By George & Josh Bate
Even the most fervent of Star Wars fans (us included) may not know the whole story of how George Lucas masterminded one of the world’s most beloved and enduring stories. In Lucas Wars, a fascinating, visually stunning, and insightful new graphic novel, writer Laurent Hopman and artist Renaud Roche dive deep into the background of George Lucas with a story spanning his early childhood marred by creative impulse and a devastating accident, his pursuits as a young filmmaker, and the incredible true story of how the original Star Wars was made.
Lucas Wars surprises in how approachable it is, in a variety of ways. Those unfamiliar with reading graphic novels will find the read to be breezy and immersive (one of our collaborators at The HoloFiles who isn’t as well-versed with comics and graphic novels said reading Lucas Wars made them determined to seek out more comics and graphic novels), while veterans to this medium will recognize a refined, artfully crafted piece of visual storytelling. Writer Laurent Hopman further ensures the graphic novel retains its approachability by never alienating readers who are not as well-versed in George Lucas’ background. Hopman does not task his readers with having a pre-existing understanding of Lucas or even an understanding of Star Wars more generally. This latter point may be one of the highest compliments that can be paid toward Lucas Wars – if one can somehow disentangle the George Lucas and Star Wars elements of the story or even if one has no interest in Lucas or Star Wars diving into the book, the graphic novel proves to be an enthralling and moving read about following your childhood dreams, persevering through hardship, and the almost indescribable impulse artists have to create.
Lucas Wars unfolds much like a cinematic biopic. Hopman opts to hone in on specific elements of Lucas’ upbringing and creative process, while skimming over others, to craft a story unburdened by extraneous detail yet insightful nonetheless. The cinematic quality of Lucas Wars stands out from the get-go as reading Hopman’s words backed by Roche’s beautiful visuals genuinely feels like you’re watching a movie about George Lucas’ life and the creation of Star Wars. The duo craft a rare reflection on an artist and his work of art that is a masterful work of art unto itself.
Renaud Roche’s visuals pop with an intelligent grounding in black-and-white imagery. In a manner somewhat similar to Frank MIller’s Sin City, Lucas Wars is predominantly black-and-white but has bursts of color throughout. Sometimes, the inclusion of color has a narrative or emotional purpose, while other times it draws the reader’s attention to something noteworthy or interesting. Some examples of this include C-3PO’s golden armor and, earlier, the bright yellow cover of Hero of a Thousand Faces that George Lucas reads. Roche’s visuals also strike an interesting middle ground in regards to detail. The artist chooses not to overwhelm the reader with too much unnecessary detail in the visuals, instead often opting for rather scant environments and minimal facial details. In doing so, Roche draws the reader’s attention more purposefully to certain aspects of the page, such as the unmistakable outline of Lucas’ face, which varies throughout the graphic novel with incredible, subtle detail.
Although interesting throughout, Lucas Wars truly comes alive when it gets into the weeds of how Lucas created Star Wars. The graphic novel is filled with details we previously didn’t know about Lucas’ creative process, such as how Marcia Lucas gave him the suggestion to kill off Obi-Wan at 4AM. There’s also plenty of moments that focus on the Star Wars actors between or before takes, with a powerful exchange between Alec Guinness and Mark Hamill standing out as being particularly interesting. Of course, we get Lucas’ infamous “faster and more intense” line, but Lucas Wars features a far greater and more intimate examination of the creation of Star Wars than we expected, including a look at Carrie Fisher and Harrison Ford’s off-screen romance.
It’s not all smooth sailing for Lucas along the way as Lucas Wars doesn’t shy away from the personal and professional difficulties the legendary filmmaker faced in his life. The graphic novel begins with a look at an almost fatal accident that changed the trajectory of his life and continues to highlight Lucas’ hardships, including financial issues with Fox, problems sorting out the script, and, perhaps most fascinatingly, Lucas’ insecurity and vulnerabilities. As readers, we’re not sure just how accurate every piece of Lucas Wars is, but, if taken as largely truthful, the graphic novel fascinates with its exploration of Lucas’ psychology and personality. He is not portrayed as a God-like, invulnerable figure; instead, he is a man, driven by aspiration and artistic impulse, but also hindered by obstacles both professional and personal along the way.
Lucas Wars concludes with the release of the original Star Wars and Lucas negotiating a deal to make its sequel following his film’s mammoth success. Just how Lucas’ life didn’t end in 1977, we hope this story doesn’t either as the prospect of having Hopman’s words and Roche’s visuals depict other chapters in Lucas’ journey, such as his creation of his other five Star Wars movies, has us so excited.
VERDICT:
Lucas Wars is a moving, visually stunning, insightful, and must-read new graphic novel that chronicles the history of George Lucas and the creation of Star Wars. Approachable to readers unfamiliar with graphic novels and even to those uninterested in Star Wars altogether, writer Laurent Hopman and artist Renaud Roche’s graphic novel excels in its exploration of perseverance, pursuit of childhood dreams, and the indescribable impulse to create that so many artists have. Both in the scope of its story and its striking visuals, Lucas Wars has a cinematic quality to it and unfolds quite like some of the greatest biopics in cinema history. The graphic novel especially comes to life when it details the making-of process of Star Wars, revealing all kinds of information we were previously unaware of and offering a glimpse at touching interactions between cast and crew members. In a surprising turn, Hopman and Roche’s work also excels as an examination of Lucas’ psychology and personality and is unafraid to highlight his insecurities, anxieties, and vulnerabilities as he faces personal and professional obstacles on his journey. Lucas Wars is a rare reflection on an artist and his work of art that is a masterful work of art unto itself and, given that its story concludes with the release of the original Star Wars in 1977, has us clamoring for follow-ups to further chronicle other chapters in the endlessly engrossing life of George Lucas.
Lucas Wars is on sale September 16, 2025.
