Vader's Quest Part I

[zechs27.insanejournal.com]

A fun post A New Hope tale involving a drunken Rebel Pilot, freaky alien body doubles, an alien Owl-Man, the Star Wars version of "You Bet Your Life", and of course Lord Vader himself.

"SKYWALKER!"




I think given Vader's response you know what will now happen to the bounty hunters. Yep, he orders all of them to be put to death.




It's during this time the one lone bounty hunter, Mala, who lost her bet returns and finds Stormtroopers firing at her. She take's them out and returns to the poor rebel pilot who spilled that it was Luke who destroyed the Death Star. This time he confesses to her more on why he was here on the planet. He was celebrating the victory and before he knew it the Empire was on his ass due to his big mouth. Again he feels he's utterly betrayed the Rebellion and welcomes when Mala points a blaster in his direction to end his life.

Good scene though wish I had enough, but I love the next scene even more with Vader cornering Owl-Man:






The stormtroopers swarm Mala who puts a brave stand but after a blaster hit take's a tumble off a cliff. Stupidly, the troopers don't check for the body instead reporting to Vader they killed her. With that Vader leaves the planet with Mala wondering, "Skywalker eh?"

During this all we have Luke being swarmed by Rebel pilots who are all fanboys given he destroyed the Death Star. It is then we're introduced to one Jal Te Gniev, a Rebel pilot. We learn the truth on how Luke was able to be a part of the assualt on the Death Star. He took Jal's spot as the pilot because he was stuck in the medical wing with measles.

Wedge tries to calm his comrade down but Jal is utterly in toxicated drinking his sorrows away, filled with jealousy that it should have been he who blew up the Death Star. Well.. a false alarm and well Jal totals a X-Wing with Wedge face palming (and the idea of iconing that facepalm was tempting). After that incident the higher up's of the Rebellion transfer Jal to Dubrava. Which is pretty much being transfered to away from comabt to a lone little place neither side would care much about.


So when #2 opens Jal is drinking his sorrows away again at Dubrava. An alien almost dead ringer to Luke begs to join the Rebellion, but instead Jal mocks and embrasses the living hell out of the poor kid.

However, his loose mouth he mentions that hot topic name of Skywalker even also adding where Luke is currently at (on a diplomatic mission in Jazbina). She informs a bounty hunter who in turn rats to the Empire. Naturally events repeat themselves. Stormtroopers arrive, kill the bounty hunter, then they kill the woman who ran into the bar. Fight erupts between the scum of the planet and the Empire. Empire wins with Jal escaping the same way he embrassed the kid from earlier which leads me to this scene:





Meanwhile...




Someone wanted Vader going behind his master's back well here you go. Vader knows his son blew up the Death Star, but wants to keep Palapatine out of the loop hence the orders to terminate any life that hears the name Skywalker.

As for the remainder of the issue not soon after this meeting, word reaches Vader that Luke's on Jazbina. The ship entering Coruscant would be Mala who again persistingly survives her ship being blown to shreds and crash landing near Palpatine's palace. The issue ends however with Jal spending any money he has left on a rundown X-Wing, and he too is off to Jazbina.

Comments

[jeyl.insanejournal.com]

Oh, ya. I remember reading this. Than the Empire Strikes Back came out on DVD.

Emperor: We have a new enemy. The young rebel who destroyed the Death Star. I have no doubt that this boy is the offspring of Anakin Skywalker.

Vader: How is that possible?

*ALERT!* Canon Violation! *ALERT!*

Oh, I do love it when we sacrifice good stories to fit bad movies.

Also, redemption be darned. I wouldn't forgive Vader/Anakin even if he saved a planet full of cute and cuddly Tribbles.

[zechs27.insanejournal.com]

You think, but it still works when you think about the end to this story. Remember, Vader's lying his ass off to Palpatine and could have been there too as well.

[jeyl.insanejournal.com]

True, but this is Lucas we're dealing with. The man who can't release the Star Wars movies without making some kind of alteration (Yes, there's even an alteration in ROTS). I think he wants us to accept that Vader learned the truth in ESB and not in this comic.

[zechs27.insanejournal.com]

He can't though, because it's already stated in the opening crawl that Vader is ruthelessly pursing the Rebel faction that Luke's with. He even states to Ozzel in the intro to him that, "And I'm sure SKYWALKER is with them."

Marcan and Gibbons where perfect in their set up. And Lucas in his own little way played into it more. So really this little tale improves with Lucas little adjustment in dialogue because it continues the little games Palpalatine and Vader are playing with each other.

Vader knows he has at the beginning of Empire, but the fact that Palpatine now reveals to Vader at this moment he too knows it well.. it's that lil exchange now heightened all thanks to this story. :)

[(Anonymous)]

I'm pretty sure Lucas even said in the commentary Vader was lying. I can't remember exactly because those commentaries are so dry you only want to listen once.

[icon_uk.insanejournal.com]

Why would it even be a secret? I can't imagine the Rebels keeping quiet about it for one moment because of the enormous PR win they'd have;

"This is the Underground Rebel News Network - The corrupt and despotic Empires new and much vaunted planet destroying space station was destroyed today mere days after it's inauguration, and senseless slaughter of the planet Alderaan. And it's destruction is all thanks to the heroic effort of one small-planet farmboy who always dreamed of flying and his trusty X-wing. We salute young Luke Skywalker of Red Squadron for his extraordinary achievement. Next up, Tatootine Tammy with messages for the Stormtroopers in the field...."

[blakeyrat.insanejournal.com]

Whoa, whoa whoa... hold up there. Did you just call The Empire Strikes Back a bad movie?!?!

[joysweeper.insanejournal.com]

He/she did. *sigh* Well, everyone has their own opinion, and mine is completely opposed to that one.

[blakeyrat.insanejournal.com]

He also seems to imply that a movie made in 1980 is *less* definitive than a comic book published in 1999. Figure that one out.

[joysweeper.insanejournal.com]

Let's Do The Time Warp Again!

[/AT4W ref; a clip of the Time Warp gets played whenever a comic gets confused about timing or continuity.]

[jeyl.insanejournal.com]

For crying out loud.

THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK is a great, bloody fantastic movie! It's the prequels that are utter crap, and since Anakin is made to believe he killed Padme along with his unborn child, the line "How is that possible?" would be a direct tie-in to that movie, not Empire.

[blakeyrat.insanejournal.com]

Yeah. We don't have telepathy, we can only go by what you type. Just FYI there.

[jeyl.insanejournal.com]

..........NO

[jeyl.insanejournal.com]

.....No

[(Anonymous)]

I don't know if you're referring to me but no Empire is awesome.

[jeyl.insanejournal.com]

No.

[blakeyrat.insanejournal.com]

To quote you: "Oh, I do love it when we sacrifice good stories to fit bad movies."

So, if you're posting from Bizarro world, you need to tell us that in advance so we know to reverse everything you say.

[joysweeper.insanejournal.com]

Wait, Wedge was in this one? Argh, now I have to find it. Icon the facepalming! I can show it to the wraithsquadron comm!

I think this was on old s_d once, and I commented that Vader seems to trust his stormtroopers, as much as he can trust anyone. Someone said of course. They're his 501st.

[zechs27.insanejournal.com]

Just the first issue he's in and two pages of it. Here's your Wedge Face palm:

[joysweeper.insanejournal.com]

Oh, all right.

Yay! Even if he doesn't look that much like Wedge. (Black hair? Wasn't this after the Rogue Squadron series which codified his appearance?)

[zechs27.insanejournal.com]

I don't know much of the Rogue Squadron series. Honestly, I um never read that series.. *blush* All I know is that this mini take's place just right after A New Hope and that Luke still wearing his farm boy gear, and is the hero of the hour. Some Rebels are celebarting (ie the pilot at the beginning) and the Empire is cracking down hard on this.

Though, there is one big plot hole I just realized in this story. Ugh... Vader knows where the Rebel base is at. The Empire knows where it's at. Yet he hasn't attacked Yavin Four. Luke and the Rebels are still headquartered there in this story. Even though they should be evacing the hell out of there.

[joysweeper.insanejournal.com]

You have no idea what you're missing, man. Though we probably do have different ideas of what makes a great comic. The Rogue Squadron series has X-Wings shooting other ships down, Plourr Illo beating people up, and Wedge picking up Sate Pestage by the collar and saying "Don't make me go Vader on you" it does not, in fact, have Vader or any close equivalent.

The EU says that the Rebels hung around Yavin Four for a while, and nothing explains why they stayed there for so long. And when the Empire finally did get around to it, they caught the Rebels off guard enough that General Jan Dodonna (he was that bearded older man) got captured, and the rumor was that he was killed. Which got resolved in the X-Wing novels, but again, no reason why they didn't get out of there as soon as the hangovers wore off.