Star Wars Infinities: "A New Hope"

Premise: What if Luke Skywalker wasn't able to blow up the Death Star?

Back in the 1970's, Marvel Comics began a series called What If...?, which featured alternate versions of important events in Marvel Universe history ("What if Spider-Man joined the Fantastic Four?", "What if Captain America died in World War II?", etc.), which proved popular with comics fans. DC created a line of comics called "Elseworlds" which featured similar types of stories (one of my favorites was The Nail, which imagined what the DC Universe would be like if Clark Kent never became Superman). Dark Horse Comics has done a series of comics that propose alternate versions of the Star Wars films. They call the series of comics "Infinities", and have done a miniseries based on each film of the first trilogy.

This one is my personal favorite. Chris Warner's script is very much in keeping with the spirit of the films, even if it takes the story in directions that George Lucas would never think to take it. He has a keen understanding of the main characters (Luke, Han, Leia, Vader, etc.). Both art teams (Drew Johnson & Ray Snider and Al Rio & Neil Nelson) capture the aesthetic of the Star Wars universe perfectly. So far, only Episodes IV, V, and VI have been given this treatment. I, for one, would love to see an alternate take on the prequels.

Recommended for: Star Wars fans (particularly those who thought that the films could have been a little edgier).
Not recommended for: people who have absolutely no interest in Star Wars.