Good afternoon everyone,
Hope all's well. It's time for me to summarize the one hundred and first issue of the first Star Wars comic. The cover, drawn by Bill Sienkiewicz, showed Han Solo facing off against a trio of mounted riders. The story was called "Far, Far Away." The issue had a publication date of November 1985.
It all began on the planet Endor, where Solo and Princess Leia Organa were having an argument. Han was refusing an assignment from the Alliance. He wasn't keen on the idea of having Hoojibs aboard the Millennium Falcon. The dispute was broken up by a Mandalorian.
One look at the stranger brought back some horrible memories for Han. However, when the warrior removed his helmet, he introduced himself as Fenn Shysa. He and other Mandalorians had just arrived on Endor after hearing about a new menace to the Alliance. Leia went off to speak with him further, leaving Solo to be assisted by his childhood friend, Bey.
Bey had been on Mandalore and joined them on their journey to the Alliance's base. They talked about their friendship and Han's relationship with Leia. Bey left before saying that Leia knowing how Han felt about her would be enough.
A short while later, Han was piloting the Falcon in space not far from Endor. He, C-3PO, R2-D2, and a few Hoojibs were investigating a strange electrical energy source that appeared randomly, which was capable of disrupting ship navigation and even tossing vessels into other sectors of space. The droids and the Hoojibs were on board to document and analyze those occurrences. While Leia, Shysa, and Bey watched from their command post, one of those large concentrations of energy zapped the Falcon, which disappeared from sight moments later.
Meanwhile, Han was trying to make sense of what had just happened. Instruments indicated that they were nowhere near any known portion of hyperspace. As the ship flew on, a battle raged on between two opposing factions on a snow-covered world. The conflict was interrupted by the Falcon's arrival. The ship landed upside down, so Han had to unjam the airlock. He was fired upon quickly after doing so.
Solo slid down the snowy hill before seeing his attackers. He realized that his opponents' blasters were powerful but much less advanced than his firearm. Han fired a few shots at his foes before whirling around and laying down fire to prevent a damsel in distress from being captured. The woman thanked him, but Han knew that they had to be cautious before making introductions.
Han returned fire once more, and the riders made a hasty retreat. Han figured they'd meet again and guided the woman and her associate back to the Falcon. Once inside, the natives shared their story. The man named Gil's family ruled the part of the planet that was closest to night, while the woman Risa's family had control over the portion that was nearest to their sun.
Wars raged for years between these factions until a truce was made when they were both children. While Artoo and the Hoojibs were trying to drain the energy balls from the ship's systems, Threepio learned that such phenomena were common to this solar system. Gil explained that they'd always been there, but lately, they had changed and had begun making items disappear and striking out as if something had altered them.
Han wasn't exactly thrilled at the prospect of being marooned there, knowing what he'd left behind on Endor. He exited the ship just in time to find Risa's father and her men demanding her return. Introductions were made before the Vizier stated that he knew how to move the ship safely without having to access its controls. The Falcon was then pulled toward the city as the rest of the procession arrived on foot.
That evening, Han looked out from the balcony of his guest quarters and thought about Leia. He wondered if he could have said or done more, and was confident that he'd have another chance. His thoughts were broken up by Plif's arrival. He was happy to announce that they'd learned how to drain the energy thanks to the droids' assistance. He added that they'd also learned something else through telepathy.
Han didn't need to know, because it was something that he'd already known. He asked the Hoojibs to deliver a message before going back to the Falcon and to promise him not to share what they'd ascertained with anyone else. Solo then set out to spread the word in town as to who he was looking for.
The Hoojibs went to Gil's room and told the young lad that Han wanted to meet with him. The young lad rose from his bed, got dressed, and walked the city streets, wondering what the general had to discuss. He didn't get very far, as he was accosted by a masked man shortly thereafter, who looked down on him gleefully, thinking about the bounty he'd fetch and thankful that Solo had set this up.
By then, Han had an audience with the king. The Correllian had a plan to resolve several issues, including the king's lack of a male heir, the bandits, and the treaty with the other faction. He stated that it was about knowing that the greatest person was you, and that everyone who wasn't in on that was out of the picture. Han was sure that the king had what it took to be that type of person.
The Hoojibs listened on, a bit nervous about the part they were playing in the deception and that they would not disclose the truth to anyone in the room. The king asked Han how he would fulfill such goals, to which the pilot replied that he'd given Gil up to the bandits and that he'd make the arrangements for his ransom. He assumed they'd see things his way and that the king held all the cards in that situation. Risa was understandably upset by this news and lashed out at Solo.
She then demanded that her father pay the ransom and have her love returned safely at once. The king assured her that it would be done, and Han agreed. Solo went on to say that they would get the boy back. The bandits wouldn't expect the double cross, and everyone would be happy. He then said that they would go unarmed the next morning.
The group made their way through the snow the next day, with Artoo in the lead. It didn't take long for the bandits to make their presence known around them. They announced their intentions to take more prisoners, including the princess. Risa gasped after seeing Gil. Han wasn't surprised to see the Vizier, aka Uncle Marius, among the group.
Solo had figured out that Marius was the one who'd armed the bandits. His arrogant confidence had been his undoing. Before much more could be done, Artoo blasted the Vizier's staff. A pair of blasters were then pointed at them, weapons which the Hoojibs had already drained of energy after Han learned where their hideout was. He then bid the townspeople adieu.
The Alliance members boarded the Falcon and charted a return course to Endor. Threepio marveled at the plan that Plif had shared with him. He was surprised that the Hoojibs agreed to it so willingly, but the Arbrans expressed the similarities between Risa and Leia. Han was determined to help her, whether she accepted his help or not. That was a tribute to Leia and her standing in Han's world. After landing, Han held Leia in his arms. She expressed the fact that she wasn't sure she'd see him again. Han remarked that she should have kept busy because that would have taken her mind off things.
This issue was a bit of a filler, and the events in it occurred before issue #99. It was kind of backwards storytelling, and it seemed a bit unfinished. We didn't learn much about the energy appearances or even know the name of the planet that the Falcon landed on. Details were definitely lacking, but it was a semi-decent yarn. Threepio was drawn well, but once again, the art was rather sloppy at times.
That's all I have for today. Tomorrow, I'll cover the one hundred and second issue of this title. Luke Skywalker and Lando Calrissian return to a familiar world in a story penciled by Sal Buscema. There, they run into some familiar faces and see how they react to a new danger. Until then, have a great week and don't forget to be kind to one another.
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