Star Wars Comics: The Sith War #1-2, X-Wing Rogue Squadron #3-4, Heir to the Empire #1

My Recent Reads

Tales of the Jedi - The Sith War #1: Edge of the Whirlwind

Originally Published August 15, 1995

Writer: Kevin J. Anderson

Artist: Dario Carrasco, Jr.

In-Story Timeline: 3,996 BBY

via Wookieepedia

• Exar Kun and Ulic Qel-Dorma are out to conquer the galaxy for the Sith.
• Kun is on Ossus training young Jedi but he's really trying to find a Holocron in the great library on that world.
• Ulic is the Sith's military leader.  He encounters the Mandalorians.  I don't know enough about the novels to say whether or not this is the first appearance of any Mandalorians besides Boba Fett but it could be.
• Ulic defeats the leader, Mandalore the Indomitable, in a duel, earning his devotion as well as that of his followers.

Tales of the Jedi - The Sith War #2: The Battle of Coruscant

September 19, 1995

Anderson/Carrasco

• Ulic's forces attack Coruscant, the capital of the Republic.
• Exar Kun finds his Holocron and also wins a loyal disciple, Crado.  He successfully enslaves his other Jedi followers, hiding his loyalty to the Sith from them.
• Aleema Keto betrays Ulic during the attack on Coruscant, ordering both Krath and Mandalore forces to withdraw.
• Ulic is left vulnerable to the Jedi who have come to defend Coruscant, including Cay and Nomi.  
• Ulic is captured.  The Supreme Chancellor declares he will be tried and sentenced to death.

X-Wing Rogue Squadron #3: The Rebel Opposition, Part 3

September 26, 1995

Michael A. Stackpole and Mike Baron/Allen Nunis

4 ABY

via Wookieepedia

• Tycho is assigned to join a TIE-Fighter squadron in an attack on the Rebels, putting himself in a tricky position: kill his own friends or blow his cover.
• The decision is made for him.  An X-Wing piloted by his own R2 unit shoots him down.  Or at least he thinks it was his own R2.  It was actually Winter.
• He survives, though.
• Vance Rego, initially posing as a member of the underground, captures Janson and Winter (believed to be Princess Leia) with Stormtroopers in tow.

X-Wing Rogue Squadron #4: The Rebel Opposition, Part 4

October 31, 1995

Stackpole and Baron/Nunis

• Tycho is rescued by Imperials who still believe him to be on their side.  He ends up in the same transport back to Moff as Winter.
• Vance returns to the Rebels who still believe him to be on their side.  He tells them of "Leia"'s capture and encourages them to go rescue her.
• Tycho flies with the Imperials again but turns on them, alerting Wedge to his identity.  The other TIE-Fighters in his squadron are shot down.
• Meanwhile, in the rescue party, Elscol discovers Vance's betrayal.  Vance mistakenly believes he had killed Groznik, Elscol's Wookiee friend, who now returns to throw Vance out of the jeep, presumably to his death.  He actually survives the fall but then gets his arm torn off by a ronk.
• Nothing in the text confirms that Vance dies from his injury but it is the last time he appears in this or any other story.
• Winter is successfully rescued and Moff Tascl is captured.  
• The Rogues leave for Mrisst with their new friends, Elscol and Groznik.
• So ends the arc.  So far, this is an excellent series - my favorite so far.  I look forward to the next arc.

Heir to the Empire #1

October 1, 1995

Baron/Olivier Vatine

Based on the novel of the same name by Timothy Zahn

9 ABY

• The first of six issues adapting Zahn's novel, first published in 1991.
• As such, it is the first comic book appearance for two of the most important characters in the Star Wars Expanded Universe: Grand Admiral Thrawn and Mara Jade.

Thrawn via Wookieepedia

Mara Jade via Wookieepedia

• The story is set just before and is, at least so far, compatible with the Dark Empire series.
• As such, Leia is still pregnant with the twins.  Luke's quest to increase the Jedi ranks is just beginning.
• Thrawn is the last of the Imperial warlords and he is not going to go quietly.  He is preparing to attack the New Republic.  He and his sidekick Captain Gilad Pellaeon, enlist the help of Jorus C'baoth, the clone of a fallen Jedi Master.  
• This franchise is really into clones!