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Post by Deleted on Feb 5, 2018 8:57:35 GMT -5
Confessor ... Thanks for sharing that post ^^^^ and I've think you are right on the nose and I remembered my niece who followed Star Wars religiously and she read somewhere in the internet of what you said its contributed a period of time of George Lucas life in the 80's and all that.
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Post by rom on Feb 5, 2018 17:23:57 GMT -5
Something else I just want to mention is that the early '90s SW revival that was initiated by the Thrawn trilogy of novels was only a mini-revival, focused exclusively on members of the geek demographic. By that I mean that, folks like us were aware of those novels and things like the new Dark Horse comics, action figures etc, but to the mainstream public, SW was still yesterday's news. Joe Public didn't begin to get excited about SW again until the late '90s, with the 1997 Special Edition releases of the original trilogy and the 1999 release of The Phantom Menace. Not sure I agree with this. The Thrawn Trilogy books by Timothy Zahn (1991 - 1993) did huge business with the general public. Here's what happened: When Heir to the Empire was released in May 1991 (in hardcover) it was an immediate hit. It even made #1 on the New York Times Best Seller List. I remember talking to a book store owner at the time, and was told that bookstores were surprised the novel was initially coming out in Hardcover (instead of just coming out in PB, and that's it) since they weren't sure if it would sell. However, it definitely exceeded expectations & sold incredibly well, as did the next two books in the Thrawn trilogy. All three Thrawn Trilogy books (HTTE, Dark Force Rising, and The Last Command) sold 15 million copies combined: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thrawn_trilogy#Books_in_the_seriesI do agree that the Dark Horse Star Wars comics (Dark Empire I & II, Tales of the Jedi, etc.) probably weren't widely known outside of comic book fan circles. But, I think Dark Empire sold very well also. I remember getting back in to comics (after a 5-year hiatus) just to start collecting the Dark Empire series in early 1992. |
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Post by thwhtguardian on Feb 5, 2018 17:50:36 GMT -5
The lean years of the late 80's were definitely a weird period; and one that's always baffled me. It was a huge cultural hit and then poof! nothing, I've often wondered if Lucas just got bored with it all.Actually, I think that was a large part of it. The original Star Wars trilogy had taken a huge toll on Lucas emotionally and in his personal life. I think he was done with it once the two Ewok spin-off movies came out. He moved on to making other films like Labyrinth, Willow and Tucker: The Man and his Dreams. Of course, there were other factors to Star Wars's decline in popularity, not least the fact that the original fan base for the franchise hit puberty in the early-to-mid 80s. I think a lot of fans were just burned out on SW and we're growing up and focusing their energies and finances on more adult pursuits As others have said, the fact that the story was finished with ROTJ also resulted in interest waning. You have to remember though that SW had reigned supreme as the sci-fi and fantasy franchise -- and "must have" toy purchase -- for 7 years (1977-1984). That's a long, long time for a pop culture phenomenon to keep a grip on the youth of the day and it was especially a long time back in the late 70s and early 80s. Something else I just want to mention is that the early '90s SW revival that was initiated by the Thrawn trilogy of novels was only a mini-revival, focused exclusively on members of the geek demographic. By that I mean that, folks like us were aware of those novels and things like the new Dark Horse comics, action figures etc, but to the mainstream public, SW was still yesterday's news. Joe Public didn't begin to get excited about SW again until the late '90s, with the 1997 Special Edition releases of the original trilogy and the 1999 release of The Phantom Menace. I can tell you that it wasn't just nerds in the early 90's; the films got a big push on both VHS and Laser disk(they actually had trailers in films advertising the home video release!) there were specials with Leonard Malton about the impact of Star Wars on culture on in prime time, and the action figures were every where you looked so as a ten year old I was very aware of Star Wars and it was hard for the rest of the public not to be as well. |
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Post by tarkintino on Feb 5, 2018 18:45:14 GMT -5
Not sure I agree with this. The Thrawn Trilogy books by Timothy Zahn (1991 - 1993) did huge business with the general public. Novel business is not the same as the power to attract the numbers of a movie audience. Only the 1997 Special Editions successfully brought Star Wars back from the dead to a mainstream audience, which had left the series behind in at the end of summer of 1983. The average movie goer did not read spin-off novels / comics, collect (or play with) toys, or collect pricey cards--each the type of early 90s merchandising that only appealed to a small, die-hard group. |
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Confessor
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Post by Confessor on Feb 5, 2018 18:46:08 GMT -5
Not sure I agree with this. The Thrawn Trilogy books by Timothy Zahn (1991 - 1993) did huge business with the general public. Here's what happened: When Heir to the Empire was released in May 1991 (in hardcover) it was an immediate hit. It even made #1 on the New York Times Best Seller List. I remember talking to a book store owner at the time, and was told that bookstores were surprised the novel was initially coming out in Hardcover (instead of just coming out in PB, and that's it) since they weren't sure if it would sell. However, it definitely exceeded expectations & sold incredibly well, as did the next two books in the Thrawn trilogy. All three Thrawn Trilogy books (HTTE, Dark Force Rising, and The Last Command) sold 15 million copies combined: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thrawn_trilogy#Books_in_the_seriesI can tell you that it wasn't just nerds in the early 90's; the films got a big push on both VHS and Laser disk(they actually had trailers in films advertising the home video release!) there were specials with Leonard Malton about the impact of Star Wars on culture on in prime time, and the action figures were every where you looked so as a ten year old I was very aware of Star Wars and it was hard for the rest of the public not to be as well. Well, just to clarify something, when I say that the early '90s revival was a "mini-revival", clearly Star Wars has never been a cult thing (at least not since about mid-1977). Even at the merchandising's lowest ebb in the late '80s, clearly the name Star Wars still had huge market recognition across the whole of society. My comments are from a UK perspective and maybe in America the revival was much more mainstream than I realise, but I don't think so. What I can tell you with 100% certainty is that over here it was only people who were already big, big Star Wars fans who bought Heir to the Empire or the Dark Horse comics. Laserdiscs, video, and action figures, OK yeah, sure...those did big business in the UK in the early '90s too, but those are a slightly different kettle of fish. The films are perennial favourites that have always been bought by everyone and his mother, even at a time when interest in SW was relatively low. Expanded Universe stuff, like Heir to the Empire, was only marginally successful compared to home video editions of the original trilogy. Expanded Universe stuff has always been bought exclusively by the hardcore SW fanbase, not by Joe Public, and this is still the case (although SW is such a pop culture phenomena now that even that "hardcore SW fanbase" slice of the pie is pretty colossal). As for the Heir to the Empire being a New York Times Best Seller, yeah, I did know this, but there's best sellers and then there's best sellers, aren't there? That book was only a best seller for one week, compared to something like Alexandra Ripley's ill-advised sequel to Gone with the Wind, Scarlett, which was at the top of the New York Times Best Sellers list for something like 16 weeks that same year (I use this as an example simply because it was also a sequel to an iconic film). I dunno, maybe the Thrawn trilogy was bigger news in the U.S. than it was over here in the UK, but I maintain that there's no way that SW was doing the kind of business in the early '90s that it was in the late '90s, with the release of the Special Editions and Episode I, even in America. EDIT: Oops, tarkintino kind of beat me to it, in terms of judging sales of Heir to the Empire against the huge revival of interest in SW that we saw in the late '90s. |
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Post by rom on Mar 14, 2018 20:48:07 GMT -5
Just got Volume 2 of the Star Wars Classic Newspaper comics by IDW/Marvel. This volume begins the Al Williamson/Archie Goodwin strips, and also includes the "Han Solo at Stars End" strip (art by the great Alfredo Alcala). This book is truly amazing. Years ago, I read the rare Russ Cochran books reprinting these strips in their entirety, but it's been so long that I can't remember the details (I've never owned those rare books). Also, I don't believe that any of the Sunday strips in the Cochran books were in their original color, as in this volume. So, this will be the first time I've seen the Sunday strips in the original color. And, my main memories of these strips were in the edited, colorized comic book form that Dark Horse comic series that was published back in the '90's. Great comics, but they were edited/modified. In any case, it will be great to delve into this book. I've always attested that the late Al Williamson was THE quintessential Star Wars comic artist, and these superb stories prove this  Highly recommended to anyone who's a fan of this material. The third & final volume (finishing up the Williamson/Goodwin strips) is out this September. |
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Post by dbutler69 on Apr 26, 2021 12:29:00 GMT -5
When Confessor first started his review thread for the Star Wars comics I became instantly excited, I'm a huge Star Wars fan and I love the Marvel books...but even more than the Marvel books I grew up loving the daily comic strips in my local newspaper and I was sad that Confessor was not going to be covering these stories on his exploration of the Star Wars universe. With some gentle prodding though Confessor convinced me to explore these stories myself and so here we are.
Now, originally when I had asked Confessor if he was going to be covering the comic strips I had asked specifically about the comics by Archie Goodwin and Al Williamson as those were the people I commonly associated with the strip but as I was researching the comic in preparing for this thread I uncovered an entire run that had appeared earlier that I had absolutely no knowledge of which was a fantastic discovery and even better it was by Russ Manning of Tarzan and Magnus, Robot Fighter fame! The strips were originally printed in three panel installments or occasionally a single extended panel ,as in the image from the opening strip shown below and while this cliff hanger style writing made for fun reading I originally struggled with how to review these as each installment would not necessarily have enough meat to discuss. At first I had contemplated doing a week's worth of stories per review but I've instead decided to do it story by story and so here is the first installment:
Gambler's World
March 12th, 1979 to September 8th, 1979
Written and Penciled by Russ Manning
Inked and Lettered by Mike Royer
Published by the LA Times Syndicate  Summary: After the fall of the Death Star, Lord Vader over sees a space battle with a Rebel fleet but as he witnesses the Imperial fleet cruising towards an easy victory he senses a pattern to the Rebel's efforts; they are purposefully failing in these skirmishes in order to gain sympathy to sway others to their cause. In order to disrupt these membership drives Vader dispatches his chief spy Blackhole to the planet Vorzyd V where he has learned Princess Leia is traveling to.  On Vorzyd V, the Imperial version of Las Vegas, Princess Leia along with Luke Skywalker, R2-D2 and C-3P0 hope to meet up with a contact who will help them divert the Empire's winnings. The only problem is that because of the high Imperial presence their contact has refused to give away its identity, instead instructing the rebels to peruse the gambling establishments and wait to be contacted. While visiting the Casino Royale Luke inadvertently uses the Force in a game of chance and ends up hitting it big, which of course attracts unwanted attention.
 Stopped by strange black Stormtroopers Luke and Leia become captured, but R2 and 3P0 are able to free them before Blackhole can deliver them to Lord Vader. While collecting themselves back at Luke's ship they finally get contacted by their source on Vorzyd V and so Luke goes out to the meeting place. As he dodges and weaves through out the city attempting to lose any Imperials that might be tailing him a gang captures Leia in the hopes of gaining a hefty ransom.
At the meeting place Luke discovers that his contact is none other than the President of Vorzyd, Natala Vanden! But as Luke and the President talk they come under attack from Imperial Forces. Vanden shepherds Luke away from the battle and through a series of underground shoots and tunnels he is able to make his way back to the ship, though once there he discovers things are not well as C-3PO informs him that R2-D2 and Leia have been captured. Luke and 3P0 rush to the scene with Blackhole and his shadowtroopers right at their heels and only manage to escape with Leia in the confusion of the battle between the gang and the Imperials, but although they escape with their lives they inevitably leave empty handed.
Review: I was excited before I even tracked this story down simply because of one name attached to: Russ Manning. I've been a big fan of Manning's for some time now, I just love how he balances his crisp,clean line work with his eye for for action scenes that are both vibrant yet simple. And although his work on Tarzan is probably my favorite it was his work on Magnus that got me excited for this as in Magnus he created a beautiful sci-fi world that seemed like a contemporary to both Fritz Lang's Metropolis and Alex Raymond's Flash Gordon which made him seem like a no brainer for Star Wars as those were the very things that influenced George Lucas. Like I said though, Lucas was inspired by those fantastic pulp sci-fi world's Manning's work came off as feeling contemporary to them, which really gave his story a more authentic feel than what Lucas was able to capture on film, making this strip much different than either what we had seen on screen or on the page over at Marvel.
Now, the story may have been on the flimsy end of the spectrum being essentially Vader uncovers a Rebel plot, sends an emissary who ends up confronting Luke and Leia, but it's over all high energy feel really elevates it beyond that. We're in unknown territory on an alien planet with a new villain named Blackhole(whose design is every bit as cool as Vader's) which makes us feel like anything can happen, and it invariably does; Luke uses the Force to gamble, we see why R2 and 3P0 don't have weapons and we meet an interesting gang of aliens and cool storm troopers in black. But what's really interesting, and refreshing, is the ending...although Luke and Leia escape their mission was ultimately a failure. It's a simplistic plot with many nearly nonsensical twists and yet it veers away from the predictable happily ever after ending which really makes the Empire feel like a credible threat. I'm not one who feels the modern trend of darkness in comics is the greatest but I have to admit that having the villain win every once in a while is satisfying in that it truly reaffirms their threat level; Vader and this new villain could have easily come off as bumbling, Saturday morning cartoon villains in the vain of Skelitor or Cobra Comander but instead their menace came off as very real which really surprised me.
So, while slightly simplistic it was still an incredibly fun read.
Grade: B+
I liked the THX alert at the beginning. Cute. The Gambler’s World here reminds me of the Wheel in the Marvel comic. They did give a good reason here, though, for droids not being allowed in casinos - no mechanical assistance for the gamblers. I find the Gambler’s World being the Empire’s main source of income a stretch. One world being the main source of income for a galactic empire seems a bit much, but I guess they wanted to raise the sakes, and it’s not really all the important to the plot, anyway. One thing that confused me was the bit with Threepio talking to Mnemos. Where the heck did she come from, who is she, and what is she doing there? It almost seems like something that got accidentally stuck in there. Overall, this story had excellent art and a so-so plot. |
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Post by thwhtguardian on Apr 27, 2021 4:26:24 GMT -5
When Confessor first started his review thread for the Star Wars comics I became instantly excited, I'm a huge Star Wars fan and I love the Marvel books...but even more than the Marvel books I grew up loving the daily comic strips in my local newspaper and I was sad that Confessor was not going to be covering these stories on his exploration of the Star Wars universe. With some gentle prodding though Confessor convinced me to explore these stories myself and so here we are.
Now, originally when I had asked Confessor if he was going to be covering the comic strips I had asked specifically about the comics by Archie Goodwin and Al Williamson as those were the people I commonly associated with the strip but as I was researching the comic in preparing for this thread I uncovered an entire run that had appeared earlier that I had absolutely no knowledge of which was a fantastic discovery and even better it was by Russ Manning of Tarzan and Magnus, Robot Fighter fame! The strips were originally printed in three panel installments or occasionally a single extended panel ,as in the image from the opening strip shown below and while this cliff hanger style writing made for fun reading I originally struggled with how to review these as each installment would not necessarily have enough meat to discuss. At first I had contemplated doing a week's worth of stories per review but I've instead decided to do it story by story and so here is the first installment:
Gambler's World
March 12th, 1979 to September 8th, 1979
Written and Penciled by Russ Manning
Inked and Lettered by Mike Royer
Published by the LA Times Syndicate Summary: After the fall of the Death Star, Lord Vader over sees a space battle with a Rebel fleet but as he witnesses the Imperial fleet cruising towards an easy victory he senses a pattern to the Rebel's efforts; they are purposefully failing in these skirmishes in order to gain sympathy to sway others to their cause. In order to disrupt these membership drives Vader dispatches his chief spy Blackhole to the planet Vorzyd V where he has learned Princess Leia is traveling to. On Vorzyd V, the Imperial version of Las Vegas, Princess Leia along with Luke Skywalker, R2-D2 and C-3P0 hope to meet up with a contact who will help them divert the Empire's winnings. The only problem is that because of the high Imperial presence their contact has refused to give away its identity, instead instructing the rebels to peruse the gambling establishments and wait to be contacted. While visiting the Casino Royale Luke inadvertently uses the Force in a game of chance and ends up hitting it big, which of course attracts unwanted attention.
Stopped by strange black Stormtroopers Luke and Leia become captured, but R2 and 3P0 are able to free them before Blackhole can deliver them to Lord Vader. While collecting themselves back at Luke's ship they finally get contacted by their source on Vorzyd V and so Luke goes out to the meeting place. As he dodges and weaves through out the city attempting to lose any Imperials that might be tailing him a gang captures Leia in the hopes of gaining a hefty ransom.
At the meeting place Luke discovers that his contact is none other than the President of Vorzyd, Natala Vanden! But as Luke and the President talk they come under attack from Imperial Forces. Vanden shepherds Luke away from the battle and through a series of underground shoots and tunnels he is able to make his way back to the ship, though once there he discovers things are not well as C-3PO informs him that R2-D2 and Leia have been captured. Luke and 3P0 rush to the scene with Blackhole and his shadowtroopers right at their heels and only manage to escape with Leia in the confusion of the battle between the gang and the Imperials, but although they escape with their lives they inevitably leave empty handed.
Review: I was excited before I even tracked this story down simply because of one name attached to: Russ Manning. I've been a big fan of Manning's for some time now, I just love how he balances his crisp,clean line work with his eye for for action scenes that are both vibrant yet simple. And although his work on Tarzan is probably my favorite it was his work on Magnus that got me excited for this as in Magnus he created a beautiful sci-fi world that seemed like a contemporary to both Fritz Lang's Metropolis and Alex Raymond's Flash Gordon which made him seem like a no brainer for Star Wars as those were the very things that influenced George Lucas. Like I said though, Lucas was inspired by those fantastic pulp sci-fi world's Manning's work came off as feeling contemporary to them, which really gave his story a more authentic feel than what Lucas was able to capture on film, making this strip much different than either what we had seen on screen or on the page over at Marvel.
Now, the story may have been on the flimsy end of the spectrum being essentially Vader uncovers a Rebel plot, sends an emissary who ends up confronting Luke and Leia, but it's over all high energy feel really elevates it beyond that. We're in unknown territory on an alien planet with a new villain named Blackhole(whose design is every bit as cool as Vader's) which makes us feel like anything can happen, and it invariably does; Luke uses the Force to gamble, we see why R2 and 3P0 don't have weapons and we meet an interesting gang of aliens and cool storm troopers in black. But what's really interesting, and refreshing, is the ending...although Luke and Leia escape their mission was ultimately a failure. It's a simplistic plot with many nearly nonsensical twists and yet it veers away from the predictable happily ever after ending which really makes the Empire feel like a credible threat. I'm not one who feels the modern trend of darkness in comics is the greatest but I have to admit that having the villain win every once in a while is satisfying in that it truly reaffirms their threat level; Vader and this new villain could have easily come off as bumbling, Saturday morning cartoon villains in the vain of Skelitor or Cobra Comander but instead their menace came off as very real which really surprised me.
So, while slightly simplistic it was still an incredibly fun read.
Grade: B+
I liked the THX alert at the beginning. Cute. The Gambler’s World here reminds me of the Wheel in the Marvel comic. They did give a good reason here, though, for droids not being allowed in casinos - no mechanical assistance for the gamblers. I find the Gambler’s World being the Empire’s main source of income a stretch. One world being the main source of income for a galactic empire seems a bit much, but I guess they wanted to raise the sakes, and it’s not really all the important to the plot, anyway. One thing that confused me was the bit with Threepio talking to Mnemos. Where the heck did she come from, who is she, and what is she doing there? It almost seems like something that got accidentally stuck in there. Overall, this story had excellent art and a so-so plot. Yeah, the whole plot mechanism of Threepio talking to some super computer as if he were laying down some record of the events after the fact was never developed really well and definitely stuck out to me as well. |
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Post by tonebone on Apr 27, 2021 12:45:57 GMT -5
Ahhh, gotcha. That would explain why what you posted didn't look or seem familiar. I had never heard of it either but it's fantastic. This is what the book looks like for any interested:  The Marvel "Epic Collection" reprint of this is nicely done. I found volume 1 at Ollie's Outlet for $6. |
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Post by tonebone on Apr 27, 2021 13:01:53 GMT -5
Great scan from a great page in the Empire Strikes Back comic book adaptation. It's worth noting that in the final panel, the wampa hand breaking through the ice is actually not in the final film. But, there were early plans to have a scene where the Rebel troopers fought off a group of Wampas who were breaking through into the Rebel base. I don't this scene was ever actually filmed, however. No, it was all filmed. The Wampa sub-plot was left out of the final edit of the movie though, obviously. As much as anything, I think this was because they weren't happy with how the Wampa's moved or looked. A clip of C-3PO removing a "warning" sign from a door, behind which the Wampa's were locked, as the Imperial troops advanced through the base, was included in the ESB trailer though. Here's a still from the Wampa attack inside the Rebel base scene...  I think it's pretty hilarious that out of all the fantastical things that Lucasfilm was able to make utterly believable, the one thing they couldn't get right was an old-fashioned man-in-a-monster-suit. |
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Post by tarkintino on Apr 27, 2021 13:33:50 GMT -5
I think it's pretty hilarious that out of all the fantastical things that Lucasfilm was able to make utterly believable, the one thing they couldn't get right was an old-fashioned man-in-a-monster-suit. Especially since they had no problem making Chewbacca sell as real, and at the same time TESB was being produced, Alien was nearing completion with one of best man-in-a-suit jobs in film history. |
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Confessor
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Posts: 10,202
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Post by Confessor on Apr 27, 2021 14:45:40 GMT -5
No, it was all filmed. The Wampa sub-plot was left out of the final edit of the movie though, obviously. As much as anything, I think this was because they weren't happy with how the Wampa's moved or looked. A clip of C-3PO removing a "warning" sign from a door, behind which the Wampa's were locked, as the Imperial troops advanced through the base, was included in the ESB trailer though. Here's a still from the Wampa attack inside the Rebel base scene... I think it's pretty hilarious that out of all the fantastical things that Lucasfilm was able to make utterly believable, the one thing they couldn't get right was an old-fashioned man-in-a-monster-suit. I think the biggest -- though not the only -- problem was that the guys inside the Wampas were on stilts. That made it hard for them to walk or look truly threatening, as they often seemed on the verge of falling over, or so I've read. |
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Post by thwhtguardian on Apr 27, 2021 16:21:37 GMT -5
I think it's pretty hilarious that out of all the fantastical things that Lucasfilm was able to make utterly believable, the one thing they couldn't get right was an old-fashioned man-in-a-monster-suit. Especially since they had no problem making Chewbacca sell as real, and at the same time TESB was being produced, Alien was nearing completion with one of best man-in-a-suit jobs in film history. I think the difference with Chewbacca and the Wampas is that although furry Chewie is still basically human as far proportions go where as the Wampas are truly "other" so we're already thinking they aren't real. Alien skirts that by rarely showing the full creature effects and even when you do see the full body its in dim lighting so it hides a lot of the tells. |
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Post by dbutler69 on Apr 27, 2021 17:46:41 GMT -5
So, I assume that Tatooine Sojourn is next up for review, thwhtguardian? Ask and you shall receive: Tatooine Sojourn
September 10th to November 5th, 1979
Written by Steve Gerber
Penciled and colored by Russ Manning
Inked and Lettered by Mike Royer
Published by the LA Times Syndicate
 Summery: While out on deep space reconnaissance mission Luke and his trusty droids are hastily reassigned to a new mission on Tatooine, making this Luke's first return home since leaving with Obi-Wan, Han and Chewbacca. As he prepares to approach his former planet he intercepts a mysterious transmission telling him to head to the Mos Eisley Cantina for information about what the Imperials are up to. Landing at the space port Luke discovers that since he left the Imperials have set up a permanent base in Mos Eisley leading it to look much larger than when he once knew it. At the Cantina Luke meets his contact, a feline like alien named Anduvil of Ogem who explains that the Imperials newest scheme is the mysterious extraction of sensitive Rebel intelligence that has led to the destruction of several rebel bases as well as a mysterious infectious disease...a disease that shows up in the Cantina just as they are discussing it as they notice a Jawa exhibiting the symptoms of the disease causing Anduvil, Luke and his droids to flee to the dune sea where they take refuge in Obi-Wan's old home. Once there they learn that they did not leave soon enough as Luke is exhibiting the early stages, and to make things worse they become captured by the Empire. Once on base Luke learns that the Imperials have manufactured a strain of the disease that implants an image of an often visted star system onto the eyes of those afflicted which is how they are getting their information. Thankfully though, with the help of R2 and C3P0 Anduvil is able to obtain the antidote that Luke needs as well as there safe escape. Review: This strip is important to note for two reasons: it is the first strip to run both during the week and Sundays giving it a mix of short black and white strips and longer colored features and because it is the first story not written by Manning. On the first front this is an interesting change because the changing format gives it a very different pace as the three panel black and white strips tend to be more character focused with the larger, Sunday color strips are more action focused. The back and forth between these two types of strips really gives the story a much more balanced pace than we've seen in the past. Secondly we have the change in writers from Manning to Steve Gerber of Guardians of the Galaxy and Howard the Duck fame and the whole plot around a disease that paints stars in the eyes of the afflicted really feels very Gerber to me which gives this strip a much more Marvel feel than the previous chapters. In addition to that though, and much more importantly, we get some real characterization here as Gerber works not only to give us a glimpse at how Luke views his exodus from home but also stops to give us a real supporting character in Anduvil; she could have easily been a stock rebel informant there just to give Luke a needed info dump, but instead she is a much more realized character with her own personality and motivations which is refreshing. Both of those elements are great and represent serious improvements in the strip, but for me the real highlight came in the form of Luke's flashback to the last time he was at the Cantina: 
The depictions of Obi-Wan, Owen, Beru,Han and Chewie are truly spot on here and the way they are rendered as black and white ghosts layered over the colored back ground is a great way to highlight their unreality making this some of the best visual storytelling that Manning has put forward thus far. It's just a terribly unique, beautiful and very effective way of showing us the flood of memories that bombard Luke as he enters the Cantina.
I think the only failing here is that shortly after Luke gets to Tatooine we loose the emotional punch of Luke's return home in favor for action. The action is great, don't get me wrong, but with the strong start about Luke not wanting to go home and his reflections about all the changes in Mos Eisley upon his landing I was just expecting a more personal journey here but instead of following through on that it just gets jettisoned and the ensuing plot with the star eyes though entertaining feels a little un-Star Warsy.
Still, over all this was a good story even if it didn't fulfill the promise of its strong beginning.
Grade: B+ I haven’t read The Constancia Affair or The Kashyyyk Depths, so I’ll just have to skip to Tatooine Sojourn. You’re right that we get some in depth look at Luke’s personality here. Luke's feeling for Tatooine (not wanting to go back there) are quite a bit different here than in the Marvel comic, where going back wasn't such a big deal. It appears that it is common knowledge by now that the person who blew up the Death Star was from Tatooine. Anduvil is a good character, but she seems to have never heard of the Force. Kinda surprising. Luke's eyes are windows into the Empire's secrets?! The whole thing with this disease causing star charts to appear on the victim’s eyes was really weird. I agree that, after a strong story, this story sort of fell apart. That's really weird. |
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Post by dbutler69 on May 1, 2021 14:42:30 GMT -5
Princess Leia, Imperial ServantNovember 6th to December 31st, 1979 Written by Russ Helm Penciled and Colored by Russ Manning LA Times Syndicate  Summery: While on a deep space mission for the Rebellion, Princess Leia and another rebel agent named Hume discover that their ship is dangerously low on fuel and are forced to drop out of hyperspace in the middle of Imperial space...and are immediately confronted by an Imperial star destroyer, and not just any destroyer but Vader's own! Always impetuous, Leia wants to stay and fight but Hume knows the Rebellion can't lose one of its most important leaders and so he knocks her out and places her into an escape pod that blasts off just as the ship is destroyed. When Leia awakens in the pod she finds herself on the planet Phelarion where she uncovers an Imperial mining out post using slave labor and operated none other than the wife of the commander of the Death Star, Grand Moff Tarkin. Knowing this camp is her only chance she quickly disguises herself and joins the ranks of the slaves. Once in the camp Leia tries to blend in with the other slaves, but her beauty leads Lady Tarkin to key in on her and she is taken from the masses to be Tarkin's personal maidservant. Under Lady Tarkin's tutelage, Leia learns that the Tarkin mine isn't just an important source of Megonite for Imperial munitions but it is also to be the site of the Imperial Conclave, an important Imperial political event that could not only prove dangerous for her but could also prove to be her way off the planet. And as if all that weren't enough Leia also gets wrapped up in a smuggling scheme led by two of the slaves, she over hears them in a corridor and they capture her thinking she will expose them. However, Leia uses her diplomatic skills to convince them that rather than being a liability she is actually an asset as along with her elevated status as personal servant to Lady Tarkin she can travel the compound unquestioned which gives her access to the communications array, which she uses to make contact with one of their smuggler buddies off world. Before they can escape though Vader arrives on site and quickly uncovers the Megonite shortage and tracks it back to the smuggler's secret cave, and the storm troopers give chase nearly catching Leia in the process but at the last possible second the smuggler's friend shows up...and it's Han Solo, who rockets them all to safety aboard the Millennium Falcon. Review: While the story isn't perhaps as layered as the last two it had a fantastic sense of intrigue that I don't think I've ever experienced in another Star Wars story. Between Leia sneaking around the compound overhearing Imperial planning and getting involved in a plot to smuggle munitions off the planet it feels more like a spy story than a science fiction plot, which is pretty refreshing. Also refreshing is the take charge attitude that Leia shows us here, she's not a damsel in distress or just tagging along she's the protagonist here and from page one she's strong, intelligent and in control which is great to see. But perhaps the most interesting aspect is seeing how Tarkin's death has affected his wife, he was one of the chief antagonists in a New Hope so it's both interesting just to learn that he has a family and that they saw him as a hero.  The anger that Lady Tarkin feels with the Rebellion for taking her husband is interesting as it is the same emotional reason that many hate the Empire, making this one of the few times that we see that this is a civil war and that there are strong, complicated feelings on both sides, not just a simple good versus evil.
Grade:B
I agree with all of this. This was an enjoyable story, though more of a spy story than science fiction or space fantasy. I also found it interesting that they showed us Lady Tarkin, and even more interesting how apparently devoted to her husband she was, and how angry she was with the rebels for killing him aboard the Death Star. I also loved seeing Leia as a strong, resourceful, and intelligent character. And I have to say, Russ Manning draws the most adorable Princess Leia. Ranks right up there with Al Plastino's Supergirl.  Anyway, sorry for that digression, but, having praised the story, there were a few things I didn't like. For one thing, Vader says he doesn't eat or drink?! That's a bit much, Mr. Manning. I'm a little surprised Lucasfilm okayed that. Also, in the scene where Leia was in Lady Tarkin's chambers sending the signal, and the guard surprised her and he somehow died, it was not at all clear to me what happened there. I guess the meganite somehow exploded and killed the guard, but I really couldn't make out what happened there. The scene where Leia sprayed something (perfume??) into that visiting dignitary's face also baffled me. Han Solo being the friend who shows up at the end to rescue them was a bit much, too. I guess it sort of makes sense that he'd have a thief/smuggler friend, and that he might be involved in this shady deal, but it just seemed like too much of a coincidence. A few really minor nits included Lady Tarkin, surprised, saying "meteorites at this time of year?" as if meteorites are seasonal; her clumsy way of finding the meganite thieves by merely barding into the barracks and saying "who stole my meganite?" and the fact that those crooks were so careless as to let Leia listen in on their conversation like that. Discretion, guys! This chick shows up and 5 minutes later she knows your whole scheme because you're openly blabbing about it. Anyway, like I said, overall, and enjoyable story. I'd give it a B, too. |
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