Han and Leia stop arguing long enough to avoid an alien with a grudge against Han on a remote planet.
This article contains plot points for Star Wars Annual #3.
Star Wars Annual #3
Writer: Jason Latour | Artist: Michael Walsh | Letterer: VC’s Clayton Cowles | Cover: Michael Walsh | Editor: Heather Antos | Supervising Editor: Jordan D. White
In a vacuum, Star Wars Annual #3 isn’t a bad story. However, it isn’t a new story for Star Wars. Han Solo and Princes Leia Organa travelled to Odona looking for a potential Rebel base. Like Hoth, this planet experiences extreme cold temperatures. After avoiding Rathtar-like creatures, a Nikto with a grudge and some back up attacks Han. Frax, the Nikto, wants payback from Han for a smuggling operation gone bad. Ultimately, Han and Leia outsmart Frax and his companions long enough for the Rebellion to locate them and rescue them from Odona. Taken out of context of the larger Star Wars continuity, Star Wars Annual #3 is a fine story. However, it coves much of the same ground as previous stories.
Han and Leia Argue Again
It wouldn’t be a Han and Leia issue if the pair weren’t arguing. They do that in Star Wars Annual #3 plenty. They argue at the beginning of the issue while escaping from the cave with the monster. Then they argue about whether the cave would have worked as a base. Later, they argue about whether Leia should leave Han behind. There is even a panel featuring the classic Han and Leia argument pose that readers will surely recognize. Han leans towards Leia with his finger pointed at her while she looks up at him. It has become slightly cliché.
Han’s Motivation
Since the Battle of Yavin, Han continuously struggles with is relationship with the Rebellion. It was the subject of the Han Solo miniseries. It was also featured in Star Wars #35. At this point, it is no longer a mystery. Among other reasons, his feelings for Leia pull him back to the Rebellion time and again. It is no different in this issue. Once the action on Odona is over, Han and Leia meet in the infirmary aboard a Rebellion Nebulon-B Frigate. Han proclaims that he owes a debt to Leia for saving him on Odana.
Leia refuses his proclamation of debt. Instead, she lectures him on the nature of the Alliance. They don’t keep a tally of debts. To the contrary, the lookout for each other. Also, they don’t blame others when their choices turn out poorly. Despite this, Han declares that Leia is “high-roading him” and “rubbing [his] nose in how honorable [she} is.” He will satisfy his debt, and she can’t do anything about it. In other words, he found another way to stick with the Rebellion without admitting why. Nobody buys it.
Frax
The main villain of this issue is Frax, a Nikto. He agreed to a smuggling operation with Han. When the Empire caught up to him, Han, and Chewbacca, he fell behind, literally, and the Empire imprisoned him. He made some poor choices, but he blamed his misfortune on Han. Frax is the moral lesson of the story. His misplaced quest for revenge ended up with him literally freezing to death. Eventually the reader sees him frozen in a shooting pose. He failed to take responsibility for his actions. His futile quest for revenge cost him everything. It is a classic lesson. In essence, Frax is Captain Ahab.
Concluding Thoughts on Star Wars Annual #3
There is a benefit to not worrying about canon or worrying about exactly how a story fits into continuity. By reading a story in isolation, the reader may enjoy it for what it is. Taking Star Wars Annual #3 by itself, it is a fine story. However, even read in isolation, it doesn’t seem very unique. Han and Leia arguing are a mainstay in Marvel’s Star Wars comics. Han’s struggle with his relationship to the Rebellion is nothing new. Star Wars recently told a “stranded on a remote world” story in Star Wars #34.
Frax is the truly new aspect of this comic. However, he dies by the end of the issue. Annuals frequently set up future stories. Perhaps there is some element of Star Wars Annual #3 that emerges in a later issue of Star Wars. For the moment, nothing stands out.
The art, provided by Michael Walsh, for Star Wars Annual #3 is different. It seems more similar to art from the Sunday comics than anything appearing in other issues of Star Wars. That isn’t to say it is bad. Just different. There is an amazing panel in which Leia departs the Millennium Falcon wearing Han’s cold weather jacket armed with a bowcaster and flares. Leia looks determined and fierce. It is the best panel of the issue.
Readers unfamiliar with many of the previous Star Wars stories will likely enjoy this issue the most. Hopefully, it has a payoff in a future issue of Star Wars.
Dennis Keithly is a graduate of the University of Missouri, North Texas attorney, husband, father of two, and co-host of Starships, Sabers, and Scoundrels. In addition to Star Wars, Dennis is a fan of science fiction, fantasy, and super heroes in general. When not engaged in fictional universes, Dennis is reading a good book or watching the NHL, football, or studying the NFL draft.