Description

Star Wars Tales #1           Comic
Editors: Mike Hansen & Peet Janes
Cover by: Igor Kordey

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. And Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker was released on December 20, 2019.

Star Wars Tales is an anthology comic book series published by Dark Horse Comics, beginning on September 29, 1999, and completing its run on July 13, 2005. Each issue is 64 pages and features a few unrelated stories from various eras of the Star Wars timeline. Stories from issues #1–20 were retroactively labelled “Infinities”, placing them outside the Star Wars canon, while those of issues #21–24 were considered to be within continuity, unless labelled otherwise. References to the stories were made within the Expanded Universe, the entirety of which was deemed non-canon by Lucasfilm in 2014.

And now, Dark Horse Presents “Star Wars Tales #1”. Star Wars Tales features the world’s greatest comics creators and their spins on the Star Wars saga, both within and beyond the continuity! Mara Jade meets Rebel General Madine in A Night on the Town by Timothy Zahn and Igor Kordey! A retired Jedi ignites her lightsaber one last time for a battle with Darth Vader in an all-new story by Ron Marz and 1998 Eisner nominee Claudio Castellini! And super-scribe Peter David and penciller Martin Egeland come together to spin the saga of “Skippy the Jedi Droid”! This is Star Wars as you’ve never seen it before!

Star Wars Tales #1 contains these stories:“Life, Death, and the Living Force” 14 pages
Writer: Jim Woodring
Artist: Robert Teranishi
Colorist: Chris Chuckry
Letterer: Michael Taylor

The events in this story take place before Star Wars: The Phantom Menace. On the planet of Arorua, a young Obi-Wan Kenobi narrowly escapes death at the hands of a squollyhawlk. He seeks out his Master Qui-Gon Jinn, who has a small, obnoxious Moggonite named Mosko Bolpa on his shoulder. They take him back to their camp, where he annoys Obi-Wan to no end, but gets fed by Qui-Gon, for which he is less than grateful. Mosko leaves, and, in the middle of the night, brings what is apparently his clan to the camp in an attempt to kill the two Jedi and steal everything they have. They are unsuccessful, as the Jedi end up killing every last one of them. Qui-Gon suggests they find a new camp, fearing that more of them will come. While searching for a new campsite, Obi-Wan asks Qui-Gon why he originally fed and took care of Mosko, then killed him without a hint of remorse. Qui-Gon explains that everything he does is dictated by the Living Force; if Mosko had killed him, he would not have been able to do his job as a Jedi. Obi-Wan points to a nearby mountain as a new campsite, but as they get closer to it, it starts looking incredibly horrific. Qui-Gon explains that it’s a sacrificial altar to a silan. Qui-Gon says that he must go in; that the Living Force is directing him. Obi-Wan reluctantly goes with him, and the two ruthlessly kill the massive silan inside. When the two Jedi have set up camp nearby, Obi-Wan asks if and why that was really the right thing to do. Qui-Gon says that the Living Force is a mysterious thing, and he doesn’t know why it told them to carry out the attack. Despite this, Qui-Gon comforts Obi-Wan, telling him that he “is in the hands of something much greater and much better than he can imagine.”
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“Mara Jade: A Night on the Town” 16 pages
Writer: Timothy Zahn
Artist: Igor Kordey
Colorist: Keith Wood
Letterer: Vickie Williams

The events in this story take place after Star Wars: Return of the Jedi. Mara Jade lands on Kintoni in an attempt to escape the forces of Ysanne Isard. There she spots Rebel General Crix Madine being escorted by several Rebel guards to a local garrison. Mara infiltrates the building that Crix entered and sees him interrogating former Imperial Governor Barkale. Barkale insists he knows nothing of the location of his sector forces, and he is eventually sent back to his “quarters.” Mara works her way through the building to Governor Barkale, until she finds a datapad showing the Executor. She links it into the main sensor feed. She continues through the garrison until she’s stopped in Madine’s quarters. Crix calls for reinforcements, but when he reaches for his robe, she shoots his blaster out of his hands and puts her own to his head just as the reinforcements arrive. Meanwhile, the Executor is seen on the security screen (a product of Mara’s sabotage), resulting in the alarm being sounded, allowing Mara to stun-blast the distracted guards. Mara makes a deal with Crix; one which apparently involves her and Governor Barkale getting out alive. Barkale leads Mara to his home nearby, where Mara discovers a sculpture and asks where it came from. Barkale claims he got it from the treasury, but Mara notices that it was reported by Barkale to be stolen or destroyed in a Rebel attack two years ago; as is the case for most of the art in the room. She charges him with treasonous embezzlement, but Barkale throws a vase at her head. She quickly ducks out of the way and shoots Governor Barkale with her blaster. Mara contacts General Madine, and gives him the address of Barkale’s treasure stash; she muses that the Rebels would have found it regardless, and that them getting it a few days early was worth killing the traitorous Barkale. As dawn approaches, Mara boards a shuttle and flies off.
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“Extinction, Part 1 of 2” 16 pages
Writer: Ron Marz
Artist: Claudio Castellini
Colorist: Guy Major
Letterer: Michael Taylor

The events in this story take place after Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith. Darth Vader arrives on Coruscant and enters the Emperor’s chambers. Palpatine tells his apprentice that Mara Jade has found another Jedi. Mara explains that a man trying to escape Imperial custody on Kuat gave her information about a hidden Jedi known only as the Dark Woman, who has been hiding on the fifth planet in the Cophrigin system. Vader and Mara both demand to be the one to kill her. Palpatine declares that Vader shall carry out the mission. Vader lands on Cophrigin’s fifth planet in his Lambda-class shuttle and seeks out the Dark Woman. He engages her in a vicious lightsaber duel, lasting several minutes. In the end, Vader knocks a tree down with the Force, landing on top of the Dark Woman, incapacitating her. Vader goes over to her upper body, sticking out from beneath the tree, and stabs his lightsaber down, but the Dark Woman disappears, in much the same way Obi-Wan Kenobi will a year later. She appears as a Force ghost and tells Vader to let go of the dark side and return to being Anakin Skywalker. Vader refuses to do so, slashing his lightsaber through the Dark Woman’s transparent form. She disappears, and Vader slowly walks back to his shuttle, successful in his mission.
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“Skippy the Jedi Droid” 8 pages
Writer: Peter David
Artist: Marty Egeland
Inker: Howard Shum
Colorist: Harold MacKinnon
Letterer: Vickie Williams

Obi-Wan Kenobi leaves a cantina, sensing the Force in someone. But no matter how hard he looked, he wasn’t able to find anyone, despite his great ability in the Force. Suddenly, unbeknownst to Obi-Wan, an astromech droid serving drinks at Jabba’s Palace is bumped into by Boba Fett, spilling one of the drinks from his tray. But before it can hit the ground, the droid, named R5-D4, is able to reach out with his mind and turn the drink back in its upright position and serve it to Jabba the Hutt; thankfully nobody had noticed what had just happened, as it had gone by so fast. One day, R5 removed his restraining bolt with the Force, and Force persuaded the Gamorrean guards to let him leave. Skippy wandered the desert for days in search of his destiny, until finally he was picked up by a Jawa sandcrawler. There he had visions of Darth Vader and Princess Leia, and met R2-D2 and C-3PO. Eventually the Sandcrawler stopped, took all the droids out, and lined them up side by side in front of Owen Lars and Luke Skywalker. Skippy immediately sensed the Force in Luke, and persuaded Owen to choose him. Skippy was ecstatic at the undoubtable destiny that lay before him and Luke. However, R5 soon envisioned that, without Luke, stormtroopers would come and take R2 back to Vader, where he would be destroyed and Leia would be killed, leading to a chain reaction of horror that will include the Rebellion being destroyed, R5’s memory being wiped after 3PO refuses to translate his ‘rubbish’, and Luke dying on Tatooine without ever fulfilling his destiny. R5 knew what he had to do, and suddenly set off a mild explosion inside himself, leading Luke to believe that he had a busted motivator. Skippy then used the Force on 3PO, telling Luke to buy R2 instead. Owen did so, leaving R5 to be destroyed by a stray stormtrooper blast during the later raid, with nobody ever knowing the great deed that R5 had just done.
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Comic is bagged & double boarded and will be carefully / securely packaged then shipped via USPS Priority Mail to ensure that it arrives to you perfectly and quickly.

First Printing
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Publication Date: September 1999
Format: FC, 64 pages, Comic, 10.20″ x 6.65″
UPC: 070989325098

Collectible Entertainment note: Comic is in Fine + condition.  Very Nice!  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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