Shadows of the Empire Part I
Shadows of the Empire #1-3 by John Wagner and Kilian Pluckett though using Steve Perry's story but adding they're own to it.
Dial Uppers Beware!
Ok, here the scans of the first three issues from Shadows of the Empire. Probably the most hyped book out of anything EU and probably the only thing cannon (besides the Thrawn Trilogy) that Lucas himself has adapted into the actual movies (swoop biker gangs and the Outrider aka Dash Rendar's ship being visible in the special editions). Unlike Thrawn, this thing was marketed everywhere. It had a hardcover book, videogame, a frigging soundtrack (which was awesome), collectitable cards, action figures, and of course the comic book adapation. For the multi-media each part had something unique about it (hardcover had the main story, video game followed bits and pieces of when Dash wasn't on the scene in either the book or comic, and the cards well they where just damn gorgeous by a certain artist group of brothers).
The comic followed two additional stories besides the main one. Those involved Boba Fett trying to return the bounty of Han Solo back to Jabba and Jix, an assasin or Darth Vader's hand (hell if the Emperor can have em so can Vader).
I'm going to focus more on the Jix end cause he was actually an amusing character. Though given he didn't appear in #1 I'm going to start off with Fett. Who probably just was done doing this to Han:
Now with that in mind :P
#2 opens with an extended scene from the book now with Jix inserted in:
As for Boba? Well poor Boba runs into the remaining group of his Bounty hunting friends: Zuckuss, 4-Lom, and Bossk. As he exits that touchy scene he finds all hell broken out on Gall. It's the Rebels who are after his ass. Just like in the book he escapes though it's from his perspective. Meanwhile with all hell breaking out there Jix runs into a Jabba the Hutt's Swoop Gang:
Interestingly the helmet dude named Spiker is actually a Chiss. We don't actually learn that neat little fact till "the Jabba Tape", a story that ran in Star Wars Galaxy's which involved him and the head swoop dude. That story is both of them going after anything Jabba left of worth in his palace. Spiker also appears in a Star Wars Tale as well in which he and some others encounter a rogue Dark Trooper Mark I. Not bad at all for a minor character.
As for Jix? Well he too get's a one shot and a story runin Star Wars Galaxy Magazine. I think I got all the magazines for both stories. I haven't much read them in awhile though. Hence why I'm unsure. I just know I got a ton of those magazines with that being the reason I kept them.
Anyway #3, Jix meets Jabba whose suspicious but Big Gizz stands behind his latest recruit. It's then their given a mission, kill Luke Skywalker.
With that cue the Swoop chase with a new interesting perspective.
Luke steals a swoop bike and the chase is on.
Spiker and two others flee with Dash making his entrance. However things aren't so safe for Luke and Dash:
As for Boba in #3, he's cornered in an asteriod field due to Bossk and the other hunters due to 4-Lom stowing away on Slave-1.
Next part you'll get another new scene of Vader's though it cuts out the best part of the book. Vader really got the short end in this comic book. He's only in it for a page or three in each issue when he carries so much more in the actual book. Same goes for Guri, Xizor's bodyguard. A darn shame. But I guess it had to be cut for this stuff with Boba and Jix.
Also I'm going to be scanning one of the Shadow cards because I so do enjoy they're interpretation of Leia kicking Xizor in the nuts. So #4 you'll see more Fett from me, #5 back to Jix and Vader, and #6 Jix and Fett crossing paths.