Vader Week: Star Wars Tales #1-2: Extinction

[zechs27.insanejournal.com]

Another fine Darth Vader tale done by Ron Marz this time with art done by Claudio Castellini. For fans of his Maul vs Vader piece you might want to take a peak at this.

DIAL UPPERS BEWARE!

The story take's place in Star Wars Tales #1-2. Both again are 64 pages but I'm going more lax on this one. #1 does have a nice Mara Jade tale and I'm giving someone the chance to put some of that up here for future use. It does have a VERY amusing tale written by He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named . But alas. Just go buy the trade or the first issue if you wish to see "Skippy the Jedi Droid".

As always a Star Wars tune to keep you in the mood while ya read. This one is probably not as well known but GOD do I love this song from Shadows of the Empire.

So here's eleven scans from part one from #1:












I have to ask, given I've always been curious. Was this the only interaction we've ever see Darth Vader have with Mara Jade? An interesting meeting between the two nonetheless.

So Vader arrives at the planet which Mara's info is where the Dark Woman is at. Of course the old Jedi is expecting Vader. Interestingly, Vader orders his Stormtrooper back-up to remain at the shuttle. It isn't long into his journey he finds the inner sanctum of the Dark Woman:







God I love those final three panels. She knows what's coming and still she does nothing, letting Vader make the first move. How very Jedi of her. #2 continues where we leave off such a great set up (fifteen pages from sixty-four pages, no ads). If someone wishes to ever post the Jedi with No Name or the Han Solo story in this ("Routine") just let me know and I'll remove a scans needed for ya.

Anyway time for epic duel:

















God I love Ron Marz Star Wars stories, especially the Sith ones.

Only one Sith tale of his to tell I guess and that's his Maul story. Should I? Or would you want me to dig up some more Vader stuff?

Comments

[bluefall.insanejournal.com]

I hate this story.

Because it is so damn good. Like a laser-guided scalpel to the heart, Marz, you bastard.

[zechs27.insanejournal.com]

So should he be renamed? Darth Marz? Dark Writer of the Sith? :P

[(Anonymous)]

Huh. In the trade the dialogue at the end is somewhat different and I think I prefer it. It's a bit more subtle.

[greedyslayer.insanejournal.com]

I noticed that too. Had no idea there were different dialogue sets. I prefer the gn version too--this dialogue's ok, but I think the gn just does it better.

[aaron_bourque.insanejournal.com]

Unless there's something in Allegiance I think this is the only time Mara and Vader interact onscreen. There are hints in the Heir To The Empire series and elsewhere that she was at least present when Vader reported back after Yavin, and her own mini shows that he was present when she attained the rank of Emperor's Hand.

[dreamreaver.insanejournal.com]

Two instances in Allegiance, yes.

[dreamreaver.insanejournal.com]

Am I the only person who views Mara more easily as a Jedi Master/wife/mother than an assassin?

I get this "don't mess with my loved ones" vibe around her.

[joysweeper.insanejournal.com]

I don't know, I like her as the Emperor's Hand. I'm a Zahn fan.

[unknownscribler.insanejournal.com]

Dear god Mara's breasts are ridiculously huge.

And the Dark Woman's saber handle looks like a dildo.

[dreamreaver.insanejournal.com]

She looks better on the Japanese covers (http://space.geocities.jp/akihikomonnai/covers.html), I promise :(

Now if only that same artist would draw Ben with flame-red hair...

[icon_uk.insanejournal.com]

For a human yes, but remember, she's not precisely human, any more than Luke, Han and Leia are. :)

[chthonicspirit.insanejournal.com]

Well, she's been hiding out all by herself for years, she's got to have something to do for a little fun.

[zechs27.insanejournal.com]

And thus the TRUE reason Luke was seduced to the dark side. :P

[hearthemvoices.insanejournal.com]

Can I just say that in my personal fanon, MARA JADE IS NOT DEAD.

[joysweeper.insanejournal.com]

Motto.

In fact, Legacy never happened. Neither did the New Jedi Order, actually. The most recently-set novel was "Survivor's Quest", with its ominous hinting at some truly horrifying threat looming on the horizon...

[iondan.insanejournal.com]

Is that Felucia their on?

[dreamreaver.insanejournal.com]

Cophrigin V (http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Cophrigin_V)

[queen_marshed.insanejournal.com]

Neck up she's an old lady, neck down whe's a twenty-something supermodel. Wow the light side sure is more powerful. XD

[dreamreaver.insanejournal.com]

Jedi get all the hot chicks.

[sherkahn.insanejournal.com]

Such BEAUTIFUL art. Vader captured in so much menace and shadow.

The Dark Lady lost this bout twice when she gave up her advantage, though. Great duel.

[icon_uk.insanejournal.com]

Actually in her "more machine than man" comment, it makes me wonder, did anyone ever try the lateral approach to dealing with Vader? In other words, screw the Sith powers, try an EMP to take out his life support.

[flyingfoxman.insanejournal.com]

No when have we ever known a Star Wars character to use such straightforward, obvious strategy? :)

[stig.insanejournal.com]

If Vader hadn't made that deal with Mephisto to try and save his Mum, would things between him and MJ be so hostile? I think not.

[menagerie.insanejournal.com]

The art is just gorgeous. I think, given what I've seen on this comm, that I like the comics a great deal more than any other media produced of the Star Wars mythos.

[zechs27.insanejournal.com]

There are a ton good Star Wars comics. Just as there are a TON bad Star Wars comics. For every great tale like this there's an Empire's End or Star Wars Union. Both of which are dreadful stories which should have been more awesome.

[joysweeper.insanejournal.com]

Hey, officer, it's Imperial Center at this point in time! If you'd been talking to nearly anyone else they'd straighten you out. Just because it was called Coruscant before the rise of the Empire...

Oooh, the Mara Jade comics. I don't have any of those yet. And there was a comic for Shadows of the Empire, but I've never seen that.

Poor Dark Woman. I've seen some of the other stuff she's in, and I'd be more invested if I wasn't totally indifferent to Aurra Sing.

I have a couple issues with how the women are drawn, but I really like this artist's Vader.

[zechs27.insanejournal.com]

I have both. Least I know I have all of Shadows. Only different between the books and the comic it focuses on Boba Fett and a spy of Vader's who is in the Swoop Gang that attacks Luke and Dash. Plus said spy's first appearance or story in some Star Wars magazine which also had a comic. Darn I forgot the dude's name now.

And I just looked. Only have #1-2, and #6 of Mara Jade: By the Emperor's Hand. A nice mini by Zahn.

Great Post!

[proteus_lives.insanejournal.com]

I love stand-alone Vader stories. So dark and lovely.

art squee

[(Anonymous)]

Oh goooooood, that art!

It is so bloody hard to find good Palpatine art! So many people f**k his face/expressions up so badly!

*happy sigh*


-ansketil_rose

[espanolbot.insanejournal.com]

Something just occured to me, considering the generally bad treatment of robots in the Star Wars Universe, where ones that appear to be sentient like C3PO and co are freely bought and sold, could the repeated use of the description "he's now more machine than man" people use regarding Vader be implicitly derogatory?

As if him being a child murdering fascist wasn't enough, they had to reference his "otherness" as well or something to dehumanise him, though in... I guess for a Science Fiction universe, kind of racist/speciesist(?) terms.

[outlawpoet.insanejournal.com]

there's a definite anthropocentric cast to the Star Wars universe, aliens and machines alike are often looked down on, often by bad guys, true, but still pretty common.

Plus, Jedi tend to have a kind of Romantic anti-machine bias in a lot of stories, which is funny considering they carry around crazy_future_swords, but the tech behind them is nearly magic anyway.