Good afternoon,
Today's topic is the tenth issue of Marvel's first Star Wars title. The cover showed Chewbacca and Han Solo firing their blasters at a large green alien monster. The story was called Behemoth From the World Below." The issue had a cover date of April 1978.
The tale began with Han and his companions in a pickle. They were engaged in battle with the space pirate Serji-X, aka the Arrogant One, and his crew. Both sides were also pitted against a large creature that had just emerged from rocky walls behind them.
The beast's unexpected arrival posed a significant threat to both heroes and villains. He'd just been summoned by one of the village elders, who had repeatedly talked about such a presence that could protect their land. Unfortunately, he was also one of the savage's first victims, after being crushed by one of the monster's massive feet. That was enough for Serji, who retreated not long before his raiders succumbed to the massive alien.
Han, Chewie, and the farmland's protectors took a few minutes to regroup and devise a plan. Jaxxon led the initial charge before realizing the beast's potential for damage. Don Wan Kihotay, the self-proclaimed last of the Jedi Knights, then decided to strike out on his own.
Meanwhile, Princess Leia Organa had just embarked on a solo mission to find Luke Skywalker and his droid companions, C-3PO and R2-D2. The trio had recently left Yavin 4 to find a new world that could serve as a Rebel base. When he made contact with his superiors, he told them about a planet in the Drexel system that might be suitable, before he suddenly stopped transmitting. Leia was determined to find her comrades, thinking on the way that they could use Han's assistance right about then.
Solo and the Wookiee were busy on Aduba-3, watching Kihotay attempting to draw the beast's attention. He did so after a few minutes and narrowly evaded a blast emitted from the creature's forehead. Hedji the spiner fired a few quills at their massive foe, and became the target of another blast from the monster, one that took the feline-like biped's life.
Amaiza and Han realized that the beast had been drawn to Kihotay's lightsaber. Chewie carried Solo closer to Kihotay, and Han grabbed the ancient weapon from the old man's hand. He thrust the saber upward into the creature's chest and dove for cover.
Moments later, there was a bright flash of light and the monster gradually disintegrated. The monster was no more, and the pirates had long since fled. The farming village was finally safe from harm.
Merri took the opportunity to thank her neighbor Jimm for his assistance. He decided to stay and help protect her and the others. Han, Chewie, and the rest took their leave. They weren't very well rewarded for their efforts, but they departed knowing they'd made a difference.
This was the last issue of the monthly series for writer Roy Thomas and penciler Howard Chaykin. Both would go on to other projects for Marvel and other publishers over the years. Thomas and Don Glut were involved in the script, and somehow managed to not explain why Serji had abandoned his men or show their subsequent demise, or that Hedji had been killed (which wouldn't be noted until a later issue). Despite those errors, it was still an okay story and a satisfying conclusion to this storyline.
Well, that wraps up this article. Next time, I'll cover the eleventh issue in this series. We'll see where Han and Chewie head next. We'll also find out what happened to Leia, Luke, and the droids. Until then, have a great week and don't forget to be kind to one another.
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