Mountain Comics #30 – Star Wars Annual #2

MOUNTAIN COMICS #30 - STAR WARS ANNUAL #2

Rob welcomes Fire & Water Network pal Tim Price to the cabin to discuss STAR WARS ANNUAL #2 by David Michelinie, Carmine Infantino, and Rudy Nebres!

Check out images from this comic by clicking here!

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13 responses to “Mountain Comics #30 – Star Wars Annual #2

  1. Marvel Star was one of the most important comics of my childhood from the 70s/80s. It was my first comic I subscribed to through the mail. I’d wait anxiously by the mail box during the weeks I knew it was due to be delivered. It WASN’T the “expanded universe” It was straight up Star Wars canon! This gave us the adventures of our favorite heroes in the seeming eternity between the movies! 3 years was FOREVER as a kid.
    I never much cared for how Infantino drew the Star Wars characters, but I loved his space ships! They looked amazing! The image of the Y-Wing in the final panel is incredible. The statue of Han looks like he’s doing an Irish Folk Dance. Han Solo! Lord of The Dance!

  2. I’m glad Rob pointed out the whole bit about Infantino characters “running on air”. It instantly clicked as something I hadn’t really put into words, but always knew. For someone most famous for drawing a character who runs, that’s actually pretty interesting. Of course when someone runs very fast, their feet are occasionally off the ground…but not THAT often.

    I think Tim’s first Fire and Water punch card is probably full. He gets a free lunch in the commissary, and a new card to fill up!

    Chris

  3. Although I’m saddened to hear Tim’s mother didn’t get a say in having her comics declared trash, the burning thing was not necessarily vindictive. My grandparents lived in the mountains of North Carolina and my Grandaddy used to burn trash too. It’s rural (road was paved around 1972) so not having to lug material to the dump was a normal part of their lives. I remember the practice stopped when I was still young and more and more items were unsafe to burn like styrofoam egg cartons, etc.

    1. Exactly my take, Laurel. It’s still rural living at that house (it’s still in the family), and while there’s now landfills and recycling centers, there was nothing like that 70 years ago. So the trash either piles up, or you burn it. But the mind boggles at considering any reading material “trash.” Sigh.

  4. Thanks, gentlemen. I hadn’t started collecting comics when this annual came out, so I really enjoyed your coverage of it.

    Listening to your discussion of this story, I noticed an interesting connection between Chrysalla and Han, beyond whatever romantic attachment they may have formed. At the time of this story, both of them are living in suspended animation (Chrysalla in her chamber and Han frozen in carbonite), because they each sacrificed themselves for someone they loved (Chrysalla for Han and Han for Leia). I don’t know if this was at all intentional on Michelinie’s part, but I did find it an interesting thematic parallel between the two characters.

    I also like Tim’s theory about the Shadeshine being crystallized, concentrated Force energy. There is a precedent of sorts for this idea. Alan Dean Foster’s 1978 Star Wars novel, Splinter of the Mind’s Eye, featured an artifact called the Kaiburr cyrstal. The crystal focuses the Force, which allowed the untrained Luke to stand toe-to-toe with Darth Vader in a lightsaber duel at the end of the novel. As an aside, the Kaiburr crystal served as the inspiration for the kyber crystals that played a role in the Rogue One movie.

    1. Oh, I like that parallel of Chrysalla’s and Han’s states. Great call, Brian!

      And thanks for the Kailburr crystal info! Nice to know I’m not completely off my rocker. (Just mostly.)

  5. I didn’t read too many Star Wars comics but hearing there was this period where Han was off limits made me think of two ideas that could have been used or that maybe I should write.

    1) A Maltese Falcon pastiche where bounty hunters and crooks are all trying to obtain the frozen Han only to have the person in Carbonite they finally get be someone else or a fake.

    2) A world where the person unfrozen in Return of the Jedi and killed in Force Awakens is a Han Solo clone. The real Han is still frozen somewhere. He gets thawed after the events of Episode 9, still young because of suspended animation, and lives an adventurer’s life.

    I think Nebres inks are a big influence on the pencils. The dessicated face panel definitely seems like more lines that Infantino would typically put.

    Great episode!

    1. 1) That’s too awesome for words!
      2) I dunno… that could start a big holy war in the Star Wars fans over clones. A “clone war” if you will.

  6. Always happy for Mountain Comics, and to hear from Rob and Tim. Concur with Laurel and Tim above on how you got rid of paper trash (NOT that I’m agreeing the comics should have counted) in rural areas when we were kids. Lost a jacket ‘cause I was cold and leaned up against the burn barrel when I was about seven. It was a great demonstration of how effectively metal conducts heat. Stop, drop, and roll, kids! Also, let your older brother rip the melting jacket off you as quickly as possible.

    I’m guessing that Mr. Williams Has a clause in all his contracts that says if his likeness is used in other media, he will look aMAzing.

    I think this comic might have inspired the Jaynestown episode of Firefly. No parallels except the opening, where they land on a planet for other business and find there’s a statue of one of their crew.

    I think “Tooine” is like “burg” or “ville,” but it means planet instead of town.

    Remember the young man they age to death? The Marvel comic never tells you his whole story, ‘cause it crosses into DC Comics material. His parents actually emigrated from Krypton to start a Middle Eastern food restaurant there. They were from a respected family, and they had to leave home to realize their dream of becoming entrepreneurs. You see, his full name was…Phalaf-EL.

      1. Thanks, Tim! I love ‘em all, but my favorite is War Stories.

        My kids tell me I’m predictable; I tell them consistency is a sign of character.

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