IDW Publishing announced the release date for the new Star Wars--Artifact Edition releasing in conjunction with its upcoming "Comic Book Art of Star Wars" exhibition. The book will arrive in comic shops on December 9.

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Similar to its Artist Editions, the Artifact Edition presents art scanned from the orginal pages in a 12" x 17" format. The Star Wars Artifact Edition will feature black and white art from the first 10 issues of Marvel Comics’ Star Wars comics, most by Howard Chaykin, as well as art from early issues by Carmine Infantino.

Artifact Editions differ from Artist Editions in that Artifact Editions do not just include complete stores; they include partial stories when not all the original art can be obtained.  It will also include extras such as advertisements, portfolio pieces, color guides, a cover gallery and more.

The 160-page hardcover has an MSRP of $100.00.

The book will premiere at the San Diego Comic Art Gallery’s "Comic Book Art of Star Wars" show which opens on Saturday November 21 and runs through January 31, 2016.  The gallery was opened by IDW when the publisher moved its headquarters in July (see "IDW Anchors Comics Neighborhood").  The exhibition will feature 30 pieces of art, mainly by Howard Chaykin, from the first six issues of the 1977 Marvel Comics series.