Good morning,
It's time for me to talk about the twenty-ninth issue of the first Star Wars comic book series. The cover showed Darth Vader locked in combat with the bounty hunter Valance. The story was called "Dark Encounter." The issue had a cover date of November 1979.
The tale began just outside of a block of prison cells aboard Vader's Star Destroyer. Vader and an interrogation droid were in the middle of attempting to obtain information from a Rebel prisoner. The Dark Lord of the Sith's current obsession was learning the identity of the person who had destroyed the Death Star.
Meanwhile, in a typical cantina somewhere in the galaxy, Valance was trying to find out more about an Alliance officer named Tyler Lucian from the cantina's barkeep. A blaster fight soon ensued, before the bounty hunter acquired what he wanted to know.
Afterward, Valance catches the attention of a pair of Stormtroopers near Merl's cantina. He is revealed as a cyborg and dispatches the Imperials quickly. He then embarks upon his race against Vader to find Lucian.
Attention is then shifted to the bright red Rubyflame lake, whose corrosive waters can disintegrate living beings or machinery in a matter of minutes. On the dock next to a tower, we see Lucian contemplating taking a plunge in the deadly waters. The pilot left Yavin before the attack on the Death Star and learned of Luke Skywalker's heroic efforts following the battle.
That detail is just what Valance wanted to know, and Lucian soon found himself standing before the bounty hunter. Vader's personal TIE fighter swooped onto the scene before a conversation could begin. Lucian ducked into the tower as Valance prepared to square off against the Imperial leader.
Back on Yavin, C-3PO was fretting about whether the parts he and his master, Luke, had returned to the base with would be serviceable for repairing his counterpart, R2-D2. His worries were soon put to rest as the cheerful astrodroid emerged just as spirited as ever. Luke spoke with General Dodonna and learned that Leia had departed for another planet on a mission. The general noted that Skywalker also needed a mission of his own.
On the dock overlooking the Rubyflame lake of Centares, Vader and Valance finally met face to face. The warriors fought valiantly, but in the end, the Sith Lord was victorious, as the cyborg met his fate in the acidic waters below. However, the victory was hollow, as Lucian then opted to jump to his death instead of confronting Vader.
Even though the information he'd been seeking had eluded him once more, Vader was not deterred. He ordered his men to be on alert status. He was determined to find the Rebel he was seeking at any cost.
This was the end of Valance in this series (at least until issue #108), but he was brought back to the modern Marvel Star Wars comics. He was a prominent character of the Bounty Hunters ongoing title, and was last seen assisting Han Solo and the Rebels in the most recent regular Marvel Star Wars series. I got the feeling that this issue was dedicated to having the two villains square off, and that Lucian was a rather inconsequential player in the affair.
Well, that's all for the time being. Next time, I'll recap the thirtieth issue of this series. We'll find out where Leia went on her mission, who she met, and a lesson that was learned therein. Until then, have a great week and don't forget to be kind to one another.
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