|
|
Post by dbutler69 on Jul 17, 2021 6:56:05 GMT -5
Star Wars #107Cover dated: September 1986 Issue title: All Together NowScript: Mary Jo Duffy Artwork: Cynthia Martin (layouts)/Whilce Portacio (finished pencils & inks) Colours: Elaine Lee Letters: Tom Orzechowski Cover art: Cynthia Martin (pencils)/Joe Rubinstein (inks) Overall rating: 4 out of 10  Plot summary: Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, Han Solo, Fenn Shysa, Dani, and R2-D2 and C-3PO have all been sent on an important mission to the Tof-held planet of Saijo, along with a team comprised of the Alliance's new Imperial and Nagai allies, which includes Knife and Den Siva. Spies have learned that the Tof's ruling monarch and absolute leader, Prince Sereno, is currently on the remote planet and the group hopes to take him prisoner in a surprise attack and force a surrender. The group infiltrates the Tof's headquarters by posing as Nagai prisoners and veiled ladies-in-waiting of the royal court. Once inside the throne room, the group finds that the Dark Lady Lumiya has aligned herself with the Tofs, following the recent truce between the Nagai and the Alliance of Free Planets. As the assault begins, the Tofs call in support from the orbiting bulk cruiser Merriweather, but the fighters that are dispatched from the ship are intercepted and destroyed by Lando Calrissian and Chewbacca in the Millennium Falcon, and Rogue Squadron, led by Wedge Antilles. Meanwhile, back on Saijo, Knife is knocked unconscious by a stun shot from Lumiya's blaster, as Leia comes to the fallen Nagai warrior's aid, only to have her own blaster snatched from her hand by the Dark Lady's Force powers. As Lumiya draws a bead on the princess, a Tof warrior shoots the Dark Lady in the back, seemingly killing her. Luke then captures Prince Sereno and forces him to command his troops to surrender, as the Tof traitor who saved Leia is revealed to be none other than Knife's half-brother and Han's childhood friend, Bey. As Solo, Knife and Bey reunite and make their peace with each other, Luke expresses his hope that the various races and individuals that united against the Tofs will now learn to live together in peace. Comments: So, here we are then – at the end of Marvel's original Star Wars series. Unfortunately, it's a rather ignoble and largely unsatisfying end to the series, but this is no doubt partly due to the fact that the end came suddenly for the title. Apparently, writer Jo Duffy and artist Cynthia Martin had no idea when they began work on this issue that it would be the last one, as Duffy told the Belgian Star Wars fan club magazine, TeeKay-421, in 2011: "Cynthia and myself were preparing a story when Marvel told us that it would be the last issue. We had to adapt and change the script in order to get a decent ending of the series." Whether Duffy actually delivered a "decent ending" is open to debate, but a clue as to the story that she originally intended to tell in this issue can be found in an early solicitation for Star Wars #107 in Marvel Age #41. The listing describes a completely different adventure, in which Luke Skywalker is hunted on a frontier world, by a number of different assassins, all intent on becoming known as the man who killed the legendary Jedi Knight. This early solicitation also reveals that the issue was originally meant to be inked by Ken Steacy, presumably before Whilce Portacio was brought in to help with the extensive re-tooling of the artwork needed to accommodate Duffy's hastily rewritten series finale. During the same 2011 interview with TeeKay-421 magazine, Duffy expanded on her long-term plans for the series: "I had written and thought of stories months up ahead. The Nagai were being hunted by the Tofs themselves and that's why they invaded the universe of the heroes. We had a lot more plans with Bey, the half-Corellian, half-Nagai who was a close friend of Han Solo. Bey would become more and more tragic since he was torn apart between two cultures he cherished. It was foreseen that Bey and Dani, who would also become more and more depressed, would attack the Tof fleet in a kamikaze attack so that the Tof invasion could be stopped." It's both interesting and surprising that Duffy would plan to have Dani sacrifice herself in this manner, when the readers know from the events of Star Wars #102 that her true love, Kiro – who she believes to have been murdered by Den Siva – is actually still alive. I would have assumed that there would be some kind of resolution to that dangling plot thread in the pipeline and, given that Duffy is clearly hinting at the possibility of a complex and twisted love affair between Den and Dani, perhaps a complicated love triangle between the Zeltron, the Nagai and the Iskalonian. In the end though, the Dani/Kiro romance and the heartbroken Zeltron's ongoing state of depression are unfortunately left unresolved. As for why the series was cancelled, Duffy has given conflicting explanations about that over the years. Back in 1987, she told Starlog magazine that the main reason Marvel decided to cancel the comic was because the increasingly restrictive instructions coming down from Lucasfilm about what she could or couldn't do with the franchise's main characters made it increasingly difficult for her to write interesting stories. Duffy reiterated this in a 2005 interview with Back Issue magazine: "The restrictions from Lucasfilm are what effectively canceled the book. It got to the point where they said that I couldn't do this and that with the characters … we got the feeling that whoever was in charge of approving all this at Lucasfilm didn't want there to be a comic book at all anymore." In 2011, Duffy also revealed that Lucasfilm's restrictions even extended to her own original characters: "It was a bit strange because Lucasfilm started to tell us what should happen (or not happen) to the characters that I (or Marvel) had created. I thought that was a rather alarming evolution." However, in the aforementioned TeeKay-421 interview, Duffy seemingly contradicts herself by saying, "I can guarantee you that it was not Lucasfilm who wanted to end the Marvel Comics; it was Marvel itself that decided to spend more time on the superheroes. Cynthia and me were asked to work on other projects, but we both would have wanted to write Star Wars forever." One thing's for sure though, despite the book's shift to a bi-monthly schedule, it wasn't declining sales that were the problem, as Duffy told Back Issue: " Star Wars was still selling over 100,000 copies a month, better than most of the mid-range superhero books, up until the end." Regardless of the whys and wherefores of the series' demise, this final issue is a mess. For one thing, it's excessively wordy in places, as Duffy desperately struggles to tie up all of the loose ends and bring the Nagai–Tof War – as well as the series – to a conclusion. Cynthia Martin's artwork is wildly uneven and every bit as annoyingly stylised as we've come to expect from her. Of course, an awful lot of this comic was hastily redrawn by Portacio, but the end result – a blend of Martin's cartoony, manga-influenced work and Portacio's delicate detailing and hatching – looks like an ill-matched collision of two very different artistic styles. However, by far the most glaring problem with the artwork is Luke Skywalker's overall appearance. The former skinny farm boy from Tatooine and lithe-bodied Jedi Knight has suddenly turned into...Rambo!   I mean, seriously...what is up with that?! Luke's hair seems to have grown a full five inches since last issue and he's suddenly gotten very buff indeed. The fact that he's constantly shirtless throughout the issue, brandishes a huge laser cannon and sports a ridiculous headband leaves me in no doubt that Martin was attempting to tap into the popularity of the Rambo films in the mid-80s. I have to wonder if this was supposed to be the start of a new, "action hero" direction for the character, which Duffy and Martin had planned to introduce with this issue, before they learned that it was to be the last? The mind boggles! While we're on the subject of the artwork, the front cover is also pretty dire, with a woeful rendition of R2-D2, a weird dog-faced creature standing in for Chewbacca and … is the Wookiee actually cradling Lando Calrissian in his arms? It's a pity that we couldn't have gotten a glorious painted cover from Tom Palmer for this issue, like we did for issues #81 and #100, but I guess that the rapidity with which this "Final Issue" was knocked up precluded any such creation from Palmer. Weirdly, the bumbling and annoying Hiromi are pictured on the front cover too, but, thankfully, they're nowhere to be seen inside. Plif and the Hoojibs also don't appear in this story. Another problem I have with Star Wars #107 is the appearance of the Tof's Crown Prince and absolute ruler, Prince Sereno, who seems like a totally contrived character, designed as a means of quickly wrapping up the Nagai–Tof war. We also get the supposedly shocking return of Han's childhood friend, Bey, but it's hardly much of a surprise. It becomes pretty obvious early on in the issue that it's Bey who is the "most trusted and skilled agent" of the Alliance that Admiral Ackbar speaks of, and the fact that the characters are suddenly discussing him again, after having not mentioned him for months, telegraphs Bey's return long before the big reveal. Although Duffy never makes it explicit, the inference here is that Bey's seeming betrayal of Han Solo in issue #100, was all part of an Alliance plan for him to go deep undercover with the Nagai on Saijo, after which he infiltrated the Tof's ranks. While that's kind of neat, I strongly suspect that Bey's undercover role was not something that Duffy had really planned all along, but rather something that she quickly pulled out of her arse at the last minute to tie up Bey's storyline. This issue also sees the return of Lumiya, with her all-consuming hatred for Luke still very much intact. I noted in my review of issue #97 that Lumiya's promise as a top-drawer villain goes largely unfulfilled in the Marvel run and her final appearance isn't particularly memorable either. Even when she's gunned down and seemingly killed by Bey!  Of course, based on the character's subsequent appearances in later expanded universe materials, Lumiya clearly survived Bey's shot and escaped from Saijo in the confusion. However, it's definitely an interesting development to see that the Dark Lady has now aligned herself with the Tofs, claiming that she was only in league with the Nagai because she believed that they could help her kill Skywalker. While Lumiya's flip-flopping allegiances seem totally in character for such a vengeful adversary, allying herself with the Tofs seems like a stretch because they appear to be little more than brutish thugs. They also look pretty ridiculous...  Certainly the Tofs aren't nearly as cunning or ruthlessly cold-blooded as the Nagai and I find it hard to believe that someone as fiendish and scheming as Lumiya would align herself with such clods. Again though, I'm sure that Lumiya was not intended to appear in this issue originally, but was shoehorned in when the creative team learned that this would be the series finale. On the plus side, Duffy paints a fairly convincing picture of the uneasy alliance between the Nagai and the Alliance of Free Planets, although at one point Luke actually refers to Knife as "friend", which seems a bit much, given all the evil deeds he's done. But at least Han is a little bit more cynical and grudging towards the Alliance's new-found allies. It's also a nice touch to see that the ex-Mandalorian Supercommando Fenn Shysa and Wedge Antilles, that perennial survivor of the original trilogy, both appear in this final issue. For all of its faults, this is actually a pretty exciting and action-packed issue, that returns us to the planet Saijo, which we first saw in Star Wars #93, "Catspaw". It's just that things never quite come together in a wholly satisfying way. The climax to the Nagai–Tof war never lives up to Duffy's intentions of creating a sweeping, thematically complex intergalactic epic, and this final instalment desperately races to its conclusion in a badly paced and decidedly unfulfilling manner. When Luke states, in the final panel, that he hopes that all the races of the galaxy will have a fair chance at making peace, it feels forced and totally unconvincing. A series as popular and as important to Star Wars fans of the era as this, should've gone out with a real bang. Given the creative team's lacklustre track record of late though, along with the rapidity with which the series was cancelled, that simply wasn't going to happen. Part of the trouble is that Duffy's earlier work on the series was much, much better than what we've been getting from her over the last year or so. The meddling restrictions that came down from Lucasfilm no doubt had something to do with this drop in quality, but I also wonder if Duffy's own enthusiasm for the comic waned? Maybe that's unfair of me, and certainly it goes against the obvious enthusiasm that Duffy still displays for the book, even after all these years. Talking to Kurt Anthony Krug in Star Wars Insider #91 from 2006, she said of the series, "I absolutely love those characters. I got to work with some of the best characters on the planet – it was amazing." In 2011, Duffy said of her work on the series, "Some people write stories because they're getting paid for it. I wrote Star Wars because I loved the movies and the characters." After the series came to an end, it would be another five years before fans got additional post- Return of the Jedi stories, starting with the June 1991 publication of Timothy Zahn's Heir to the Empire novel. From there, Dark Horse Comics would take over the publishing of Star Wars comics, beginning with the Dark Empire mini-series. But those stories and the countless other books and comics that followed would be set in a different continuity to the older Marvel series, for the most part. Myself, I would love for Disney to have Marvel Comics launch a monthly continuation of the old Marvel Star Wars continuity, under the "Legends" banner. It could pick up right where issue #107 left off, with Jo Duffy writing the book again, and maybe later on we could have guest writers like David Michelinie or the return of artists like Walt Simonson. Now, that would be a Star Wars series that I'd be all over in a heartbeat! Viewing Marvel's Bronze Age Star Wars series in its entirety, it was, on occasion, uneven, but, for the most part, it was a damn good read. For countless fans like myself, this comic was the Star Wars saga back in the '70s and '80s, at least in terms of ongoing adventures between the films. It introduced us to memorable and beloved characters such as Valance the Hunter, Fenn Shysa, Shira Brie, and Dani, all of whom found a place in fans' hearts, right alongside their better known, George Lucas-created cinematic counterparts. As I said in the very first post of this review thread, back in December 2014, at its best, Marvel's Star Wars comic featured excellent stories, incredible artwork, some fairly mature concepts, and, above all, it captured the innocent wonder and wide-eyed spectacle of the original trilogy perfectly. I still miss it.  Continuity issues: None Favourite panel:  Favourite quote: "'Now … good luck to you all and may the Force be with you.' Not a bad send off, when you think of it." – Luke Skywalker recalls the words of Admiral Ackbar, prior to the Alliance of Free Planets' assault on the Tof headquarters on Saijo. This one fine title really struggled to the finish line. It was a mercy killing at the end. Here are some of my random thoughts. The Alliance is all of a sudden buddies with the Nagai?! And the former Imperials?! A lot has obviously happened since the last issue. Not a good transition. Very rushed issue. Fenn is awfully forgiving of the Nagai. Weird that Dani is with Den. The Tofs look like fat pirates - not scary. Mostly just a lot of talking this issue, until the last few pages. Nien Numb looks wrong - and too short. Why is Luke shirtless?? An X-Wing his two fighters at once?! Leia risking her life for Knife?? More weirdness. |
|
|
|
Post by tarkintino on Jul 17, 2021 7:38:08 GMT -5
What better way to end the dying Marvel Star Wars than for "artist" Cynthia Martin to turn Luke Skywalker into John Rambo, complete with headband, similarly styled hair, 'roided-up physique and a large rifle--  Of course, she was carrying out the demands of the story, so Duffy really hammered the final nail in this title's coffin by doing that to Luke. |
|
|
|
Post by dbutler69 on Jul 19, 2021 10:36:30 GMT -5
Star Wars #1Cover dated: July 1977 (actually issued in March 1977) Issue title: Star WarsScript: Roy Thomas Artwork: Howard Chaykin Colours: Marie Severin Letters: Jim Novak Cover art: Howard Chaykin (pencils)/Tom Palmer (inks) Overall rating: 5½ out of 10  Plot summary: The premier issue of Marvel's Star Wars comic contains part 1 of the comic adaptation of the first Star Wars movie by Roy Thomas and Howard Chaykin. The issue introduces Darth Vader and the Imperial Forces, who capture the starship of Princess Leia Organa, a leader of the Rebel Alliance. Before she is seized by Vader, Leia manages to hide the technical plans for the Empire's new battle station, the Death Star, in the memory banks of a droid named R2-D2. The droid manages to escape from the Rebel ship with his robot companion C-3PO and the pair land on the nearby desert planet of Tatooine. Soon after, they are acquired by a young moisture farmer named Luke Skywalker, to be put to work on Luke's uncle's farm. While cleaning R2, Luke discovers a holographic message from Princess Leia to someone called Obi-Wan Kenobi in the droid's memory banks. Later that evening, R2 escapes from the moisture farm to find Kenobi himself. When Luke pursues the little droid into the Jundland Wastes (fearing punishment from his uncle over losing the robot) he is attacked by Tusken Raiders (or Sand People). Whether or not Luke will survive the encounter with the Sand People serves as the cliffhanger at the end of the issue. Comments: All in all, this issue is a pretty solid re-telling of the opening 30 minutes or so of the first Star Wars movie. Thomas's script does a good job of introducing the characters of Luke, Leia and Darth Vader, along with the humorous, bickering droid duo of R2-D2 and C-3PO. Inevitably, some of the movie's intensity, grandeur and breathtaking pace is lost in the process of adapting it to the comic page, but ultimately I think Thomas does a bang up job of adapting this first instalment of the film. It's worth noting that Thomas worked largely from an early shooting script when writing this adaptation, rather than from the movie itself. As a result, one of the things that immediately strikes the modern reader about this issue is the significantly different dialogue, compared to the movie. There's also the appearance of a few scenes that were ultimately left on the cutting room floor, like Luke spotting the Imperial Star Destroyer and Leia's Rebel blockade runner battling it out in Tatooine's upper atmosphere or later hanging out with his friends in Anchorhead. There's also a now-famous "lost" scene featuring Luke and his childhood friend Biggs Darklighter. This scene sees Biggs announcing that he intends to join the Rebel Alliance, something and will connect directly to events seen in issue #5 of the series. Another very noticeable difference between the comic and the movie is the alternate version of the iconic opening crawl, which appears on page 1 of this issue...  Unfortunately, I have to say that I've always thought that Howard Chaykin's artwork in this issue is scratchy, messy and, in places, downright ugly. The sequential storytelling and overall staging is as good as you'd expect from someone of Chaykin's abilities, with the sequence where Luke is attacked by a Tusken Raider being especially good. But overall the art looks rushed. In addition, Chaykin squanders key scenes like Darth Vader's first appearance and therefore the comic reader misses out on the ominous introduction of the Dark Lord that moviegoers experienced in the film itself. The fact that Chaykin didn't do much more than rough layouts for the subsequent 9 issues of the series (apparently because of deadline pressures on other titles), makes me suspect that he wasn't quite as committed to or as enthusiastic about Star Wars as Roy Thomas was. Maybe that opinion is unfair, and it certainly goes against everything that I've read on the subject. But personally, I think Chaykin's art in this issue looks for all the world like he's just dialling it in. The front cover is also pencilled by Chaykin (with Tom Palmer on inks) and is based on a promotional poster that he drew in 1976, to help advertise the film at U.S. comic conventions like San Diego Comic Con and the World Science Fiction Convention in Kansas City. In stark contrast to his interior artwork, Chaykin's art on the cover is dynamic, eye-catching and exciting. It must've really jumped out at kids browsing the spinner racks back in early 1977. The exciting cover blurb exclaims, "Enter Luke Skywalker! Will he save the galaxy -- or destroy it?", which is a touch melodramatic, but it sure sounds intriguing (which is precisely the point, of course). With this being the first issue of the series, there's no letters page in the comic. Instead, we get a "six-issue prospectus on a startling piece of cinema" titled "Star Wars: The Ultimate Space Fantasy", which aims to inform readers about the film's central characters, production and groundbreaking special effects. There's also a one page article written by Roy Thomas called "Star Warriors: The Story Behind Star Wars", which attempts to outline how the Star Wars comic came to be. Something else in this issue worth mentioning is the lettering of Jim Novak; his "bleep! bleep!", "puh-wheet!" noises for Artoo, his unintelligible Arabic style squiggles for the Jawa's alien dialogue and his use of a yellow rectangular speech bubble for C-3PO give a nice, other-worldly flavour to the exotic characters and locales we encounter. I'm not sure how much colourist Marie Severin may've been involved with the decision to give 3PO a yellow rectangular speech bubble, but regardless, it set a standard that has been copied by pretty much every Star Wars comic since. Ultimately, this issue is somewhat marred by the scrappy nature of Chaykin's art, despite the fact that his pacing and the majority of his staging is strong. Thomas does a good job of introducing us to the Star Wars Universe and capturing some of the excitement of the film, but the scripting alone can't save this issue from being a somewhat mediocre start to the series. Continuity issues: - On the front cover, Darth Vader's armour is coloured green, instead of black.
- On the front cover, Han Solo is wearing a brown top, instead of his familiar white shirt and black waistcoat.
- On the front cover, Princess Leia is wearing a violet coloured outfit, instead of a white dress.
- On the front cover, Luke Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi both have red lightsabers.
Favourite panel:  Favourite quote: "This is all your fault! I should have known better than to trust the logic of a half-sized thermocapsulary dehousing assister...!" – C-3PO speaking to R2-D2. I dedided to go back and re-read issues 1-6 after all. So, here we go... Okay, first of all, I don’t really like the art. As Confessor noted, it’s scratchy, messy, and even ugly in places. I’ve read this before, and know it doesn’t get any better, so I’ll just say it now and not harp on it every issue. Anyway, as I’ve said before, my main interest in these adaptations is noting what is different from the released film. There are plenty of differences here, as Confessor noted. They included the scene where the old lady yelled at Luke for driving his landspeeder too fast. I as surprised that got included, but it was nice, even if it was only one panel. Of course the early footage of Luke on Tatooine, with him viewing the space battle, telling his so-called “friends” about it, and his discussion with Biggs. Vader refers to the Force as the “Cosmic Force” here. Was that ever in the script, or did Thomas add the “cosmic” part? My suspicion is that it’s the latter. Maybe Thomas wanted to make it more clear for the readers, or maybe it’s because it’s Marvel where everything is “cosmic”. We don’t get much of a look at R5-D4 here. We can’t even tell that he’s red. That was disappointing. I wonder if Marvel didn’t get a good enough look at the droid for Chaykin & co. to give us a proper look. Also, Luke didn’t call him “red’ as he did in the film. Also, the “Sir Luke” line from Threepio isn’t here, which I had liked. Oh well. Also, Luke pulls Threepio out of hiding with a “control box”?! What the heck is a control box? All in all, I think Thomas does a pretty good job with the script, and the art was not to my liking. |
|
|
|
Post by tonebone on Jul 19, 2021 16:09:05 GMT -5
Star Wars #1Cover dated: July 1977 (actually issued in March 1977) Issue title: Star WarsScript: Roy Thomas Artwork: Howard Chaykin Colours: Marie Severin Letters: Jim Novak Cover art: Howard Chaykin (pencils)/Tom Palmer (inks) Overall rating: 5½ out of 10 I dedided to go back and re-read issues 1-6 after all. So, here we go... Okay, first of all, I don’t really like the art. As Confessor noted, it’s scratchy, messy, and even ugly in places. I’ve read this before, and know it doesn’t get any better, so I’ll just say it now and not harp on it every issue. Anyway, as I’ve said before, my main interest in these adaptations is noting what is different from the released film. There are plenty of differences here, as Confessor noted. They included the scene where the old lady yelled at Luke for driving his landspeeder too fast. I as surprised that got included, but it was nice, even if it was only one panel. Of course the early footage of Luke on Tatooine, with him viewing the space battle, telling his so-called “friends” about it, and his discussion with Biggs. Vader refers to the Force as the “Cosmic Force” here. Was that ever in the script, or did Thomas add the “cosmic” part? My suspicion is that it’s the latter. Maybe Thomas wanted to make it more clear for the readers, or maybe it’s because it’s Marvel where everything is “cosmic”. We don’t get much of a look at R5-D4 here. We can’t even tell that he’s red. That was disappointing. I wonder if Marvel didn’t get a good enough look at the droid for Chaykin & co. to give us a proper look. Also, Luke didn’t call him “red’ as he did in the film. Also, the “Sir Luke” line from Threepio isn’t here, which I had liked. Oh well. Also, Luke pulls Threepio out of hiding with a “control box”?! What the heck is a control box? All in all, I think Thomas does a pretty good job with the script, and the art was not to my liking. Keep in mind, that when the first six issues were written and drawn, all Thomas and Chaykin had to work with were a still-not-final script and a handful of sketches, storyboards, and black and white photos. There were no toys, model kits, color photos, coloring books, etc. to use as reference. These first six issues were ALL THAT EXISTED OF STAR WARS when they were being created, outside of the VERY UNFINISHED movie. I have always felt that Chaykin was probably the wrong choice. He was hand picked by Lucas and co. because of his work in Star*Reach and the Empire graphic novel. As good as he is, he obviously rushed the first couple of issues. I prefer the last 3 issues to the early ones, since they have a slicker inking style that I feel is more suited to the "space opera" feel. Actually, fun fact, Dave Stevens inked the last 2 or 3 pages, where the cast is getting their medals. Once you know, you can't un-see it. Another note about things you like about Star Wars' script that didn't make it into the comic.. there are some things that made it into the comic that had not made it into the movie... you mentioned the conversation with Biggs, but also, Vader is referred to as "Dark Lord of the Sith" at least once, which didn't make it into Star Wars, and I don't THINK made it into the entire original trilogy. I LOVE this adaptation and have it in floppies, paperback, treasury, Epic Collections, etc. It is severely flawed, but it is what it is... a time capsule of what it was like (for creators and readers alike) to experience Star Wars before there was a Star Wars. |
|
|
|
Post by tarkintino on Jul 19, 2021 16:52:47 GMT -5
I have always felt that Chaykin was probably the wrong choice. He was hand picked by Lucas and co. because of his work in Star*Reach and the Empire graphic novel. ...and even from that work as an example, Chaykin was so incredibly wrong for Star Wars, as the rest of this adaptation will illustrate. Compared to the work of artists on other adaptations of the era (e.g. Perez's fantastic work on Logan's Run, or four of the five Planet of the Apes films where Alcala--though he did not try for screen accuracy, as amazingly dramatic / stylish in his work), Chaykin's work just looked horrible and uninspired. |
|
|
|
Post by dbutler69 on Jul 20, 2021 10:16:24 GMT -5
Star Wars #2Cover dated: August 1977 Issue title: Six Against the GalaxyScript: Roy Thomas Artwork: Howard Chaykin (layouts)/Steve Leialoha (inks) Colours: Steve Leialoha, Carl Gafford Letters: Tom Orzechowski Cover art: Rick Hoberg (pencils)/Tom Palmer (inks) Overall rating: 8 out of 10  Plot summary: The issue opens with an unconscious Luke Skywalker being rescued from the Sand People by Obi-Wan Kenobi and taken, along with his droids R2-D2 and C-3PO, to the safety of Kenobi's home. While there, R2 plays a holographic message from Princess Leia, in which she asks Kenobi to transport the droid and the Death Star plans he is carrying to her father on the planet of Alderaan. Kenobi reveals to Luke that he was once a member of the Jedi Knights, the "guardians of peace and justice in the Old Republic." He also tells Luke about the Force, an energy field that gives the Jedi their power, and presents the youngster with a lightsaber (a sword-like weapon used by the Jedi, with a blade of pure energy) that once belonged to Luke's father. Kenobi explains that Luke's father was also a Jedi Knight and was murdered by Kenobi's former disciple, Darth Vader. Obi-Wan asks Luke to accompany him on his journey to Alderaan. After initially refusing, Luke changes his mind upon discovering that his home has been destroyed and his aunt and uncle have been murdered by Imperial stormtroopers. Luke, Obi-Wan, R2-D2 and C-3PO travel to the spaceport town of Mos Eisley, where they hire a smuggler named Han Solo and his Wookiee co-pilot Chewbacca to take them to Alderaan in their freighter, the Millennium Falcon. After take off, the Falcon is attacked by Imperial Star Destroyers, but manages to escape, bound for Alderaan. Comments: The first thing to say about this comic is how much better the artwork looks compared to the previous issue. Howard Chaykin drew rough layouts for this second instalment, but any trace of the scratchy, messy art style that we saw last issue has been eradicated beneath Steve Leialoha's smooth, confident inking. So much so, in fact, that it's quite hard to see anything of Chaykin's influence in the finished art (at least to my eyes). Given the seemingly rushed work that Chaykin turned in last issue, the art here is a huge improvement. The story of the film really starts to build pace from this issue, with the introduction of the mysterious Obi-Wan Kenobi, the roguish Han Solo, and the concept of the Force. Roy Thomas's scripting seems slightly stronger and more assured than last issue, as he really starts to get into the swing of things and find his voice on the series. This is particularly true in the issue's caption boxes, where Thomas gives his eloquent prose free rein, with pleasing results. Another improvement over last issue is that Thomas's writing and Leialoha's artwork really start to come close to capturing the magic and alien wonder of the film itself. It's also worth mentioning that the dialogue in this issue is much closer to the dialogue that we hear in the film than it was last issue; presumably this is because less changes were made to the shooting script that Thomas worked from during the filming of this segment of the movie. I think my favourite parts of this comic are the scenes set in Mos Eisley. The entire issue is chock full of really nice artwork, but in the spaceport panels there's lots of background detail to explore, with the shadowy denizens of Mos Eisley being just as interesting, exotic and other-worldly as they were in the movie. There's also a scene in this issue that was omitted from the finished film, in which Han Solo meets Jabba the Hutt. However, Jabba looks entirely different from the huge slug-like being that we would later see in Return of the Jedi. The reason for this is because, at the time, Lucasfilm had yet to come up with a finished design for the Hutt. Chaykin and Leialoha therefore depicted him as a human-sized, two-legged alien, with beady eyes, hanging jowls, whiskers and yellowish skin (although this skin colouring was changed to green in some reprints). That's Jabba on the left hand side of the following panel, by the way...  The inspiration for this take on the Hutt crime lord was actually an alien seen in the background of the cantina sequence of the movie, later named as Mosep Binneed, which Chaykin must've seen a production still of or something. This Marvel comics version of Jabba the Hutt would again appear in issues #28 and #37 of the series. My only real criticism of Star Wars #2 would be that the Rick Hoberg pencilled and Tom Palmer inked front cover is less striking than the cover of issue #1. It's more like a traditional comic book cover of the era, with an action packed fight scene and corny speech balloon that has Luke Skywalker shouting, "Swing that lightsabre, Ben -- or we're finished!" The only other slight negative to observe is that, with Leialoha's more refined line work, the transition from Chaykin's scratchy interior art last issue is quite jarring. This is especially noticeable when the separate parts of the adaptation are collected together. Regardless of those two minor criticisms, this comic book might just be the best single issue of the movie adaptation. There's a confidence to the storytelling here that really serves to convey George Lucas's vision on the comic page. Oh, and just in case you were wondering, in the cantina scene where Greedo confronts Han Solo...Han definitely shoots first!  Continuity issues: - Leia states that her father's name is Bail Antillies, rather than the correct Bail Organa.
- The blade of Luke's lightsaber is pink instead of blue/white.
- The Imperial interrogator droid is depicted as a green, humanoid robot, rather than as a floating black sphere.
- When Luke sees his family homestead destroyed he calls out for Uncle Ben, instead of Uncle Owen.
- Jabba the Hutt looks different from how he will appear in Return of the Jedi and subsequent films.
- The cloaked informant in Mos Eisley is depicted as a cerise-skinned human, rather than as an alien with a long snout.
- On the final page, the interior layout of the Millennium Falcon is noticeably different to how it appears in the film, with the cockpit clearly visible from the recreational lounge area.
Favourite panel:  Favourite quote: "It's the ship that made the Kessel Run in less than 12 par-secs! I've outrun Imperial starships -- not the local bulk-cruisers, mind you -- these are the big Corellian ships I'm talking about." – Han Solo bragging to Obi-Wan Kenobi about the Millennium Falcon. I agree. The art is better this issue, though those are some lousy Milennium Falcon and Star Destroyer drawings. Not too many cantina aliens shown. For what it’s worth, Jabba is yellow in my reprint. Nice factoid on the origin of Jabba’s appearance, Confessor! Here, Leia says Obi-Wan server in the Old Republic, but I think in the film she says he served her father. Leia calls Obi-Wan General, then Commander? Which is it? That’s kinda weird. I like Ben’s “the suffering of one is the suffering of all” line. Ben’s old “you must do what you feel” line, before Alec Guinness’s ad lib changed it slightly, is here. The interrogation droid looks completely different, and MUCH less scary here than in the film. She looks like a maid. I realize that Chaykin may not have had a reference photo for that and might not have had to come up with something on his own, but this droid looks like it’s going to serve Leia tea rather than torture her. Owen & Beru’s corpses not shown – no surprise there. Luke loses his cool when the stormtroopers interrogate him here, not even able to answer them. The famous “we don’t serve their kind” line isn’t here. I like Han’s parting line to Jabba here (“I’ll pay you because it’s my pleasure”) more than in the Special Edition (“You’re a wonderful human being”). I like Threepio’s line “was this trip really necessary” line. By the way, it’s not that Han shot first, it’s that Greedo never shot at all. I don’t know why everybody gets that wrong. |
|
|
|
Post by tarkintino on Jul 20, 2021 11:58:26 GMT -5
It seems odd (in hindsight) that such a historic film would have such shoddy, crude art on its comic adaptation. This was overflowing with visual inaccuracies such as:  As I pointed out some time ago-- A: I see a wedge shape piled with greebles (perhaps a good start?), but its not even close to being screen-accurate, not on the main body, or the missing bridge section. B: Aside from the incorrect Falcon cockpit window & control panels, since when did the cockpit become open concept with the ship's hold? One has to wonder if Chaykin pay any mind to the photos to notice a very clear separation between the cockpit and hold?  C: Where to begin? Nevermind Luke's helmet being completely wrong, but how did Chaykin, et al., see any images of the training remote (inset, left) only to transform that into the equivalent of an underwater mine (inset, right)? D: The TIE Fighter? Take your pick with the small "wing"/panels, the misshapen cockpit... So, it appears the Marvel Star Wars adaptation had many an inaccuracy during its run. |
|
|
|
Post by tonebone on Jul 20, 2021 13:18:56 GMT -5
It seems odd (in hindsight) that such a historic film would have such shoddy, crude art on its comic adaptation. This was overflowing with visual inaccuracies such as: As I pointed out some time ago-- A: I see a wedge shape piled with greebles (perhaps a good start?), but its not even close to being screen-accurate, not on the main body, or the missing bridge section. B: Aside from the incorrect Falcon cockpit window & control panels, since when did the cockpit become open concept with the ship's hold? One has to wonder if Chaykin pay any mind to the photos to notice a very clear separation between the cockpit and hold? C: Where to begin? Nevermind Luke's helmet being completely wrong, but how did Chaykin, et al., see any images of the training remote (inset, left) only to transform that into the equivalent of an underwater mine (inset, right)? D: The TIE Fighter? Take your pick with the small "wing"/panels, the misshapen cockpit... So, it appears the Marvel Star Wars adaptation had many an inaccuracy during its run. Again, Thomas and Chaykin only got a handful of images, mostly production sketches, the McQuarrie paintings, and a handful of photos of costumes and ships. They may have had only one photo of that star destroyer, from that angle, and from the perspective, thought it looked squashed like that. There is a great article in Alter Ego, where Thomas and Chaykin, and the rep from Lucasfilm discuss the creation of the adaptation and how little Lucas was willing to show them, due to secrecy. I think they MIGHT have seen a really rough cut at some point, after they had done a few issues. The whole story is in AlterEgo 145... my details might not be accurate, and I don't have my copy at hand. The gist is that they were shooting in the dark for most of the adaptation. Alter Ego 145 |
|
|
|
Post by dbutler69 on Jul 21, 2021 12:00:10 GMT -5
Star Wars #3Cover dated: September 1977 Issue title: Death Star!Script: Roy Thomas Artwork: Howard Chaykin (layouts)/Steve Leialoha (inks) Colours: Carl Gafford (credited to Steve Leialoha) Letters: Tom Orzechowski Cover art: Gil Kane (pencils)/Tom Palmer (inks) Overall rating: 7 out of 10  Plot summary: The Death Star is poised to destroy the planet Alderaan, unless Princess Leia – who is a captive aboard the space station – tells Grand Moff Tarkin and Darth Vader the whereabouts of the Rebel Alliance's secret base. Faced with the destruction of her homeworld, Leia seemingly betrays the Alliance and reveals that the Rebels are on the planet Dantooine (although we later learn that she has lied in order to buy time for the people of Alderaan). Tarkin then orders the destruction of Alderaan anyway, while the princess looks on in despair. Meanwhile, Luke Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, R2-D2 and C-3PO race towards Alderaan in Han Solo and Chewbacca's freighter, the Millennium Falcon. Reaching their destination, they discover the remnants of the destroyed world and the Falcon is caught in the Death Star's tractor beam and brought on board the huge battle station. Han and Luke don stolen Imperial stormtrooper armour and escape from the captured ship, with Chewbacca, Obi-Wan and the droids. Kenobi then elects to venture into the bowels of the space station alone, to deactivate the tractor beam that is preventing the Falcon from leaving. Meanwhile, Luke discovers that Leia is a prisoner on the Death Star and sets out to rescue her, with Han and Chewbacca's help. After reaching the detention centre and freeing the princess from her cell, the heroes come under fire from advancing stormtroopers and are cornered. Comments: The Chaykin/Leialoha artwork in this issue continues to be a vast improvement on issue #1, although it maybe isn't quite as smooth as it was in issue #2 (there is the odd panel where the art looks a little crude or where there are perspective issues). Nevertheless, there's much to enjoy here art-wise. The firefight in the detention centre is really well handled and it comes across as being a very exciting sequence. I also love how the laser fire is drawn: it's so messy, as if the blasters are spitting molten, flaming bolts. The sequence with Luke beginning his Jedi training on board the Millennium Falcon is also really well depicted, with some nice individual panels. Interestingly, Luke actually hits the training "remote" itself with his lightsaber blade, rather than just deflecting its energy bolts, as he did in the film. We also get to see how young Skywalker parts his hair...  Roy Thomas's ability to adapt the film script for the comic book page is really solid again here and the dialogue is, for the most part, very close to that heard in the film. Issue #3 is more action packed than the two previous issues, with the rescue attempt in the Death Star's detention block being a real highlight. The Gil Kane pencilled front cover is a definte improvement on last issue's frankly quite corny cover, although Kane's take on Chewbacca looks a bit more Planet of the Apes or King Kong than it does Star Wars. Overall, this issue is another satisfying instalment of the movie adaptation, but the presence of a handful of sub-par panels and some odd colouring choices from Leialoha means that I would give it a slightly lower rating than the previous issue. Continuity issues: - The blade of Luke's lightsaber is pink instead of blue/white.
- Like last issue, the interior layout of the Millennium Falcon is wrong, with the cockpit appearing to be part of the lounge area.
- The stormtrooper whose armour Luke steals is designated as TX-421, instead of TK-421, as it is in the movie.
- Luke's excuse for being in the Death Star detention centre is a "prisoner transfer from Block TX-138", rather than Block 1138.
Favourite panel:  Favourite quote: "Who is more foolish -- the fool, or the man who follows him?" – Obi-Wan Kenobi waxes philosophical and sarcastic to Han Solo. I agree that the art in #3 is not quite as #2, but better than in #1. The Millennium Falcon & Death Star are poorly drawn. I found it odd that they didn’t show the laser actually blasting Alderaan. The differences in Luke’s light saber training with the remote surprised me too. Also, the conversation between Han & Ben about the Force and luck isn’t here at all. The scene in the film was better. The scene where the order to execute Leia is delayed is a bit different here. It’s block TX-138 instead of TX-1138 (which was Mark Hammill’s idea). Also in the detention cell scene, there’s an officer about to press the alarm in the detention area whom Luke has to blast – not in the film at all. Interesting. |
|
|
|
Post by aquagoat on Jul 21, 2021 20:00:36 GMT -5
Cover for volume five of the Epic Collection. By my calculations, one more volume after this should complete the series.  |
|
|
|
Post by dbutler69 on Jul 22, 2021 9:47:53 GMT -5
Star Wars #4Cover dated: October 1977 Issue title: In Battle with Darth VaderScript: Roy Thomas Artwork: Howard Chaykin (layouts)/Steve Leialoha (inks) Colours: Carl Gafford (credited to Steve Leialoha) Letters: Tom Orzechowski Cover art: Rick Hoberg (pencils)/Frank Giacoia (inks) Overall rating: 5½ out of 10  Plot summary: Pinned down by Imperial stormtroopers in the Death Star's detention centre, Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Princess Leia, and Chewbacca manage to escape into a huge trash compactor. Realising where the fugitives have gone, the Imperials turn on the garbage masher in an attempt to crush them to death. The heroes are saved by R2-D2 and C-3PO, who shut down the computer that controls the machine. Meanwhile, Obi-Wan Kenobi manages to disable the tractor beam that is preventing the Millennium Falcon from escaping the Death Star. After further encounters with squads of roaming stormtroopers, Luke, Han, Leia and Chewbacca rendezvous with the droids at the Docking Bay that holds the Millennium Falcon. Obi-Wan Kenobi also makes it back to the Falcon, but is confronted by Darth Vader and the two engage in a lightsaber duel. When Vader strikes Kenobi down, the elderly Jedi Knight vanishes and in the ensuing confusion, Luke and the rest of the group manage to board the Falcon and escape from the Death Star. Comments: The art in this issue is definitely a step down from the last two instalments. The appearance of a few sub-standard panels or pages last issue – amongst some other really nice artwork – seems to have been a harbinger for a general deterioration in artistic quality for the series. The blame for this must lay with Steve Leialoha's inking, which looks rushed and lacks the smoothness and precision of previous issues. Still, the art here is definitely preferable to Howard Chaykin's in issue #1, but it's less refined and pleasing to the eye than it was in, say, issue #2. Also, there's a specific panel in this comic that has always bothered me and it's the panel where Darth Vader strikes down Obi-Wan Kenobi. In the film this is a mysterious and heroically moving scene, but in the comic adaptation it just looks....well, faintly ludicrous. Have a look...  There's also the fact that at no point in this scene is it made clear to the reader that Kenobi has ended the duel on purpose and gallantly sacrificed himself, as Luke Skywalker looks on -- which is a hugely important moment in the story. While we're on the subject of the artwork, Slam_Bradley mentioned a few posts back that it appears in these issues as if Chewbacca has been using too much Vitalis shampoo. I have to say, the way Chewbacca looks is a reoccurring fault throughout the early part of Marvel's Star Wars series. I don't know whether Marvel had poor reference sources to work with regarding the Wookiee, but regardless of the reason, for the first year or so of the comic, Chewbacca will look more like a well groomed Bigfoot, crossed with and an extra from Planet of the Apes, than the shaggy-haired Wookiee we all know and love. Things hardly improve much in that respect with the arrival of Carmine Infantino as the series' regular artist either. On the plus side, Roy Thomas's scripting is as good as ever here and you've gotta love his snappy "The story so far..." style caption boxes on the opening page...very Marvel, very Stan Lee. Also of note is the fact that in the trash compactor sequence, we get the very first appearance in the comic of what was to become the Star Wars catchphrase, "I have a [very] bad feeling about this!" Interestingly, Archie Goodwin is credited as "consulting editor" in this issue. This is significant because, as many of you will no doubt know, Goodwin went on to script a whole load of later issues in the series, as well as the newspaper strip and the Star Wars comic in Pizzazz magazine. I believe I'm right in saying that Goodwin was Editor-in-Chief of Marvel Comics at this point, but I'd be interested to know if there were any specific contributions or changes he made to this issue. Rick Hoberg's front cover sees a return of the cheesy, "superheroic" cover style he used on issue #2, with a way too buff looking Luke Skywalker firing at a towering figure of Darth Vader, while Obi-Wan Kenobi swings his lightsaber (which is actually close to being the right colour here for a change). There's more cringe-worthy dialogue too, with Kenobi exclaiming, "No, Luke!", as Skywalker shouts, "Here I stand -- though I may die!" Interesting footwear for the Princess on this cover too. Something else of note is that we get a letter's page for the very first time in this issue. The title of the letter's page is "Star-Words", a name which, we are told, was dreamed up by a reader named Mark Ernst from Canterbury, New Hampshire. The letters that are printed are interesting, in that, they're almost entirely written by people for whom the Marvel comic is their only experience of Star Wars, although one correspondent has read the paperback novelisation too (remember the movie didn't come out until just after Star Wars issue #3 hit the stands). All the letters are enthusiastic and positive about the first issue, with many praising Chaykin's artwork (  ). One correspondent asks Marvel to continue the adventures of Luke and the gang beyond the movie, with Roy Thomas replying that they intend to, if sales of the first two issues are strong enough. Overall, the lessening in artwork quality spoils this issue somewhat, although the story continues to build in excitement and action. There are also some nice character moments, but ultimately, I'd grade this a notch or two down from last issue. Continuity issues: - The serial number of the maintenance hatch on the Death Star trash compactor is different than it is in the film.
- In the duel with Darth Vader, Obi-Wan's lightsaber is red instead of blue/white (although it does appear white in one panel).
- On the front cover, Obi-Wan's Jedi robes are green, instead of brown, and Princess Leia seems to be wearing tiny red booties!
Favourite panel:  Favourite quote: "I have been waiting, Obi-Wan Kenobi; the circle is now completed. When I left you, I was but a learner; now, I am the master." – Darth Vader confronts Obi-Wan Kenobi. I think Confessor is right that the art is a step down from the previous two issues, though still loads better than in #1. The panel he shows of Ben Kenobi being struck by Vader’s lightsaber is rightly ridiculed. Interesting that they meet the dia noga again in the hallway after escaping the garbage chute. Was this in the script at some point? I know that the dia noga did originally have a bigger role in the movie, but they had issue with creating a credible looking dia naga, so much of it was scrapped. Ben’s sneaking away after deactivating the tractor beam power is different here. He doesn’t seem to use the Force to distract the stormtroopers. That is a tough one to show in a comic, though, because it’s notvery visual. I like Han’s reference to the five fire rings of Fornax. The scene where Han chases the stormtroopers is different here. Leia’s kiss of Luke “for luck” seems to be drawn as more passionate here than in the film. The swing across chasm could have been drawn better. The Millennium Falcon is described as ”antique but sturdy”. That’s an…interesting description. When Vader says “I am now the master” I like Ben’s reply here “You still have much to learn” better than his film reply “Only a master of evil”. Some interesting trash talking by Kenobi during the duel. They don’t show the stormtroopers standing outside the Falcon. Instead, Threepio has to mention it for us. Ben’s lightsaber is red. They always seem to get lightsaber colors wrong in this comic. It’s weird that the caption says that Luke realizes that “he may have just seen Ben Kenobi’s death”. May have seen?? Is Thomas suggesting that Kenobi is still alive? Ben’s voice here just says “Luke”, it doesn’t tell him to run, as in the film. |
|
|
|
Post by tarkintino on Jul 22, 2021 11:42:28 GMT -5
Again, Thomas and Chaykin only got a handful of images, mostly production sketches, the McQuarrie paintings, and a handful of photos of costumes and ships. They may have had only one photo of that star destroyer, from that angle, and from the perspective, thought it looked squashed like that. For Gold Key's Star Trek, Italian artist Alberto Giolitti (and Nevio Zaccara, who worked at Giolitti's studios) was just as limited (arguably more so) than Chaykin, as he only had a few black and white publicity photos from Star Trek to work from (the series had not yet aired in Italy when Gold Key launched the comic in 1967). Despite some inaccuracies with the interior of the Enterprise, Giolitti still delivered a far more faithful adaptation of characters and the exterior of the ship than anything seen in Chaykin's Star Wars. Again, Giolitti only had a few publicity photos to work from. This suggests some artists are more adept at capturing source material (and realism, considering its based on filmed work) than others, who seemed to just "interpret" rather than capture the source. |
|
|
|
Post by dbutler69 on Jul 23, 2021 9:49:15 GMT -5
Star Wars #5Cover dated: November 1977 Issue title: Lo, the Moons of Yavin!Script: Roy Thomas Artwork: Howard Chaykin (layouts)/Steve Leialoha (inks) Colours: Glynis Wein Letters: Tom Orzechowski Cover art: Rick Hoberg (pencils)/Dave Cockrum (inks) Overall rating: 6 out of 10  Plot summary: Escaping from the Death Star in the Millennium Falcon, Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, Han Solo, Chewbacca, and the two droids R2-D2 and C-3PO, race toward the Rebel Alliance's base on the fourth moon of Yavin. After a fierce battle with some Imperial TIE fighters, they deliver R2-D2 to the Rebels, who use the information he is carrying to formulate a plan to destroy the Death Star. Meanwhile, a homing beacon has been placed on board the Falcon, allowing the Death Star to follow the ship to the Rebel base, with the intention of destroying Yavin 4 and the Rebellion. However, the Rebels plan to strike at a weakness in the battle station's defences and as the Death Star approaches, they launch a squadron of fighter craft – one of which is piloted by Luke Skywalker – on a desperate mission to destroy it. Comments: The Howard Chaykin and Steve Leialoha artwork in this issue is more or less on a par with last issue, which is to say that it's not quite as good as it was in issues #2 or #3. That said, there's a really nice opening splash page of Han Solo, which, despite a somewhat awkward angle, is nicely staged and serves as a dynamic intro to the issue. As a kid, this was one of my favourite pages of the entire Star Wars adaptation. Check it out...  One of the best sequences in this comic, from an artistic and storytelling perspective, is the battle against the TIE fighters, after the Falcon escapes from the Death Star. Roy Thomas also gives a weird description of how the Force works in one of the narration boxes during this sequence: he describes Luke as "getting in touch with himself – and thus all mankind." Hmmm...now, I know that the Force is supposed to be generated by all living things, but this sounds a lot like a Haight-Ashbury "Summer of Love" version of the Force to me! As usual with this adaptation, there are some slight (and not so slight) differences between the dialogue in the film and what we read on the page. However, in this issue the comic dialogue is superior on occasion. For example, I love how when Commander Willard greets Princess Leia on Yavin 4 with, "Thank the stars you're safe! We had feared the worst!", Han interjects with a sarcastic, "So did we!" I can just hear how Harrison Ford would've delivered that line, had it been in the movie.  There's also some fun incest japes in an awkward scene at the Rebel hanger, where Leia gives Luke another kiss on the lips – a proper, eyes closed, hands locked passionately together, kiss on the lips – and this one's definitely not just "for luck". Actually, this same scene occurs in the movie too, but Leia just gives Luke a peck on the cheek, which is much less awkward in hindsight. There's also a scene in the Rebel hanger that was cut from the original film (although part of it was re-inserted for the 1997 Special Edition of A New Hope), in which Luke runs into his old friend Biggs Darklighter from Tatooine. Biggs, who was last seen in issue #1, is a Rebel pilot now and, like Luke, is about to go up against the Death Star. The pair enthusiastically greet one another, but are interrupted by the squadron commander, who tells Luke that when he was a boy he once met his father. Now, the main problem with this conversation is that the commander refers to Luke's father as "[one] of the original Jedi Knights", but it's established in the film that the Jedi order has existed for over a thousand generations (although no such claim is made by Kenobi in the comic adaptation, it should be noted). The front cover of this issue is a bit of a head-scratcher really. It shows Luke and Chewie running towards Han and the Millennium Falcon, as the Death Star looms overhead (clearly within Yavin 4's atmosphere), taking potshots at the Rebel base. I mean, it's quite nicely done, I guess, but it's just a bit weird because nothing of the sort actually happens in the film or in this issue. It makes me wonder whether Rick Hoberg and Dave Cockrum, who penciled and inked the cover, had actually read the shooting script when they drew it. Or maybe it's just a simple case of dramatic license. Either way, it bugs me and is one of my least favourite covers of the series. Something I've noticed as this adaptation goes along, is that it seems as if each issue is covering less and less movie time. For example, the first issue crammed in over half an hour of the film into its 17 pages, but issue #2 was more like 20 minutes and this issue is probably not even a quarter of an hour. I'm not necessarily saying that's a bad thing, it's just an observation. I guess that Roy and the gang had to break up the story at the points where there would be some kind of cliffhanger to end each issue. Overall, I'd say that Star Wars #5 is a bit of an improvement on last issue. It's a shame that there is no letters page like there was last time, but I guess that not enough people were writing in to Marvel about Star Wars yet. The artwork isn't the best we've seen Chaykin and Leialoha do in this series and some of the faces of the main cast look downright weird. Also, in the final panel, it looks as if Chaykin has had some trouble getting the whole of the X-wing fighter into the frame, so he's shortened its nose, which makes it look kinda stupid. Continuity issues: - The Millennium Falcon battles five TIE fighters after escaping from the Death Star, rather than four, as in the movie.
- The interior of the Falcon is still being drawn wrong, with the cockpit adjoining the recreational lounge.
- Blue Leader refers to Luke's father as "[one] of the original Jedi Knights", but it's established in the film that the Jedi order has existed for over a thousand generations, so how could he be an "original" Jedi Knight?
- The X-wing fighters that attack the Death Star are designated as Blue Squadron, rather than Red, as they are in the film.
- The front cover shows Luke, Chewbacca and Han racing to get on board the Millennium Falcon as the Death Star hovers over head, firing lasers at them – something that never happens in the film. Also, Han Solo's waistcoat and trousers are brown on the cover, instead of black.
Favourite panel:  Favourite quote: "So, what do you think, sweetheart? Not a bad bit of rescuing. Y'know, sometimes I amaze even myself!" – Han Solo conceitedly asks Leia's opinion of her rescue. I agree with Confessor that the art is not as good as #2-3. I thought it was nice how Thomas gives each of the characters though bubbles during the Falcon’s escape from the Death Star, but Han using the word “erstwhile” in a thought bubble doesn’t sound right to me. I didn’t like how Thomas cuts way from Leia & Han’s conversation about their escape being too easy to show Vader & Tarkin’s conversation. As Confessor noted, the kiss between Leia and Luke is a good deal more passionate here than in the film. Luke says to Biggs “I thought you’d be around here somewhere”. Why did he think that?? Even in #1, Luke was very skeptical that Biggs would even be able to find the rebellion. As Confessor noted, they’ve got the deleted/re-added dialogue from blue (red) leader saying he knew Luke’s father. Blue (red) leader also asks Luke if he’s been checked out on the Incom T-65. Just a note that in the radio drama, he had been. |
|
|
|
Post by dbutler69 on Jul 24, 2021 10:50:26 GMT -5
Star Wars #6Cover dated: December 1977 Issue title: Is This the Final Chapter?Script: Roy Thomas Artwork: Howard Chaykin (layouts)/Rick Hoberg (finished art and inks)/Bill Wray (inks)/Dave Stevens (inks - uncredited) Colours: Paty Letters: Carol Lay and Mike Royer Cover art: Rick Hoberg (pencils)/Tom Palmer (inks) Overall rating: 7½ out of 10  Plot summary: As the Death Star closes in on the Rebel Alliance's base on the fourth moon of Yavin, the Rebels send a group of X-wing and Y-wing fighters to destroy the space station. A fierce battle ensues above the Death Star's surface, between the Rebel craft and the Empire's TIE fighters, during which Luke Skywalker's childhood friend Biggs Darklighter is killed. With only seconds to go before the Death Star destroys Yavin 4, Luke – with some last minute help from Han Solo and Chewbacca in the Millennium Falcon – exploits a weakness in the battle station's defences and destroys it, saving the Rebellion. In the final moments of the battle, Darth Vader's TIE fighter is sent spinning off into deep space, sparing the Dark Lord from the exploding space station. Back on Yavin 4, Luke, Han and Chewbacca are all awarded medals by Princess Leia at a special ceremony. Comments: So, we've reached the final part of the Marvel adaptation of the first Star Wars movie. All in all, it's been a pretty successful, if at times erratic, re-telling of the movie. The artwork has varied wildly in quality over the six issues and really, that would be my biggest complaint about the adaptation overall. Speaking of the art, there's another change up of artists with this issue, as Rick Hoberg is brought in to finish and ink Howard Chaykin's rough pencil layouts. Hoberg is helped with the inking by Bill Wray and an uncredited Dave Stevens (of Rocketeer fame). According to the Grand Comics Database website, Stevens inked a few pages in this issue, including page 30, in which he redrew Luke Skywalker in the final panel. Take a look...  Actually, I'd have to say that the artwork in issue #6 is some of the best of the entire adaptation. There really is some nice looking stuff here. In particular, Hoberg's use of closely spaced hatching, to create shading effects, is very nice. Also, the full-page splash that shows the Death Star exploding, as Luke's X-wing fighter soars away from the destruction, is a thing of beauty (see my favourite panel below). Chaykin crams a lot of action into the Death Star battle and we get lots of tightly packed panels, each one bursting with giddying action...   I've been very critical of Chaykin in my reviews so far, but the sequential storytelling in this issue is tense, fast-paced and a thrill a minute: just like in the movie. Sure, Hoberg et al hone the artwork and bring it to life, and in fact, they really make it their own with their inking and embellishing, but the dynamic sequential layout is pure Chaykin. Roy Thomas is as good as ever in this instalment. I'd have to say that Thomas's scripting has been the most consistently strong thing about this adaptation. I know from the interviews that I've read that Thomas was really enthusiastic about Star Wars as a movie and as a comic, and I think that enthusiasm and energy really comes through in his writing. Also, I must just say that I love how Thomas has prefixed certain nouns with the word "space" throughout this adaptation, presumably to give things a suitably "galactic" feel. So, in previous issues Han gets described as a "space-pirate" and in this issue Roy romantically writes of the "space-gods", "space-dust" and the "space-winds" (even as a kid I thought to myself, "but there's no air in space, how can there be any wind?" ). As an aside, in 1997, Dark Horse published an entirely new adaptation of Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope, which was written by Bruce Jones. While that adaptation sticks much closer to the movie than the Marvel one, Jones lacks the sheer passion for the subject that Roy Thomas brings to the table. As a result, I'll take the original adaptation, with Roy's wonderfully breathless narrative prose, over the 1997 version any ol' day of the week! Something else I want to mention is that it's pretty cool to see Thomas explain that Chewbacca actually got a medal too, it's just that Leia was too short to put it on him during the award ceremony. It always bugged me as a child that the heroic Wookiee didn't get given a medal at the end of the film, so it's nice that Thomas solves that inequality in the comic. The Rick Hoberg and Tom Palmer cover is, like last issue, the result of extreme dramatic license. Absolutely nothing like the scene depicted happens in the comic or the movie. But I can definitely imagine it tempting young readers at the spinner rack. We also get the return of the "Star-Words" letters page in this issue, which features reader reaction to issues #1 and #2. The correspondents seem split on whether they prefer the all Chaykin art in issue #1 or the Chaykin/Steve Leialoha art in issue #2. We also get some explanatory blurb from someone at Marvel detailing a "story summit" for future issues of the comic between Roy Thomas, George Lucas and Mark Hamill, and explaining that new, post-movie adventures will be starting from next month. So, the adaptation of the first Star Wars movie is done and it's definitely ended on something of a high. These six issues were a huge success for Marvel and have been reprinted many, many times since they initially appeared. The huge sales that the adaptation generated must've felt like a vindication of sorts for Roy Thomas, who fought hard to convince a skeptical Stan Lee to publish a Star Wars comic in the first place. For my money, issue #2 was the best of the six-parts, but this issue definitely runs it a very close second. Next up, we get "New Planets, New Perils!" Continuity issues: - The X-wing fighters that attack the Death Star are designated as Blue Squadron, rather than Red, as they are in the film.
- On the opening splash page, it appears as if Wedge Antilles (Blue Two) is in a Y-wing fighter, whereas in the movie and later on in the comic itself, he's piloting an X-wing.
- The Rebel pilots make two runs along the Death Star trench, but in the film they make three.
- The Y-wing fighters that participate in the Death Star battle are designated as Red Squadron, rather than Gold, as they are in the film.
- During the Rebels final run down the Death Star trench, Wedge Antilles' damaged X-wing fighter leaves the trench after Biggs Darklighter is killed, whereas in the film he leaves before.
- The front cover shows Luke and Vader having a lightsaber duel – something that never happens in the film. Also, Luke's lightsaber is coloured red instead of blue/white.
Favourite panel:  Favourite quote: "Stand by to lock 'S-Foils' in attack positions!" – Blue Leader preps Blue Squadron for their assault on the Death Star. Well, there are solar winds in space, anyway. Not quite the same thing, but it's still got "wind" in the name. I like some of the things that Thomas did here, but I think that some things fell flat. I like how Thomas has some stormtroopers and other imperials belittle the rebels' attack. However, Thomas has Luke think that the space battle is Luke “hunting wamp rats back home”. Really? I don’t think so. Wamp rats don’t shoot back! The bit where somebody told Porkins to eject was odd, too. Eject to where? The line "so long Piggy. You will be avenged!" was unintentionally humorous, too. Still, at least I learned that his full name and rank are Lt. Tono Porkins. I wonder if Thomas got that from Lucasfilm or came up with it himself. By the way, what happened to the Y-Wings? They’re not here at all. I’m pretty sure they were in the script from early on, so I assume that either Thomas or Chaykin decided to leave them out, perhaps to speed things up. The battle here is a lot shorter than in the film, though what is here is pretty well done, for the most part. The only survivors here were Luke and Wedge (and Han) but in the film there were one or two more survivors, including a Y-Wing. Tarkin's dialogue when somebody suggests he evacuate is different than in the film. Both versions are pretty good. "By the immortal gods of the Sith!" is an interesting oath by Vader. I kind of like it, though I don’t think it’s very Star Warsy. Here, Luke seems to switch to manual because of a malfunction, not because Ben advises him. I like the film version better. I like Han's reply when Leia says she knew there was more to him than just money - "once in a while, princess. Once in a while." I also like that Thomas mentions the banners of many worlds that have lent support to the rebellion at the awards ceremony. As Confessor notes, it says here that Chewie will get a medal, but he'll have to put it on himself because few space princesses are that tall. That doesn't make sense (what, Chewie can’t just bend down?), and it contradicts the Bantha Tracks (the official Star Wars fan club newsletter, which I believe was published by Lucasfilm) statement (which came out in either 1977 or 1978 and I think may have come from a Lucas interview) that says it's because Wookiees don't believe in medals. I prefer that explanation by far over the idea that Chewie was too tall to get the medal in the ceremony. All in all, I think this was a good adaptation. Roy Thomas did a good job overall, and I agree that his enthusiasm came out. The art was not great, but was serviceable, and really, if you ignore #1, the art was decent enough. |
|
|
|
Post by tarkintino on Jul 24, 2021 16:17:50 GMT -5
By the way, what happened to the Y-Wings? They’re not here at all. I’m pretty sure they were in the script from early on, so I assume that either Thomas or Chaykin decided to leave them out The Y-Wings' absence is strange, as they were seen in a number of Ralph McQuarrie's conceptual paintings and publicity photos of the miniatures which were circulated before the film's release. True, and its another oversight from those behind this adaptation. No, its more like something Marvel's Thor would say (e.g., "By the golden gates of Asgard!"). For all of the real world religous inspiration for the Force and expressions in SW, its odd that such a line was added to this script. Its a major failing on the part of Thomas--the entire point of Luke turning off the targeting computer was to believe in / use the Force, which was paid off with his making the shot which no other Rebel (and their targeting computers) could do--that "one in a million" shot, as Han put it. The comic version completely removes this all-important moment of Luke's spiritual journey, replacing it with something as meaningless (to the importance of the scene) as a malfunction. All the comic touches on is Luke wondering if Kenobi was somehow there with him in spirit--which is not the same as the film, where there is clear, direct communication Kenobi has with Luke through the Force. This was a slapdash adaptation at best; only the power of the movie made this adaptation a success, as its one of the most poorly illustrated of any film spin-offs Marvel produced in the 1970s. The couple of obvious publicity photo tracings did not improve the overall work, since it was so glaring that they were inserted in the comic when everything else was dissimilar to the film:  As for the writing, its just serviceable, which is shocking considering Thomas is--in all likelihood--one of the top 5 writing talents in the medium's history. It would take serious creative output to keep this title growing to its peak of sales/popularity over the course of 1977-79--something so few movie and TV adaptations ever accomplished (if they even lasted a couple of years). |
|
). One correspondent asks Marvel to continue the adventures of Luke and the gang beyond the movie, with Roy Thomas replying that they intend to, if sales of the first two issues are strong enough.