Hello there,
Today's topic is the thirty-second issue of Marvel's first Star Wars title. The cover showed Chewbacca, Luke Skywalker, and Han Solo, fighting alongside Jawas, with a Sandcrawler behind them. The story was called "The Jawa Express." The issue had a publication date of February 1980.
The tale began in Tatooine's Dune Sea, where Luke was trying to repair the landspeeder that he, Han, Chewie, R2-D2, and C-3PO had escaped from Mos Eisley on. A stray shot fired by an Imperial Stormtrooper caused the vehicle to start leaking coolant. Chewbacca alerted the group to a squadron of troopers, who silently passed by after several minutes.
Threepio then brought up Artoo's suggestion of shutting them down and draining the droids' coolant. A short while later, the speeder was up and running again, headed toward Luke's ship. However, when they arrived, the group was stunned to learn that Jawas had already started cannibalizing the craft for parts.
Han suggested offering the robots in exchange for a ride on the Jawas' sandcrawler. A hasty bargain was struck, and the heroes were on their way until the troopers arrived on the scene. The Imperials weren't expecting the usually peaceful native creatures to attack, which the Rebels did, firing several shots from openings in the crawler.
The Jawas had hoped to avoid the Jundland Wastes, where Luke knew the Taages were planning something for the Empire. They soon got out and examined a large vaporator. Skywalker sensed something was wrong and advised his companions to duck moments before portions of the nearby surroundings were flash frozen, including the massive sandcrawler.
This was in line with the frozen Bantha that Luke had discovered (in the last issue). Silas and Orman Taage were behind this plan, and an Imperial Troop Transporter was swiftly dispatched to take care of the Rebels. Orman had a keen interest in Luke after having encountered him once before.
Han, Luke, and Chewie returned to the crawler, which took off with a pair of troop carriers behind them. They soon jetissoned several cans of skyhopper propellant, which were perfect targets for Luke's blaster rifle. The exploded fuel formed a ring of fire around the Imperial transports, leaving them little room for escape.
Afterward, Luke talked to a revived Threepio and Artoo, who were able to acquire more coolant from the Jawas. The scavengers provided Luke with additional coolant for his landspeeder, and the quintet went off toward Mos Eisley once more in search of pilots who might be willing to join the Alliance.
The ice weapon on a desert planet was an interesting touch, but this story felt a little rushed. There was no mention of Fixer, Luke's longtime friend who sold out his friend to the Empire, and the Taages were seemingly forgotten after the troop transporters went off in pursuit of the sandcrawler. It also seemed rather unusual for Jawas to be so helpful, especially giving up the droids that they'd been promised. I got the impression that this storyline had to be wrapped up quickly, which would probably explain why some details felt a bit rushed.
Orman Taage will have a rematch with Skywalker, but that won't be the subject of my next article. Instead, I'll recap the very first Star Wars annual. The Star Warriors travel to a new planet and face new threats. Luke also learns something about his father. Until then, have a great week and don't forget to be kind to one another.
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