Hi there,
Hope all's well. Today's topic is the ninety-third issue of Marvel's first Star Wars title. The cover showed Luke Skywalker and Han Solo facing a half-dozen strangers, including one pointing a blaster at them in the foreground. The story was called "Catspaw." The issue had a cover date of March 1985.
The action began in space, as an X-Wing was attempting to flee from a trio of Y-Wings that were firing at it. The pilot was trying to reach the planet Saijo unscathed, but unfortunately, that didn't seem likely. As the craft neared the planet's orbit, a targeted shot bracketed the pilot's cabin.
On the surface of that world, Luke, Han, and Princess Leia Organa were walking the city streets. Han was impressed by the hospitality they'd received from the locals. The trio was talked about in reverent tones as heroes of the Alliance. Just then, Luke pointed out the dogfight in the sky above them. They were surprised by seeing fighters that would normally be aligned together, but quickly decided which side to support.
After reaching the Millennium Falcon, Han put his ship on a course that followed the fighters. Luke and Leia occupied the gun turrets and fired shots to protect the fleeing X-Wing from its attackers. They defeated her foes, but the female pilot's fighter still crashed on the planet. Lan retrieved her from the cockpit, and he, Luke, and Leia brought her to the medical facility on the base.
A short while later, the pilot Minka informed her rescuers that she'd arrived from an asteroid base in the Cantros system. Her wingmates had been gradually picked off by her attackers, and she was under the assumption that they were still fighting against the Empire. Leia informed her of the Emperor's defeat, which Minka found hard to believe, stating that Imperial forces were still strong in her region. She began to wonder just who they'd been fighting.
Minka returned to her home base on board the Falcon with Han, Leia, and Luke. She sought out her allies, Durne and Sami, to confer with her new friends. Han explained that they had maps listing Imperial strongholds, and that the closest one was past Saijo. Sami and Minka went with the Falcon's crew to check things out.
The ship neared the Imperial base they had just been talking about, and was soon fired upon. A few stray shots hit the Falcon, and Han did his best to avoid crashing. He landed safely in a gully, and the passengers disembarked. Luke used the Force to raise Leia and Minka out of the gully, but before he could do more, he, Sami, and Han were surrounded by more feline humanoids who took them prisoner.
Inside a nearby cave, the captors discussed what to do next. One of their party condoned torture, noting that it went against what the Rebellion stood for. That utterance was shocking, but it made Luke think that someone had been deceiving them. That person was soon revealed to be Durne.
Things shifted after Sami and Han informed the catwoman who'd spurned the plans for torture that they were also Rebels, and that Durne had lied to them. Luke freed himself from his bods right before Minka and Leia arrived on the scene. A firefight broke out, which Luke ended by deflecting Durne's blaster shots, which made him recognized as the Rebellion hero that the participants had heard stories about.
His companions were correctly identified as Han Solo and Princess Leia, which gave credence to their words. Durne tried to escape, but was tripped and tied up by his former compatriots. Sami and Minka talked to their former foes and realized how much they had in common.
While Durne sat outside tied up in front of a campfire, Han reflected on the victory. Luke was still concerned about the skirmish. Leia asked what was troubling him. He replied that Rebels had killed other Rebels, and that he'd feel better once he knew who employed Durne. Skywalker questioned what was going on in the galaxy.
The mistaken identity plot was okay, but Sal Buscema's art really saved this issue. This was the first of two issues that he penciled during this series' run. Regular readers of this blog know how much of a fan I am of Sal's artwork. I recapped his run on the ROM: Spaceknight title last year, and I'll talk about his Incredible Hulk run at some point in the coming years. He worked on many Marvel mags from the 1960s to the 1990s, and sadly passed away this past January, just two days before what would have been his ninetieth birthday.
Well, that's all I have for now. Next time, I'll discuss the ninety-fourth issue of this series. Cynthia Martin, penciler for the last two issues' covers, makes her debut as series artist in a tale that takes place on Endor. Everyone's back together, just in time for a pair of unexpected tribes to engage in a small conflict. Until then, have a great week and don't forget to be kind to one another.
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