YOU’RE LUCKY YOUR NAME ISN’T HAN The night I was wearing this Darth Vader sweater at a birthday party, one of Luis’ coworkers asked if I got into Star Wars after I met him. And I wasn’t sure how to answer at first. Am I the dreaded fake nerd girl if I say I’m only wearing this sweater because I like how it looks? And then the lightbulb switched on. “One of the first times we ever went drinking, this girl was like, ‘Jabba the Hutt. What’s that?’ And Luis was about to explain, and I was like, ‘Hold my beer.’ And then I proceeded to tell her all about bounty hunters. So, yeah, I knew Star Wars before Luis.” Something like that was my retelling of the original events the night the above photo was taken. Would I ever actually have named one of my kids Han? No, but it’s accurate enough that it’s funny when my kids are acting all surprised that their dad’s favorite movie is Empire Strikes Back.—MV
VADER VISION Back in the late ’90s, Dark Horse Comics released a wonderful anthology series titled Star Wars Tales. It was a wonderful collection of short stories told in the in-between moments of what happens on screen. At the time of their release, they were considered canon, but since the Disney purchase they are now considered Legend stories. My favorite of these tales was in the sixth issue of the series from December 2000. “Thank The Maker” written by Ryder Windham with art by Killian Plunkett is a 9-page story where Vader learns that Gamma Squad has blasted C3P0 to pieces. Vader then orders the Squad to bring the pieces of the droid to him as he may have valuable information in his memory banks. The story then turns into a mini-flashback with Vader remembering the origins of his one time creation and droid friend. With appearances by Watto and Shmi, it helps the reader make the tie between The Phantom Menace and Empire Strikes Back. Instead of having the droid destroyed, Vader has his remains delivered to the cell housing Chewbacca as he knows Chewie’s mechanical expertise will help repair the droid. The above picture was my recreation of a touching moment Plunkett beautifully illustrated where Vader picks up C3P0’s head and remembers a more innocent time. Of all the great Star Wars Tales, this was one of my favorites. —LV
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Art Department Weekly • May 19, 2020
