Welcome back to another new comic book day, EveryWookiee!! Every week I take a look at the Star Wars comic releases and analyze for first appearances and key events that may be worth collecting or keeping an eye on for future development.
First appearances and keys from these weekly articles get added to or sister site and Star Wars comics first appearance and key issue database, Wookywiki.com!
This week the endless misadventures of Han Solo continue in Han Solo & Chewbacca 5 and things all come to a head in Bounty Hunters 26!
WARNING: Spoilers Ahead!
Han Solo & Chewbacca 5
First up, Han Solo & Chewbacca 5! The Noto Cover A features the first cover appearance of Khel Tanna and Buck Vancto! Khel is a scoundrel much like Han, and Buck is a marshal for the Benelex Marshal Service, another authority in the galaxy besides the Empire. Of course, the Lopez 1:25 Variant is tied for first Buck Vancto cover and will be a little scarcer to come by! Khel and Buck both first appeared in Han Solo & Chewbacca 1.
Khel and her crew pick up Han and “save” him, but also kick his ass for some of his double-crosses in the past. We’ve got Akko, T’Onga, Khel Tanna, and Ooris Bynar. T’onga and Ooris Bynar both first appeared in Bounty Hunters #1. Akko is newly-identified, but he actually showed up in an unnamed cameo in Han Solo & Chewbacca 1:
This issue would be his first full appearance. Next up, we have the first unmasked look at Buck Vancto.
And finally, suspicions are confirmed that the man claiming to be Ovan Solo, who first appeared in Han Solo & Chewbacca 1, is actually none other than a con-man named:
Corbus Tyra! Now, that name sounds familiar and it’s because he was talking to Vizam in a hologram in issue 1:
We have some other twists and turns in this tale this week. However, because of the time this is set in (prior to Episode IV), we know the outcome. Han is “dead” and Chewie is under arrest.
Chewie meets some familiar faces, including Ponda Baba, Dr. Evazan (both first appeared in Star Wars 2 (1977)), and Maz Kanata (first appeared in Force Awakens Adaptation 3)!
Bounty Hunters 26
So, no first appearances in Bounty Hunters 26, but boy did a lot of stuff come to a head!
First, Furball meets Vukorah in battle and things don’t end well. No not for Vukorah, but for Furball. FURBALLL! Not Furball!
Lt. Haydenn makes a move on Valance, but still conceals that the empire has bombed the Rebel base where Valance’s one true love was. Will Valance be loyal to the Empire knowing his love is dead? Keeping her safe was the only thing keeping him in service of Darth Vader.
T’Onga finally reachs Cadeliah, but in a big twist, Cadeliah doesn’t want to be saved!
Finally, Qi’ra has the opportunity to kill T’Onga, but in true Qi’ra fashion, turns her to Crimson Dawn’s own purposes.
8/3/2022
I wasn’t on the ball last week and I didn’t get a Keys and Firsts article up. So, here’s some catch up.
Halcyon Legacy 5
Essentially, the Halcyon Legacy run of comics came to an end with a satisfying wrap up of the main unifying plot. In general, I’d call this series a bit inconsistent, but that is kind of par for the course for an anthology comic of sorts. The flashback story in this issue was a satisfying tale of selflessness and a boy begging, robbing, and stealing as he needed to. Bossk makes an appearance and it’s a solid tale. In terms of first and keys, Vi Moradi makes her first appearance in this book! She pops up on the last page, is named, and has some dialogue. Some may call this a cameo and others call it first full appearance. I’ll go with cameo because it’s such a small part.
Vi made her first comic cover appearance on the Mandalorian 1 Pride variant:
Vi Moradi is a Resistance spy from the Sequel Trilogy era and has a large presence in novels and the Galaxy’s Edge theme park. Although she has appeared in multiple novels at this point, these are her first comics appearances.
