Description

Star Wars – Dark Empire II                                               Comics Lot
Writer: Tom Veitch
Artist: Cam Kennedy
Letterer: Todd Klein
Editors: Dan Thorsland & Ryder Windham
All Covers by: Dave Dorman

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away…

Star Wars is an American epic space opera franchise centered on a film series created by George Lucas.  The film series began with Star Wars, released on May 25, 1977. This was followed by two sequels: The Empire Strikes Back, released on May 21, 1980, and Return of the Jedi, released on May 25, 1983. Then more than two decades after the release of the original film, the series continued with a prequel trilogy; consisting of Episode I: The Phantom Menace, released on May 19, 1999; Episode II: Attack of the Clones, released on May 16, 2002; Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, released on May 19, 2005; and finally the epic saga concluded with Star Wars: The Force Awakens released on December 18, 2015;  Star Wars: The Last Jedi was released on December 18, 2017. Star Wars: The Last Jedi, released on December 18, 2017. And Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker was released on December 20, 2019.

In December 1991, Dark Horse Comics introduced, the “Dark Empire Trilogy”, ambitious sequels to the original trilogy which follows the post-trilogy adventures of the main characters from the original Star Wars franchise. The trilogy consists of; Dark Empire I a six-issue limited series published bimonthly in 1991 and 1992, Dark Empire II was also a six-issue limited series published from 1994 to 1995 and Empire’s End, two-issue limited series published in 1995.

Now… a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away… Dark Empire II! The Empire in retreat, Luke Skywalker is on a quest to rebuild the Jedi. But before he can revive that elite corps of protectors, he must first rebuild himself! He has spent time as the Emperor’s thrall, and the taint of the dark side still tugs at his subconscious. Can he pull together the Jedi, can he pull himself together, before the New Republic loses the upper hand, or will the Empire take root once more?

Story/Spoilers
In issue #1, “Operation Shadow Hand”, Luke Skywalker’s bold attempt to learn the dark-side secrets of Emperor Palpatine nearly ended in disaster for Luke and for the Rebel Alliance. But thanks to Luke’s Jedi sister Leia Organa Solo, Han Solo, and other good friends, Luke was rescued and the Empire’s terrible World Devastator weapons were destroyed. In a final confrontation with the Emperor himself, Luke and Leia joined together as Jedi in the Force. Enveloped in light, the Emperor fell victim to his own cataclysmic dark-side energy! Long before the cloned Emperor’s demise, the evil ruler initiated an elite corps of seven warriors whom he empowered with the dark side of the Force. These “dark Jedi,” as he called them, were authorized to put into action his master plan to retake the Galaxy: Operation Shadow Hand. Following the disappearance of their Emperor, the Imperial elite, under the command of Darkside Executor Sedriss, initiated a series of assaults against the world in proximity to the Galactic Core. Luke Skywalker, in the meantime, had found clues in the Jedi Holocron which made him believe that some Jedi Knights might have survived Darth Vader’s program of extermination. Near the Cron Drift, in the derelict space city Nespis VIII, Luke discovered the fallen Jedi Kam Solusar. With great difficulty, Luke managed to free Solusar from the dark side. In gratitude, Solusar agreed to join Luke in reviving the ancient company of Jedi Knights. As Luke returns to Pinnacle Base, Darkside Executor Sedriss is going forward with Operation Shadow Hand. Sedriss and his men are preparing to deliver the Empire’s discipline to a renegade manufacturing world at the fringes of the Galactic Core.

Next in issue #2, “Duel on Nar Shaddaa”, Luke Skywalker has returned to Pinnacle Base with Kam Solusar, a Jedi knight he rescued from the dark side of the Force and whose father, Ranik, was murdered by Darth Vader. Meanwhile, in a dreaded turn of events, Emperor Palpatine has again taken a youthful clone body and renewed the determination of Military Executor Sedriss and his elite Darkside Warriors. Unaware of the Emperor’s return, the leaders of the Rebel Alliance gather to hear a daring strategy: Lando Calrissian and Wedge Antilles will intercept a cargo of Imperial war droids and use them to attack the Emperor’s citadel on Byss. Luke Skywalker disagrees with the plan, but Mon Mothma overrides him and encourages Luke and Leia to continue their search for lost Jedi. As Mon Mothma says, “It is now clear that the future of the New Republic depends on the revival of the Jedi knights.” Luke and Kam Solusar plan to investigate the planet Ossus, an ancient center of Jedi culture. Leia, pregnant with her third child, will journey with Han Solo to New Alderaan to be with their twin children. En route, they will visit Nar Shaddaa in hopes of finding Vima-Da-Boda, the old woman who gave Leia an ancient Jedi lightsaber.

Next in issue #3, “World of the Ancient Sith”, Jedi Princess Leia, pregnant with her third child, journeys with Han Solo and Chewbacca to the spaceport moon of Nar Shaddaa, where Leia hopes to find the old Jedi woman, Vima-da-Boda. Arriving in the ancient spaceport, Leia and Han are stalked by bounty hunters, Gank killers, and warriors from the Emperor’s new Darkside Elite. After a vicious confrontation with the Ganks, Leia and Han succeed in finding Vima in the deepest levels of the city. But Boba Fett follows them, resulting in a clash which ends when Chewbacca rips off Fett’s helmet and ignites his jet pack, sending Boba Fett blasting into the darkness. Safely aboard the Millennium Falcon, Leia, Han, and Chewbacca attempt to take Vima-da-Boda away from Nar Shaddaa, but the Falcon is caught in a tractor beam by an Imperial Star Destroyer. In a test of wits, Han Solo tricks the Commander of the Star Destroyer into impaling his ship on a city pylon. As the massive warship plunges to destruction, the Falcon jumps safely to hyperspace. Leia, Han, and Chewbacca are not the only Rebels on a quest. In another part of the galaxy, Luke Skywalker and Jedi Knight Kam Solusar are on their way to the planet Ossus, an ancient Jedi stronghold, to hunt for Jedi artifacts… And Han Solo’s old friends Salla Zend and Shug Ninx are returning to Byss, the Emperor’s throneworld, in hope of recovering Salla’s ship, the Starlight Intruder.

Next in issue #4, “Battle on Byss”, Learning that Luke Skywalker and Kam Solusar are on the ancient Jedi planet Ossus, Emperor Palpatine orders his Darkside Executor Sedriss to bring back the two Jedi – alive. Meanwhile, amidst the ruins of Ossus, Luke and Kam find a young man and woman tied to an ancient tree. Luke senses the two youths – whose names are Jem and Rayf – are potential Jedi. When Luke frees them, he incurs the wrath of their tribe, the Ysanna. But when Sedriss and his shocktroopers attack, the Ysanna warriors help the Jedi defeat the Imperial darksiders. In a desperate attempt to save himself, Sedriss takes the young woman Jem Ysanna captive. Unexpectedly, Sedriss confronts a new adversary – the withered old “tree” is in fact an intelligent being – Master Ood Bnar, a 5000-year-old Neti Jedi! Awakening now from a thousand-year sleep, Master Ood engages Sedriss in a great Force-battle. The encounter ends disastrously when Master Ood draws down a massive charge of energy that destroys them both! Examining the place where the departed Jedi stood, Rayf Ysanna discovers Jedi treasure hidden under Master Ood’s roots – a trove of long-forgotten lightsabers! Elsewhere, across the Galaxy, Rebel commandos led by Lando Calrissian and Wedge Antilles set into motion a dangerous plan to strike at the heart of the Empire!

Next in issue #5, “The Galaxy Weapon”, On the ancient Jedi planet Ossus, Luke Skywalker, Kam Solusar, and the young Ysanna warriors Jem and Rayf explore an ancient library. Luke finds a book on ancient Jedi Battle Meditation, a subject spoken of by Obi-Wan Kenobi, about which Luke has learned little. Luke asks the Ysanna tribe to join him and become Jedi Knights. The chiefs refuse, but they allow both Jem and Rayf to leave Ossus with Luke – as his Jedi apprentices. Elsewhere, as the Millenium Falcon departs Nar Shaddaa, Boba Fett’s Slave I appears out of nowhere, catching the Falcon with its shields down. Fett’s firepower finds its mark, and the seriously damaged Falcon careens into a radioactive, interstellar gas cloud. Emerging on the other side of the gas cloud, Han, Leia, and Chewbacca behold an unexpected sight: a massive, antique, steam-powered spacecraft. An entire race of people – the Ganathians – live cut off from the rest of the galaxy by the gas cloud. Their ruler is a Jedi, Empatojayos Brand, who has hidden here for decades from the wrath of the Empire. Jedi Brand, who suffered terrible loss of limb in a battle with Darth Vader, wears complex life-support systems and high-tech prosthetics of his own design. Brand is overjoyed to meet Leia and Vima Da-Boda… and to learn of Luke Skywalker’s plan to restore the Jedi Knights. On Byss, Lando Calrissian’s commando teams direct their powerful Viper Automadon war droids against the Emperor’s citadel. But they are about to confront a new adversary from the Emperor’s arsenal of dark-side surprises.

Finally, in issue #6, “Hand of Darkness”, As Lando Calrissian’s Viper Automadon war droids attack the Emperor’s citadel on Byss, they are met by an army of monstrous creatures bent on destruction. They war droids are no match for the Emperor’s dark-side monsters, and soon the Rebels are pinned down amidst the ruins of their attack. But Salla Zend and Shug Ninx pull together a group of smugglers to come to the aid of the Rebels. Manning fast-armed freighters, the spacers hold the dark-side beasts at bay long enough for Lando’s crew to scramble aboard. Across the galaxy, Luke Skywalker, Kam Solusar, and the young Jedi Knights Jem and Rayf Ysanna head for the Alliance command base on the pinnacled fifth moon of Da Soocha. As Luke’s ship, the Jedi Explorer, emerges from hyperspace, a light-speed torpedo fired from the Emperor’s new Galaxy Weapon emerges near them, heading straight for Pinnacle Base. Guessing the projectile’s purpose, Luke tries to shoot it down – but the torpedo’s shields hold and it strikes the Rebel moon with a planet-shattering blast. Elsewhere, the Millenium Falcon, repaired by antique Ganathan technology, arrives at a tiny settlement on exotic New Alderaan. There, Han and Leia’s twin children, Jacen and Jaina, have been secreted since birth from the prying eyes of the Emperor…

Comics lot contains: Star Wars – Dark Empire II (1994 – 1995) Issues #1-6.  Dark Horse Comics

Comics are bagged & boarded and will be carefully / securely packaged then shipped via USPS Priority Mail to insure that it arrives to you perfectly and quickly.

All First Printings
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Publication Date: 1994 – 1995
Format per comic: FC 32 pages, Comic, 10.25″ x 6.75″
UPC: None Stated

Collectible Entertainment note: Comics 1,2,3,4,5,6 are in Fine + to Very Fine condition.  Very Nice Set!  Please See Scans!!  A must have for any serious Star Wars collector and/or enthusiast.  A fun & entertaining read.  Very Highly Recommended.

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