Star Wars Weekly #8 — Gil Kane Cover Prelim (1978)

Original cover preliminary by Gil Kane for Star Wars Weekly #8 (Marvel UK, 1978). This early layout captures the full composition that would become one of the first Star Wars comic covers ever published, featuring Darth Vader, Ben Kenobi, Luke Skywalker, Chewbacca, C-3PO, and R2-D2 in the dramatic lightsaber duel “To the Death!”

Kane’s roughs show the early structure of the famous confrontation, including Vader and Kenobi locked in mid-swing, Luke and Chewie positioned at the right, and the droids observing from the lower left. An extraordinary piece of Star Wars comic history and a rare surviving glimpse into Gil Kane’s process for one of the franchise’s earliest published covers.