Hi everyone,
It's time for me to discuss the fourth issue of Marvel's adaptation of the very first Star Wars movie. The issue showed Obi-Wan Kenobi, Luke Skywalker, and Princess Leia Organa preparing to battle the large spectral form of Darth Vader. The story was named "In Battle With Darth Vader." The issue had a cover date of October 1977.
The tale began in the corridor of a prison block where Luke, Leia, Chewbacca, and Han Solo found themselves cornered by a squadron of Imperials firing back at them. All appeared lost. The heroes were trapped, and their droid counterparts, C-3PO and R2-D2, were still in the observation tower (where we saw them last issue) with Imperial Stormtroopers about to barge in.
Leia took the initiative to blast a vent, providing them with an escape route. What they didn't know was that the vent led to a garbage masher. The quartet soon found themselves knee deep in trash and muck. The walls and door were magnetically sealed, so they couldn't shoot their way free.
Luke was eventually grabbed by a creature lurking in the fetid waters (known as a Dianoga). The monster let him loose mere moments before the walls started to contract on them. The heroes tried to brace the walls and reach higher ground before they all got a lot thinner.
Just when all seemed desperate, Skywalker remembered the droids. He took out his communicator and tried to contact them, not knowing that the robots were unable to respond at the moment. Threepio and Artoo were holed up inside a closet just before Stormtroopers burst through the door. After the closet was opened, C-3PO made up a story about madmen who had just been there and were heading for the prison level. He asked to take R2 to maintenance, which one of the troopers agreed to. Threepio took his communicator from the desk where it had lain and left with his counterpart.
They proceeded down a hallway before remembering that they had the communicator. C-3PO used it and learned of his master's dilemma. He pleaded desperately with R2 to shut down all of the garbage mashers on the detention level. The plucky astrodroid accomplished that task with minimal time to spare.
Meanwhile, Kenobi was moving carefully on a platform suspended between two towers. He stayed there long enough to manually deactivate the tractor beam controls. The Jedi left that post right before more Imperials arrived on their rounds.
Solo fired his blaster at the monster in the muck they'd just left after freeing themselves from the trash compactor, and set off for his ship. Little did he, Chewbacca, Leia, or Luke know that their other companions were heading toward the vessel, and also being careful to evade the notice of Stormtroopers. Luke radioed the droids and learned that they were right below them.
Their brief respite was broken up by the arrival of a squadron of Stormtroopers. Solo and Chewie charged after the soldiers, allowing Luke and Leia to escape in the opposite direction. The duo soon found themselves at a dead end. Luke shot the control panel to prevent troops from entering behind them, not knowing that the panel also contained controls that would have extended a bridge to safety.
He then used a grappling hook from his trooper belt and flung it upward, where it caught a pipe. After a kiss for luck, the two heroes swung to the other side, blasting at the troopers they'd left behind on the other side.
While the pilot and first mate of the Millennium Falcon evaded Stormtroopers, Kenobi finally saw a path to their ship, only to be blocked by his former pupil, Darth Vader. The two engaged in a lightsaber battle, knowing that this would be a conflict to the death.
The struggle continued between the two trained in the Jedi arts, as Kenobi's counterparts regrouped. The lightsaber fight moved to an open area, catching the attention of more troopers. Knowing what he had to do, Kenobi sacrificed himself so that Luke and his companions could escape. Vader's blade swung at his foe, striking him down, as his body disappeared. Only his cape and saber hilt remained.
Luke was stunned by what he'd just seen. A voice in his head from Obi-Wan told him to flee, which he did, blasting at the door control as he did so. The blast doors swung down, cutting off Vader and his reinforcements from the Falcon. He fired at more Stormtroopers before heeding Leia's order to come aboard.
The young farmer from Tatooine was mourning the loss of his new friend as their ship took off. Even though he knew Leia was right about there being nothing more he could have done, Luke couldn't help but somehow feel guilty for Ben's death. The Falcon broke free from the Death Star, but their troubles were far from over.
The artwork was a bit better in this issue, although Kenobi's demise was a bit more violent than how it was portrayed in the film. It was redemption for Vader. I was just reading the graphic novel Lucas Wars, and found it interesting how the concept of Kenobi's sacrifice was brought up, and that it took a bit of explanation to convince Sir Alec Guinness of his character's fate. It was a pivotal moment in the story that now makes perfect sense.
Well, that's all for this article. Next time, I'll recap the fifth issue of this adaptation. Han Solo and his crew realize the repercussions of escaping from the Death Star. We'll also see what the Rebels plan to do once the stolen data tapes are in their possession. Until then, have a great week and don't forget to be kind to one another.
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