‘Solo’ Breakout Has Obscure Roots in ‘Star Wars’ Comics

Author: Graeme McMillan / Source: The Hollywood Reporter

[This story contains spoilers for Solo: A Star Wars Story.]

There’s a certain element of symmetry at play in Solo: A Star Wars Story. In addition to the obvious Easter eggs in the movie — from finally showing oft-mentioned moments of Han Solo’s mythology, whether it’s the Kessel Run or Han winning the Millennium Falcon from Lando, to working in the Falcon dice given screen time in last year’s Star Wars: The Last Jedi — there’s a more subtle nod to the character’s past in the movie: the appearance of the villains from the very first solo Han Solo story ever told.

As perhaps might be expected, the first storyline of Marvel’s original Star Wars that followed the adaptation of the original movie was a little rough around the edges.

Indeed, the four-part story — which ran from October 1977’s seventh issue through January 1978’s tenth — is, in many ways, one that would be as primed for Lucasfilm to try to forget as the infamous Holiday Special. While the plot is solid, with Han Solo and Chewbacca essentially acting out a Star Wars take on The Magnificent Seven, the execution is somewhat…unusual, shall we say.

For one thing, there’s the portrayal of Solo himself, who is far more eager to be a hero than later movies would establish (“After all that battle action, I’d give my star-spurs to stay there and help Princess Leia regroup the Rebels,” he says at one point), although that’s easily explained away by how early in the franchise’s existence the story was published. Less understandable are the comrades Solo gathers together to defend the alien village. Even if you can overlook the human-size green rabbit called Jaxxon, there’s also the aged Jedi Knight called, with almost breathtaking shamelessness, Don-Wan Kihotay. Well…it’s…

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