Ghosts of Vader's Castle

 

Introduction:

“Ghosts from Vader’s Castle” marks the 4th Halloween that IDW has given us spooky tales from Mustafar. Time has passed since Lina Graf escaped from the volcanic planet. And yet, the planet is not done with her. The ghosts of Mustafar have returned and they have come for her brother Milo...

“Dawn of the Droids” - Ghosts of Vader’s Castle #1 - (Vader’s Castle #13)

Dawn of the Droids is probably the most terrifying vignette that Marvel has ever produced. Anakin & Padme and their companions are on a diplomatic mission to Rubinero when they find that the planet is deserted. Yet at least one thing still invests the planet and it has taken over the droids

Seeing Threepio and Artoo taken over by a parasitic agent and abandoned by their masters is frightening enough. The closing panel of this tale doubles down on the tale’s non-canonicity. And that’s sort of the point of combining Star Wars with Halloween. Fans can watch truly terrible things happen to their favorite heroes and be left with a Goosebumps-style cliffhanger at the end.

Interlude: 

Lina Graf has gone to Chandrilla to ask Senator Organa and Chancellor Mothma for a ship so that she can rescue her brother. The Chancellor cannot spare any ships, but the Senator sends Graf to Emita to hunt down a smuggler who may be just crazy enough to help...

“Attack of the 50-Foot Wookiee” - Ghosts of Vader’s Castle #2 - (Vader’s Castle #14)

Jaxxon might only be the second most popular Lepi in Star Wars right now (after Lop was recently introduced in Star Wars: Visions)- and yet Jaxxon has not been ignored by Star Wars creators. 2020 saw Jaxxon get his own short story in the “From a Certain Point of View: Empire Strikes Back” collection as well as his first action figure release.

In this issue Jaxxon is warned not to smuggle saava berries off of Kashyyyk during the festival of bounty, but he doesn’t listen. The consequence of his actions (of course) results in a Kaiju style battle between a 50-foot Chewbacca and a 50-foot Jaxxon. This tale is not exactly spooky or scary, but it sure is a whole lot of fun.

Interlude: 

Thom Hudd thought he was done with Mustafar. It was on Mustafar that he spent months in Vader’s Castle being tortured by Vanee. Part of this torture was having to listen to Vanee’s stories- ugh! Yet, Mustafar is not yet done with Thom Hudd.

“Danger on Dagobah” - Ghosts of Vader’s Castle #3 - (Vader’s Castle #15)

Dagobah is a swamp planet and classic horror is full of swamp monsters. There is The Creature from the Black Lagoon in the 50s. There is Man-Thing and Swamp-Thing from the 1970s (which were both successors to 1940s “The Heap”). It’s only natural that on Halloween, Dagobah should get its own swamp monster.

Interlude: 

Jaxxon (piloting the Rabbit’s Foot) is being pursued by TIE Fighters. Lina Graff, Thom Hudd, and Skritt are trying to make it back to Mustafar to rescue Lina’s brother, Milo. But Lina is in for a surprise when she is visited by a Force Ghost.

“Beware the Chosen One”- Ghosts of Vader’s Castle #4 - (Vader’s Castle #16)

Children are terrifying. If we weren’t physically stronger than 4-year-olds the world would be a scary place. Jake Lloyd’s Anakin never really got a chance to show his dark side in The Phantom Menace. But between the pages of these comics we see a 9-year-old Anakin in full Sith mode.

“The Evil End”- Ghosts of Vader’s Castle #5 - (Vader’s Castle #17)

And so… Our heroes have arrived on planet Mustafar: Lina Graff, Thom Hudd, Skritt, and Jaxxon T. Tumperakki. And (big surprise) it was Vanee that was behind the dreams and Milo’s kidnapping. His plan? To resurrect his master, Darth Vader: Lord of Sith. But has Venee really considered the possible consequences for his actions? Nope. Not really… 

Epilogue:

Ghost stories are for halloween, but are they for a Galaxy Far Far Away? If there is anything that the closing panel to this comic proves, it’s that ghosts have always been a part of Star Wars.

War of the Bounty Hunters Part 5

 

Issue #23 -  Doctor Aphra #14 - “Repeat Offenders”

Between Aphra, Sana, Qi’ra, and Deathstick we’ve really got a strong line-up of female characters in this issue. It highlights something that a lot of older male fans are taking issue with- Lucasfilm is really pushing female Star Wars. This isn’t just an altruistic move from Skywalker Ranch, it is a marketing calculation.

Females have always loved Star Wars. Carrie Fisher’s strong portrayal of Princess Leia made that possible. And now characters like Rey, Jyn, Qi’ra, and Aphra are making that possible.

And if the byproduct is stories like this one, all the better.

Issue #24 -War of the Bounty Hunters 4 - “Attack at Dawn”

The Empire has taken possession of Han Solo. Yet Han is still being pursued by the Bounty Hunters, the Rebels, the Hutts and… just what is Crimson Dawn up to?

This issue also features a loose partnership between Boba Fett and Valance. I’m not sure if we have seen these two hunters work together before, but both made their premiers in the late seventies and if this is the first time then it is a long time coming.

Issue #25 - Darth Vader #16 - “Target Skywalker”

Ralph Maquarrie probably didn’t get millions of dollars when he designed Vader’s mask, but he should have. The iconic mask has sold untold numbers of toys, t-shirts, and comics. Just in the past few years Marvel has released three mainline vader series totalling 66 issues, as well as two miniseries (“Target Vader” & “Dark Visions”)

So just how much more runway does Vader have? How many more personal journeys can the Dark Lord go on? How many more duels with Luke Skywalker exist between the mainline films?

A skeptical person might surmise that Vader will eventually fail to capture the fascinations of readers, however there is no evidence of this so far.

Issue #26 - Boushh #1 - “Found”

Even in the old Expanded Universe there were very few appearances from the real Boushh (the bounty hunter that Leia defeated to gain his armor). And so Boushh’s origin story is revealed here. Boushh and his crew were exiled from their home planet of Uba IV and would never be allowed to return. But this comic isn’t really about Boushh is it? This comic is actually the origin story of Domina Tagge and her Game-of-Thrones style rise up through the politics of her powerful family.

Domina Tagge first appeared in the 1980 comic Star Wars #35. She is one of many classic Marvel characters that have been reintroduced into the canon over the past several years. Now that Star Wars is back in the hands of Marvel they have plucked characters such as Domina Tagge, Valance the Hunter, and even Jaxxon the Green Space Rabbit from the vault of vintage Star Wars pulp. It is obvious that Domina has a big role to play in this new era of Marvel Star Wars comics. In other words… We will watch her career with great interest.

Issue #27 - Bounty Hunters #16 - “Shadow Soldiers”

I’m losing track of everyone’s motives, but let me try and sum it up to the best of my ability.

Boba Fett and Valance are after Solo. Fett wants to deliver Solo back to the Hutts and Valance wants to save Solo because of their history.

T’onga & Losha are lovers and they are trying to find Cadeliah because she is the heir to both the “Unbroken Clan Syndicate” and the “Mourners Wail Syndicate”. They are using Zuckuss to track Valance because he knows the location of where the Rebels are hiding Cadeliah?

Finally we have Dengar who is out for cash and has recently teamed up with Deathstick to help hunt down Cadeliah... 

I think I got everything right. Anyway… Bounty Hunters gotta hunt.

Issue #28 - Star Wars #17 - “The Chase”

Luke Skywalker in his X-Wing is being pursued by Darth Vader in his Tie Advanced x1. Jetting over the frozen sea of Jekara, Luke manages to down Vader’s ship using… science. Luke swings his fighter back around with a chance to gun down Vader. Vader stands ready with his laser sword. 

The exact circumstances are technically new, but the characters are old and they have fought this battle time after time. Maybe they will always be fighting this battle, despite the fact that the resolution to their storyline was unveiled in 1983. Maybe fandom just doesn't let characters rest. Maybe they will always be called back for more.

War of the Bounty Hunters Part 4

 Issue #17 -  

Bounty Hunters  #15 - 

“The Gathering” 

“Tales of the Bounty Hunters” was my favorite Star Wars short story collection as a teen and I still remember those tales even today. Learning that Dengar’s girlfriend, Manaroo has been re-incorporated into the canon is a treat. Such treats are why I keep up with the New Expanded Universe. 

I am less excited about the Tasu Leech cameo, but I suppose Tasu Leech must have some fans out there… probably. 

However, the biggest treat of this issue is seeing the insectoid Zuckuss san breather-mask for the first time in Star Wars history. Speaking of Zuckuss...

Issue #18 -  

4-LOM & Zuckuss  #1 - 

“Zuckuss Must Die!”

Of the line-up of bounty hunters seen in The Empire Strikes Back, 4-LOM & Zuckuss are the 5th and 6th wheel. When their action figures were first released, even their names were swapped. They have never had on screen appearances outside of “Empire” with the exception of the non-canon “Freemaker Adventures” and a leaked clip of “Detours”. Though it is notable that Zuckuss and 4-LOM are voiced by Andy Richter and Weird Al Yankovich in “Detours”.

Separating 4-LOM & Zuckuss is probably the most interesting thing that has ever happened to them and it is even more interesting that their seppeartion is left unresolved by the end of this issue. Perhaps we will hear more from this defunct duo soon.

Issue #19 - War of the Bounty Hunters #3 - “The Crimson Blade”

The whole point of a well-planned crossover event (other than to rake in oodles of cash) is that after everything is set up, the stakes feel high. And so we come to the center slice of this miniseries and what a good slice it is. Chewbacca vs. Boba Fett. Qi’ra vs. Darth Vader. These are the type of showdowns fans were dreaming of when they purchased their 1997 Teräs Käsi Playstation discs.

The only downside is that the main story of this crossover event is very anchored to the “War of the Bounty Hunters” title and every other title seems to be wasting a lot of time until the September issue of WOTBH falls into our mits.

Issue #20 - Star Wars  #16 - “Missing in Action”

And the plot stalls again. The most interesting thing about this comic is the choice to use Luke’s new yellow saber in flashbacks to “The Empire Strikes Back”. Also, there seems to be a throwaway character inspired by the look of Declan Mulholland (The actor who played the original human version of Jabba the Hutt).

Perhaps the title of this issue is a little too on the nose in that the action (at least any new action) is missing.

Issue #21 - Darth Vader #15- “The Assassin’s Choice”

Tasu Leech may have his fans, but can anyone possibly care about Ochi of Bestoon? The character of Dr. Aphra showed that giving Vader a counterpart could work, but couldn’t they think of a better character than Ochi? 

Issue #22 - Doctor Aphra #13 - “Guest of Honor”

If I were ever going to revisit any of these Star Wars comic lines, Aphra would be the one. Aphra has had an actual serialized storyline going back to “Darth Vader #3” in 2015.

Aphra and Sana are the “Tag and Bink” of this crossover event. They are the only ones not trying to capture Solo, so just kind of skulk in the background doing their own thing. But they are strong characters and more than carry their own weight. It’s fitting that two characters invented for comics actually sustain the most interesting title in the Star Wars Marvel lineup.

Now if I only had the time to re-read Aphra’s entire story-arc.

War of the Bounty Hunters Part 3

Issue #11 - War of the Bounty Hunters #14 - “The Following”

Okay so Deathstick is working for Qui’ra and she’s tracking down Dengar & Valance, but let’s take a minute to look at the characters in the B-plot.

T’onga & Losha are women in a mixed-race marriage. Now, you actually see a lot of LGBTQ+ characters in Star Wars these days, but it was nonexistent before Sinjir Rath Velus’ introduction in the novel “Aftermath in 2015. Now we actually have many gay characters in the franchise (even if you have to sometimes dig for them), 

Disney & Marvel jumped aboard the pride train this summer by promoting the June comics with a variety of LGBTQ+ characters featured on variant covers. These characters included Doctor Aphra, Yrica Quell, Rae Slone, Sana Starros, Lando Calrissian and Jedi Twins Terec and Ceret.

The LGBTQ+ Characters of Star Wars

Issue #12 - Doctor Aphra #12 - “Party Tricks”

Speaking of LGBTQ+ characters, it is notable that Aphra is an Asian Lesbian that has her own comic line (currently on its 52nd issue!).

We are now 12 chapters into “The War of the Bounty Hunters” and we are really getting into the meat of this storyline. The auction for Han Solo has begun and Jabba the Hutt looks like the high bidder, that is until Darth Vader walks onto the scene.

Now Aphra has not encountered Vader since he tried to kill her way back in the 2015 Darth Vader series, so this is obviously a traumatic moment for her and a fitting cliffhanger...

Issue #13 - War of the Bounty Hunters #2 - “The Scoundrel's Ball”

There is a mysterious cloaked stranger wandering the banquet halls at the auction of Han Solo, but he is not a Clone Trooper as Doctor Aphra suspects. It is Boba Fett.

The auction of Han Solo is the event where this crossover project starts to get really crossovery. All the main players are here: Aphra, Boba, Vader, Jabba, and even Leia, Lando, & Chewie.

We are also a little off-script here when compared to the films. “The Empire Strikes Back” pretty seamlessly leads into “Return of the Jedi”. Lando and Chewie head out to rescue Han at the end of “Empire” and by “Jedi” they are already at Jabba’s Palace. However over the years there have been attempts to fill in the year-long gap between the two films. “Shadows of the Empire” was the first attempt and “War of the Bounty Hunters” is starting to feel a little like “Shadows”. 

Issue #14 - Darth Vader #14 - “The Blade Behind the Curtain” 

Sly Moore is an interesting character. She is Palpatine’s left hand politician in   “Attack of the Clones” and “Revenge of the Sith”, though she has no lines. She is the first Umbaran to appear in Star Wars and can apparently use The Force. She has also been rumored to have mothered various children of Palpatine- everyone from Triclops to Rey’s father.

Like everyone around Palpatine, Moore is vying for more power. Her main rivals are Mas Amedda and Darth Vader himself. Moore is actually dangerously close to discovering Vader’s true identity. 

Issue #15 - War of the Bounty Hunters: Jabba The Hutt #1- “Trust Issues”

4 years after “The Battle of Yavin” many people wanted Jabba the Hutt dead. Even the other Hutts had become disenchanted by him. Around age 600, Jabba had really become too greedy for his own good. His weight had increased and he had become comfortable and confident in his own political standing. He underestimated his enemies including Han Solo, Luke Skywalker, and the woman that would strangle him to death, Princess Leia. Moral of the story? Leia Organa is a badass, never chain Leia Organa to your throne and hope to survive.

 

Sidenote: Isn’t that a Bothan on page 23?

Issue #16 - Star Wars #15 - “Friends and Enemies”

This issue takes us away from Han’s auction and gives us a Luke Skywalker story. Luke, Wedge, and Starlight Squadron are hunting down a Rebel cell and trying to reconnect them to the main fleet. The problem? The seven ships of Starlight Squadron will have to battle an Imperial Class Star Destroyer and a legion of TIE fighters. Luke took down the Death Star by remaining focussed and trusting The Force, but now something is disturbing him.

The ending here actually gives readers some good insight on how the Rebel Fleet transitions from the small band we see at the end of “The Empire Strikes Back” to the sizable force we see in “Return of the Jedi”. We also get some cameos from some very high ranking rebels.

War of the Bounty Hunters Part 2

 

Issue #6 - War of the Bounty Hunters #1 - “Most Wanted”

And so the stage is set. Han Solo has been stolen from Boba Fett and the entire galaxy is after him. It turns out the entire galaxy is also now hunting Fett, with Jabba offering a huge some for the bounty hunter's head. Fett, afterall, lost Jabba’s prize and now Solo is in the hands of another entity. But who is this mysterious entity? Who could possibly prize Solo so much to bring the entire galaxy to their doorstep? That answer can only be found in Solo’s past. The holder of Han Solo, turns out to be someone who has held Han’s thoughts for most of his life; his one time friend, lover, betrayer… Qui’ra.

Issue #7 - Bounty Hunters #13 - “Showdown on Smuggler’s Moon”

In the old expanded universe Chewbacca owed Han Solo a life debt, but under the new canon, Chewbacca owes Han Solo something even greater, friendship. Because he is Han’s most trusted friend, Chewie has more skin in the game than anyone. When Chewie runs into some of Han’s former enemies (namely Valance and Dengar) he is immediately hostile, but Valance soon convinces Chewie that he is out to help save the smuggler. 

Issue #8 - Star Wars #14 - “Save Solo”

Crimson Dawn is holding an auction and Han Solo is for sale. Han’s friends, Luke, Leia, Chewie, and Lando race to planet Jekara in an attempt to rescue the petrified Han from the auction. However things don’t exactly go as planned.

Issue #9 - Darth Vader #13 - “Sound of Metal”

In the Star Wars universe there is always a cloaked figure in the shadows pulling the strings. But who could be hunting Vader? A mysterious person has hired IG-88 to eliminate the Dark Lord of the Sith, and has given the droid a means to do it. But why? And is this mysterious person also Rey’s grandmother?

Issue #10 - Doctor Aphra #11 - “Durge!”

Doctor Aphra & Sana Starros are stuck on a luxury cruiser with Durge the bounty hunter… and an entire colony of parasitic cymotes. The result is a humorous and adventurous romp. I’m glad that the Aphra line continues to be the “funny” series. 

Durge sort of rounds out the cast of established bounty hunters featured in “The War of the Bounty Hunters”. You’ve got the classic six from “The Empire Strikes Back”, you’ve got Valance who technically predates those six, and you’ve got Durge who was introduced in 2003, but hasn’t really appeared in anything since 2005. Oh, and you also now have this Deathstick character that was introduced in a 2015 mobile game.