Hi there,
Today's focus is on the twenty-first issue of Marvel's first Star Wars comic. The cover showed C-3PO, R2-D2, Luke Skywalker, and Princess Leia in action against the backdrop of the evil Darth Vader. The story was named "Shadow of a Dark Lord!" The issue had a cover date of March 1979.
The tale began with Leia looking at the lone guard who was standing between her and an elevator lift. She'd just escaped from Senator Greyshade's private suite, and soon got the guard to admit that there were fewer personnel in that sector because the main concentration was on the big games in the casino. She blasted the man before ascending toward the Crimson Casino, where Han had told everyone to meet up (back in issue #18).
As she neared that area, the princess from Alderaan thought back to how the Falcon had been blasted by an Imperial Star Destroyer, after having arrived at a House of Taage ship that had been destroyed. The attack had been carried out by the Empire. That act and the strafing run by an X-Wing fighter (in issue #20) were planned to generate distrust in the Rebellion. The Star Destroyer's commander was working with Greyshade on a deal that would transfer profits from the Wheel space station to further their galactic conquest.
Meanwhile, the formerly unconscious Luke's eyes opened. He had been dreaming about being chased until his former mentor, the late Obi-Wan Kenobi, informed him that Vader was the threat. He lashed out at the Sith in his mind, while simultaneously breaking free from the restraints that had bound him to a table in the Wheel's medical sector. He then pried open a nearby locker and grabbed his belongings before moving on, continuing to fight the menace in his mind.
By the time he came to his senses, Skywalker had already taken out several Wheel guards. Leia, Artoo, and Threepio arrived by his side just as he was emerging from his trance. He told his friends that the Force made him aware to the fact that Vader (last seen in issue #6) was very much alive.
The Sith Lord was on the planet Ultaar, where he interrogated a wounded Rebel. The man lived long enough to inform the Imperials that they'd been attacked by a cyborg bounty hunter named Valance (last seen in issue #16), who was looking after the crew who had aided Leia in her escape from the Death Star. Vader soon learned that the ship that had escaped the Imperial complex was last headed for the Wheel, and made that satellite his fleet's next destination.
Back on the Wheel, Greyshade's subordinate, the robot Master-Com, informed his leader of Leia's escape, something that he could have averted had he not been obsessed with his studies of Artoo and Threepio. Greyshade was somewhat disgusted by the fact that a human could have a close friendship with robots, until Master-Com reminded him of their own familiarity. Greyshade ordered Master-Com to return to the executive suite, as he returned to watch more of the gladiator games with Imperial Commander Strom.
A while later, several Wheel guards caught Stormtroopers in possession of stolen Wheel profits. They dispatched the Imperials and rushed to return the valuables, all of which were observed and recorded by Artoo. As for Han, he was recovering from his last bout and was about to enter the arena for his next match, which unfortunately pitted him against his first mate, the Wookiee Chewbacca.
While it was good to see Vader's return, I still don't like how Carmine Infantino drew him. The dark lord of the Sith would eventually meet Valance, and we would see more of the bounty hunter before the adaptation of the second Star Wars movie. I understood writer Archie Goodwin's intentions of having the Imperials use their allegiance with the Wheel administrator as a way to funnel more funds into their organization. I still felt like this particular storyline dragged on a little too long, and could have been resolved a few issues earlier.
Well, that's all for now. Next time, I'll recap the twenty-second issue of this title. We'll see what happens during Han and Chewie's bout and who the ultimate winner is. We'll also see Luke's first meeting with Greyshade and Vader's journey toward the gambling complex. Until then, have a great week and don't forget to be kind to one another.
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