Star Walt: Star Wars (1977) #11-24

Roy Thomas and Howard Chaykin's stint that started the Star Wars ongoing series wrapped up with issue #10. Starting with #11 former editor-in-chief Archie Goodwin and industry legend Carmine Infantino would take over the book for a lengthier run until Goodwin's departure at issue #50.

I was initially somewhat wary of Infantino as a Star Wars artist. Not that I dislike Infantino -- certainly not, he's one of the best to ever do it -- but his exceptionally clean linework seemed like an imperfect fit for the grungier design sensibilities of Star Wars vehicles and technology. The first issue of their run, #11, seemed to confirm my fears, opening with a splash page of the Millenium Falcon that made it look shiny and sleek (granted, some of this was probably due to the digital transfer of the coloring) rather than the hunk of junk it's often referred to. However, whether it was because Infantino adjusted to the setting or my biases simply faded as time went on, this became less and less noticeable within only a few issues, and while some of his original character and vehicle designs might not feel properly "Star Wars-y" these days (I need to come up with a better term for that) that has more to do with the visual language of Star Wars changing over time and less to do with Infantino understanding the assignment.

The first arc follows up with the teasers Thomas and Chaykin dropped about what Luke was up to during the previous arc. Set on the water-world Drexel inhabited by a group of scavengers (wait a minute…), the story feels like classic pulp sci-fi through and through. It's a fun enough romp, and Goodwin shows a solid handle on the characters from the get-go -- despite only having one movie, one novel, and a handful of comics to draw on his Luke, Han, and Leia are all very recognizable. This arc also ties up the plot thread of Crimson Jack, a space pirate Han first encountered in the Thomas/Chaykin run and who, to my knowledge, did not appear again. In some ways this arc and the following one-shot feel like they're closing the book on Thomas and Chaykin's briefly lived vision of the Star Wars setting; beyond just the direct continuation of the plots, these issues feel more in line with the style of Thomas and Chaykin's four original issues, while later arcs would feel more properly "Star Wars-y."

Speaking of, the one-off #16 is a hoot. Illustrated by Walt Simonson (!), it introduces the recurring character Beilert Valance a bounty hunter with an extreme hatred for droids. I cannot emphasize his loathing enough: he is seeking Luke Skywalker's death, not because he blew up the Death Star and dealt a grievous blow to the Empire in the process but because he worked with droids in doing so. It's delightfully unhinged, and once again shows how much early writers of Star Wars EU material grasped onto that "we don't serve their kind" line in A New Hope. The big reveal at the end of the issue is that since a terrible battle Valance himself has become more machine than man, and that his droid aversion is in fact a form of self-hatred. The issue is also the last appearance of the Star-Hoppers from the Thomas/Chaykin arc for quite some time, with Valance believing Jimm Doshun, the "Starkiller Kid," to be Luke because… he's a farm boy with a droid. Comics don't get better than this, folks, and I'm looking forward to the character's future appearances immensely.

Also #16 name-drops Telos IV, a key location in Knights of the Old Republic II, my favorite bit of non-movie Star Wars media. Neat!

The next arc is bookended by two flashback one-shots, one featuring Luke in Beggar's Canyon and another starring Obi-Wan in the old (lowercase) Republic. The former fleshes out Luke and Biggs' relationship and Luke's skills of the pilot, with some excellent sequentials from guest artist Herb Trimpe. The latter is notable for two reasons: firstly, it's the first of the relatively few pre-Prequel stories set in the Galactic Republic, and also the first issue written by Mary Jo Duffy, who would eventually be the series' last long-term writer. That being said, it's a fairly forgettable story in my opinion, as I assume Duffy didn't have free reign to explore what the Republic was like.

The last arc of this chunk is set on a massive space station casino known as the Wheel that would make a few other appearances in EU material. While characterization has been pretty consistent across the early EU material this is one of the first settings that feels properly (say it with me, in quotes) "Star Wars-y" -- I can easily see the Wheel as a location you explore in a KotOR spinoff or something along those lines. The arc also includes the first of what I imagine will be many "just missed him" moments between Luke and Vader. As I mentioned in my review of Splinter of the Mind's Eye, I think having Luke and Vader outright meet between A New Hope and The Empire Strikes back lessens the drama of their encounter in Empire (though forgivable in the case of the novel due to the circumstances). I'm unsure whether the two will encounter each other in the comic series before Empire's release, but I could see multiple two ships passing scenarios being equally tiring; for now, though, it's a fun little touch that enhances rather than diminishes the tension between the two.

Coming up next: The Han Solo Adventures trilogy by Brian Daley. I'll be looking at these three novels (bordering on novellas) as one whole before returning to the comics. Barring anything particularly notable I'll probably gloss over the next 15ish issues, and then -- oh baby -- it's Empire time.