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The Stories
Here are brief, one sentence synopses of the Marvel stories. These are intended to give you an idea of the stories; if you want a comprehensive overview, go out there and read the books!
#1-#6 tell the story of Star Wars: A New Hope.
#7 "New Planet, New Perils" Han and Chewie get religion as they help an alien priest conduct a cyborg funeral on the intolerant backwater world Aduba-3.
#8 "Eight for Aduba-3" Writer Archie Goodwin's take on the Magnificent Seven as Han and Chewie lead a team of irregulars on a (literally) quixotic quest.
#9 "Showdown on a Wasteland World" The Aduba Eight take on the evil Serji-x Arrogantus (as in Sergio Aragones).
#10 "Behemoth from the World Below" Conclusion of the Aduba series, as Han Solo wields a lightsaber against a Godzilla-like beast.
#11 "Star Search" Han and Chewie are captured by space-pirate Crimson Jack, who stole their Death Star reward money four issues earlier, while Luke and the Droids crash-land on the water planet Drexel in their search for a new home base for the alliance.
#12 "Doomworld" Turns out the inhabitants of Drexel are space-wreckers desparate for metal; Luke must use quick thinking and quick saber work to keep the droids in one piece.
#13 "Day of the Dragon Lords" Crimson Jack captures Leia, who escapes with Han to Drexel where they crash-land in the middle of a battle between the space-wreckers and the Dragon Lords.
#14 "The Sound of Armageddon" The conclusion of the space-wrecker dragon-lord battle.
#15 "Star Duel" The final battle between Han Solo and Crimson Jack, as they square off in deep space - away from their ships.
#16 "The Hunter" Introducing Valance, a droid-hating ex-Stormtrooper, now a bounty hunter who is searching for Luke Skywalker - and hiding a terrible secret. The only issue without any characters from the movie.
#17 "Crucible" A flashback issue: Luke and Biggs in a tale of Tusken Raiders and Skyhopper racing.
#18 "The Empire Strikes" Prescient title, as Luke falls ill while meditating and Han, Leia, Chewie and the droids run into trouble on the space-casino The Wheel.
#19 "The Ultimate Gamble" More sinister double-crossing at The Wheel.
#20 "Deathgame" Han must battle a four-armed giant in a gladiatorial game to the death.
#21 "Shadow of a Dark Lord" Darth Vader arrives at the Wheel in his first Marvel appearance.
#22 "To the Last Gladiator" The final game in the gladiatorial series has several contestants, including Han and Chewie, but can have only one survivor.
#23 "Flight into Fury" Conclusion of the Wheel saga.
#24 "Silent Drifting" A flashback issue: Obi-Wan Kenobi in the days of the Old Republic.
#25 "Siege at Yavin" The rebel base on the Moon of Yavin is being attacked by Imperials from a base within the gas giant.
#26 "Doom Mission" Luke undertakes a suicide mission to destroy the Imperial base inside the gas giant Yavin.
#27 "Return of the Hunter" Valance catches up to his quarry, Luke Skywalker, only to find his philosophies shaken by an unexpected source.
#28 "What Ever Happened to Jabba the Hut?" The pre-Return of the Jedi spelling and the pre-Return of the Jedi look as Han and Jabba square off.
#29 "Dark Encounter" An epic battle between Darth Vader and Valance above the blood-red waters of Rubyflame Lake.
#30 "A Princess Alone" Leia Organa seeks out her mentor, historian Arn Horada, and gives hope to slaves on an Imperial colony.
#31 "Return to Tatooine" Luke returns to Tatooine on a rebel mission and runs into Camie, Fixer, and some surprises.
#32 "The Jawa Express" Hell may not have frozen over, but part of Tatooine does, due to Baron Tagge's Omega Frost".
#33 "Saber Clash" Luke Skywalker squares off against Baron Tagge in his first lightsaber combat.
#34 "Thunder in the Stars" A rebel armada seeks to thwart the Tagges and their Omega Frost.
#35 "Dark Lord's Gambit" Luke is lured to the planet Monastery by the Dark Lord of the Sith.
#36 "Red Queen Rising" Han and Leia are captured as they attempt to rescue Luke from the mysterious planet Monastery.
#37 "In Mortal Combat" Luke and Darth Vader square off in a crystal forest that won't stand still.
#38 "Riders in the Void" A hyperdrive malfunction sends Luke and Leia outside the galaxy and into the wondrous, mysterious - and quite possibly deranged Rider in the Void.
#39-44 tell the story of Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back.
#45 "Death Probe" Luke battles a highly-modified probot that has taken over a Rebel blockade runner.
#46 "The Dreams of Cody Sunn-Childe" Lando discovers a hidden colony led by his boyhood hero, freedom fighter, Cody Sunn-Childe, and quarrels with him over matters of war, resistance, and peace.
#47 "Droid World" C-3PO and R2-D2 on a world of droids - what could go wrong?
#48 "The Third Law" Leia and Vader match diplomatic wits on the banking planet Aargau.
#49 "The Last Jedi" Luke and Leia endure palace intrigues, a fox-hunt aboard giant frogs, and an insane former Jedi as they try to restore an Alliance-supportive monarch to his throne.
#50 "The Crimson Forever" Double-sized fiftieth issue finds Luke battling a mortal illness and a flashback story of Han and Chewie on a doomed world.
#51 "Resurrection of Evil" The Empire builds a new Death Star-style superweapon, The Tarkin.
#52 "To Take The Tarkin" Luke, Leia and Chewie attempt to sabotage the Tarkin from within.
#53 "The Last Gift From Alderaan" Part One of Chris Claremont's tribute to John Carter of Mars, as Shiva warloard Aron Peacebringer tells the story of Princess Leia's attempt to liberate his world from the Empire.
#54 "Starfire Rising" Princess Leia witnesses first-hand the horrors of war as she fights to liberate Shiva.
#55 "Plif" The Rebel Alliance finds a new base on a planet populated by the telepathic, energy-eating Hoojibs, intelligent creatures who look like rabbits.
#56 "Coffin in the Clouds" Lando Calrissian returns to Bespin to liberate Cloud City, but finds it deserted save for a deranged Lobot.
#57 "Hello Bespin, Good-Bye" Climactic battle on Bespin featuring Lando and Lobot, Luke and Shira, a squadron of stormtroopers, and the Ugnaught "Action Tidings" news team.
#58 "Sundown" The Rebel Alliance hides their fleet inside the Arbran sun, while Luke and Lando undertake a mission to the intergalactic shopping mall Bazarre.
#59 "Bazarre" Luke and Lando must head to the garbage planet of Patch-4 to acquire four TIE fighters to be used in an under cover mission.
#60 "Shira's Story" Luke accompanies Shira Brie to her home planet of Shalyvane and learns from her why she joined the Rebel Alliance.
#61 "Screams in the Void" Luke leads a covert mission of rebels disguised as Imperials, and the Force tells him one is a traitor.
#62 "Pariah" An outcast in the Alliance after the Force told him to shoot down Shira Brie, Luke Skywalker travels to Shalyvane to find the truth about his former lover.
#63 "The Mind Spider" Luke and Chewie infiltrate the Imperial Data Vault to find proof of Shira Brie's treachery.
#64 "Serphidian Eyes" Luke must win a death-joust to liberate the lizard people of Serphidi, whose culture resembles that of medieval Europe.
#65 "Golrath Never Forgets" The cover caption says it all: Luke Skywalker stands trial for treason while Princess Leia fights alone!
#66 "The Water Bandits" Luke lands on Beheboth, a desert planet whose giant moisture farms dwarf those of his home planet of Tatooine.
#67 "The Darker" Something evil lurks beneath the rebel base of Arbra in this horror issue.
#68 "The Search Begins" Princess Leia travels to Boba Fett's home planet of Mandalore in search of clues to the whereabouts of Han Solo.
#69 "Death in the City of Bone" Princess Leia and Mandalorian Supercommando Fenn Shysa lead a prison break in the Imperial base on Mandalore.
#70 "The Stenax Shuffle" A flashback issue, in which Luke fills Lando in on the time he first met Han Solo's smuggling acquaintances Rik Duel, Dani, and Chihdo.
#71 "Return to Stenos" Luke and Lando track Bossk and IG-88 to Stenos, where they are reunited with Rik Duel and Dani.
#72 "Fool's Bounty" Conclusion to the Stenos series, as Luke and Lando evade capture by Bossk and IG-88.
#73 "Lahsbane" Han's friends break off their search for their frozen comrade to follow the trail of the Bothan tapes to Lahsbane, where the natives are much more than the cute-and-cuddlies they seem to be.
#74 "The Iskalon Effect" The hunt for the Bothan Tapes takes Luke and friends to the water planet Iskalon.
#75 "Tidal" Luke and Leia fight for their lives when the only city for air-breathers on Iskalon is destroyed by the Empire.
#76 "Artoo-Detoo to the Rescue" The rebels drive the Empire from Iskalon but come no closer in their search for the Bothan Tapes.
#77 "Chanteuse of the Stars" Luke and Leia on an undercover mission to the diplomatic space station Kabray in their quest for the Bothan tapes.
#78 "Hoth Stuff" Flashback tale: Wedge and Janson never made it off Hoth during the rebel retreat; Luke discovers their story.
#79 "The Big Con" Lando and Chewie go undercover on the dangerous planet Arcan IV to confirm that Han is, in fact, in the clutches of Jabba the Hutt.
#80 "Ellie" C-3PO falls in love with the droid who holds the secret of the Bothan Tapes.
The story of Star Wars: Return of the Jedi is told in a miniseries between #80 and #81.
#81 "Jawas of Doom" Han returns to Tatooine to retrieve his cash only to run into an enemy he thought was dead.
#82 "Diplomacy" Luke Skywalker returns to Iskalon to bring news of the Empire's defeat, to find the natives aren't as happy as he would have thought.
#83 "Sweetheart Contract" Lando's agreement to help out an ex-girlfriend leads to unexpected consequences.
#84 "Seoul Searching" Does the planet Seoul Five hold the key to unlocking the mystery of the origins of humans in the galaxy?
#85 "The Hero" Han, Lando, and Chewie run into some unwelcome surprises on Keyorin, aka "Hunter's World."
#86 "The Alderaan Factor" In a flashback tale, Princess Leia meets a stormtrooper from Alderaan.
#87 "Still Active After All These Years" Luke must stop a device designed to destroy the entire universe.
#88 "Figurehead" Princess Leia meets Lumiya, The Dark Lady.
#89 "I'll See You in the Throne Room!" Luke finds love, despair, and hope on the doomed world of Solay.
#90 "The Choice" Princess Leia must choose whether to be a diplompat or a warrior.
#91 "Wookiee World" Chewie's anticipated family reunion turns into a meeting with the mysterious and deadly man known as Knife.
#92 "The Dream" What is the significance of Luke's recurring dream about his father?
#93 "Catspaw" Rival Rebel groups are pitted against each other on the planet Saijo.
#94 "Small Wars" C-3PO accidentally starts an Ewok-Lahsbee war.
#95 "No Zeltrons" Princess Leia must put up with four teenage Zeltron males as attaches, and Luke is captured by the Dark Lady Lumiya.
#96 "Duel With a Dark Lady" Luke Skywalker builds a second lightsaber to defeat Lumiya and learns her terrible secret.
#97 "Escape" Luke, Dani, and Kiro attempt to escape from the Empire- and Nagai-held world of Kinooine; not all of them make it.
#98 "Supply and Demand" Han's mission to restore the Venerated Ones of Vandelhelm becomes more than just a babysitting assignment.
#99 "Touch of the Goddess" The rebels attempt to save the dying planet Godo.
#100 "First Strike" The Nagai attack the Alliance base on Endor, as Han discovers the connection between his arch-enemy Knife and his boyhood idol Bey.
#101 "Far, Far, Away" A hyperspace anomaly sends Han into a strange, medieval land where he learns a great deal about himself.
#102 "School Spirit" Luke and Lando return to Iskalon and find many surprises, not least of which that the Nagai have conquered the water planet.
#103 "Tai" Princess Leia nurses an injured Nagai to health and finds the possibility for peace between the Alliance and the Nagai.
#104 "Nagais and Dolls" The Tofs, ancient enemies of the Nagai, catch up to them on the party world of Zeltros.
#105 "The Party's Over" Han, Luke and friends are captured by the Nagai who are captured by the Tofs.
#106 "My Hiromi" Leia and Dani fight to free Zeltros as Luke leads an assault on the Tof command ship.
#107 "All Together Now" The Alliance, former Imperials, and the Nagai join forces to repel the Tof invasion.
Annual #1 "The Long Hunt" Luke Skywalker must battle the Majestrix of Skye.
Annual #2 "Shadeshine" A flashback tale of Han Solo in his pre-Rebellion days.
Annual #3 "The Apprentice" A hero-worshipping teenager is ignored by Luke Skywalker, but not by Darth Vader. |
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Star Wars Comics Top Ten Lists
Top 10 Characters
1. Shira Brie
Luke's love interest with a dark secret.
2. Fenn Shysa
Warm-hearted, thick-brogued freedom fighter and former Mandalorian Protector alongside Boba Fett.
3. Dani
Hedonistic Zeltron who kept Luke's, Leia's, and later Kiro's and Den's, hands full.
4. Kiro
Young man who dreamed of leaving his backwater world, he eventually became Luke's student.
5. Admiral Giel
A rare Imperial with a personality, his courage and integrity saved him from Admiral Ozzel and Captain Needa's fate.
6. Den Siva
Nagai commander who discovered that Nagai need not be emotionless nor single-minded.
7. Domina Tagge
Baron Tagge thought he was keeping his little sister innocent by cloistering her on the world of Monastery; he was mistaken.
8. Jaxxon
Jax for short, which he ain't; this six-foot-tall rabbit fought with Han Solo on Aduba-3.
9. Bey
Han's childhood friend and hero with a hidden past.
10. Simon Greyshade
It has recently been revealed in official Lucasfilm sources that the speeder Anakin stole in Attack of the Clones belonged to the Senator who later lusted after Anakin's daughter when she was captured aboard the Wheel.
Top 10 Dramatic Scenes
1. The end of 92, a surprise cameo by Yoda in a scene that could elicit tears from a Hutt.
2. The end of 80, which elicited tears from C-3PO.
3. In 101, it takes a trip to an alternate universe to show Han how much he loves Leia.
4. The space battle in 61, in which Luke, Shira, and two other Rogues infiltrate the Imperial armada with stolen TIE fighters, and Luke shoots down Shira's TIE.
5. The soap-opera style plot twists in 96 regarding Luke and Lumiya, and in 100 regarding Han and Bey. To say more would ruin the surprise!
6. The rider in the void of issue 38, lone survivor of a galaxy gone mad, and who is not entirely sane himself.
7. Luke's mission throught the heart of the gas giant Yavin in 26, where he must rely on the Force and, more importantly, his faith in himself, to survive.
8. The epic battle between Valance and Darth Vader in issue 29.
9. Luke's sojourn through the poverty-stricken planet Solay in issue 89. Unlike the Coruscant and Nar Shadaa of more recent fiction, the poor on Solay retain their humanity and teach Luke about his.
10. The introduction of Fenn Shysa in 68 and 69, with his Fett-like uniform giving Leia a scare, as well as his mission with Leia into the prison in the City of Bone to rescue Tobbi Dala and capture Dengar.
Note on the annuals: each focus on a different character, 1 starring Luke, 2 starring Han, and 3 starring Vader, and each one ends on a bittersweet note.
Top 10 Funniest moments
1. "Chanteuse of the Stars," issue 77, basically an all-humor issue as Luke and Leia spend a diplomatic mission getting pursued by amorous Zeltrons.
2. "Lahsbane," issue 73, another all-humor issue in which Leia gets mad at Dani, Lando gets mad at Threepio, and the Huhks get mad at everyone.
3. Chewie the ladies man, at the end of issue 7, when he picks up a couple of humanoid ladies in the bar. Chewie has similar success in Brian Daley's Han Solo and the Lost Legacy, but since the late 1970's no Star Wars literature has mentioned Chewie's success with the ladies.
4. The "Action Tidings" news team of Ugnaughts who tag along Lando's mission to Bespin in 57.
5. Just a throwaway scene in 65, but it makes me laugh: Leia must take out two stormtrooper guards in a scene. Rather than a straight action sequence, Michelinie goes into the history of troopers Bens Figg and Tabbins Vee as Leia takes them out in the same order they lived their lives.
6. The banter between the droids, especially in issue 58. "Keep my shirt on? Even if I wore a shirt I wouldn't-"
7. The talking bomb in issue 56. "Come to disarm me have you? Hey, that's terrific!"
8. Leia's Zeltron-designed dress in issue 95.
9. Working girls: Lando getting some bad directions from a prostitute in 79, then Leia getting mistaken for one two issues later.
10. Leia's disposal of Vader's retinue in 48; three bizarre aliens; three bizarre means of dispatching them.
Top 10 Planets
1. Mandalore
Former home of Boba Fett, current home of Fenn Shysa, Tobbi Dala, the Imperial Suprema, and the City of Bone.
2. Zeltros
A non-stop party planet.
3. Iskalon
A world of water devastated by the Empire.
4. Monastery
Cloistered homeworld of the order of the sacred circle; Luke and Vader squared off in the Crystal Forest, where the trees just won't stay still.
5. Arbra
Home of the Hoojibs, this arboreal world was the main rebel base between Hoth and Endor.
6. Shalyvane
Purported homeworld of Shira Brie, home to a nomadic band of warriors.
7. Kinooine
Wasteland world where Lumiya caught up to Luke and Dani lost Kiro.
8. Aduba-3
Where it all began, as Han and Chewie hooked up with the spectacular six.
9. Arcan IV
If Coruscant is mid-town Manhattan, Arcan IV is Hell's Kitchen.
10. Aargau
And Aargau the banking planet is Wall Street.
Top Ten Technological Marvels
1. Issue 58 was a rare hard science issue, in which the techniques used to hide the rebel fleet in the Arbran sun are carefully explained.
2. The Wheel
A space station that served as a casino, in issues 18-23 and 69.
3. City of bone
The Imperial headquarters and prison on Mandalore was built into the massive skeleton of a prehistoric beast; issue 69.
4. Ellie
LE-914, protocol droid of Rebel Tay Vanis and love interest for C-3PO; issue 80.
5. Droid World
"How much trouble could two droids get into in a world of droids?" Don't ask, Luke! Issue 47
6. Light whip/Light dagger
Dark Lady Lumiya perfected the lightwhip, whose combination of energy and corporeal strands made it far deadlier than the lightsaber. Luke countered by adding to his arsenal a lightdagger, a shorter blade than that of the lightsaber, and fought with both saber and dagger in the last few issues.
7. Dancing Goddess
A statue that controls the fate of an enite world, in issue 99.
8. The Imperial base in the gas planet Yavin
After the destruction of the first Death Star, the Empire hid a base inside Yavin from which they harassed Rebel ships. Issues 25-26
9. Baron Tagge's cyber-vision
The Star Wars universe's cure for blindness.
10. Krake Data Vault
The central data system for the Empire, disguised as a giant insect. Issue 63
Top 10 Aliens
1. Nagai
Tall, thin, and imperturbable, these deadly warriors were the Alliance's main enemy in the post-Return of the Jedi issues.
2. Zeltrons
Hedonistic, live-for-the-moment partiers who were also some of the fiercest fighters in the galaxy.
3. Hoojibs
Telepathic energy-eaters who resembled small rodents but were actually highly intelligent.
4. Iskalonians
Peaceful water-breathing race whose desire to interact with the rest of the galaxy were shattered by the Empire.
5. Lepus Carnivorous
That's a six-foot tall, meat-eating, rocket-riding rabbit to you, Junior.
6. Stenax
Seven-foot tall purple gargoyles who leave you alone unless you mess with their god.
7. The Darker
"His words drip like blood." The manifestation of all the evil of the native Arbrans lurks below the Rebel base on Arbra.
8. Teezl
"Non-sentient, non-feeling, perhaps even non-intelligent. But it is alive." And this organic communicator has the capacity to increase Imperial communication capacity a thousandfold.
9. Tirrith
Little green balls that fly in the air; a hive mind capable of remarkable feats of telepathy and telekinesis.
10. Lahsbees/Huhks
Cute little teddy bears until they hit puberty and become ferocious monsters.
Top 10 Bullpen Bulletins (won't see these reprinted by Dark Horse)
21 The secret history of Irving Forbush: is his name Darth Vader spelled sideways?
28 Alice Cooper captured by Marvel!
58 See the Marvel creators strung out like Christmas lights. With hats!
60 The Shooter awards, and the nefarious stepladder cannon.
63 B.L.A.D.D.E.R.S., the Bob Layton Anti-Defamation and Disparagement Elite Revenge Squad.
67 Boxscore and hilarious illustration of the Marvel/EC Comics softball game.
69 Guest column by Star Wars writer David Michelinie!
79 Assistant Editors month, a bullpen tour, and Star Wars assistant editor Eliot Brown's instructions on how to make your own Darth Vader, with a surprise guest.
81 Hilarious interview with the creators of the official handbook of the Marvel Universe.
96 Memos from a medieval horde of Goth comic book creators.
Top 10 Advertisements (nor are these vintage classics reprinted)
9 Factors Inc ad featuring Star Wars characters wearing Factors merchandise. C-3PO: "You're trying my patience Artoo, you can't wear a backpack you haven't got a back."
23/26 Subscribe to a Marvel comic and get a free Marvel pen, without which Thomas Jefferson couldn't write the Declaration of Independence. The best deal since Darth Vader took out a three-year lease on the Death Star!
25 OJ Simpson hawks Sportbilt AND in 36 he hawks Sportbilt on the inside front cover and Dingos on the inside back cover
28/29 Another funny Marvel comics ad. Look for the Hulk trying to count on his fingers.
34/36 Yet another priceless Marvel ad. All the trains are on time, including the one to Tatooine.
64 Empire Strikes Back video game with a great picture of an AT-AT on the back cover.
77 Great ads for Return of the Jedi Models and video game.
86 Qbert ad in the shape of grafitti on the bathroom wall.
92/93 Back cover features an old picture of a military conference, with the caption, "Brilliant move, sir. Are you sure this is the first time you've played Risk?
107 The AI Kids, solving crime in the 1990's. Remember when that was the future?
David Michelinie's nickname for Jim Shooter
52 The Force
56 Favorite Sun
57 Nerf-Herder in Chief
58 Emperor
59 High Roller
60 Grand Moff
61 Father Figure
62 The Hut
63 Jedi Master
65 Clone Ranger
Annual 2 Word Speeder
66 Vaporator Maintenance
67 Hoojib Wrangler
68 Corellian Chief
69 Mandelorian Protector
78 AT-ATitor
Links
One of the best sites for detailed descriptions of characters and equipment from the books, done in the style of the Star Wars Roleplaying Game, but has not been updated in a while.
http://members.aol.com/heywood254/index.html
A comprehensive list of Marvel references in current Star Wars expanded universe publications.
www.myuselessknowledge.com/sw/swmarvel.html
The Star Wars Roleplaying Game came up with an expanded bio for Lumiya (contains spoilers for those who have not read #96)
http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Hills/1375/lumiya.html
An amusing story about the Star Wars stories that do not fit into the canon: http://www.starwars-rpg.net/swfa/issue4/thebigsnub.html
A fan fiction tale of Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan on a mission to Zeltros:
http://www.geocities.com/queen_amidala99/wecome.html
Some unused ideas from the Marvel Comics series can be found here:
http://home.earthlink.net/~kcfurman/comics.html
Email Me! starwars_comics@yahoo.com
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