An upcoming Star Wars comic book recontextualizes the infamous “Han shot first” moment from 1977’s A New Hope, shedding new light on Han Solo and Greedo’s relationship prior to that fateful encounter in the Mos Eisley Cantina.
Marvel Comics has provided CBR with an official preview for Star Wars: Han Solo & Chewbacca #1, the first issue in a new series taking place several years prior to the events of Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope (and sometime after the events of 2018’s Solo: A Star Wars Story). Set to hit shelves on Wednesday, March 9, the comic comes from writer Marc Guggenheim, artist David Messina, colorist Alex Sinclair and letterer Joe Caramagna.
The comic opens as Han and Chewie are given a new job by Jabba the Hutt — one that promises to pay 1 million Credits. The catch: they have to split the money with Greedo, who tipped Jabba off to the opportunity in the first place. What’s more, a condition of the deal is that Greedo has to tag along for the heist itself, which Han is less than pleased about, citing Greedo’s reputation for being “sleazy and underhanded.” Han pulls the Rodian bounty hunter aside to lay out the terms of their newfound partnership, saying, “[I]f you try to screw me over, double-cross me, do anything that gives me a bad feeling… I’ll shoot first and ask questions later.”
STAR WARS: HAN SOLO & CHEWBACCA #1
- MARC GUGGENHEIM (W) • DAVID MESSINA(A) • Cover by ALEX MALEEV
- Variant cover by ADAM HUGHES
- Variant cover by PHIL NOTO
- Variant cover by DECLAN SHALVEY
- NEW ONGOING SERIES – HAN SOLO IS BACK!
- But wait! Isn’t HAN still frozen in Carbonite? Yes. But you can’t keep a good smuggler down. Set a few years before Episode IV: A New Hope, Han, his partner, CHEWBACCA and GREEDO, embark on a heist for JABBA THE HUTT. It’s supposed to be an easy job. What could possibly go wrong? Well, for starters, how about a reunion with the very last person Han expected to see? The last page is a jaw-dropper…
- 40 PGS./Rated T …$4.99
- Star Wars © Lucasfilm Ltd. & TM. All rights reserved. Used under authorization. Text and illustrations for Star Wars are © 2021 Lucasfilm Ltd.
Of course, in 1977’s A New Hope (originally known as simply Star Wars), Greedo confronts Han in the Mos Eisley Cantina, seeking to collect the bounty put on his head by Jabba. Following an exchange of words — in which Greedo says he’s waited for a long time to kill Han — Han shoots Greedo with his blaster, killing him instead. However, the way this actually plays out has been notoriously changed multiple times over the years, leading to much controversy and debate among Star Wars fans.
In the original version of the film that released in theaters 45 years ago, Han shoots and kills Greedo before Greedo even gets a shot off. In the 1997 Special Edition, however, Greedo definitely shoots first, with Han moving his head out of the way and returning fire. In the 2004 DVD release, Han and Greedo shoot at almost the exact same time. The aforementioned anthology film Solo eventually poked fun at the controversy, featuring a scene in which Han shoots and kills Tobias Beckett before the latter gets a chance to fire at all, mirroring how Han’s confrontation with Greedo went down in the original theatrical cut of A New Hope.
At any rate, Han Solo & Chewbacca #1 strongly suggests that Han always had an “it’s either him or me” mindset when it came to Greedo. After all, their exchange in A New Hope made it pretty clear that Greedo never really had any intention of bringing Han in alive.
Written by Marc Guggenheim and illustrated by David Messina with colors by Alex Sinclair and letters by VC’s Joe Caramagna, Star Wars: Han Solo & Chewbacca #1 goes on sale March 9 from Marvel Comics.
Source: Marvel Comics
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