Between May the Fourth and the Episode VII cast reveal Star Wars mania is back in full swing, so now feels like the perfect time to rank our top 10 favorite Star Wars comics of all time.

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This list contains everything from arcs, single issues, trilogies, and entire series runs. Everything on here has truly earned its place in the Star Wars hall of fame.Here are the best stories from long ago in a galaxy far, far away.

10 The Hunter

The time after A New Hope was a strange one for Star Wars comics. The franchise was on it’s way to blowing up, but nothing had cemented it’s place in history just yet. You’ve got to feel for the guys writing at Marvel. They had no idea what to do. So naturally a fun and wacky new member of the group would spice things up. Or so they thought.Everyone meet Jaxxon, a quick-witted Lepi smuggler, or a large green bunny man in an orange suit. This issue is his star vehicle, and highlights some of the stranger turns in the Expanded Universe. It chronicles Jaxxon’s attempt to defend Luke from a bounty hunter obsessed with vanquishing anyone who loves robots. He makes a play for Luke by capturing and torturing Jaxxon, and while this may seem awesome, even more incredible is how this insane bounty hunter is exposed and defeated. This is a weird look into the stranger parts of the galaxy that shouldn’t be missed.

9 Shadeshine

Luke and Lando arrive on the inventively named Ventooine looking for an ancient treasure. Instead they find a gold statue of Han Solo. Through the use the “memory stones” surrounding the tribute, the heroes are treated to Han’s recount of how he inadvertently saved a woman’s life in pursuit of treasure. He was taunted by the Shadeshine, a stone that when worn increases the five senses tenfold.It’s worth a fortune, and Han is tested by the merits of his character by choosing to save a community or take the stone. It’s a pulpy love letter to the Expanded Universe that is relentlessly paced and humanizes the smuggler in a new way. Watch him get the space babe, save a despot of desperate worshippers, and make the first effort to become the hero he was destined to be.

8 To Take the Tarkin

In between the adventures of Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, the writers of Marvel’s Star Wars comics had the tremendous task of filling the gap. Enter To Take the Tarkin. A story about The Tarkin, the newest super weapon built out of the failure of the original Death Star. It’s dynamically different but serves the same destructive purpose.Luke and the gang, sans Han, infiltrate the massive cannon and battle the Empire from the inside out. If you still find the end of Jedi to be dissatisfying, then you’ll be surprised just how much this adventure gets right. It bridges the gap, but also tells the story of the Empire’s defeat better than the final film. The Tarkin poses an incredible threat and the team defeats it with a little ingenuity. It’s a tightly paced, creatively different, and totally engaging piece of alternate Star Wars history. If only it wasn't so short!

7 Shadows of the Empire

Shadows of the Empire was part of a huge Expanded Universe initiative way back in the 90s. There were toys, comics, and a videogame in an attempt to rally support behind the “untold” story in -between Empire and Jedi. The result is a rousing tale of the criminal underworld. The villainous criminal Prince Xizor makes a play against Vader. He puts a bounty on Luke Skywalker and puppeteers a grand show, committing to both the rebellion and the empire. Luke and his new roguish antihero friend Dash Rendar must elude a collection of new criminals and creatures. Leia tracks Boba Fett across the galaxy, and manages to fall in love.This all takes place among a war between the galaxies’ bounty hunters over Han’s carbonite slab. Find out how Leia got her bounty hunter duds, how Luke finally learned to use the force, and why Boba Fett is a formidable killer in this massively entertaining story that all dovetails beautifully on Tatooine. If you were ever curious of what lead everyone back to that dusty sandbox, Shadows of the Empire provides a seamless and incredible take on this dark period.And for fans of the Nintendo 64 game, there is more than enough Dash Rendar to go around. Plus, C3P0 flies the Millennium Falcon -- by the Maker!

6 Star Wars: Tales

This series was truly something special, with each issue running about 64 pages long. It was comprised of a range of standalone adventures that take place outside of the regular canon of the universe that ran from 1999-2006. It had a ton of incredible contributions over it’s lengthy run including Steve Niles, Ben Templesmith, Timothy Zahn, and Peter David. It embraces the massive universe and focused on telling fast-paced short stories.A standout example would be the horror themed issue #17. It features Han and Chewie stranded on a planet of zombies, a ghost story by way of a Sith hologram, and the ongoing serial killer investigation of a Sith mastermind. You can just hear Han saying, "I've got a bad feeling about this." Tales shows a dark side of Star Wars -- no pun intended -- that we don't see nearly enough of.