Before the original Star Wars swept the world in May of ’77, a comic book series began in April of that year in an effort drum up interest. As such, much of the writing and illustrating took place while the film was in production and some of what we take for granted today wasn’t yet set in stone. By far the coolest example I’ve seen of this is the Green Darth Vader!
Hot Wheels commemorated this oddity 2 or 3 years ago by releasing the usual Darth Vader Character Car with a shiny, reflective green paint job and rubber tires. Both the card back and the box it came in are recreations of the iconic first cover, with big ol’ Green Vader in the center, looming behind our would-be heroes.
The back also offers us some history on the whole deal:
A long time ago, in May of 1977, the world was taken on a cinematic adventure in a galaxy far far away with Star Wars: A New Hope. And with it came the creation of a fanbase that has expanded for four decades and counting. But what many people don’t realize, is the introduction of A New Hope came to the masses six months prior to the film release in the form of a six-part comic.
The comic adaptation of the movie was drawn while the movie was still in production which shows through with some different looks to ships and characters. Setting those differences aside, the story does a fantastic job of capturing the movie narrative across the six issues. This year Hot Wheels pays homage to the first comic issue of Star Wars: A New Hope in the form of a green Darth Vader Character Car, matching the first ever appearance of what would become one of the most recognizable villains in history. This highly-detailed green sports car commands the road with a force only the most sinister Sith Lord can.
Vader’s iconic helmet barrels towards enemies with the legendary pilot skills that causes fear in the enemies unfortunate enough to get in the way. Always ready for a fight, Vader’s Lightsaber is at the ready on the side trim of this powerful and ominous speed machine supported by Real Riders tires.
There’s some other fun stuff on the cover to notice, such as Luke and Obi-Wan wielding red lightsabers, Han’s red blaster pistol, and Leia’s black top with her reddish hair.
I wasn’t privy to this when it first came out – apparently it was an online-only sort of deal. Luckily it seems like Hot Wheels made plenty of these to go around and they’re not too hard to find or too pricey on the aftermarket. And yes, I do plan on opening it, I just haven’t. Once we’ve got Qui-Gon, Padme, and Bodhi as Character Cars, then I’ll open it…
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