I'm, for the first time, reading the 1970s - 1980s Marvel Star Wars comics. You know the ones with that infamous green rabbit.
I love that type of sci fi, in that buck rogers in the 25th century or Flash Gordon vein. The 70s and early 80s nailed that vibe and it's a hard one to describe exactly.
Most sci fi especially comics it seems when you search for it is dreary or is trying to make a statement. That's not what I want. I want space opera/pulpy/fun. And if it came out in the 70s and 80s that would be ideal. I find that modern people who try to replicate old mindsets aren't usually very successful and you can detect the modernity even in subtle ways.
I thought about asking "Askscored" but since KotakuinAction is more involved in the geek/nerd sphere I figured some of you would be knowledgeable about comics.
I can't speak to Star Wars comics, but I've been going through the old Aliens comics from Dark Horse in the 90s lately and they've been a breath of fresh air. Going back to the older stuff, they structure comics completely differently. They're a lot more dense, so you get more happening per page even if some of the art isn't as detailed. That said I don't think it'll quite fit the bill for what you're seeking because it's definitely trying to "make a statement".
Hell, I'm not sure I know of any comics sci-fi or otherwise that fit the description you've laid out.
The old Star Trek comics from Gold Key might be what you want.
It's a little more adventuresome than the TV show; they had some pretty cool concepts (the Kelly Green Planet, the freeze-dried planet, the planet with the brain in it ..) and the Cat Folk aliens that for some reason refuse to show up on TV outside of animated shows.
I'm still waiting for a good Star Wars (limited) comic series after finishing the VADER series.
https://imgur.com/a/10U5gXv
The Vader comics that Disney Star Wars did was one of the few things I liked from them. Have you checked out the dark horse comics?
https://getcomics.org/
I enjoyed those old school Marvel Star Wars comics. Interesting you mention Flash Gordon because I watched one of the old serial episodes from the 30s the other day. Didn’t realize that is where the opening scroll comes from. For comics like the pulps you could get the Weird Science/Strange Tales reprints from the 50s. There is also a comic anthology series from the early 80s called Alien Worlds which was influenced by that era
Not exactly what you're asking for, but the 60s and 70s era Legion of Superheroes has a really distinct vibe that might be up your alley.