Lit Comics A Look Back at Dark Horse Star Wars, Year By Year: Now Discussing 1998 [WARNING: IMAGE INTENSE]

1995

January 1995
Classic Star Wars: The Early Adventures #6 / Cover
Dark Empire II #2 (of 6): Duel on Nar Shaddaa / Cover
Droids Special / Cover
Tales of the Jedi: Dark Lords of the Sith, part 4 (of 6): Death of a Dark Jedi / Cover

February 1995
Classic Star Wars: The Early Adventures #7 / Cover
Dark Empire II #3 (of 6): World of the Ancient Sith / Cover
Tales of the Jedi: Dark Lords of the Sith, part 5 (of 6): Sith Secrets / Cover

March 1995
Classic Star Wars: The Vandelhelm Mission / Cover
Classic Star Wars: The Early Adventures #8 / Cover
Dark Empire II #4 (of 6): Battle on Byss / Cover
Tales of the Jedi: Dark Lords of the Sith, part 6 (of 6): Jedi Assault / Cover

April 1995
Classic Star Wars: The Early Adventures #9 / Cover
Dark Empire II #5 (of 6): The Galaxy Weapon / Cover
Droids #1: Rebellion, part 1 (of 4) / Cover
Jabba the Hutt: The Gaar Suppoon Hit / Cover

May 1995
Dark Empire II #6 (of 6): Hand of Darkness / Cover
Droids #2: Rebellion, part 2 (of 4) / Cover

June 1995
Droids #3: Rebellion, part 3 (of 4) / Cover
Jabba the Hutt: The Hunger of Princess Nampi / Cover
River of Chaos #1 (of 4) / Cover

July 1995
Droids #4: Rebellion, part 4 (of 4) / Cover
River of Chaos #2 (of 4) / Cover
X-Wing: Rogue Squadron #1: The Rebel Opposition, part 1 (of 4) / Cover

August 1995
Jabba the Hutt: The Dynasty Trap / Cover
Tales of the Jedi: The Sith War, part 1 (of 6): Edge of the Whirlwind / Cover
X-Wing: Rogue Squadron #2: The Rebel Opposition, part 2 (of 4) / Cover
X-Wing: Rogue Squadron: Apple Jacks Special Bonus Story / Cover

September 1995
Droids #5: Season of Revolt, part 1 (of 4) / Cover
River of Chaos #3 (of 4) / Cover
Tales of the Jedi: The Sith War, part 2 (of 6): The Battle of Coruscant / Cover
X-Wing: Rogue Squadron #3: The Rebel Opposition, part 3 (of 4) / Cover

October 1995
Droids #6: Season of Revolt, part 2 (of 4) / Cover
Empire's End #1 (of 2): Triumph of the Empire / Cover
Heir to the Empire #1 (of 6) / Cover
River of Chaos #4 (of 4) / Cover
Tales of the Jedi: The Sith War, part 3 (of 6): The Trial of Ulic Qel-Droma / Cover
X-Wing: Rogue Squadron #4: The Rebel Opposition, part 4 (of 4) / Cover

November 1995
Droids #7: Season of Revolt, part 3 (of 4) / Cover
Empire's End #2 (of 2): Rage of the Emperor / Cover
Heir to the Empire #2 (of 6) / Cover
Tales of the Jedi: The Sith War, part 4 (of 6): Jedi Holocaust / Cover

December 1995
Boba Fett: Bounty on Bar-Kooda / Cover
Droids #8: Season of Revolt, part 4 (of 4) / Cover
Heir to the Empire #3 (of 6) / Cover
Splinter of the Mind's Eye #1 (of 4) / Cover
Tales of the Jedi: The Sith War, part 5 (of 6): Brother Against Brother / Cover​

​

​

Well, DHC's output certainly exploded this year, didn't it? I'm assuming with the THX rereleases and new toys coming out this year, as well as (I think) official announcements over the development of Episode I, they wanted to tale advantage of things and/or see what the market would sustain.​

​

With Classic SW mostly running it's course by now (BTW, what was so special about The Vandelhelm Mission to warrant it getting reprinted as a stand-alone issue? I never understood that- and why retitle it if it's just the one issue?), we see a switch in gears to more ongoing/semi-ongoing series.​

​

And I think that's actually the more interesting thing here: long before the alternating miniseries structures of DT, Rebellion, Invasion, KE, BT, etc we had what almost amounts to the same structure with a diverse lineup of DE/EE, TOTJ, Droids and X-Wing, as well as lesser minis like ROC and Jabba the Hutt.Covering a range of age appeals from darker material to lighter fare.​

​

Speaking of which, has there ever been a more "why?" SW series than River of Chaos? Forgettable and somewhat perplexing story, bland art (though not terrible) and (mostly) unmemorable covers (though I get a slight Classic SW inspired vibe to them, they just don't click, IMO).​

​

Even as a kid I was really struggling to care at all about that series (the closest was after Before the Storm came out and I thought maybe the titular "river" in ROC had something to do with the White Current, but a quick peak back at ROC confirmed that, nope, it was still pointless). It, more than anything else, felt like a "we need any kind of SW series" product.​

​

That said, as an exception, the fourth cover isn't half bad.​

​

​

​

Still, it's not a surprise that the only TPB this got before the Omni program was a Titan-published edition in the UK.

Also, the fact that anyone thought Jabba the Hutt really needed his own series either speaks to the above origin of ROC or evidence of DHC's willingness to take chances. I actually liked the Jabba one-shots, but even I find it such an odd choice. But, how often do you see a Hutt resolve a situation like this?:​

​

​

​

The series would probably have had better exposure if the TPB had at least emphasized one of the better covers instead of just slapping a photo on the TPB. I mean, the cover to issue #1 was awful but this one is rather neat:​

​

​

​

And this one at least kind of implies Jabba's command/tactical ability:​

​

​

​

Droids' numerical confusion aside, it seemed to serve the function as a kid-friendly ongoing. Though I tend to mix the series up, I think this as the series where 3PO's gold leg gets swapped out for a silver one- which was a Big Deal Detail back then that the films ultimately glossed over. However, the series did back away from that and swap his gold leg back in (I guess out of fear that the prequels would explain that). The covers didn't stand out, generally, but this one is striking:​

​

​

​

And I think this one has a personal nostalgia to me for some reason- I just remember seeing this cover a lot. I think it was one of the first of the series I purchased or acquired from a friend:​

​

​

​

It's also interesting to see DHC switching to a "support the novels" model here. Besides multiple adaptations running concurrently of SOTME and TTT, they're also making a direct prequel to the X-Wing books. Or maybe they're trying to piggyback off them for the time being. Either way, it seems like a clear initative at this point- at least for the next year or so.​

​

Still, it was cool to get visuals to go with these stories (even if the stylized approach was unexpected). And, at the time, I didn't have clear memories of TTT's specifics as I had only read them when they first came out (didn't reread them till the early 2000's- one of the few books I have reread). Though I remember even back then that the "artistic license" taken with the Noghri to comic bookize them was controversial at the time.​

​

​

​

Meanwhile the SOTME adaptation was a nice way to break down the barrier between the modern material and the older material, which didn't seem as appealing prior.​

​

​

​

Still, this year's initial focus is really all about the DE & TOTJ series. TOTJ just kept building its epic. There were also a few key moments, such as the "because of you, the Sith will never die" and, oh yeah, that whole Mandalore thing. Seems like that should have taken off somehow.​

​

​

​

​

They also delivered some neat covers, as one would expect by this point. Also, "Jedi Assault" feels like the progenitor to other SW titles like Rebel Assault and First Assault.​

​

​

​

Not that DE2 didn't dominate with it's covers either- this issue in particular was the one issue that sold out before I could get a copy and it never got reordered at my shop. All the other issues were easy to get. So the Tree cover? No sweat. The Boba issue? Nah, you can't have that, Quest.​

​

A couple years later Dorman would rework this cover into a memorable Boba print as well- one that would also sell out before I could get my hands on a copy. This art means collector torment to me. And it's awesome.

​

​

But at least I was able to get my Fett Fix with issue #4​

​

​

​

...which i think captures that rivalry and their opposite-sides-of-the-coin nature better than anything else. And may have done more than even ESB in establishing that rivalry.​

​

And it closed out on top.​

​

​

​

Now, obviously, EE was a huge wasted opportunity, being cut down from 6 issues to 2, cutting short the great epic that launched DHC's SW line to begin with. Such a shame.​

​

DE2 really was pretty decent except that, unlike DE1, it didn't have a solid ending, so since that ending is EE, the loss of quality in the compressed storytelling AND the loss of Cam's fantastic and unique art style that brought so much to the series (replaced by a different style and just colored to try and match somewhat but never succeeding) drags down DE2 by association and functional necessity.​

​

Still, this is the final end of Palpatine and his quest for eternal life. Ironic on a few levels- he was undone by his need to pursue the body of a Jedi child. Gee, a shame you, ya know, killed them all.​

​

​

​

Spinning out of the DE wheelhouse (but this time with Cam Kennedy), we get the first Boba Fett one-shot which almost function as a "Star Wars Annual" for the next few years. While pretty decent reads, they were also unexpectedly... odd?​

​

​

​

While they had their obligatory unstoppable Boba action sequences, the main plot always seemed to want to put Fett on stranger cases with slightly more comedic characters or elements (presumably as a juxtaposition) instead of the more typical bounty missions one would expect.​

​

I dunno, maybe they didn't want to detract from his more serious DE2 escapades?​

​

​

​

(TBC in next cost due to image embed limits)

​

 

(cont'd from above- next time I'll use fewer images!)

And, finally, we have the launch of the first true ongoing (as it's hard to say what Droids really was, honestly)- though I've read they only planned the series to run for the first 3 arcs and was just expanded beyond that later on, so maybe saying it launched as an ongoing is technically inaccurate?​

​

Regardless, it launches with the third Dorman cover to be absolutely iconic:​

​

​

​

And the subsequent issues weren't any slouches either:​

​

​

​

#4 was actually one of the few issues I missed back in the day as well- and, even years later, it was extremely difficult to track down (at least not without buying a full set of all 4 issues of the arc). Given that this was the only XWRS arc to not get a TPB release prior to Omni (not counting Rogue Leader, which was made much later on with the Omnis in mind), that made it fairly frustrating. I did eventually get a copy however.​

​

​

​

An interesting BTS detail is that that cover originally depicted Tycho in a TIE Pilot suit due to an editorial mistake, so the corrected version had to be superimposed digitally over it to create the final issue above. Here's the original artwork:​

​

​

​

​

​

Also, worth noting that TRO is one of the few stories to get a revision in a collected edition- for the Omnibus release, two references to "Coruscant" and "Endor" that caused continuity issues were changed to "Command" or removed.​

​

(there may have been other changes, since Randy described the changes as "substantive"to the story, but I haven't been able to dig that thread up yet, and the above was ID'd by TC who only had the first 2 issues to compare it against)​

​

However, digging through the old TPB Resource Thread discussions over the release did point out that the iffy use of Winter's "Targeter" codename is still an issue, which had an amusing enough exchange worth pasting in here:​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

And to close this out, as I only just now figured out how to access some of the Wook's category organizations, I just wanted to highlight 3 last panels from DE1 before we close out discussion of the DE series as a whole:​

​

The first- it's not often that a comic quote for a character becomes arguably as famous as his film lines:​

​

​

​

The ultimate You Do NOT **** With Leia panel of all SW:​

​

​

​

And, well, another wouldyoulookatthat!:​

​

​

We can get an animated series that looks like that for the next show, right?

 

That's... actually a very good defense of the comic. I've never looked at it that way before. In that context, I might actually have a new found appreciation for it. But I still think that, despite it's good intentions and initial premise, it fails to make an impression and remains fairly dull.

When I get around to rereading it for the GCW thread project, I'll try to keep that POV in mind though.

 

1996
January 1996
Heir to the Empire #4 (of 6) / Cover

February 1996
Jabba the Hutt: Betrayal / Cover
Splinter of the Mind's Eye #2 (of 4) / Cover
X-Wing: Rogue Squadron #5: The Phantom Affair, part 1 (of 4) / Cover

March 1996
Heir to the Empire #5 (of 6) / Cover
Tales from Mos Eisley / Cover
X-Wing: Rogue Squadron #6: The Phantom Affair, part 2 (of 4) / Cover

April 1996
Heir to the Empire #6 (of 6) / Cover
Splinter of the Mind's Eye #3 (of 4) / Cover
X-Wing: Rogue Squadron #7: The Phantom Affair, part 3 (of 4) / Cover

May 1996
Shadows of the Empire #1 (of 6) / Cover
X-Wing: Rogue Squadron #8: The Phantom Affair, part 4 (of 4) / Cover

June 1996
Battle of the Bounty Hunters / Cover
Shadows of the Empire #2 (of 6) / Cover
Splinter of the Mind's Eye #4 (of 4) / Cover
X-Wing: Rogue Squadron #9: Battleground: Tatooine, part 1 (of 4) / Cover

July 1996
Shadows of the Empire #3 (of 6) / Cover
Tales of the Jedi: The Golden Age of the Sith #0 (of 5): Conquest and Unification / Cover
X-Wing: Rogue Squadron #10: Battleground: Tatooine, part 2 (of 4) / Cover

August 1996
Classic Star Wars: Devilworlds #1 (of 2) / Cover
Shadows of the Empire #4 (of 6) / Cover
This Crumb For Hire / Cover
X-Wing: Rogue Squadron #11: Battleground: Tatooine, part 3 (of 4) / Cover

September 1996
Boba Fett: When the Fat Lady Swings / Cover
Classic Star Wars: Devilworlds #2 (of 2) / Cover
Shadows of the Empire #5 (of 6) / Cover
X-Wing: Rogue Squadron #12: Battleground: Tatooine, part 4 (of 4) / Cover

October 1996
Shadows of the Empire #6 (of 6) / Cover
Tales of the Jedi: The Golden Age of the Sith #1 (of 5): Into the Unknown / Cover
X-Wing: Rogue Squadron #13: The Warrior Princess, part 1 (of 4) / Cover

November 1996
Tales of the Jedi: The Golden Age of the Sith #2 (of 5): Funeral for a Dark Lord / Cover

December 1996
Tales of the Jedi: The Golden Age of the Sith #3 (of 5): The Fabric of an Empire / Cover
X-Wing: Rogue Squadron #14: The Warrior Princess, part 2 (of 4) / Cover


Around this point It think we're really seeing the EU start to cooperate together more actively, following the springboard of 1995's adaptation launches and tie-ins like X-Wing.



Here, we conclude the HTTE and SOTME adaptations and move onto the first multimedia event for Star Wars (and a warm up for the Lucasfilm machine for the Special Editions and Prequels) with Shadows of the Empire. DHC now evolving from straight adaptations to adaptation/companion piece hybrid telling it's own unique facets of the SOTE experience.

But even beyond that, we see a lot of the wider EU lore being pulled in to explore- the Mos Eisley aliens, Crumb;s backstory- jumping later on to the B'omarr Monks in X-Wing, etc.



The final HTTE issue's cover strikes me for some reason. I think it was because I had missed an issue or two inbetween the first and final one and so this was sort of the taunting face reminder of "Ha ha! Your collection is incomplete!"- at least serving that function secondary to the DE2 issue I mentioned last time.







Fleming's SOTE covers were rather pretty- very colorful (especially compared to Dorman's generally earthier tones). Everyone is either bathed in backlight or shiny/glistening/reflecting things it often seems- though not to the stylized extremes of, say, the Brothers Hildebrandt.

The SOTE comic wasn't too shabby. I remember people hyping up Killian's ability to render Vader being what got him the gig but I found the results not so impressive (especially in retrospect compared to Wheatley's).

It's also worth noting that, though the SOTE commercial was a blanket commercial for all aspects of the project, it's probably the only Star Wars comic to have a commercial that actually aired on TV (AFAIK).



Tales of the Jedi now moves even further back to establish another new era with The Golden Age of the Sith. While it's covers lacked the immediate "pow!" of Dorman's covers (which is not to say they were terrible covers, just more subdued, made less of an impression), the cover to #0 also caught my eye. Proably because it had that "Oh, check it out, that awesome-looking whale Jedi Master is young!" impact at the time. It'd be kind of like seeing a young Yoda.


And I don't care what anyone says- I loved the power cable lightsabers. Sure, they have obvious weakpoints- for you non-Force sensitives .



We also get another Boba Fett issue- like I said, it almost functions as a Star Wars Annual at this point, though Boba does get a big year overall between SOTE, this and the Battle of the Bounty Hunters pop-up.



Jabba finishes up his run- I think this cover deserves a caption cobtest or something...



"**** this ****, I'm outta here!"

(TBC...)

 

Meanwhile X-Wing expands beyond the original scope of the series after finishing up it's initial 3 stories. I wonder if that's one reason why Warrior Princess and it's subsequent arc ended up being less stellar than the rest of the series- as an ongoing hold-us-over until Stackpole could bring in the bigger stuff.

Still, some sweet covers- always dug the Cobra Commander/Anubis hybrid villain (even if he's clearly Kenobi and Palpatine with their faces covered up...)...





Is that Ian McKellan?

Phantom Affair was one of my favorite arcs outside of the Fel stuff- I mean, this was basically the establishment of Wedge's backstory/origin. I don't recall if it had been mentioned elsewhere before this, but this was the first actual telling of it, AFAIK.

Not to mention some pretty shots of Indictors and such.









B'omarr B'adass.

Battleground Tatooine is a bit odder- it has the most "Made in the 90's" elements outside of a Kenner toy line. I mean, we're basically 1 year after "GI Joe Extreme". What are "Aren't you a little huge for a Stormtrooper?" bulked-up, sleeveless, shaved-headed, big gun-toting action guys but "Stormtroopers Extreme"?

(well, that or any main character from a video game made between 2007 and 2013... ).





On one hand, DHC was having some fun...



On the other hand...



CAN'T UNSEE!!!