Good afternoon,
The focus of this article is the seventy-second issue of the first Star Wars comic book title. The cover showed Lando Calrissian and Luke Skywalker staring down a pit, being held at gunpoint by several characters, including IG-88, Bossk, and what appears to be 4-LOM (even though he doesn't appear in this issue), and others. The story was called "Fool's Bounty." The issue had a publication date of June 1983.
The story started on the planet Stenos, with Luke and Lando backed up against a carbonite block containing the Rodian named Chihdo. The Rebels had been lured into the room, thinking that the person encased in carbonite was their old ally, Han Solo. They now found themselves surrounded by Bossk, IG-88, and their henchmen.
Things looked grim momentarily, until Chihdo's partners, the Zeltron Dani and Rik Duel, emerged from behind the block of carbonite, guns blazing as they did so. Duel explained that they'd followed Luke's trail (after being separated from him last issue), and arrived just in time. During the firefight, Luke explained to Lando who Chihdo was. He then engaged in battle with Bossk, first using his lightsaber to destroy his foe's pistol and then jumping to evade the bounty hunter's lunge, leaving his opponent with his arms stuck in the wall behind him.
IG-88 emitted a loud tone that attracted more mercenaries. The fight continued, and Lando and Dani soon found themselves surrounded. Luke and Rik escaped and were about to double back once they realized their companions weren't with them. While Rik started to formulate a plan, Luke took his comlink from his belt and went to inform Chewbacca and R2-D2 aboard the Millennium Falcon of the news. He received no response because his colleagues had decided to step into town (after hearing the erroneous news that Solo had been located in issue #71). The tall Wookiee and his much smaller astrodroid counterpart ventured stealthily from alley to alley, encountering a few Stenaxes along the way.
Meanwhile, Lando and Dani were walking toward their fate. A guard led them through the building, stopping briefly to chat with Drebble, the man who accused Lando of cheating him (in a bar fight in the previous issue). Drebble was having Calrissian packaged for transport back to his homeworld, where they would discuss the matter further.
After leaving Drebble, the heroes were moved further inside the complex. Dani cried for mercy, sobbing on the guard's shoulder, before surprisingly bouncing backward and making a forward kick at their oppressor's head. Lando grabbed the unconscious guard's blaster just before Drebble and his subordinates charged after them.
At the same time, Artoo and Chewie were maintaining a low profile. They clung to the side of the same building that Luke and Lando were just in, listening to the chatter of guards outside, not knowing that Luke and Rik were making their way on the roof of that same structure. Rik was opening a roof grate as Chewbacca grabbed the leg of a passing Stenax to engage it in conversation. Even Artoo joined in just long enough to irritate the native creature.
Lando and Dani were looking for an escape route, but thus far, they were only finding locked doors. When they finally located an open door, they realized it was a trap. Bossk and IG-88 were waiting for them in a small room that had its own carbon freezing chamber. The guards separated Dani and Lando, but Luke swooped in to help. Unfortunately, it was a futile effort, as Rik stood behind them, having been forced to surrender his blaster by the guards who outnumbered them.
Rik pushed his comrades down just before Stenax spears filled the air, impaling several of the villains. The bounty hunters were about to retreat until they ran into Chewbacca's fist. The Wookiee then threw several of his foes into the carbon freezing pit, where they were preserved moments later in a bit of retribution for Solo.
The Stenaxes helped to turn the tide of battle in the heroes' favor. Chewie forgave his friends for their mistake, and the four Rebels eventually returned to the Falcon for the journey home. They had just left Stenos when a fifth occupant made her presence known. Dani had opted to leave Rik and the frozen Chihdo behind, stating the need for a vacation with Luke, much to the surprise and chagrin of her new shipmates.
I felt like this was a satisfying conclusion to this storyline. The only dangling plot points were why Chihdo had been frozen in carbonite and what happened to him, Rik, and the rest of the participants of the battle on Stenos afterward. This wasn't Rik or Chihdo's last appearance in this series. Dani would be a regular supporting character in most of the rest of this title's run, as would other residents of her homeworld of Zeltron.
That's it for me for today. Next time, I'll discuss the seventy-third issue of this series. The Rebels embark upon another mission, one that takes them to a different planet. There, they'll meet native creatures while trying to avoid Imperial entanglement. Until then, have a great week and don't forget to be kind to one another.
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