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.