Nick Nadel's Tuesday column examines the increasingly busy intersection between comic books and the movies.

Novels, comics, a new animated movie -- the Clone Wars are one Tom Brokaw special away from being the most chronicled war since World War II. Ever since Princess Leia's tantalizing hint in Star Wars that "General" Kenobi served with her father during the Clone Wars, fans have breathlessly followed the details of this crucial conflict across Lucasfilm's multimedia empire. (Little did we know it would lead us to some convoluted business with the Trade Federation and the unfortunately named General Grievous.) Dark Horse Comics have added to the Clone Wars blitz, detailing the many, many battles in their Star Wars: Republic series and multiple Clone Wars graphic novels. But, then, comics have often uncovered lost chapters in the Star Wars mythos. Let's take a look at a few of the stranger moments in Star Wars comics history.

Jaxxon: Smuggling Jedi Bunny
Marvel kicked off Star Wars in comic book form in 1977, so it's impressive that they were able to spin stories (written and drawn by industry greats like Archie Goodwin and Howard Chaykin) with only one film to go on. But that doesn't excuse the existence of Jaxxon, a smuggler who palled around with Han and Chewie during space battles, who was also a talking rabbit. Jaxxon was so important in the early issues of the series, he scored more cover time than Luke. In its own quaint way, Marvel's light-hearted series managed to capture the rollicking space opera Lucas initially conceived... before bogging it down with Midi-Chlorians and endless Jedi Council meetings.

Anakin's Rattail Gets Animated
Based on the first animated Clone Wars series, Clone Wars Adventures is a fun, all-ages read. But that doesn't make cartoon Anakin's rattail any less comical. It's hard to take Anakin's action-packed exploits alongside Obi-Wan and Kit Fisto seriously when he looks like the lovechild of Johnny Quest and Billy Ray Cyrus. Thankfully, through the magic of CGI, Anakin has been given his slightly more respectable Revenge of the Sith hairstyle for the new film. Clearly there's a reason why he began hiding under the mask.

Lady Darth Vader
Remember those old comics where Superman and Batman would travel to another dimension and meet their female counterparts? This is pretty much the same idea, only with way more complicated backstory. Lumiya was Vader's evil-Jedi-in-training and defacto "Dark Lady of the Sith" who swore revenge on Luke, despite the fact that she was granted cybernetic parts by his father. (Must've made for some pretty awkward space elevator conversations.) But Lumiya had the last laugh -- in 1986, she was featured as the villain in the final issue of the Marvel Comics series. (Darth had long since moved on to the short-lived spin-off, Darth Vader: Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.)  

Ewoks Ride Elephants, Fight Ice Demons
The Ewoks and Droids cartoons of the mid '80s set the franchise back further than an army of Jar Jars, so one would assume their respective comic books couldn't do any more harm. But whether traveling via rainbow bridge or battling sludge monsters, the Ewoks in Star Comics' short-lived series behaved more like Care Bears than the reliable Rebel Alliance pals we know and love. (Ironically, they went on to meet the Care Bears.) Even stranger, the Ewoks comic crossed over with the slightly superior Droids. Not since The Jetsons Meet the Flintstones had young minds been so thoroughly blown -- then crushingly disappointed.  

When not writing, Nick Nadel is in line at the comic book store alongside the other geeks, er, fans of speculative fiction. His most prized possession is a 1960s Batman comic wherein the Dynamic Duo are trapped inside a fortune cookie factory. He lives in Brooklyn and updates his aptly named website (nicknadel.com) with comedy writing and videos.