Dark Empire: Issue 3: The Battle for Calamari

Things look bad for the New Republic/Rebels. The Empire's World Devastators have begun attacking the homeworld of the Mon Calamari. Lando and Wedge lead a desperate attempt to save the planet. Meanwhile, Luke, heavily under Palpatine's influence, sends a vision to Leia warning her that he's following his father's destiny, since its the only way to defeat the Dark Side.

Leia calls him out on how stupid that is, and resolves to go get him, but they have to find a way to the Deep Core. For that, Han takes her to find some of his old contacts on Nar Shadda, the Smugglers' Moon where Leia has a chance encounter with a crazy old woman named Vima who called her the spark of a new generation of Jedi.

And then Han hears from an old...acquaintance.

The third issue is an odd place to dump a bunch of new introductions, but after opening with action, the Leia & Han plot takes center stage, with Luke effectively taking up one page.

Luke's gotten himself in trouble, and Leia is going to get him, even if it means finding a way into the Galactic Deep Core and flying there herself. This is in-character behavior.

NO, NOT THAT WAY

The big addition is Nar Shadda. Orbiting the Hutt homeworld of Nal Hutta, Nar Shadda is one of those rough-and-tumble dens of scum and villainy, only instead of a dusty desert, its a dingy, rusty, crowded metropolis. Han's two old smuggler buddies, Shug Ninx the half-human mechanic and Salla Zend, an ex-girlfriend with a killer afro, are solid additions to his checkered past.

Dark Empire Issue 2: Devastator of Worlds

The second issue of Dark Empire picks up on the fifth moon of Da Soocha, where the Rebels/New Republic have regrouped their forces. Someone is pulling together and consolidating the Imperial remnants in the Galactic Core, and they're not sure who or what is behind it, but a massive war fleet is on the move, and they're equipped with massive ships called World Devastators.

They're a new kind of super weapon designed to destroy planets, but slowly. World Devastators work by consuming matter and planetary mass and converting the raw materials into new war materiel (usually automated by droids) that the Empire can release in battle. A large Imperial fleet with several of these warships included is currently attacking Admiral Ackbar's homeworld of Mon Calamari. Lando & Wedge prepare to lead a force to confront them.

Meanwhile, Leia worries terribly about where Luke is, and has serious doubts about letting him go off like that.

She's right to doubt. Luke and Artoo are imprisoned and taken to the Deep Core world of Byss, a planet soaked in the Dark Side of the Force. Here, in this stronghold, Luke is confronted by the mastermind of this resurgent Empire, none other than Emperor Palpatine himself in a cloned body.

The Palpatine reveal is a huge bombshell, but really isn't all that surprising. Bringing him back after his very definitive death in Return of the Jedi is, but the story justifies itself. He's so powerful in Dark Side abilities that he's able to transfer his essence from one body to another to prolong his life. He he was able to do that from the reactor shaft of the Death Star to Byss is a simple matter of SHUTUPTHAT'SNOTIMPORTANT. (Its kind of a plot hole, but its a cool scene nonetheless).

Luke, deciding to challenge the Emperor and the Dark Side itself from within, kneels before Palpatine. The issue's light on action, but heavy on reveals.

Would you look at that. Not-Porgs

Dark Empire: Issue 1: The Destiny of a Jedi

Taking a break from Vintage Marvel Star Wars for a moment because that's a big long run and variety is the spice of life.

In the early 90s, Dark Horse Comics, a young independent comic publisher founded in 1986, was given the licensing rights to Star Wars. Their first comic in the franchise was released in 1991 with Dark Empire issue 1. Written by indie comics veteran (and former Benedictine Monk) Tom Veitch and illustrated by 2000 AD artist Cam Kennedy, the story was originally developed for publication at Marvel before the license transferred over.

In production around the same time as Timothy Zahn was writing his Thrawn trilogy, Dark Empire is set six years after the Battle of Endor and the opening crawl makes it clear that a resurgent Empire has re-taken Imperial Center and driven the New Republic back into a rebellion. But a Civil War has broken out within the Empire.

It begins with Han, Leia, Chewie & the droids leading a rescue mission to Coruscant to rescue Luke, Lando & a force of Rebel troops that have crashed in the middle of a war zone.

They find Lando and the troops without much trouble, and fend off battlefield scavengers until an Imperial walker shows up. They're rescued by Luke, who solos the walker and warns the rest of them to get off-planet.

Luke taking down a walker on foot after deflecting its shots 

would be pretty cool in live actio--oh, right.

The Last Jedi happened.

He's in an emo phase and warns that something powerful is coming for him and he has to meet his destiny.

The rest of the heroes escape the planet while Luke & Artoo are caught up in a Force Storm that takes them off Coruscant for parts unknown.

There's a lot of stuff thrown at the wall, and the art is strikingly gorgeous. Its radically different from what came before (and after), which gives the whole thing an air of gravity. I remember the original floppy issues were printed on higher quality paper too. As a relaunch for Star Wars comics, it felt like a prestige product.

Marvel Star Wars: Issue 10: Behemoth from the World Below

The giant reptile summoned from the depths of Aduba-3 rampages against the Cloud-Riders, whose blasters are proving ineffective weapons against its tough hide. Trying to get an edge in the fight, Serji-X Arrogantus tries to kill the old shaman controlling the behemoth, but both of them end up stomped underneath the monster's giant feet.

The Cloud-Riders gang are no more, but without the shaman to control it, the beast continues its rampage, throwing rocks and firing a deadly beam of energy from its head at Han Solo and his fellow mercenaries.

Desperately trying to think of a plan, Han doesn't notice the crazy old self-proclaimed Jedi Don-Wan Kihotay marching off to confront the beast with his lightsaber.

Hedji the spiner dies trying to help Don-Wan, but this gives Han time to realize that the lightsaber is the key to stopping the beast.

Meanwhile, Leia heads to the Drexel system alone in search of what happened to Luke Skywalker.

The action comes fast in this issue, and the kaiju-sized beastie is a strong escalation from rapacious bikers. Han's leadership is tested, the Starkiller Kid finds a reason to stay with his village, and Jaxxon & Amaiza have a growing banter-based relationship. All of which make it solidly entertaining as the first major story arc wraps itself up. This is also the first time in the franchise were Han Solo wields a lightsaber, predating Empire by two years.

It was now 1978, and ten issues into the series, the original creative team of Roy Thomas and Howard Chaykin leave the book, moving on to other projects within Marvel. Helping with the script is Don Glut, who would himself later write the novelization of The Empire Strikes Back. Helping with art duties are Tom Palmer (who was already on the book for several issues) and Alan Kupperberg.

Marvel Star Wars: Issue 9: Showdown on a Wasteland World!

Han Solo and the so-called Starhoppers of Aduba-3 ride banthas toward the little village terrorized by the Cloud-Riders. Along the way, they rescue a pretty young village girl named Merri from a bunch of flying bird-men. Han, being Han, flirts with her until Amaiza busrolls him in front of her family when they reach the village.

Meanwhile, Luke and the droids reach the isolated Drexel system, checks in with Yavin 4, and then the signal cuts out. Worried, Leia rushes off to find Luke and rescue him from whatever it is.

Back on Aduba-3, Merri's crazy old grandfather says the mercs aren't necessary because he's got a solution for the problem. Han blows him off, and then the Cloud-Riders attack, precipitating a lengthy action sequence where the Starhoppers suffer their first casualty: the droid Effie.

And then the crazy old man summons a giant monster, which was NOT in Kurosawa.

But should have been.

Its an action-oriented issue, which is pretty good, but there's not much to say about the details.

Marvel Star Wars: Issue 8: Eight For Aduba-3

Han's conversation with the villagers introduced at the end of the last issue is interrupted by a reptilian who's mad Han was making moves on his girl. A cantina brawl ensues.

Victorious, Han & Chewie hear the villagers' plea. Their poor farming village is beset annually by a gang of vicious rogues and bandits called the Cloud-Riders led by Serji-X Arrogantus, “The Arrogant One.”

Realizing that he's outnumbered, Han puts out a call for hired guns and ends up with a motley assortment of spacers and locals:

Hedji, a member of the nearly extinct Spiner race, who can throw razor-sharp quills with deadly accuracy.

Don-Wan Kihotay, a clearly delusional old man who claims to be a member of the Jedi Knights and obviously based on Don Quixote. Han doesn't much believe that, but the man does have a lightsaber.

Amaiza, a beautiful female gunslinger and smuggler with a history with Han.

Jaxxon, a six-foot tall, carnivorous green rabbitt with a sassy attitude. You heard right. More on him another time.

Jimm, a local farmboy with dreams of adventure who calls himself “The Starkiller Kid” (a reference to the early draft of Star Wars). He reminds Han of Luke.

FE-9Q, “Effie” a tractor droid and Jimm's cranky guardian.

Thus assembled, Han has a tense introduction to Serji-X, and prepares to ride out to the village. Meanwhile, Luke Skywalker bids farewell to Princess Leia as he heads off on a mission to scout for a new planet for the Rebel Alliance to make its home.

The plot is clearly lifted from The Seven Samurai/The Magnificent Seven, which makes sense, since Kurosawa was a heavy influence on George Lucas.

The Cloud-Riders and their bikes are the first appearances of swoop bikes (they would first be identified as such in Han Solo's Revenge) and swoop gangs, who are, simply enough, biker gangs. Their leader, Serji-X, whose name and face are a direct nod to MAD Magazine luminary and creator of Groo the Wanderer, Sergio Aragonés in his younger days.

Right down the moustache

The Cloud-Riders themselves (with the Arrogant One being replaced as their leader with some newbie named Enfys Nest) are in Solo: A Star Wars Story, so if you pegged an obscure gang of goons from a couple issues in the 1970s making it to the big screen before Mara Jade, Grand Admiral Thrawn, or Kyle Katarn, congratulations, you have successfully predicted the downward trajectory of the franchise.

I hope Roy Thomas and Howard Chaykin at least get credit for creating the gang.

There's more to say, but there's more issues in this arc, so I'll save that for then. This issue sets up the situation and characters for the arc quite efficiently, and even the tavern brawl at the start has narrative value, since the alien who started it, Warto, joins up with the Cloud-Riders.

Marvel Star Wars: Issue 7: New Planets, New Perils!

Marvel's adaptation of Star Wars was a financial hit. Such a huge hit that Jim Shooter credited it (and Roy Thomas, who arranged the deal with Lucasfilm) with saving Marvel's financial bacon in 1977-78.  The movie was a smash, and the comics sold accordingly, so naturally it made sense for all parties involved to continue making more Star Wars to fit the demand.

There was one problem: Movies take time to write, shoot and edit. It would be a few years before The Empire Strikes Back.

Re-enter Roy Thomas and Howard Chaykin (now with Frank Springer on inks), Issue 7 is the first piece of what would be called “Expanded Universe” fiction ever released for Star Wars. Hitting stands in October of 1977, predating Splinter of the Mind's Eye by four months.

It starts, logically enough, right after the movie. The Rebel Alliance knows it needs a new base of operations since after the destruction of the Death Star, the Empire will come looking for revenge. Han and Chewie have more pressing issues: their debt to Jabba. Opting out of the Rebellion, they make haste to Tatooine with a cargo hold full of money.

Pants Optional

Along the way, they're waylaid by space pirates under the command of the physically imposing Crimson Jack. Shaken down for the money, Han & Chewie are forced to detour to a crappy backwater desert that's an even bigger podunk than Tatooine: Aduba-3.

There, the two get involved in a fracas where an insectoid alien priest is trying to bury a cyborg who looks an awful lot like a Legion of Super Heroes villain in the spacers' cemetery, and the spacers won't have it. Its a simple enough job after a shootout, and the “star-hoppers” (as spacers are called a bunch in this issue) celebrate their winnings in the local cantina, where a group of villagers show up looking for help.

This is part filler issue and part setup. It sets up Luke & Leia searching for a new Rebel Base (that would eventually be Hoth, but its doubtful Marvel, or even Lucas, knew that at this point) and we shift to Han & Chewie smuggler shenanigans. Crimson Jack and his first mate Jolli make a strong initial impression and leave, which leaves them open-ended for a return appearance.

The arrival on Aduba-3 shifts into a Western mode, with a frontier boom town that went bust. The anti-robot prejudice is an interesting angle that will be revisted again and again in early Marvel Star Wars because the Empire's anti-alien prejudice wasn't established yet.

By itself, its a decent issue and a necessary downshift in focus from a giant space battle for the fate of the Rebellion. It can't quite shake off that filler issue vibe, though.