“I told you to get off my lawn!”
Star Wars: Shadows Of The Empire #3
Dark Horse (July, 1996)
WRITER: John Wagner PENCILER: Kilian Plunkett INKER: P. Craig. Russell COLORIST: Cary Porter SEPARATIONS: Heroic Age COVER ART: Hugh Fleming DESIGNER: Scott Tice LETTERER: Dave Cooper EDITOR: Peet James
As Vader suspected, Jabba now opts for Luke to be killed. As the swoop biker gang goes after the burgeoning Jedi (just as he’s finished building his own lightsaber) he has two unexpected helpers, Jix and Dash Rendar (who overheard the gang talking at the cantina). Then a message lands in front of Luke and Dash about a meeting with Bothan spies. With Leia looking into whomever put the bounty on Luke, it’s up to the Jedi to go in her place, with Dash and R2 coming along. Meanwhile, the Emperor and Vader disagree on the shipment of a computer with info on the Emperor’s new project and Xizor decides it’s time to play both sides so he doesn’t end up on the losing one. And Boba Fett’s ships is infiltrated by a saboteur, leaving the bounty hunter and his prize vulnerable before the other bounty hunters.
What they got right: The action scenes are well done, and for the space it keeps to the important parts of the novel.
What they got wrong: The Bothans dropped a meteorite as their means of getting their message to Leia via Luke? That’s some serious precision.
Recommendation: The comic is still worth picking up, but you really need to read the novel.
BW Media Spotlight 