Star Wars #98
Cover dated: August 1985
Issue title: Supply and Demand
Script: Archie Goodwin
Artwork: Al Williamson
Colours: Glynis Oliver
Letters: Ed King
Cover art: Bill Sienkiewicz
Overall rating: 7½ out of 10




Plot summary: While visiting the starship yards of Fondor, Han Solo sees Lando Calrissian and Nien Numb arrive in the Millennium Falcon, bringing word from the Alliance that he is to be sent on a mission to the ore mining world of Vandelhelm, to stabilise the dropping supply rate of metals to the shipyard. With Nien Numb serving as a temporary co-pilot, Han takes the Falcon to a former Imperial prison planet, where he picks up two children – a young boy and his older sister – who are known as "The Venerated Ones". He then transports the pair to Vandelhelm, in order that they can sort out the problem with the Metalsmith's Guild and its supply of ores and alloys to the Alliance.

Unknown to Solo, the head of production on Vandelhelm, Guildmaster Orrk, has allied himself with Admiral Mordur and his small band of renegade Imperials. Mordur plans to kill the "Venerated Ones" as a way of maintaining his and Orrk's complete control over the planet's ore production. After a failed attempt at destroying the Falcon as it drops out of hyperspace, the Guildmaster meets with Solo, explaining that his passengers are the last remaining descendants of the families who initially founded the mining operation and that the superstitious metalsmiths of Vandelhelm believe that they can't produce high quality alloys without them. The Guildmaster also explains that the facility has been storing stockpiled metal on drone barges orbiting the planet.

With the "Venerated Ones" returned to Vandelhelm, Han assumes that his mission is over. However, upon returning to the Falcon, he finds Nien Numb being held at gunpoint by Imperial stormtroopers, as Orrk arrives outside the ship, having taken the "Venerated Ones" hostage. As the Guildmaster reveals his arrangement with the Empire, the young boy bites Orrk's leg, causing a distraction and allowing Han to gun down the Imperials. Leaping towards the Guildmaster, Han wrestles with him until Orrk is thrown from a high docking platform to his death.

Han then flies to the drone barges and docks on the command ship, where he finds that Mordur has set the container ships on a collision course with a nearby sun. Donning a spacesuit, Han guns down Mordur's stormtroopers and engages the Admiral in battle on the ship's flight deck, where the Imperial is ultimately sucked into the vacuum of space. An Alliance frigate arrives soon afterwards and draws the command ship into its docking bay, by means of a tractor beam, while the drone barge's course is changed and the ships are saved.


Comments: Star Wars #98 sees the return of writer Archie Goodwin and artist Al Williamson to the series. The pair had previously worked together on the comic adaptations of The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, as well as "The Crimson Forever" story in issue #50. They had also, between 1981 and 1984, been the creative team on the Star Wars syndicated newspaper strip. Ultimately, "Supply and Demand" would turn out to be the duo's final Star Wars story, which makes it somewhat significant.

If you've been following my reviews, you'll know that Williamson is just about my favourite artist to have worked on this series and, right off of the bat, as soon as you flip open the cover of this comic, the artwork is stunning. The story opens with a couple of panels showing Han Solo dashing through a corridor within the shipyards of Fondor, as startled onlookers are shoved aside, but when you turn the page, you're treated to this gorgeous double-page splash...




Williamson's art in this issue is, as always, pure eye candy. It combines incredible, sumptuous detail and photo-realism, with effortless panel-to-panel storytelling chops. His lush inking and bold use of shadow, when combined with his tendency to utilise interesting and inventive "camera angles" or staging, delivers some truly eye-popping artwork. The action sequences are fluid and full of movement, while the quieter character driven moments are handled with equal skill. Yep, Wiliamson once again proves that he is quite simply a comic book master.

I have to say that the art here is so good that it really throws the shortcomings of the series' regular artist, Cynthia Martin, into sharp relief. I know that it's unfair of me to compare somebody like Martin to an all-time great like Williamson, but it's hard not too when this issue comes on the heels of four issues featuring artwork that I've been very critical about. For example, I've been bemoaning Martin's angular and highly stylised take on the Imperial stormtroopers of late, and seeing Williamson's exquisite, movie-authentic renditions here, it's hard not to think, "yeah, now that's how you draw 'em"...




If I were to make one criticism of Williamson's work in this issue, it would be that the older, female "Venerated One" looks a little too grown up. It's clear from Han's dialogue that these two are children, but the older sister looks to be in her mid-to-late 20's, rather than in her early teens, as she should be. This is strange because Williamson actually used his own teenage daughter and young son, Valerie and Victor, as his models for these characters. Anyway, that little nitpick aside, Williamson once again shows us just how good the art in a Star Wars comic can be.

Actually, it's a shame that this issue doesn't sport a Williamson drawn cover. Bill Sienkiewicz's painted image is quite nice, but it's a little too murky for my tastes. When "Supply and Demand" was reprinted as "The Vandelhelm Mission" by Dark Horse Comics in 1995 – with recoloured art by James Sinclair and some minor dialogue alterations – Williamson was asked to knock up a new cover for the story and delivered this minor masterpiece...




Unfortunately, Goodwin's story doesn't come close to matching the grandeur of the artwork. The basic plot about delayed ore shipments to the Alliance is sound enough, I suppose, but it's also overly complex and not terribly interesting...or at all rewarding. Goodwin's characterisation of Han and Lando Calrissian is spot on and he certainly captures their "voices", but the plot feels kinda lightweight and I'm not entirely convinced it really makes a whole lot of sense. There's also a clumsy attempt on Goodwin's part to set Han up as being irritated by the two children he's escorting, before eventually learning to love them, but it never really comes off. In addition, neither Guildmaster Orrk or Admiral Mordur seem very threatening or particularly memorable.

On a more positive note, I suppose it's interesting to see the unique pairing of Han and Nien Numb, even if the latter isn't utilised all that well in the story. It's also nice to see Goodwin bringing the Shipyards of Fondor – a location he created for the Star Wars newspaper strip in 1981 – into the Marvel Comics' continuity.

It's difficult to know when this story is supposed to take place. I suspect that it's meant to be set soon after Return of the Jedi, but personally, I've always placed it directly after issue #91, "Wookiee World", because it's mentioned here that Chewbacca is away on leave on Kashyyyk. So, I guess that Han and Lando must've left the Wookiee on his homeworld to keep an eye on things after they'd thwarted the Nagai warrior Knife's slaving operation on the planet. This also explains why Lando is using the Millennium Falcon, rather than his own ship, the Cobra, since Knife stole it at the end of issue #91.

Summing up, this fill-in issue is bit of a mixed bag. The artwork is utterly gorgeous, but Goodwin's plot is lacklustre and overly complicated, without ever giving the reader much to care about. Nevertheless, the story does feel quite Star Wars-y to me, in a way that recent issues maybe haven't. Ultimately, despite its workaday plot, it's hard not to view this issue as a last glimpse of the magic that could be found in Marvel's original Star Wars comics.


Continuity issues: The Wookiee homeworld of Kashyyyk is misspelled here as Kazhyyyk.

Favourite panel:


Favourite quote: "Listen to the man! He has to do a little temporary duty … assume a bit of responsibility … and he turns all surely." – Lando Calrissian teases Han Solo over his irritability and over-protectiveness of the Millennium Falcon.

Interesting point, huladollar. And you're right, the creative team of Jo Duffy, Cynthia Martin, Glynis Wein and editor Ann Nocenti are all female. Of course, Art Nichols, Bob Wiacek and Tom Palmer, who inked those issues, are male, but still. Good question as to whether this was the fist time that such a female dominated creative team had ever worked on a comic book series. Maybe the forum's resident comics historian and all round expert Cei-U! can help provide a definitive answer for us?




That's absolutely right. He used his two children as models for those characters.

Ha! It's all solid gold, I tells ya!

No, no...I may be a bit biased.

Looking at it objectively, after the first movie adaptation (issues #1-6), which is pretty solid overall, there was a period of the series finding its feet and we got some slightly lacklustre or odd stories -- fun reads though, but a little bit not quite "Star Wars" as we know it. We also got some characters that many fans disliked during this period, such as Jaxxon, the green space-rabbit that I have as my avatar (though, for the record, I thought Jaxxon rocked).

Things improved around issue #16, with a couple of excellent stand-alone stories, followed by The Wheel story arc (issues #18-23). Archie Goodwin turned in some really good stories from The Wheel saga up until the adaptation of The Empire Strikes Back, but be warned, Carmine Infantino's stylized art and decidedly angular take on the SW universe isn't to everyone's taste...I'm not much of a fan, on the whole.

For me and many others, the series really hits its stride with the adaption of The Empire Strikes Back in issues #39-44. From there it's basically excellent all the way through to just after the events of Return of the Jedi (up to and including issue #81). After that, it's still pretty darn good for the most part, up to around issue #94. That, for me, is the moment when the series jumps the shark. After that, it was a slow decline until the series was canceled with issue #107.

Hope that helps.

Cover of upcoming Star Wars Epic Collection: The Original Marvel Years Volume 2-

Hello all.

I've lurked around the board, but only joined...today! I really appreciate the depth of interest in Marvel's Star Wars. For a series which ran over 100 issues at a time when it had direct comparisons to each, then-new Star Wars movie releases, the comic held its own, and for me, supported my interest in the overall lore created by the movies.

Confessor, your reviews are always fascinating to read, but I do have one quibble...as my screen name might hint: I found myself disagreeing with your occasional criticism of Carmine Infantino's work on the title; while he was not the more "Star Wars-friendly" artist like Williamson, Simonson and Palmer, his unique style infused Star Wars with an energetic, fantastic look taking full advantage of the technical and strange--probably to lengths even the movies did not reach.

Aside from being one of the top comic artists / art directors in the medium's history (even providing layouts for the likes of Neal Adams, among other legends, whether working with inkers or on his own, his work was always a joy. His natural leaning toward science fiction (as everyone knows) dates back to being one of the majors forces at the dawn of the Silver Age, and as the years passed, he (unlike some top artists who could barely sketch a car that did not look like it came from a lot on Bizarro world), only grew in his ability to take on any sci-fi material.

That brings me to Marvel's Star Wars; there's much that be said about the talents of the title's numerous artists, but I give Infantino the edge in his deep dive into all things mechanical--from weapons, ships, cyborgs or interiors. He was not far off from the level of detail applied by ILM's prop & modelmakers.

Then, there's the issue of lightsabers: for some reason, most MSW (Marvel Star Wars) artists almost always illustrated the blade as if it was some sort of inverted,scalloped torch, or distorted in shape--never appearing to give the impression that it was a blade of contained, but dangerous energy. That's where Infantino comes in, as seen in the panel sample below--



Infantino's unique take on the blade--the patterned, dark outline around the squared edge blade just said "pulsating energy" unlike the version of any other artist. To me, without the movie's glow and distinctive sound EFX, the Infantino blade was a close as anyone was going to get in replicating the weapon.

The other half of the example shows off the great detail he added to spaceships. He knew what challenge he was facing and met it with soaring panache.

Okay, enough of my Infantino cheerleading. I just wanted to give a nod to the man often brushed aside an assessments of Marvel's Star Wars. Back to this great thread!

Confessor, your favorite panel from Star Wars #98 brings up an interesting thing about Al Williamson's photo sources: while he used as many photos supplied by Lucasfilm, he--apparently--used the commercially available toys, such as Kenner's diecast Millennium Falcon toy from 1978. Compare Williamson's oversized quad laser cannon and "leg" landing gear to the Kenner toy--



I also believe the Falcon on the cover of #41 was based on the toy as well. Not really a criticism, but interesting how artists had other sources to draw from, even if the end result was a wee bit off.

Star Wars #99
Cover dated: September 1985
Issue title: Touch of the Goddess
Script: Mary Jo Duffy
Artwork: Ron Frenz (layouts)/Sam de la Rosa (finished art & inks)
Colours: Glynis Oliver
Letters: Rick Parker
Cover art: Ron Frenz (pencils)/Sam de la Rosa (inks)
Overall rating: 4½ out of 10




Plot summary: On Endor, Luke Skywalker and Lando Calrissian discuss the Nagai invasion, as well as the recent death of Kiro and how distraught the Iskalonian's passing has left Dani. The pair also note that Leia's four Zeltron attendants are jealous of the recently arrived Mandalorian Supercommando, Fenn Shysa, who the princess initially encountered some time back, during the search for Han Solo.

Elsewhere, Solo himself is on a mission to the planet Godo with his old childhood friend Bey and Admiral Ackbar. The planet is beset by a strange virus that is slowly wiping out the population, necessitating the three offworlders to be vaccinated against the disease before they can set foot on the planet. The Godoan representative, Fumiyo, guides the trio to the House of the Goddess, a temple containing an statue to the Godoan's deity. While there, Han notices that the temple is actually a techno-organic construct and, with the help of R2-D2 and C-3PO, deduces that it makes the planet habitable for the Godoans, but it isn't working properly, due to two missing miniature statues. Realising that these lost statues are the Dancing Goddess and Minstrel icons that Lando used to own, Han and Chewbacca race back to Endor and enlist Calrissian and Skywalker's help in locating them.

Splitting up, Luke and Han travel to a prison in the Keyorin system to locate Lemo and Sanda. After bargaining with the pair, they journey to Arcan IV and acquire the Minstrel from the remnants of their gang. Meanwhile, Lando and Chewbacca travel to the planet Stenos, to retrieve the Dancing Goddess from Lando's old nemesis Drebble. After narrowly surviving an ambush, the pair meet with Drebble, who was given the Dancing Goddess as a reward from the Rebellion, in a case of mistaken identity. Luckily, Drebble is happy to hand over the statue in order to save the Godoans, rationalising that if he were to insist on keeping it, he would no longer deserve it.

Once back on Godo, Han and Lando put the two statues in their rightful place, as a huge flash of light emanates from the temple, cleansing the planet's atmosphere and eradicating the virus. As thankful Godoans rush to the House of the Goddess, Luke, Han, Lando and Chewbacca leave the planet on their way to deliver arms to the front line of the Nagai invasion. However, once in space, Lando quickly falls ill and the group realise that he had forgotten to get his vaccination before setting foot on Godo. Contacting Fumiyo to request access to the temple once more, the Godoan reveals that his people have decided to permanently seal the House of the Goddess to offworlders. Furious at this, Han threatens to bring the might of the Alliance down on the planet, ending the Godoan civilisation and destroying the temple, if they refuse to help Lando. The Godoans relent and Lando is brought to the temple, where he is healed, as Solo remains vague about whether or not he would've carried out his threat.


Comments: OK, this is where things start to get messy, chronologically speaking. This issue, which is set after the events of issue #101, shows the new character Bey already working alongside our heroes, while Fenn Shysa, who Leia encountered back in Star Wars #68 and #69, is now stationed at the Alliance base on Endor. Both characters would get their formal introduction (or re-introduction in Fenn's case) in issue #101, as a helpful editorial box in this issue explains. However, we do learn pretty much all we need to know about these characters from Luke Skywalker and Lando Calrissian's dialogue.

We're told that Fenn has come to the Alliance's base in search of aid because the invading Nagai have attacked the Mandalore system and set up bases there. Fenn brought the towering half-Corellian Bey – who is apparently a legendary warrior and an old childhood friend of Han Solo's – with him. Speaking to the Belgian Star Wars fan club magazine TeeKay-421 in 2011, Duffy revealed that Bey was modelled physically on the Japanese martial artists Sonny Chiba, who is probably best known to Western audiences for playing Hattori Hanzo in Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill. Apparently, the actor had also once played a character in a Japanese film whose name had 'bey' in it, and that's how Duffy came up with the new character's name. With his towering size, and voluminous, flowing white locks, as well as the casually worn animal furs and cybernetic eye-patch, Bey is certainly a memorable looking character...




During the same 2011 interview with TeeKay-421, Duffy said that "Touch of the Goddess" was one of her favourite stories that she wrote for the series. Personally, I'm not sure I would rate it as highly as all that, but it's definitely a good old fashioned, galaxy-spanning romp. It's also a nice change of pace from the ongoing Nagai invasion and, in fact, there's not a Nagai to be seen anywhere in this issue.

It's always good when Drebble makes an appearance in the Star Wars comic and it's especially gratifying to see that his personality has changed, as a result of having been decorated as a Rebel hero – never mind that he was being lauded for deeds done by Lando, while using Drebble's name. Seeing Drebble attempting to do the honourable thing, as if trying to live up to his new found status as a hero, is a satisfying crescendo to his appearances in the series (and this would be his last). So too is his desire to now call Lando, his one-time arch enemy, his friend. This excellent climax to Drebble's character arc is one of the reasons why I regard him as one of the best and most memorable original characters in the series.

I also enjoy the climax of this story, in which it's left ambiguous as to whether or not Han would've wiped out the Godoans and destroyed the House of the Goddess, had they refused to help Lando. Personally, I choose to believe that Han was bluffing, but I really like that it's open to interpretation. On a related note, this issue features one of the most intriguing covers of the entire run, with Han's attention-getting declaration of, "If Lando dies, I'll destroy your planet!". You'd be hard pushed to resist that if you saw it on the news stand back in mid-1985.

On the downside, in the opening pages of this issue, we are informed that Dani is hurting over the death of her beloved Kiro and that no one can reach her in her depression. The trouble is, as I mentioned in my review of Star Wars #95, Dani and Kiro's love affair wasn't properly set up: readers were simply informed that they were now a couple in issue #95. This is still proving to be a problem, because it's kind of hard for a reader to care about how Dani is feeling, when we've not really been invested in her romance with Kiro. If we had seen them fall for each other, seen their love grow and then seen them both blissfully happy in their romance, it would make Dani's mourning for the Iskalonian so much more poignant. As it is, I think it's hard for readers to care. As an aside, I should also note that the panel in the middle of page 2 is the last appearance in the series of Rik Duel and Chihdo.

This issue sees the brief return of Ron Frenz on pencil layouts and, after recent Cynthia Martin drawn issues, which I've been mighty critical of, it's great to have him back – even if it is only for one issue. As ever, Frenz's work makes the comic look suitably Star Wars-y, and there's a particularly lovely splash page of Luke sitting in a tree, reminiscing about his recently deceased friend, Kiro (see my favourite panel below). Frenz is inked here by Sam de la Rosa, who also does the finished pencilling.

Interestingly, Frenz gives Fumiyo and the other Godoans a distinctly Japanese manga-inspired look, which must be something that was done at Duffy's request, given her love of all things manga...




The Godoans are also a bit reminiscent of the Andorians from Star Trek, I think.

Anyway, "Touch of the Goddess" is a reasonably satisfying story and an entertaining slice of space opera. The artwork is solid, if unspectacular, and the script serves to tie up of the various story strands associated with the intermittent Dancing Goddess/Minstrel plot line. This comic isn't really much to write home about, but it is a solidly executed and fairly entertaining read nonetheless.


Continuity issues: None

Favourite panel:


Favourite quote: "I finally got to blast someone. Sometimes the basics work best, you know." – Han Solo cheerfully jokes to Luke Skywalker about his having just killed an assassin that had been trailing them.