We all know that the first Star Wars film changed the face of pop culture forever when it hit theaters 40 years ago—but it’s not just the movie that’s celebrating that milestone in 2017. Star Wars comics arrived with force in 1977, and hundreds of issues later, they’re more popular now than ever.

To celebrate the 40^th anniversary of Star Wars, we’re looking back at our 40 favorite moments from the history of comics from a galaxy far, far away—one day at a time.

Star Wars (1977) #17

• Published: August 22, 1978
• Added to Marvel Unlimited: April 15, 2015
• Rating: All Ages
• Writer: Archie Goodwin
• Cover Artist: Dave Cockrum

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STAR WARS #17, August 1978

Just before their attack on the first Death Star, Luke Skywalker tells Wedge Antilles, “I used to bullseye womp rats in my T-16 back home.” From a period when Star Wars comic book writers had only one movie to work from—hard to imagine today!—throwaway lines like that could provide the entire basis for stories. Such proved the case for STAR WARS #17 in 1978, plotted by Chris Claremont, written by Archie Goodwin, and penciled by Herb Trimpe and Allen Milgrom.

Extrapolating from that single line of dialogue hinting at fun times on Tatooine—maybe with a little help from “just like Beggar’s Canyon back home…”—we’re treated to a day in the life of farmboy Luke Skywalker. This includes interactions with eventual Red Squadron teammate Biggs Darklighter, an altercation with a Tusken Raiders, a race through Beggar’s Canyon in said T-16 skyhopper, and—perhaps coolest of all—bulleyesing womp rats…in his X-34 landspeeder, but we’ll take it. We wouldn’t learn until added footage to the “Star Wars Special Edition” in 1997 that George Lucas never intended them to be green.

At a time when Star Wars comics got a little out there, STAR WARS #17 holds up as something that could actually fit within the canon even today. Give it a read through Marvel Unlimited sometime.

We’ve got a brand new episode of This Week in Marvel, presented by Loot Crate, to help you kick off the weekend!

Ryan and Ben give you the rundown on this week’s comics hottest releases including ALL-NEW GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY, VENOM, and more! We’ve also got tons of comics news (1:05:20); West Coast news from Marc, Christine, with special guests Tim Hernandez and Becka McIntosh to give you your weekly dose of Marvel games; a “LEGO Marvel Super Heroes 2”  interview with TT Games Head of Design Arthur Parsons (1:26:49); and your questions and comments answered (1:41:18)!

Be sure to join our #TWIMURC next week where we have both coasts tackle X-Cutioner’s Song Pt. 1! Share your thoughts with us using the hashtag #TWIMURC!

Loot Crate has assembled the Marvel Gear and Goods crate for the ultimate Marvel fan. This crate features official Marvel items like collectible home goods, apparel and more every other month! If anyone knows the importance of downtime, it’s Peter Parker, Miles Morales, Gwen Stacy, Jessica Drew and their Wall-Crawling peers. Unwind after a hard day with denizens of the SPIDER-VERSE! Order your own Marvel Gear and Goods crate by heading to lootcrate.com/MarvelGear and use promo code “MARVELPOD” to save $3 on your subscription today.

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This Week in Marvel will focus on delivering all the Marvel info on news and new releases–from comics to video games to toys to TV to film and beyond! New episodes will be released every Thursday (or so) and TWiM is co-hosted by Marvel VP & Executive Editor of Digital Media Ryan “Agent M” Penagos and Marvel Editorial Director of Digital Media Ben Morse, along with Marvel.com Editor Marc Strom, Marvel.com Assistant Editor Christine Dinh, and Manager of Video & Content Production Blake Garris. We also want your feedback, as well as questions for us to answer on future episodes!  Tweet your questions, comments and thoughts about TWiM to @AgentM, @BenJMorse, @chrissypedia or @Marvel with the hashtag #ThisWeekinMarvel!

Stan Lee’s famously charged to his creators that every comic could be someone’s first, and it should be accessible to any reader. This summer, Marvel readers will have the opportunity to feast their eyes on a number of standalone issues from the summer event taking place with Secret Empire to later in the season with the release of GENERATIONS.

Many readers may not be aware of the amount of work that it takes to craft a single-issue story that delivers all the goods in just one shot. We spoke with SECRET EMPIRE: BRAVE NEW WORLD writer Paul Allor about some tricks of the trade given his experience in working within this format.

Marvel.com: Paul, you originally cut your teeth working on short stories and one-shots. How did this help you with your current work?

Paul Allor: Oh man, it helps tremendously. Like you said, it’s been a big part of my career thus far; my first self-published book was a collection of 12 five-page stories, with 12 different artists; I followed that up with a one-shot called Orc Girl; my first couple of work-for-hire gigs were Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles one-shots, and most of my work for Marvel has been in the shorts-to-one-shot category as well. And honestly all of that experience made my writing as a whole so much stronger, and, I believe, really pays off in my longer work.

The reason is that, when it comes to the craft of comics writing, shorts and one-shots are basically a microcosm of larger stories. The best ones contain within them everything that makes a great story of any length, but with no room for error. If your short story or one-shot lags, it’s painfully obvious. If the character motivation isn’t there, it shows. If you have nothing to say, there’s no hiding from it. So yeah, it helped my current work in a real and significant way, by giving me a platform to solidify all the basic elements of the comics writing craft.

Marvel.com: When it comes to writing a stand-alone issue, what are the most important elements a writer needs to keep in mind?

Paul Allor: Well, as indicated above, everything you would need to keep in mind on a longer story also applies here. But some things are a little more important. With limited space, it becomes even more important that every moment carry its own weight; every panel, every beat, every line should serve a storytelling purpose. That doesn’t mean that every single line has to be load-bearing—that if any element is removed, the whole thing will collapse, though some very short comics are constructed that way, and it is, when pulled off, rather magnificent—but it does mean that every moment has to do something. It has to move the story forward, to tell us something we wouldn’t otherwise know about our characters, to foreshadow the story’s end or provide subtext. Your space limitations demand it.

Another thing to keep in mind is that a lot of your pre-planning will be just as involved as in a longer story. You still need to put as much thought into who your characters are, what motivates them, how to best tell their story, and on and on and on, as you would for any length story. Your characters, and your world, should feel just as fully realized, just as complex, as any 20-issue run.

An analogy I like to use is to think of a comic as being like a mountain. With an ongoing, or even a [limited series], you get to see a lot of the mountain. You have time to really explore its contours, get a good sense of the terrain, the caves and ridges, the fauna and flora. By contrast, a short or a one-shot is like a tiny oceanic island that’s really just the peak of an underwater mountain. You can only see one little piece of it. But, the rest of the mountain still has to be there.

A couple of other things I would say to focus on, just because I often see them done wrong: No matter how short the story, you still need to have something to say. I know some people are allergic to the word “theme,” so call it whatever you like. But your story, and your characters, should have a point, and a point-of-view, and a purpose lurking behind all the kicking and punching and laser eyes.

Marvel.com: You’ve focused a bit on the content of the story, but what about the format?

Paul Allor: My second point would be that in short stories, just like longer stories, you should not be afraid to play around with the format, and find what best fits the story you want to tell. One thing I’ve noticed is that the overwhelming majority of five-to-eight page comic shorts are structured like a joke, but with a twist standing in for the punchline. Set-up, development, twist! There’s a reason this structure is so popular: It works. But a lot of other structures work as well! And lemme tell you, when you’re reading an anthology comic, and story after story is set-up, development, twist, set-up, development, twist, set-up, development, twist, you definitely notice. So, let the story you’re telling dictate the structure. Don’t be afraid to push yourself, to try new things. Again, shorts and one-shots are a great place to sharpen your craft; but if you aren’t pushing yourself, you aren’t taking advantage of that.

Marvel.com: You’ve covered a lot of bases in just a short time! Is there anything else would-be writers need to keep in mind?

Paul Allor: The last thing I would say is to make sure that your story is actually a story—that it has an end, that it has structure—even if it’s the aforementioned joke structure—that it’s not just a vignette. There’s nothing more frustrating than a purportedly stand-alone short or one-shot that’s clearly just a dress rehearsal for something longer that the writer wants to do.

Secret Empire: Brave New World #2 cover by Paulo Siqueira

Marvel.com: There is often the tension between focusing on the narrative arc and character development when it comes to crafting a story. How do you strike this balance in just one issue?

Paul Allor: Other writers’ mileage may—and does—vary, but I don’t feel there is a tension between those things. I think if you’re doing it right, the narrative arc helps develop your characters, and your character development determines the arc of your story.

Think about “Jaws,” as I very, very often do. That wasn’t a story about a shark terrorizing a town. It was a story about a new, outsider lawman, who lived on an island but was afraid of the water, and had to team up with two diametrically opposed men of the sea to track down a shark terrorizing a town. That story was those characters, and vice versa. Take those characters, but remove the narrative arc of the shark attacks, and you have some mildly interesting folks going about their day. That that narrative arc, but not those characters, and you have a bog-standard, boring action movie; you have the later Jaws sequels, basically. For every great story, in every medium, you can trace this connection between character and narrative arc. And if you find that the story you’re writing isn’t working, this is quite often the first and most obvious culprit.

So, I think you strike the balance the same way you always do: by making sure your characters and narrative arc are intrinsically connected, and are pushing each other forward. The only difference a shorter story makes is that, again, there’s no room for error, and it’s a lot more obvious if you’re biffing it up.

Marvel.com: Are there any stand-alone issues from your past that you read that heavily informed how you approach this type of comic storytelling? What were they and how do you see them playing into your style?

Paul Allor: Probably my all-time favorite one-shot is WINTER SOLDIER: WINTER KILLS, from Ed Brubaker and Lee Weeks.  Just a really wonderful example of character and narrative driving each other forward, of narrative economy, of saying so much with so little space. It’s also a great example of a comic with something to say; a comic that expresses its theme in every panel, without ever hitting you over the head with it. The theme is just a naturally ingrained part of the story.

Another one I really dug, off the top of my head, was CAPTAIN AMERICA AND CROSSBONES—huh, I guess I really like Captain America one-shots—by William Harms and Declan Shalvey. It was a really wonderful example of just telling an extremely stripped-down, character-driven story that never flinches away from who the central character is, and what he would do when placed in this situation. Just a darn fine little slice of action and pathos.

And my final example would be pretty much all of Emily Carroll’s short comics, though I would start with His Face All Red. They’re wonderful examples of sustained mood, of using the short format to maintain an extraordinary level of creeping dread that would be difficult to pull off over, say, five issues straight. They’re also great examples of using different structures in your shorts, of not always relying on the same very staunch rhythms of storytelling.

Marvel.com: How does working on SECRET EMPIRE: BRAVE NEW WORLD provide you with the opportunity to flex this “creative muscle”?

Paul Allor: Ah, man. I honestly can’t say much here, just because I can’t say much about BRAVE NEW WORLD in general! But yeah, it was a great exercise in structure and craft, and in pairing character and narrative. The story I’m doing—along with the fantastic crew of artist Brian Level, colorist Jordan Boyd, letterer Joe Caramagna and editor Charles Beacham—is told in five parts, of eight-to-10 pages each. And because of that, I really focused on making each part its own very strong unit of storytelling, within the longer, 42-page whole. Each chapter has its own structure, its own purpose, its own setting, its own dramatic underpinning.

I want the reader to walk away from each short chapter feeling like we really gave them something to dig into, that it didn’t feel like just one-fifth of a larger story. It was a lot of fun, and I think it came out great. I can’t wait for everyone to check it out!

Catch Paul Allor’s latest work in SECRET EMPIRE: BRAVE NEW WORLD, issue #1 due out June 7!

X-MEN: BLUE #6 sees our favorite mutants setting up shop on Madripoor, the super sketchy island historically populated by criminals, villains, and all kinds of shady characters. From the influence of A-list bad guys to the not-so-reliable justice system, we can think of more than a few reasons you might not want to make it your next vacation destination.

But writer Cullen Bunn has a different take—maybe Madripoor’s not such a bad place after all?

Marvel.com: Madripoor has a pretty much laissez-faire government, meaning plenty of cutthroat deals can go down…

Cullen Bunn: Sure, sure, but they throw the very best parties. I mean, look, do you want to go to the same boring old barbecue every weekend, or do you want to go the party where anything could happen? Yes, that “anything” might include getting held hostage by the Hand or some militant MGH dealers, but embracing excitement—that’s the Madripoor way!

Marvel.com: Because it doesn’t allow extradition, Madripoor basically operates as a haven for criminals. Though some of them may cut deals to help maintain the status quo, it still makes it a less than safe place.

Cullen Bunn: But every corner of Madripoor isn’t dangerous. If you can afford to hang out in High Town, you’ll be spending time with a much more civilized group of criminals.

And the X-Men live there now. Doesn’t that make you feel safer?

Marvel.com: As you mentioned, the Hand has historically had an interest in Madripoor—and you really don’t want to stick around when those guys get involved.

Cullen Bunn: Do we forget that the Hand have a sense of honor? They have a code. They are noble assassins and killers. You know how if you want to keep the spider population down, you keep wasps around? Well, the Hand is kind of like those spider-killing wasps. They help keep the population of other criminal elements down.

See? Glass half full…of ninjas.

X-Men: Blue #6 cover by Art Adams

Marvel.com: In its early days, a lot of pirates lived in Madripoor, and that tradition of lawlessness still impacts the way it operates today.

Cullen Bunn: That just means you don’t have the authorities breathing down your neck every time you want to jaywalk. People who live in Madripoor are free thinkers. They’re like artists who all live together to create a special kind of community. Yes, a good many of these “artists” work in a medium that involves crime. Some of them work in murder the way Rembrandt worked in paint. But let’s not get too judgmental.

Marvel.com: At various times, HYDRA, Magneto, and other villains have tried to use Madripoor as a base of operations, which has led to a fair amount of instability.

Cullen Bunn: Lots of villains have called Madripoor home, but now there are heroes like the X-Men getting in on the act, too. Not that the X-Men bring stability to their hometowns. They often only bring super villain attacks and building explosions.

But there are other groups who do want to see a little more stability in Madripoor, and they are working slowly but surely to do so. There’s this one group called the Raksha I’ve been hearing about a lot. They are making some waves with their efforts to shape things up in Madripoor. But I’m not really allowed to tell you much about them.

Visit scenic Madripoor in X-MEN: BLUE #6 by Cullen Bunn and Ray-Anthony Height, coming June 28!

STAR WARS: POE DAMERON #16 hits on June 28, and writer Charles Soule looks to introduce readers to Malarus, a new villain whom the Resistance’s greatest pilot will need to contend with as he and Black Squadron continue in their struggle against the First Order.

Given the strength of the villains of the Star Wars universe, we spoke with Soule about what goes into creating the right kind of scum to pit against the galaxy’s finest.

Marvel.com: The fact that the First Order consists of a massive federation with many, many people willingly supporting it rarely gets addressed. Do you see everyone in the First Order as completely evil and in need of a boltcaster shot? Or can readers can empathize with these villainous characters?

Charles Soule: The First Order is a pretty monstrous group, I think. As I see it, they’re not just a powerful military force, but they think they’re better. They’re inculcated from birth to believe that they are destined to rule the galaxy by virtue of their strength and superiority in all sorts of ways—and I think that goes from the lowest Stormtrooper all the way to the top with General Hux and Kylo Ren. That’s a recipe for all sorts of terrible acts, as we’ve seen in the films, comics, etc. They think they’re justified. That said, if you make the bad guys too one-sided they become less interesting. So, the trick is to stay true to the somewhat ravenous nature of the First Order’s ideology while also populating their ranks with people that are a bit relatable. You might not agree with what they do—hopefully—but you can see how a person can get there.

Marvel.com: We’ve seen the rise of different types of villains in the Star Wars universe; from more nuanced, complicated characters like Darth Vader and Kylo Ren to those like the completely corrupted Emperor Palpatine. Which type do you find more compelling as both a fan and as a writer?

Charles Soule: It’s interesting that you consider Palpatine less complex, and I can see that; he has one goal, and he’s going to get there no matter what: ultimate power. But, he’s just so skilled and subtle in the way he achieves that goal; evil is his instrument, and he is an absolute virtuoso. He’s one of my all-time favorite characters to write in all of Star Wars. That said, Vader and Kylo are very cool too, and it is that slight underpinning of moral complexity that gets us there. Obviously they’re all a blast to write—but something in Palpatine just speaks to me. I’m not sure what that says about me, though.

Marvel.com: Now, from a more conceptual standpoint, can you share a little of the challenges you face in fleshing out this still-new terrain surrounding the “Force Awakens” era?

Charles Soule: The biggest challenge is really that the story here isn’t done yet. There are still many questions yet to be answered about the First Order, the nature of the Force in this era, Luke’s deal, the Knights of Ren, even basic stuff like the logistics for the Resistance and the government of the New Republic. We’ve gotten bits and pieces of that from “The Force Awakens” and various additional stories—novels, comics, etc.—but the story’s still being written. In the original trilogy and prequel era stuff, most of those questions are settled, and have been for decades. Sometimes, writing in the new trilogy is like sailing through a fog-covered sea—but it’s awesome nevertheless because it’s uncharted territory. Many times, if a question hasn’t been answered yet, I get to answer it. That’s a really great thing.

Star Wars: Poe Dameron #16 cover by Phil Noto

Marvel.com: Of course, with new territory comes new characters: heroes and villains. Can you unpack the process of creating a villain to go toe-to-toe with the Resistance’s best, Poe Dameron?

Charles Soule: I’ve made up two significant bad guys to face Poe so far. One is Agent Terex, an officer in the First Order Security Bureau—sort of like their Gestapo/intelligence-gathering arm—who has a rich, layered history that goes all the way back to the days of the Empire. I’ve had 15 issues to build him up, and he’s one of my favorite creations period. He’s a monster, but he’s tragic at the same time. Then, we have Commander Malarus, who we’ve only just started to get to know. She’s pretty unique, sort of like a sadistic bodybuilder type. I asked [series artist] Phil Noto to model her after Brigitte Nielsen in “Rocky IV,” and he came through perfectly as always. She’s physically very imposing, sadistic in a very direct way, which is unlike Terex, who’s perhaps a bit more subtle in his manipulations. If Terex is a rapier, Malarus is a big two-handed claymore. In both cases, the idea is to present someone who’s a good foil both for Poe’s skill set and his personality, who you really want to see get a comeuppance. Villains are always fun.

Marvel.com: Let’s pretend for a moment that you aren’t really a mild-mannered lawyer-turned-comic writer, and instead, you’re nefarious evildoer from a galaxy far, far away. How would you go about taking down Poe Dameron?

Charles Soule: I’d hit Poe right where he lives. I’d go after BB-8. And maybe his jacket.

Marvel.com: To wrap things up, can you give us any hints as to how you think Poe will escape the plans you’ve hatched for him?

Charles Soule: There’s a certain plotline we started the series with, related to a certain galactic explorer who possesses a key portion of a map leading to a certain lost Jedi warrior, and—I’m talking about Lor San Tekka. I haven’t forgotten about that story, and while Poe’s been on a million adventures since we last saw him dealing with all of that, we’ll be getting back to it soon. I can’t wait; I love exploring the weirder, Force-related corners of the galaxy. Should be a blast!

See more of Commander Malarus in STAR WARS: POE DAMERON #16, due out June 28 from Charles Soule and Angel Unzueta!