By Pete Vilmur

If you're a fan of Star Wars poster art, you're probably aware that some of the coolest posters ever printed for the saga have come from Japan. Why Japanese Star Wars posters are so revered among today's collectors can be attributed to a few factors: they often exhibit illustration or photography that's totally unique and seen nowhere else in the world; the sizes and formats can be unconventional, like the slim 10"x29" shop poster or the large 41"x57" transit sheet; the language text can lend the art an exotic flair, often serving the composition rather than competing with it; and, of course, they're relatively hard to find, unless you've got a friend overseas to hunt them down for you.

We've selected ten Japanese posters we feel have distinguished themselves from the thousands that have been printed for the Star Wars saga, a distinction based on uniqueness, humor, artistry, or a combination of all three.