Illustrated Inspiration blog: THE WALL

Star Wars Empire 19: Target: Vader

Star Wars Empire 19: Target: Vader is the 19th issue of the Star Wars: Empire comic book series. It was originally published on 12 May 2004, and later collected in the Star Wars Empire: The Imperial Perspective trade paperback. The events in this story take place approximately five months after the events in Episode IV: A New Hope.

Publisher’s Description

Having failed to locate the Rebels’ new base after the destruction of the Death Star, Vader sets out to redeem himself by strong-arming his underworld contacts for information about the Alliance. But other deeds from Vader’s past return to haunt him as a group of aliens attempt to kill the Sith Lord as revenge for a slaughter he perpetrated on their homeworld.
Fighting vengeful aliens is all in a day’s work. The real challenge for Vader is coming to terms with the man he once was, and the “monster” he has become…


Summary

Darth Vader arrives on Void Station, an asteroid city, seeking the Bothan information broker Jib Kopatha. Vader complains that Kopatha has not provided the Empire with any information other than speculations for several months. To re-establish the Empire's faith in him, Vader says, Kopatha must provide him with information regarding the Rebel Alliance. Kopatha complies, and tries to persuade Vader to stay in the city for a few days, offering him various delicate foods and women, but is turned down. As Vader walks back to the hangar to leave, A Falleen female named Xora approaches him, promising him information about the Rebels. Vader follows her into a seemingly empty room, where he is attacked by several Falleen, seeking revenge for his massacre of an entire city on the planet Falleen. He kills them, and leaves.

Dramatis Personae

Darth Vader; Sith Lord (human male)
Jib Kopatha; information broker (Bothan male)
Palpatine; Emperor, Galactic Empire; Sith Lord (human male) (Mentioned only)
Xora (Falleen female)
Zuur (Falleen male)

Source: wikipedia

Star Wars Empire 18: To the Last Man

Star Wars Empire 18: To the Last Man is the 18th issue of the Star Wars: Empire comic book series. It was originally published on 21 April 2004, and later collected in the Star Wars Empire: The Imperial Perspective trade paperback.

Publisher’s Description

Thousands of angry alien Amanin versus less than sixty Imperial troops. So much for being "the glue that holds the galaxy together."
The Imperials are doomed, but newly promoted Captain Janek Sunber is determined that they will sell their lives dearly. If only some of his fellow officers exhibited the same courage, they might have a chance. But is it bravery, or foolhardiness that drives Sunber? And, if they all die, who will tell the story of their sacrifice? Who will record the glory of their final stand?


Dramatis Personae

Gage; captain, Imperial Army (human male)
Janek Sunber; lieutenant, Imperial Army (human male)
Palpatine; Emperor, Galactic Empire; Sith Lord (human male) (Mentioned only)
Ziering; general, Imperial Army (human male)

Source: wikipedia

Star Wars Empire 17: To the Last Man

Star Wars Empire 17: To the Last Man is the 17th issue of the Star Wars: Empire comic book series. It was originally published on 3 March 2004, and later collected in the Star Wars Empire: The Imperial Perspective trade paperback.

Publisher’s Description

Imperial Lt. Janek Sunber wanted to see action, and now his wish has come true--in spades! Sunber's infantry regiment on the jungle world of Maridun is cut off from the rest of the Empire. Their communications have been destroyed, and their way out of the jungle is blocked by thousands of hostile native Amanin. Hopelessly out-numbered, they must choose between combat or surrender--but either decision may mean death!
Empire takes a look at the Star Wars galaxy from the point of view of the Imperials in this action-packed, three-issue arc!


Dramatis Personae

Dix; officer, Imperial Army (human male)
Frickett; commander, Imperial Army (human male)
Gage; captain, Imperial Army (human male)
Janek Sunber; lieutenant, Imperial Army (human male)
Ziering; general, Imperial Army (human male)

Source: wikipedia

Star Wars Empire 16: To the Last Man

Star Wars Empire 16: To the Last Man is the 16th issue of the Star Wars: Empire comic book series. It was originally published on 28 January 2004, and later collected in the Star Wars Empire: The Imperial Perspective trade paperback

Publisher’s Description

He may have washed-out as a pilot at the Imperial Academy, but Lt. Janek Sunber has found a new home in the infantry. Hoping for a post on a world where he could see some action against the Rebels, he instead finds himself on the jungle world of Maridun as part of a regiment overseeing the construction of a new base. But just when he’s resigned himself to a long, uneventful tour of duty, things heat up. The alien natives are restless, and on the hunt for human skulls! Sunber is about to learn one of the truths about the infantry: all service is sacrifice, and in the infantry that sacrifice is usually in blood!


Dramatis Personae

Frickett; commander, Imperial Army (human male)
Gage; captain, Imperial Army (human male)
Janek Sunber; lieutenant, Imperial Army (human male)
Palpatine; Emperor, Galactic Empire; Sith Lord (human male) (Mentioned only)
Ziering; general, Imperial Army (human male)

Source: wikipedia

Star Wars Empire 13: What Sin Loyalty?

Star Wars Empire 13: What Sin Loyalty? is the 13th issue of the Star Wars: Empire comic book series. It was originally published on 26 November 2003, and later collected in the Star Wars Empire: The Imperial Perspective trade paperback.

Publisher’s Description

This issue delivers a rare view of the days of the Rebellion from the perspective of a soldier of the Empire -- specifically that of a Stormtrooper who is transferred to the newly commissioned Death Star! Trooper TK-622 is proud to do his duty in the service of the emperor, but he suspects that that may not be the case for every member of the battle station's crew. Strange "accidents" and equipment malfunctions point to the presence of a saboteur, but can the trooper prove it before the station goes into action above Yavin?


Summary

4 days BBY, the planet Ralltiir. What was supposed to be a small rebel cell turned out to be a planetwide rebellion. Commander Akobi led Imperial forces. In some cases, the Rebels used women and children to defend themselves. The Rebels jammed communications and disrupted sensors. During an Imperial bombing run on a Rebel supply depot, the TIE Bombers sensors failed. Akobi ordered the to go on anyways. The Bombers bombed a Med Center on accident, killing scores of civilians. The Imperials covered it up, an made Akobi into a hero. While he was trying to get power back up, the Rebels tried to bomb him. His friend and bodyguard, a Stormtrooper, TK-622 saved him. The Commander believed it to be an accident. Akobi and 622 were then assigned to the Death Star. During a meeting of officers, a RA-7 Death Star Droid opened fire, killing some of the officers. 622 shot it down before it could do more harm. The remains of the droid was brought to a Technician. While he was scanning it 622 came across an excplicit order to kill Commander Akobi. Just then, the droid's memory banks exploded. While TK-622 was escorting Commander Akobi to a medals ceremony for his actions on Ralltiir, an errant Probe droid attacked them. It severely wounded Akobi. While medtechs were fighting to save Akobi's life, 622 tried to track any leads. He did not find anything that could help. At this time, the Millennium Falcon was brought on board, eventually escaping with Princess Leia. Akobi died, but not before telling 622 about what really happened on Ralltiir. TK-622 went to the tech's station, where he was attacked by the Technician. They begin to fight, as the Battle of Yavin rages. A nearby surface impact caused debris to fall on the Technician, killing him. Before his death though, the traitor confessed to the attacks on Akobi from the power generator bomb on Ralltiir, to the Probe droid's attack. The Technician was from Ralltiir, and was a Rebel agent. TK-622 watched as Luke Skywalker's X-wing starfighter fired into the Thermal Exhaust Port. He knew the station was about to explode, and in his last seconds, he reflected on his life.

Dramatis Personae

Akobi; commander, Imperial Army (human male)
Chewbacca; co-pilot, "Millennium Falcon" (Wookiee male) (Background)
Garven Dreis; X-wing pilot, Alliance Military; leader, Red Squadron (human male) (Voice only)
Han Solo; smuggler; captain, "Millennium Falcon" (human male) (Background)
Luke Skywalker (human male) (Background)
TK-622; stormtrooper; sergeant, Imperial Army (human male clone)
TK-717; stormtrooper (human male clone)

Source: wikipedia

Star Wars Empire 14: The Savage Heart

Star Wars Empire 14: The Savage Heart is the 14th issue of the Star Wars: Empire comic book series. It was originally published on 10 December 2003, and later collected in the Star Wars Empire: The Imperial Perspective trade paperba

Publisher’s Description

Vader alone.
Vader the undefeated.
Vader the savage.
After the destruction of the Death Star, Darth Vader attempts to make it to an Imperial safe haven in his crippled TIE fighter, only to crash land in a savage wilderness. Forced to make his way on foot, attacked by ferocious native carnivores, Vader shucks off the restraints of Imperial order and Sith schemes and embraces his raw, wild power.
This is Vader as you never seen him before!


Summary

Escaping from the Battle of Yavin in his TIE/Advanced fighter, Darth Vader crash lands on the planet Vaal. The only Imperial presence on the planet is a small Imperial communications outpost, led by the lazy Sergeant Reybn and two other men. They prefer to relax and have fun, rather than doing actual work, reasoning that they're on one of the Empire's most distant outposts. Meanwhile, Vader encounters a pack of canine creatures, who attempt to kill him. After slaying the pack leader, Vader is regarded as the new leader by the hounds. He helps them kill a large, horned mammal, then walks to the Imperial outpost, with the pack following him. The outpost crew is shocked over seeing Vader suddenly arrive, and are petrified as they watch him enter their Lambda-class shuttle. As Vader blasts off, the hounds kill the crew. Later, Vader arrives on Coruscant, and informs a commander that the communications outpost on Vaal will need a new crew.

Dramatis Personae

Darth Vader; Sith Lord (human male)
Palpatine; Emperor, Galactic Empire; Sith Lord (human male) (Mentioned only)
Privitt; officer, Imperial Army (human male)
Reybn; sergeant, Imperial Army

Source: wikipedia

Tales of the Jedi: The Golden Age of the Sith (TPB)

The Tales of the Jedi: The Golden Age of the Sith Trade Paperback is a graphic novel collecting all six issues in the Tales of the Jedi: The Golden Age of the Sith comic series.

Editions

ISBN 1-56971-229-8, August 1997, Dark Horse Comics, Trade Paperback

Publisher's summary

The history of the Old Republic has become legend: how the bold explorations of young Gav and Jori Daragon brought two galactic empires crashing together, how Odan-Urr became a powerful Jedi, and how the seven worlds of the Koros system were finally united by the wise and skilled Empress Teta.
Five millennia before the birth of Luke Skywalker and the fall of Palpatine's Empire, our story unfolds…

Plot summary

Odan-Urr is studying Jedi history when his master, Ooroo, sends him to the Koros system to help Empress Teta fight the Unification Wars and unite the seven worlds located in the system. Once he has arrived on Cinnagar he helps to conquer the last planet, Kirrek, with a technique he has learned about in his studies, Battle Meditation. But even with this technique he cannot prevent casualties from occuring; among them are two blockade runners, Hok and Timar Daragon. With their parents dead, Gav and Jori Daragon get their ship, Starbreaker 12, back from Aarrba the Hutt who was holding it back as collateral.


With the ship Gav and Jori have become hyperspace explorers, but their latest route proves less then succesful; they just barely make it trough. They make it back to Cinnegar, but their ship is heavily damaged. Aarrba the Hutt agrees to make the repairs, but he won't give their ship back untill they have payed all the bills.
Ssk Kahorr sends one of his drone ships along the route discovered by Gav and Jori, but it is destroyed when it passes to close to Primus Goluud, a red supergiant. Ssk Kahorr isn't pleased with this and sends two bounty hunters after the two hyperspace explorers. But they are saved by two Jedi, Odan-Urr and Memit Nadill. They advise them to leave the Koros system, because it is not safe for them. Gav and Jori steal back the Starbreaker 12 and desperatly flee the system with random hyperspace coordinates.

On Korriban on the far side of the Galaxy, a funeral procession is held for Marka Ragnos, a Dark Lord of the Sith. The procession is lead by Ludo Kressh, but just when the tomb is about to be closed, his nemesis arrives, Naga Sadow. A fight about who should be the next Dark Lord ensues between the two rivals, but they are stopped by the ghost of Marka Ragnos, who warns them of what is to come.

Meanwhile, back in the Koros system, Odan-Urr has a premonition about the evil Jedi banished centuries ago. He tells Empress Teta about his dreams, and she promises that she will raise the matter on Coruscant.
Back on Korriban, the Starbreaker 12 arrives and Gav and Jori are captured by the Sith forces.
On Ziost, the Sith Lords discuss what to do with the prisoners. After a long debate it is decided to have Gav and Jori killed. But Naga Sadow, seeing in these prisoners a chance to expand the Sith Empire, does not give up this easily. He sends one of his Massassi warriors to retrieve the weapons on their ship. He hatches a plan to capture the prisoners for himself and use them to regain contact with the Republic.

Together with his most loyal Massassi warriors, he frees the Daragons. But to keep his identity hidden from the other Sith Lords, he has to kill everyone in his path, including his old mentor Simus. He leaves a Republic blaster behind, to let others think it was an attack by the Republic. Gav and Jori are sent to his stronghold on Khar Shian and Sadow returns to Ziost where an urgent meeting is held between the Sith Lords. The other Sith Lords are indesicive about what to do and in the confusion he claims to be named the new Dark Lord of the Sith. The other Sith Lords, except Ludo Kressh and his supporters, agree.

Sadow immediatly calls upon the others to prepare their ships and warriors so they can attack the Republic first.
Empress Teta and her two Jedi advisors have arrived at Coruscant, where she adresses the Senate about Odan-Urr's premonition, but the people listening do not believe her. Even without the help of the Republic, Teta decides to prepare her own forces.

In Naga Sadow's hidden fortress on the dark side of Kar Shian, Gav Daragon is trained in the ways of the Sith by Naga Sadow.

Naga Sadow sends his Massassi warriors to retrieve the Starbreaker 12 from Ziost and then travels to his decoy fortress on Khar Delba, where Jori Daragon is held. On Ziost, Sadow's loyal Massassi steal the Starbreaker 12, but not without leaving evidence of their Master's involvement. Ludo Kressh discovers this evidence, and together with his supporters, Horak-mul and Dor Gal-ram, he prepares to attack Sadow's fortress on Khar Delba. Meanwhile the Starbreaker 12 arrives there.

Ludo Kressh' forces have arrived at Khar Delba and have opened fire at Sadow's apperantly defenseless fortress. Naga Sadow convinces Jori Daragon that she must return to the Republic before the fortress is destroyed. Reluctant to leave her brother behind she agrees. After the Starbreaker 12 has escaped to hyperspace, Sadow calls in his fleet that he had hidden on the dark side of Khar Shian. But that is not all; Massassi warriors on the ships of Horak-mul and Dol Gal-ram kill the Sith Lords and direct their fire on the ships of Ludo Kressh, who has no choice but to retreat. After this victory, Naga Sadow prepares his forces to invade the Republic, using the tracing beacon hidden on the Starbreaker 12.

Excerpt

An excerpt of the story can be found at the official Dark Horse Comics site.

Dramatis personae

Empress Teta; Empress of the Koros system (female human)
Gav Daragon; Hyperspace navigator (male human)
Jori Daragon; Hyperspace navigator (female human)
Ludo Kressh; Sith Lord (male Sith)
Memit Nadill; Jedi advisor (male)
Naga Sadow; Sith Lord (male Sith)
Odan-Urr; Jedi Apprentice (male Draethos)
Ssk Kahorr; Trader (male Cha'a)


Source: wikipedia

Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi: Golden Age of the Sith (Part 2)

Odan-Urr is studying Jedi history when his master, Ooroo, sends him to the Koros system to help Empress Teta fight the Unification Wars and unite the seven worlds located in the system. Once he has arrived on Cinnagar he helps to conquer the last planet, Kirrek, with a technique he has learned about in his studies, Battle Meditation. But even with this technique he cannot prevent casualties from occurring; among them are two blockade runners, Hok and Timar Daragon. With their parents dead, Gav and Jori Daragon get their ship, Starbreaker 12, back from Aarrba the Hutt who was holding it back as collateral.

With the ship Gav and Jori have become hyperspace explorers, but their latest route proves less then successful; they just barely make it through. They make it back to Cinnegar, but their ship is heavily damaged. Aarrba the Hutt agrees to make the repairs, but he won't give their ship back until they have payed all the bills.
Ssk Kahorr sends one of his drone ships along the route discovered by Gav and Jori, but it is destroyed when it passes to close to Primus Goluud, a red supergiant. Ssk Kahorr isn't pleased with this and sends two bounty hunters after the two hyperspace explorers. But they are saved by two Jedi, Odan-Urr and Memit Nadill. They advise them to leave the Koros system, because it is not safe for them. Gav and Jori steal back the Starbreaker 12 and desperatly flee the system with random hyperspace coordinates.

On Korriban on the far side of the Galaxy, a funeral procession is held for Marka Ragnos, a Dark Lord of the Sith. The procession is lead by Ludo Kressh, but just when the tomb is about to be closed, his nemesis arrives, Naga Sadow. A fight about who should be the next Dark Lord ensues between the two rivals, but they are stopped by the ghost of Marka Ragnos, who warns them of what is to come.

Meanwhile, back in the Koros system, Odan-Urr has a premonition about the evil Jedi banished centuries ago. He tells Empress Teta about his dreams, and she promises that she will raise the matter on Coruscant.

Back on Korriban, the Starbreaker 12 arrives and Gav and Jori are captured by the Sith forces.

On Ziost, the Sith Lords discuss what to do with the prisoners. After a long debate it is decided to have Gav and Jori killed. But Naga Sadow, seeing in these prisoners a chance to expand the Sith Empire, does not give up this easily. He sends one of his Massassi warriors to retrieve the weapons on their ship. He hatches a plan to capture the prisoners for himself and use them to regain contact with the Republic.

Together with his most loyal Massassi warriors, he frees the Daragons. But to keep his identity hidden from the other Sith Lords, he has to kill everyone in his path, including his old mentor Simus. He leaves a Republic blaster behind, to let others think it was an attack by the Republic. Gav and Jori are sent to his stronghold on Khar Shian and Sadow returns to Ziost where an urgent meeting is held between the Sith Lords. The other Sith Lords are indesicive about what to do and in the confusion he claims to be named the new Dark Lord of the Sith. The other Sith Lords, except Ludo Kressh and his supporters, agree.

Sadow immediately calls upon the others to prepare their ships and warriors so they can attack the Republic first.
Empress Teta and her two Jedi advisors have arrived at Coruscant, where she addresses the Senate about Odan-Urr's premonition, but the people listening do not believe her. Even without the help of the Republic, Teta decides to prepare her own forces.

In Naga Sadow's hidden fortress on the dark side of Kar Shian, Gav Daragon is trained in the ways of the Sith by Naga Sadow.

Naga Sadow sends his Massassi warriors to retrieve the Starbreaker 12 from Ziost and then travels to his decoy fortress on Khar Delba, where Jori Daragon is held. On Ziost, Sadow's loyal Massassi steal the Starbreaker 12, but not without leaving evidence of their Master's involvement. Ludo Kressh discovers this evidence, and together with his supporters, Horak-mul and Dor Gal-ram, he prepares to attack Sadow's fortress on Khar Delba. Meanwhile the Starbreaker 12 arrives there.

Ludo Kressh' forces have arrived at Khar Delba and have opened fire at Sadow's apparently defenseless fortress. Naga Sadow convinces Jori Daragon that she must return to the Republic before the fortress is destroyed. Reluctant to leave her brother behind she agrees. After the Starbreaker 12 has escaped to hyperspace, Sadow calls in his fleet that he had hidden on the dark side of Khar Shian. But that is not all; Massassi warriors on the ships of Horak-mul and Dol Gal-ram kill the Sith Lords and direct their fire on the ships of Ludo Kressh, who has no choice but to retreat. After this victory, Naga Sadow prepares his forces to invade the Republic, using the tracing beacon hidden on the Starbreaker 12.

Source: wikipedia

Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi: Golden Age of the Sith

Publisher's Descriptions

Issue 0, Conquest and Unification

Five millennia before Luke Skywalker was born -- and 1,000 years before two young Jedi reawakened a long-dormant evil -- the dark power of The Sith held unquestioning rule over the galaxy. For those black-souled, corrupt Jedi, it was a golden age. For the rest of the galaxy, it was a nightmare.

Issue 1, Into the Unknown

Navigators and explorers are a special breed -- they blaze the paths others will follow. They must have strength, drive, and hope, and be more than a little fearless. But nowhere is it written that they must have luck. Gav and Jori Daragon make their living charting the routes of hyperspace and selling those routes to traders and haulers. When a starswarm cluster batters their ship, they land on the planet Cinnagar, destitute and forlorn, and convince the relatively amiable Aarrba the Hutt to make the necessary repairs.

Issue 2, Funeral for a Dark Lord

Marka Ragnos ruled the galaxy with an iron fist. He was the Dark Lord of the Sith -- the most politically powerful of the Sith, with a command over all others. But now he is dead. And two innocent hyperspace explorers, Gav and Jori Daragon, may follow suit if they get caught between the warring factions hoping to fill the Dark Lord void.

Issue 3, The Fabric of an Empire

When Gav and Jori Daragon set off to map the uncharted regions of hyperspace, they knew they were risking their lives. But they thought it would be an unsuspected cluster of debris that would take them out of the game, not their successful discovery of a series of hyperspace "short cuts." The Sith Empire wants to know where these routes are -- wants to hold the only map to these routes -- so that it can maintain an iron grip on the galaxy. And the lives of a couple of explorers mean very little to these masters of the dark side of the Force.

Issue 4, Pawns of a Sith Lord

When Gav and Jori Daragon were first captured by the evil Sith, they feared for their lives. Now, Jori fears for her brother's spirit, as would-be Dark Lord Naga Sadow begins to initiate him into the ways of the dark side of the Force. Naga Sadow is playing a deadly game of chess, and the Daragon siblings are his pawns.

Issue 5, The Flight of Starbreaker 12

Gav and Jori Daragon knew they could be killed in their chosen line of work -- mapping out uncharted hyperspace flight paths could easily result in a deadly meeting with an unexpected meteorite shower or an unknown world. But it's neither comets nor planets that threaten them now. Rather, it's their success that may cost them their lives. They've successfully mapped a hyperspace shortcut -- a shortcut which could prove strategically imperative in the event of war. And war is just what Gav and Jori have found themselves in the middle of. Trapped between two factions of the Sith, each vying for control of the galaxy, this sibling duo of hyperspace pioneers has become a pawn to the dark side of Sith magic.


Source: wikipedia

Illustrated Inspiration blog

Illustrated Inspiration blog test post