Issue #5 (November 1977): Lo, The Moons of Yavin!

• Writer/Editor: Roy Thomas
• Illustrators: Howard Chaykin & Steve Leialoha

Moving toward the conclusion of the movie. Before diving in, we’ve got another doozy of a cover. Talk about your misdirection! This is what I love about old comics like these. What you see on the cover was almost never what you found inside. I mean, c’mon, the Death Star is right there! It’s not in orbit; by all rights, it should be crashing into the planet at this point. But, oh no! Look out! It knocked over a wall with that laser beam!

By issue 5, most of the character design “flaws” seem to have ironed themselves out. Vader looks like Vader. Chewie (kind of) looks like Chewie. But we’re not out of the woods yet. This is what the TIE Fighter pilots look like:

I don’t know about you, but this looks more like a black version of the original Battlestar Galactica Centurions. I actually kind of dig the design.

There is a LOT of exposition in this issue. Relatively little dialogue. And the exposition/narration is excruciating!

This time, a bolt pierces the overloaded ray-deflectors, to strike the side of the ship! Though still partially deflected, it still carries enough power to blow out a large control panel. Gauges whine in protest at the quantity of lethal energy they are being asked to monitor and compensate for . . . and Chewbacca’s answering grunts to Leia are not much happier.

Ugh. I could feel Zoey losing interest with each panel.

Page 10: Looks like Luke was falling asleep too. Or maybe he just shoots better with his eyes closed.

Page 15: Zoey: “Why are Leia’s lips the same color as her skin?” I told her that she must be scared, so all the color drained out of them. That was a good answer, apparently.

Page 16: Who could resist this guy? By the way, this is one of the few times in this issue where we don’t see Luke’s white Tatooine outfit hanging open to his navel, revealing his “manly” chest to the world.

Page 23: Zoey: “Whoa.” Yer darn tootin’! This is General Dodonna showing all those pilots a little what-for! I think this is also the first time in the series where the art extends beyond the panel boundaries. And if you’re not going to break the rules for General Dodonna’s finger…well, I just don’t know when you would.

Page 27: Zoey: “Oh no. More kissies?!”

Yes, my dear. More kissies. More sweet, passionate, totally inappropriate kissies.

Next week: The final issue of the movie adaptation! Finally!