It's time for me to discuss the forty-third issue of the first Star Wars comic book title. This issue was the fifth of the six-part adaptation of The Empire Strikes Back. The cover showed Chewbacca, Princess Leia Organa, and Han Solo preparing to defend themselves against a trio of as yet unnamed people. The tale was titled "Betrayal at Bespin!" The issue had a cover date of January 1981.
Following the splash page exclusive to this issue, we saw the Millennium Falcon heading toward Cloud City, an artificial facility raised high above the planet Bespin. Solo's ship was allowed to land, and he soon greeted his old friend Lando Calrissian and his entourage. After a bit of agitation, the two old friends started laughing. Lando led Han and his companions around the city. On the way, C-3PO was distracted by the sounds of an R2 unit. He went off on his own to investigate and soon found himself in trouble, and the familiar whine of blaster bolts could be heard.
On the planet Dagobah, Luke Skywalker was about to enter a cave. Master Yoda advised him that it was a domain of evil, and what lay in store was only what the young student took with him. Luke entered it with his weapons and soon encountered what he thought to be Darth Vader, only to see his own face staring back at him after defeating his foe.
Back on Bespin, Leia was wondering about Threepio's disappearance. Han offered to have Lando search for him, only for Chewie to arrive with a box full of droid parts. The Wookiee explained that he'd found the protocol droid in a dumpster. Han said that Lando's men could fix him, but Leia was still a bit wary of their host, who arrived moments later to invite his guests for some refreshment.
Luke continued to learn and could now see visions of the future. He saw a city in the clouds, and grew concerned about the well-being of his friends. Yoda advised that the future was always in motion, and there was no guarantee that what he'd witnessed would come to pass.
On their way, Leia and Han asked Lando more about his affiliations. The administrator stated that he'd just made a deal that would keep the Empire out of his city for good, right before opening a chamber door that revealed the Dark Lord of the Sith sitting at the head of a banquet table. Lando apologized, saying the Empire had arrived right before they did. That was little consolation to Han, who pulled his blaster from its holster and squeezed off several shots, all of which were deflected by Vader before using the Force to grab the weapon from his hand. With Boba Fett at his side, the Imperial leader said that they would be honored if Lando's guests would join them.
Meanwhile, on Dagobah, Luke continued to despair for his friends. He felt like he had to help them. As he and R2-D2 readied his X-Wing for flight, Yoda and the ghostly apparition of Ben Kenobi reminded Luke of the dangers he faced if he rushed to confront Vader. Kenobi said that he could not interfere, which Skywalker understood. He wasn't about to sacrifice Han, Leia, or Chewie, but promised to return to finish what he'd begun. As the fighter took off, Obi-Wan said that Luke was their last hope, to which Yoda replied that there was another.
In another section of Cloud City, Han was being hooked up to a torture device. His pained screams could be heard outside the chamber by several Imperial Stormtroopers, Fett, and Calrissian. Vader promised Solo to Fett after he had Skywalker. Leia and Chewbacca were not to leave the city, which was an alteration Vader made to his deal. It was an arrangement that Lando confided to his associate Lobot was getting worse all the time.
Inside a holding area, Chewie was working on repairing Threepio. The protocol droid could see, but was incensed over being backwards. Moments later, troopers tossed Han into the cell. He was weakened by torture, and noticed that he was never asked any questions. Lando entered then, stating that Han was being given to the bounty hunter. He added that they weren't Vader's real target, and that the Sith was after someone called Skywalker. Leia remarked that they were the bait, but it was a trap well seet, since Lando noted that Skywalker was already on his way there. Han struck his friend, only to be battered by several Bespin guards who were protecting their superior. They left the cell minutes later, leaving Leia to console Han while commenting on his interpersonal skills.
Vader had moved on to the city's carbon freezing chamber. He thought it would be sufficient to preserve Skywalker for his journey to the Emperor. However, it still needed to be tested, and Captain Solo would be the test subject.
Luke and Artoo were just about to land on Cloud City when Han and his friends were herded to the carbon freeze chamber. Fett wondered about his payment if Solo didn't make it. Vader assured him that the Empire would compensate him properly in that instance. Han was about to face his fate, just as Skywalker started making his way toward his friends.
The last content pages in this issue were pinups drawn by Terry Austin, Michael Golden, John Byrne, Marie Severin, and Frank Miller. Some of them have been reprinted in Dark Horse collections of this series, but it's nice to see them in their original issue. I felt like this issue was paced well, and although some things weren't in the exact order as they were in the film, they still moved the story along well, and no key parts were missed.
Well, that's all I have for today. Tomorrow, I'll wrap up this adaptation with my recap of the forty-fourth issue of this series. We'll find out what happened to Han and what his friends did afterward. There'll also be the long-awaited battle between Luke and Vader, and a startling revelation that happens during that meeting. Until then, have a great week and don't forget to be kind to one another.
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