A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, Star Wars single handedly saved Marvel Comics from going under and began a long run of popular comics books across several publishers. These are the most interesting characters from the Star Wars universe as portrayed in comic book form.
10. Tippett the Ewok (Star Wars (1977) No. 94)
Tippett was an Ewok warrior that negotiated a peace between his people and the Lahsbee (after fighting of a monstrous warrior and realizing both the Ewoks and Lahsbee were being manipulated by a third party, of course). He — not Wicket — was a focal character in Marvel’s post-Return of the Jedi storylines before the series was cancelled.
9. The Darker (Star Wars (1977) No. 67)
The rare Star Wars villain not associated with the Emperor, The Darker was a being made of the negative energies of his people, the Arban. After Hoth, the Rebels were looking for a new base and ran into this ghoulish character in a hidden cavern. Defeated by Chewbacca, RD-D2, and C-3PO, The Darker was never seen or heard from again.
8. Baron Orman Tagge (Star Wars (1977) No. 25)
The first non-film character to swing a lightsaber, Baron Tagge was a powerful “businessman” at odds with both Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader. Eventually killed by Luke (who was fooled into doing do by Darth Vader), Tagge’s sister Domina would take over her brother’s criminal empire.
7. Crimson Jack (Star Wars (1977) No. 7)
A foil for Han Solo and Chewbacca, “Redbeard” (as Han would call him), Crimson Jack hijacked the Falcon, stole Solo’s reward for saving Princess Leia, and even drove Han to save (!) Jabba the Hut (pre-slug, pre-Jedi). This caused some continuity issues between the comics and the films that Marvel would later have to remedy.
6. Prince Xizor (Star Wars: Shadows Of The Empire (1996) No. 1)
Based on the novelization, Dark Horse Comics’ adaptation of the popular storyline involving Luke Skywalker’s slow turn to the dark side, Prince Vizor is a crime-lord, Head of the Black Sun crime syndicate. He sought to replace Darth Vader at the Emperor’s side.
5. Rik Duel (Star Wars (1977) No. 70)
A Han Solo-type character, and in fact one from Han’s darker past, Rik Duel was everything Solo would be in an alternate storyline without Luke and Leia. A smuggler, pirate, and scoundrel of the first order, Duel aided the rebels and occasionally inched closer to the honor that Han had found.
4. Dani (Star Wars (1977) No. 70)
Back when the Star Wars universe was primarily made up of male characters, Dani was one of the first females to make a splash with fans after Princess Leia. The pink-skinned alien was an ally of the rebel alliance, often going on missions with Luke, but she had a subplot that was left hanging with the sudden cancellation of Marvel’s series in 1986. Was her true love, Chihdo, dead, and if not would they ever reunite? Fans have been left to wonder.
3. Jabba the Hut (early comics version) (Star Wars (1998) No. 2)
Way before Return of the Jedi hit theaters in 1983, Star Wars fans were introduced to the nefarious gangster Jabba the Hut (one ’t’ back then) by Marvel Comics. In their adaptation of A New Hope, Jabba wasn’t a giant slug, but rather a yellow skinned walrus. The original Star Wars script (that Marvel was using to create the comics) contained a scene where Han Solo meets with Jabba that was later cut (see deleted scenes on BluRay). Without any reference to what he would look like, we got this, an alternate reality Jabba.
2. Jaxxon (Star Wars (1977) No. 8)
Kids love giant rabbits, right? How about giant green rabbits? Jaxxon would server a couple of decades as the silliest (or most awesome?) character in the Star Wars universe before Jar Jar Binks showed up to take that distinction\ (and then some). A pilot for the rebel alliance, Jaxxon flew the infamous Rabbit’s Foot. Seriously.
1. Aurra Sing (Star Wars (1998) No. 7)
Modern Star Wars fans have plenty of cool bounty hunters to choose from. Boba Fett, Jango Fett, Cad Bane, yadda, yadda, yadda. But back before the prequels attempted to ruin everything Star Wars, Aurra Sing was a force to be reckoned with (and even made a cameo in Episode I). How awesome is she? After the death of Jango Fett, Aurra is the one who trained Boba Fett to have the skills he would later use in their deadly profession. Bad. Ass.
