On its 80th anniversary, Marvel takes us back in time to celebrate the original Star Wars run with Star Wars #50 (facsimile edition) and Star Wars #108 – what happens when the Crimson Fever strikes?
Fans of Legends, and Marvel historians, have a lot to celebrate with Marvel’s latest offerings that celebrate 80 long years of producing comics. First, earlier in May, we were treated to a facsimile edition of the original Marvel Star Wars #50. Second, we are treated to the first new Legends canon story written after the 2014 reboot! I, for one, was shocked to see this issue announced; I definitely thought we would have seen other Legends stories released before this series was picked up again, but I am pleased to see this type of freedom on LFL’s comic arm. If you have been following our site for a while, you might be familiar with my Legendary Adventure series, wherein I read the Legends novels in chronological order. In light of this, seeing new Legends adventures are a treat. Fans of the Manor have a lot to celebrate as well, as this article is written as a companion piece to Ryan’s review of issue #108. We’re both coming into these issues fresh, but Ryan is writing from the perspective of someone who has only read issue #108 and I’m coming in having read issues #50, #107, and #108.
The great thing about this quick duology is that it is not only timed well with Marvel’s anniversary, but it ties into the current canon releases as well! Issue #108 stars bounty hunter Valance the Hunter, who is so feared that even Boba Fett trembles at his name! (Or so the opening to #108 recalls.) You might recognize his name from the Han Solo – Imperial Cadet series, which serves as his origin story in canon, which will be followed up shortly by Target Vader, a miniseries in which Valance hunts down the Dark Lord for revenge. In the Legends canon, Valance was a stormtrooper who was seriously injured by an attacking rebel force and their bombs. He was rebuilt as a cyborg and hated himself for his droid implants, and for good reason! He still suffered a lot of trauma from his time in the Clone War fighting against droids, and was becoming himself what he swore to destroy.
Let me first address some of the costs of these two comics. First of all, the facsimile edition of Star Wars #50. What’s the difference between a facsimile edition and a True Believers reprint, you might ask? Lots! The biggest being the $3 price difference. The facsimile editions are reprinted to look as they did when they first came out (save the new Legends banner at the bottom) while True Believers comics have the “True Believers” banner across the top. But there’s also a fun dimension to it, as well: these comics come with their original ads! Do you want to learn kung-fu? A place in California is offering lessons for as low as $1.25! Do you think they’ll honor that price? You can get a life-size punching-bag in the shape of a man for only $1.50 more! What a steal! On the other hand, issue #108 comes at a stunning $6 price tag. It of course features more pages than regular issues, but I was still a bit surprised when my cashier told me the total.
Despite the price tag, I think these two issues are a lot of fun, and would be an enjoyable romp for Legends and canon fans alike. Reading these two issues together really emphasized one major aspect of the Marvel series: it’s a pretty stinking weird series. And I love that! Both issues show the different effect of two jewels from the Red Nebula. The denizens of the Red Nebula fight for control of the rubies as they are connected to their gods. Domina Tagge, family member of Admiral Tagge, has learned that these jewels, when separated, create evil energy which causes anyone who breathes around them to fall deathly ill. When together, though, rumor has it that these crystals sow life and regeneration among those nearby. (You will have to read both issues to see both sides of the jewels!)
Not only is the MacGuffin of the issues weird, but the whole cast is weird! Issue #50 introduced new readers to not only Domina Tagge, but also her crew of bounty hunters (including some familiar faces from the Executor’s bridge). We also see the Rebel base located in a volcano and the adventures of Lando and Chewbacca as they scour the galaxy in search of Han Solo. Issue #108 brings back some familiar faces, such as Jaxxon and Amaiza (whom you might recognize from the Star Wars Adventures Annual 2018), the hoojib (an apparently psychic race of bunnies?), Valance the Hunter, and the Zeltrons. Seeing such a diverse cast of aliens, women, and weird creatures really shows how weird the Star Wars series was, and shows how weird the current series has yet to become!
Just as the jewels each have power on their own, the issues could be enjoyed individually. But the jewels have more power together, and I think the issues do, as well. Reading both helps you see both sides of the coin (the jewels’ power) and gives you a bit fuller of a story. Both Luke Skywalker (#50) and Valance the Hunter (#108) need the jewels to be rejoined in order to live. As mentioned before, when the jewels are separated, they emit what the Rebels call the Crimson Fever. Unfortunately, Luke and an assortment of Rebel fighters contract the virus. The nameless soldiers die, but Luke hangs on, which Leia attributes to his strength in the Force. Valance, on the other hand, needs them to be rejoined because he wants to take advantage of their rumored regenerative powers and rid himself of his cyborg enhancements forever. Unfortunate for both, evil villain Domina Tagge stands in their way.
That being said, note that the immediate stories do not necessarily connect. Very little of issue #50 connects straight into #108. They are tied more by the MacGuffin and the villain (Tagge) than they are about what happens exactly in issue #50. So, if you only plan on reading #108, it won’t be too confusing, but I think you get a richer experience from having read both. And it’s interesting to see a story from 35 years ago picked up again with 2019’s artists and writer.
The series also addresses what the comic would look like without Han as issue #50 is set between the escape from Bespin and Han’s rescue on Tatooine. Since they didn’t want the scoundrel to miss out on being a part of the 50th issue spectacular, the middle chapter of issue #50 was written as a flashback to make sure he could still be featured despite being frozen in carbonite. Thankfully, the side cast had been developed so well that Han’s absence wasn’t felt too much. (Current Star Wars series take note!)
I don’t want to spoil too much (even though one of the comics is almost 35 years old), but I do want to emphasize how weird these comics are. But I do think that issue #108 is a fun read, and the experience is made only more fun from having read both. Just a note on the fantastic art teams: On issue #50, we have Archie Goodwin as the writer, pencils are done by Tom Palmer, Walt Simonson, and Al Williamson, with Ed Stuart on letters, colorist is Don Warfield, the cover art was done by Tom Palmer, with Louise Jones on the editorial team. Star Wars #108 also has a huge team behind it, featuring: Matthew Rosenberg as the writer, with pencils done by artists familiar to canon comic fans, such as Giuseppe Camuncoli, Cam Smith, Andrea Broccardo, Luke Ross, Jan Duursema (from Dark Horse fame!), Kerry Gammill, Ze Carlos, Stefano Landini, and Leonard Kirk; Clayton Cowles has lettering duties, the colorist is Chris Sotomayor, with regular release covers done by Walter Simonson and Antonio Fabela. (John Tyler Christopher did an action figure edition and another variant edition, which will probably cost you about $20-30, but it features Jaxxon and our favorite Rebels!
Legendary Travel Tips:
-Issue #50 takes place between The Empire Strikes Back and the Return of the Jedi, while issue #108 takes place after the Battle of Endor.
-Leia mentions the events of #107, where the New Republic, Mandalorians, and Zeltrons teamed up to fight against the invading Tof army. This story line was hinted at throughout the Marvel Star Wars run.
-Valance the Hunter’s previous appearance was in #29.
You can follow Chris on Twitter @ChrisWerms, and of course, you can follow the Manor on Twitter @MynockManor!