War of the Bounty Hunters is well underway and the entire galaxy is fixated on Han Solo’s carbonite slab. The Rebels, Darth Vader, and various bounty hunters have shown interest in collecting Solo after it was revealed that Boba Fett had lost him. While this version is setting the strongest forces in the galaxy on a collision course, this is a much different story than what was first told in Marvel’s original Star Wars series.
1981’s Star Wars #44 by Archie Goodwin, Al Williamson, Carlos Garzon, Glynis Wein, and Rick Veitch replayed the final scenes of The Empire Strikes Back. Leia, Lando, and Chewie attempted to stop Fett from leaving Cloud City but arrived too late as Fett had already boarded his ship and departed. After their own escape from Bespin, Lando and Chewbacca pursued Fett in the Millennium Falcon. Their rescue mission was cut short though as the Falcon encountered an issue in hyperspace that caused it to drift into another dimension.
The following twenty issues saw the Rebels getting into all kinds of hijinx while Han was in Fett’s possession. Between Leia’s run-in with Vader while trying to purchase X-wings and her survey missions that repeatedly went haywire, Leia became distracted. Combine this with Luke and Lando’s various adventures and their dismantling of the superweapon, the Tarkin, and it shows the Rebels were too distracted to pursue Han. Their multiple excursions led the trail to run cold and they seemingly forgot about his presence until the trail suddenly picked back up.
Star Wars Annual #2 by David Michelinie, Carmine Infantino, and Rudy Nebres saw Luke and Lando stumble upon a golden statue of Han. This was one of Solo’s most significant appearances in over 2 years of Star Wars comics. Star Wars #67 by Michelinie, Ron Frenz, and Tom Palmer brought new news of Han Solo to the Rebel fleet. They revealed that Boba Fett had previously worked with either Bossk, Dengar, or IG-88 to capture Solo before cutting them out of the deal. The Rebels figured that one of these bounty hunters would have information pertaining to Solo’s location and split up to search for more answers.
Leia traveled to Mandalore in search of Dengar but found much more. She found a Mandalorian who claimed to have served with Fett as Mandalorian protectors of the Empire. Leia would find Dengar, but was captured by the Imperial presence on the planet. Although she was able to escape, she garnered no new information about Han. Meanwhile, Luke, Lando, and Chewie tracked IG-88 and Bossk to the planet Stenos. The Rebels’ previous interactions with the natives combined with Bossk and IG-88’s presence led Luke and the gang on yet another adventure that provided no results in their search for Han.
These failed missions would sour the Rebels’ hunt for Han Solo, and they stopped their search yet again in favor of running various missions for the Rebellion. It was not until 1984’s Star Wars #79 that the Rebellion would hear any more news of Solo. Lando and Chewie traveled to a planet that Han used to frequent in search of information. By using a disguise, Lando learned that Solo was being held on Tattooine at Jabba’s Palace. The pair had previously heard this and traveled to Tattooine, but Fett hadn’t arrived yet, so they chalked it up as a rumor. This new information confirmed Lando’s suspicions.
While it might seem like Han’s absence was stretched out, there is an obvious reason for this. The majority of these comics were coming out between the release of The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. Solo was going to be thawed in Return of the Jedi so they could not rush the narrative. Instead, they continuously came up with adventures for the Rebels that did not involve Han.
War of the Bounty Hunters is proving to be a more realistic and exciting representation of these events. The Rebels have not appeared distracted and have continuously chased every lead they have come across. The realism is enhanced by the fact that the story has a full structure this time. The original Star Wars series had the challenge of filling gaps in a story that was not finished yet. With all of the major events already laid out, War of the Bounty Hunters has the advantage of pulling the pieces together and laying them out into a cohesive plot.
As the Rebels have learned new information regarding Han’s location, they have tried their best to act quickly. Luke and Chewie were immediately sent to Nar Shaddaa when Fett was reported to be there. Now that the Rebels are aware of Crimson Dawn’s possession of Han, Leia is on a beeline to intercept Solo. The Rebellion is showing that they will not let distractions get in the way of their rescue of Han Solo…at least not this time.
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