Good afternoon, everyone,
Hope everyone's having a great Sunday! It's time for me to discuss the second Star Wars comic annual, which was published in 1982. The cover showed Han Solo and an as-yet-unidentified woman standing in a doorway, with a half-dozen bald, robed men standing sideways around them. The story was called "Shadeshine!"
It all began on the planet Ventooine, as Lando Calrissian, Luke Skywalker, and C-3PO were running from attacking Stormtroopers. They'd arrived on the planet to search for a rumored impressive power source, not realizing that the Empire might have the same goal in mind. The trio ran for cover inside the nearest building, only to find a giant statue of Solo right in front of them.
None of them knew that Han had ever been to this world before. A few moments later, they were greeted by a bald, red-robed man (similar to the ones shown on this issue's cover) who was named Vetter Piin. He was the caretaker of the shrine, and noticed the similarities between his new acquaintances and the man he'd come to know as their savior.
Piin went on to say that Solo was the one who'd saved their people from the dangers of Starshine, an element that both the Rebellion and the Empire had been looking for. He then moved closer to the statue and touched the tip of his cane to one of the memory stones at its base, which had been used to record Han's words about the ordeal. Solo agreed to make this recording as both a favor and a warning.
It all began several years back, when he and Chewbacca set down on the planet in the Millennium Falcon. Han had heard of a valuable spice called Sansanna that could only be found on Ventooine, and set out to investigate in person after donning a hasty disguise. Han ventured out into town by himself and stopped to help an old man wearing a red robe after he'd been pushed down by some rather gruff-looking soldiers.
The man thanked the stranger for his aid and answered Han's question about where the nearest cantina was. At that watering hole, Solo inadvertently caused a bit of chaos simply by asking the barkeep where he could acquire some Sansanna. Upon hearing that word, several patrons tried to accost him. Han fled the establishment, not knowing that a promenade was going on at the same time in the city streets to honor their leadership.
Piin had been watching the parade from a rooftop, along with an associate who was ready to end the tieress named Chrysalla's life. Piin begged his counterpart to refrain, reminding him of the prophecy that told of a stranger with weapons and ways much different than their own who would help them overthrow the tyranny of the Satab.
It soon became obvious that Han was the person who would fill that role. He made his way to the Chrysalla's carriage and used his blaster to destroy the explosive that Piin's colleague Phalar had thrown. The woman beside him recognized his bravery and invited Han to ride along with her. However, little did he know at the time that Phalar and Piin had viewed him as a threat at the time, one that they decided had to be eliminated.
The celebration continued inside the palace, where Han soon met the Satab, or ultimate ruler, of the planet. He then saw why he was feared. Phalaf rose to confront the Satab, who calmly reached out his hand to grasp his foe, and the once lively eighteen-year-old man suddenly began to grow old and died in a matter of moments.
A while later, the Satab approached Han and asked him about his blaster. Evidently, such types of weapons had never been witnessed on that world before. He produced it before surrendering the gun to the Satab's guards. Solo then noticed his host pouring a bit of Sansanna into a bowl.
Han was led to his quarters later that evening, but found that he couldn't sleep. He opted to search his surroundings and came across Chrysalla along the way. She informed him of the guard patrols. Neither of them knew that the Satab was observing the duo from his own chambers. He had reason to suspect that his guest was up to no good.
Hours later, Han and Chyrsalla continued to talk on her balcony. Solo learned that the charm around the Satab's neck was called Shadeshine. It was able to heighten, transmit, and receive certain senses. The talisman also gave him powers like the ones evidenced during the banquet earlier. Chrysalla knew that her host was evil, but felt obligated to remain loyal to him.
The pair soon heard footsteps outside the door, which was Han's cue to leave. He descended the balcony and returned to his own quarters. Later that morning, the Satab invited Solo to join them on a quest for specific minerals that were valuable to him. Han proved his bravery once more in a cavern,as he defeated a lumbering beast that threatened to harm the group. The Satab then announced aloud that he'd found his successor.
News of that proclamation spread fast, and Piin and some of his associates gathered later that afternoon to converse. They knew that they had to act fast before the power was transferred. As the evening approached, the Satab requested Han's presence so that he could hand over the Shadeshine to him, but first he brought out Piin, whom Han had rescued the previous day.
A scuffle ensued, and Han and Chrysalla escaped with Han's pistol, but without the Shadeshine. Solo wanted to go back for the gem because of its value, until Chrysalla informed him that whoever used the gem would become so sensitive to external stimuli after a year that they would burn out and need to transfer it to someone else. She added that previous Satabs had gone into suspended animation, in the hopes that the effects could eventually be reversed.
She then pressed a panel on the wall by her to reveal a secret door, which slowly rose to reveal the hundreds of prior Satabs who were resting sideways in suspended animation. Moments later, the current Satab arrived. He used the Shadeshine to destroy Han's blaster, and Solo tossed a large boulder at his opponent.
After throwing the rock back at Solo, the Satab then engaged in a battle with Chrysanna, who now had the stone. The Satab began to weaken and rushed toward the nullification chamber. Han tossed another stone at the evil ruler, which ended his existence.
Moments later, Piin arrived on the scene. Han suggested a celebration, but Chrysanna knew that her fate had been sealed the moment that she touched the Shadeshine. She voluntarily entered the chamber and left her former life. Piin later gave Solo the gem, which he planned to eject from the Falcon's thrust tubes to be vaporized in space as soon as possible.
The recording ended shortly thereafter. Luke then had an idea based on the story to lure their opponents. Outside the nullification chambers, the troopers were aroused by the sound of a voice coming from inside the room. They charged in, only to have Luke jump out and throw the light switch. The Imperials were now locked in the same meditative trances as the rest of the room's occupants.
Lando recognized Chrysalla among those now frozen in that chamber. Piin observed that they all owed her a great deal. As the Rebels departed via a Y-Wing fighter later on, it wasn't lost on them just how the actions of friends old and new helped to save the people on the planet below.
Even though I still don't care much for Carmine Infantino's artwork, I still thought that this was an interesting yarn. It would have been even more impressive if Marvel's creative team had returned to the planet with Han after the events that occurred in the Return of the Jedi adaptation. Another entertaining one-off tale that fit well for an annual, most of which are rarely connected to the regular title.
Well, that's all I have for now. Next time, I'll return to the main storyline as I recap the sixty-fifth issue of this series. We'll find out Luke's fate after he and Chewbacca return to Arbra with evidence about Shira Brie. The Rebellion will also visit a former base as danger from their past resurfaces. Until then, have a great week and don't forget to be kind to one another.
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