Wooo! The Falcon is flying belly up!

Did that take care of the dish, or had it not yet been replaced after RotJ? (Not that Martin seems to draw it anyway...)

Star Wars #102
Cover dated: December 1985
Issue title: School Spirit!
Script: Mary Jo Duffy
Artwork: Sal Buscema (breakdowns)/Sam de la Rosa (finished art & inks)
Colours: Petra Scotese
Letters: Rick Parker
Cover art: Kerry Gammill (pencils)/Sam de la Rosa (inks)
Overall rating: 5 out of 10




Plot summary: Luke Skywalker and Lando Calrissian have returned to the planet Iskalon to bring word of Kiro's death to his people. However, the Nagai invaders have reached the planet and established a base there, from which they mean to enslave the Iskalonian population. Luke and Lando arrive on the remains of the subaquatic city of Pavillion, where several Nagai slavers have just finished slaughtering a group of Iskalonians. Below them, the Iskalonian leader, Mone, and a group of School members swim up from the depths to investigate the disturbance. As they break the surface, Mone and his followers find the Nagai warriors slain, but Skywalker insists that it wasn't his or Lando's doing. As Luke relays the news of Kiro's death, he is shocked to learn that the Iskalonians believe Kiro to be alive and on Iskalon, fighting against the Nagai.

Elsewhere, at the Nagai base, Luke and Lando's arrival has been detected and a squad of warriors are dispatched to capture them. As the invaders storm Pavillion, Mone's companion Dania leads the School into the depths to safety, while Luke, Lando and Mone engage the Nagai. During the battle, Kiro appears, slaying several of the slavers, before returning to the sea. In the aftermath of the attack, Luke realises that a number of the School have been captured and transported back to the Nagai base. Fearing that they will commit suicide in order to avoid slavery, he and Lando don underwater breathing equipment and embark on a rescue attempt.

Upon reaching the Nagai's underwater base, Luke hands Lando his makeshift lightsaber, before igniting his own blade, as they begin hacking away at the building's support struts. Kiro reappears and enters the base to rescue his people, with Luke following close behind. Inside, Kiro quickly eliminates the Nagai guards and, with Luke's help, frees the Iskalonian prisoners, but during the fight he is shot in the stomach. Luke frees the School just as Lando finishes cutting through the building's supports and the structure collapses, as Luke and the Iskalonians escape.

Later, as Luke pensively surveys the oceans about him, once again believing Kiro to be dead, the Iskalonian suddenly appears alive and well. Kiro explains that, on Kinooine, he allowed Luke and Dani to believe that Den Siva had killed him because he needed to return to his homeworld and protect his people from the Nagai. He didn't want Dani to waste her life waiting for him to return, so he let her believe that he had perished. Kiro asks Luke and Lando to keep his secret and not to tell Dani that he is still alive, so that she can mourn him and finally let go of his memory.


Comments: Star Wars #102 sees the return of artist Sal Buscema, with his second contribution to the series, following issue #93, "Catspaw". Just as with that earlier comic, Buscema's artwork looks lovely here – and probably seems better than it is, coming on the heels of Cynthia Martin's recent efforts. There are plenty of inventively composed panels on display and some beautifully drawn underwater scenes too. I should also note that Petra Scotese's colouring really enhances these aquatic sequences, bringing the underwater locale vividly to life...






I also really like the way in which Buscema draws the Nagai; their weirdly elongated heads seem creepier and much more sinister under his pen than they do in Martin's manga-influenced art. Kerry Gammill's action packed front cover, with it's declaration of "Kiro's Back!", must've been an irresistible sight to fans of the long-lost Iskalonian when they saw it on the news stand.

One slight grumble about the art would be that when the Nagai tower is first shown on page 8, it's drawn as having been being built on a rocky landscape above the water. Iskalon has no land, but that's definitely how the tower is pictured here, with clouds visible in the sky overhead, proving that it's situated above the water...




Subsequent scenes featuring this tower show it to be located underwater, on the sea bed. I'm not sure whether it's Buscema or inker Sam de la Rosa who is at fault here, but since Buscema only did panel breakdowns for this comic (which often don't include any background details), I'm guessing that it was de la Rosa who mistakenly drew the tower above water. Clearly Scotese perpetuated that mistake by colouring the Iskalonian sky and billowy clouds appropriately.

As for Jo Duffy's script, this is a fairly well structured tale and it's good to be back on Iskalon and to catch up with Mone, who has found himself a new companion named Dania Francis, following the death of his treacherous wife, Kendle. The water world of Iskalon really is one of Duffy's best and most memorable locations from the series and it's fitting that readers should be transported back here for the ending of Kiro's character arc (this would be his last appearance in the series).

Incidentally, when editor Ann Nocenti was asked about the possibility of any upcoming romance for Luke on the letters page of Star Wars #96, she used the phrase "there are a lot of 'fish' in the sea" to hint that the young Jedi would perhaps become romantically involved with an Iskalonian. There's no evidence of that here and this would be the last time that readers would see the water world in the Marvel run, so perhaps this was simply a story idea that went unused due to the series being cancelled?

I enjoyed the little fake out that Duffy hands us early on in this story, in which she leads us to assume that it's Luke who has killed the Nagai on Pavillion, when he and Lando Calrissian first arrive, before revealing that it was actually Kiro. However, there appears to be a continuity goof when one of the Nagai recognises Luke and Lando from the recent battle on Endor. But since Lando was in his ship, the Cobra, high above Endor during the battle, so how would any of the Nagai be able to recognise him? It also caused me to raise an eyebrow when the Nagai refered to that battle as "the second Battle of Endor" since, for them, it was actually the first. I mean, I can definitely understand the Alliance referring to the Nagai attack on Endor as "the second Battle of Endor", because it was their second battle conducted on or above the forest moon, but why would the Nagai call it that?

Something else that prompted incredulity for me was the way in which Luke, Kiro and the other Iskalonians all managed to survive the Nagai tower toppling over and breaking apart. I suppose that underwater, the building would've fallen much slower than if it been above the surface, but still. I also found it mildly annoying that in the aftermath of the destruction, we find that Kiro is supposedly dead...again! Only for it to be revealed that, actually, he managed to survive (again!). I tell you, that little Iskalonian has more lives than a cat!

However, by far the biggest problem that I have with this issue is concerning Kiro's decision to return to Iskalon without first letting Dani know that he had survived his fight with Den Siva. In addition, he makes Luke and Lando swear to keep the secret of his survival from the Zeltron – his rationale being that Dani will be better off thinking that he died on Kinooine, since he can't be with her while he's away defending Iskalon, which, frankly, sounds like the biggest load of clichéd rubbish I've ever read!

I mean, I understand that Kiro would want to defend his people, but why does he have to abandon poor Dani or, worse, let her go on believing that he's dead? Wouldn't it have been kinder to send word to the Alliance that he was alive and well on Iskalon, and let Dani decide for herself whether to wait for him or join him? As we've already seen in the series, Dani is really hurting over her loss, so Kiro going back to Iskalon and not letting her know that he's alive seems like a pretty mean thing to do to someone that he supposedly loves – especially since he's wrong about his actions sparing her feelings and, in fact, Dani will be heartbroken and miserable throughout the remainder of the series. In addition, by roping Luke and Lando into his deception, it makes them look rather less than heroic too, since they are essentially now co-conspirators in Dani's suffering. Ultimately, we'd never get to see Dani learn that Kiro was still alive, due to the series being cancelled with issue #107.

Overall, Star Wars #102 is superior to recent instalments of the series, but it's still not anything much to write home about. The artwork is really nice and the plot is reasonably well executed, but this definitely feels like Duffy cruising on autopilot and it's not up to the standards of her earlier writing on the series. "School Spirit!" also provides a problematic and rather unsatisfying climax to Kiro's character arc, which is unfortunate.


Continuity issues: One of the Nagai slavers recognises Luke Skywalker and Lando Calrissian from their involvement in repelling the recent attack on Endor. However, Lando was involved in the space battle above Endor and therefore concealed within in his ship, the Cobra, so how would any of the Nagai recognise him?

Favourite panel:


Favourite quote: "I am glad to see you both … but there is no time for talk or joy now." – Kiro hurriedly greats Luke Skywalker and Lando Calrissian before entering the Nagai base to rescue his people.

I agree. It's like how the the Planet of the Apes DVD cover shows a still from the iconic "statue of liberty on the shoreline" scene at the film's climax. Way to spoil the ending, people!

I guess that Marvel just couldn't resist touting Kiro's return as a selling point. As I noted, it must've leapt out at fans of the series from the spinner racks.

The Return Of The Jedi Weekly version of the story didn't have the 'Kiro's Back!' cover until the second issue of the reprinting thus keeping some of the mystery at least

Star Wars #103
Cover dated: January 1986
Issue title: Tai
Script: Mary Jo Duffy
Artwork: Cynthia Martin (pencils)/Art Nichols (inks)
Colours: Michele Wrightson
Letters: Rick Parker
Cover art: Cynthia Martin (pencils)/Steve Leialoha (inks)
Overall rating: 4 out of 10




Plot summary: While travelling to the planet Zeltros, Princess Leia's starship comes out of hyperspace above the planet Trenwyth, in the middle of a battle between the Nagai and another unknown force. The ship is damaged by a stray laser bolt, forcing the princess and her four Zeltron attendants to hideout in one of the planet's battle-torn cities, while they effect repairs. Leaving the craft to scout the area, Leia finds herself cornered by a Nagai warrior, who promptly collapses, due to injuries that he has sustained in the fighting. Leia takes him prisoner, as she and her Zeltron escorts continue to watch the movements of the strange, green-skinned humanoids that are battling against the Nagai.

Later, after the prisoner has regained consciousness, Leia offers him some food and attempts to communicate with him, but he remains silent. When the princess turns her back, he leaps to attack her, as the Zeltrons rush to her defence. Leia and the Zeltrons eventually manage to subdue the Nagai by tying him up, which distresses him greatly, leading the princess to deduce that he must've been tortured by his mysterious green-skinned enemies at some point in the recent past. Taking pity on him, Leia decides to cut the prisoner's bonds, prompting him to collapse weeping into her lap.

Though he is now free, the Nagai warrior seems content to stay with the party, leading the Zeltrons to speculate that he has become infatuated with the princess. With the Nagai's enemies preparing to leave Trenwyth, and Leia and the Zeltrons having finally complete the repairs to their ship, the princess explains to their guest that they will leave him with supplies and equipment. As they prepare to part, Leia and the Nagai warrior share a few minutes, in which he reveals that his name is Tai.

Sometime later, after returning to the Nagai command ship, Tai reports to his superior, Commander Knife, as Lieutenant Den Siva looks on. Delivering his report, Tai describes how Leia and the Zeltrons looked after him and gave him shelter, while they hid from the Nagai's old enemy. Interpreting Tai's fraternisation as a sign of weakness, Knife throws one of his blades at him, hitting the Nagai warrior in the chest and killing him, as Den looks on in horror.


Comments: With the publication of Star Wars #103, the series began its death throes, as the Nagai–Tof War kicked off and the comic changed from a monthly publication, to one that would now be coming out every two months. This change in the rate of publication was announced with a bare minimum of ceremony, by way of a simple, "be here in two months" comment from editor Ann Nocenti at the end of the letters page.

In 2011, writer Jo Duffy told the Belgian Star Wars fan club magazine TeeKay-421 that "Tai" was one of her favourite stories that she wrote for the series. While it's certainly a reasonable, if unspectacular, character-driven piece, I'm not sure that I'd agree with the author that this is among her best work on the series. For one thing, although it's cool that Duffy tries to paint a more nuanced and sympathetic picture of the Nagai in this issue, her attempt at humanising the enemy feels very formulaic. It's the kind of thing we see in World War II movies fairly often, with captured German soldiers or pilots, who turn out to not quite be the monsters that the people of occupied Europe or the allied forces assume them to be.

More interesting than the main thrust of this story, at least to me, are the two darkly fascinating scenes on the Nagai command ship that bookend the story. In the first, Den Siva's obsessive infatuation with Dani is given full rein, with his quasi-romantic fascination seeming decidedly stalkerish, as he tellingly refers to the Zeltron as "my Dani", even as he acknowledges that she must hate him. Yeah, Duffy paints a brilliantly creepy picture of Den in these opening pages.

She also reminds us how menacingly sinister Knife can be and, as a result, what a great antagonist for the series he is. During the final scene on the Nagai command ship, we get a very dark ending to this story, in which the sympathetic Nagai character of Tai – who we've spent most of the issue getting to know – is struck down in cold blood by Knife, for nothing more than showing signs of weakness in front of the enemy. Den's abject horror at Knife's cold-blooded execution of his comrade will play into events in the remaining issues.

While we're on the subject of Knife, something that's a little puzzling is why the other Nagai refer to him by that name. We were told back in Star Wars #91 that Knife isn't his real name; the Wookiees didn't have the linguistic dexterity to pronounce his actual name, so they called him something that in Galactic Standard translates as "Knife". So, why would the Nagai call him by this Wookiee nickname? This looks to me like Duffy forget how Knife's name was arrived at in the earlier issue, and Nocenti failed to pick up on it. Incidentally, we learn in this issue that most Nagai don't speak Galactic Standard.

As for the art, it features all of the usual flaws and annoyingly un-Star Wars-y rendering that I always complain about whenever Cynthia Martin is working on the book. The front cover is quite exciting though, I suppose, and I should just note that this issue has a unique corner cover symbol, featuring a picture of Princess Leia, which looks to be drawn by Martin.

Ultimately, the biggest problem with this issue is that not much happens in it. The story is significant for introducing us to the Tofs, who are intriguing by dint of being a hitherto unknown enemy of the Nagai, but we don't learn enough about them at this stage to really hook us. Tai himself never comes across as being quite as interesting or as sympathetic a character as Duffy seems to think he is, and the Zeltron "boy band" that Princess Leia has been hanging out with lately are quickly becoming annoying, rather than humourous additions to the cast. This issue doesn't even really work that well as a solo vehicle for Leia, since she ends up being somewhat sidelined by all the Nagai and Zeltron characters in the comic.

So really, other than underlining Den's obsessive fascination with Dani – which is something that we had already guessed from the events of issue #97 anyway – and inaugurating the Nagai–Tof War, there's really not much to recommend this comic. The words "throwaway" and "filler" definitely come to mind.


Continuity issues: None

Favourite panel:


Favourite quote: "Talk … or we'll hit you or something." – Jahn tries to sound menacing while interrogating the Nagai prisoner, Tai.

Yeah, I hate that in sci-fi too,

Given her love of all things manga and Japanese, I suspect Jo Duffy was influenced by things like Captain Harlock or Space Battleship Yamato (aka Star Blazers), which both use antiquated naval imagery in their spaceship design.