars novel -- in this case, The Legends of Luke Skywalker by Ken Liu. Each chapter is tackled by a different manga creator, so much like Star Wars Manga: Black/Silver, it's a compelling anthology with different visions of the Star Wars universe. If you want an understanding of what Star Wars: Visions might be like, The Legends of Luke Skywalker might give you a good idea of what's to come.
