Dark Encounters (Star Wars: A Long Time Ago..., Book 2) [Comic]

Various (Author)

Book Description

Series: Star Wars: A Long Time Ago..., Book 2

Star Wars: A Long Time Ago... features classic Star Wars stories not seen in over twenty years! Originally printed by Marvel Comics, these stories have been re-colored using today’s computer technology, giving "old" work a fresh face. Volume 2 collects issues of the original Marvel run and contains such riveting classics as "Crucible" and the unforgettable "What Ever Happened to Jabba the Hut?"

Product Details

• Comic: 368 pages
• Publisher: Dark Horse (July 10, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1569717850
• ISBN-13: 978-1569717851
• Product Dimensions: 10.3 x 6.6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,244,397 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Classic Marvel Star Wars, February 2, 2004

By 

Lonnie E. Holder "The Review's the Thing" (Columbus, Indiana, United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Dark Encounters (Star Wars: A Long Time Ago..., Book 2) (Comic)

I read the first volume in this series, "Doomworld," and enjoyed it, but thought it was a bit corny and too cartoonish in places. I was surprised and pleased that the comics got much better with time.

A good portion of this set of 19 comics revolves around the Tagge family, who generally opposes Darth Vader, but also opposes the rebellion. Baron Tagge even hopes to supplant Darth Vader himself, though we know where such schemes end. In "Doom Mission," we find Baron Tagge has created a space station within the stormy atmosphere of the gas giant Yavin where Tie fighters launch attacks against the rebel base on the fourth moon. This story is quite creative with how Baron Tagge created the space station, how it was discovered and how it was eventually attacked.

There are quite a few creative moments in the various stories. In a series of three stories, "The Jawa Express," "Saber Clash," and "Thunder in the Stars," we see the Tagge family test and implement an interesting device that freezes anything between implanted towers. The Tagge family uses this device as a weapon against rebel forces.

In one of the most creative stories, "Riders in the Void," we find Luke and Leia have jumped into the void between galaxies. In one of the emptiest places in the universe Luke and Leia discover a unique, organic space ship with only one inhabitant, who is marginally insane. The ship and its inhabitant have an interesting and unique history, and there are moments when I wondered how Luke and Leia were going to escape.

Creature creation was similarly unique and better than in the first 20 comics of "Doomworld." In "The Long Hunt/A Duel of Eagles" we meet the winged people of Skye. In "Cavern of the Crawling Death" we learn about stone mites that destroy everything they contact as they eat it.

There are a few departures from the Star Wars universe as we know it today that are forgivable given that the second two Star Wars movies had yet to be released. We see a Jabba the Hut very different from the slug-like creature we came to know and loathe. We also see the continuing romance between Luke and Leia, though we also know that they are brother and sister. Yet, the general tone of the stories fits well within the Star Wars universe, and the astute reader can see some of the substantial creativity yet to come.

If you read "Doomworld" and liked it, you'll find that "Dark Encounters" is substantially better and more interesting. The quality of the stories is still lower than the general caliber of the Dark Horse stories, but some of them are very creative and interesting. For those readers that look back fondly on memories of comics from the 60s and 70s, these are the types of stories that you remember well. Enjoy!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Green Rabbits and Cyborg Bounty Hunters..., July 21, 2002

By 

"g_a_peartree" (Manchester, NH United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dark Encounters (Star Wars: A Long Time Ago..., Book 2) (Comic)

I've just ordered the reprint trade paperback reprints of these Marvel books. I remember reading and re-reading all of these "beyond the movie" adventures when I was a kid. It was just such an incredible charge to see what Luke, Han, and company were doing between the movies. Water worlds, gambling satellites, Darth Vader learning the name of the Death Star's destroyer(a nice plot device), the blocky artwork and awkward poses of Carmine Infantino artwork, wondering WHY these adventurers NEVER changed their clothes as they NEVER seemed to make their way back to Yavin Base after their Flash Gordon-esque side-adventures... Oh, and we can't forget that Obi-Wan Jedi story with the droid 68RKO (which were the call letters of a radio station if I'm not mistaken)...They really DID capture the imagination. Hopefully, Dark Horse will get around to publishing a VOLUME 3 because therein lie the BEST Marvel STAR WARS tales. But these first two will take you to a Long Time Ago in a Decade Not Far Away Enough--The Seventies. You'll see the pop-cultural impact of the first wave of STAR WARS mania, in many ways as endearingly cheesy as that Thanksgiving Holiday special. If you remember these, you will LOVE them all over again...if you don't, then prepare to be mightily entertained, whether you like comics, STAR WARS, or pop-culture in general. These books definitely belong on your shelf...

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Marvels Ignorance and You, September 9, 2006

By 

SWPhil "The Keeper of Tales" (Long Island, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dark Encounters (Star Wars: A Long Time Ago..., Book 2) (Comic)

Like the name of the review suggests dont let Marvels ignorance of Star Wars hinder your purchase of this item. Based on what we know now of Star Wars the stories in this volume will seem kind of strange and a tad weak. Truthfully there are a quite a few really good stories in this volume, including the Clone Wars Obi-Wan story that is included. Its pretty cool to read a story made in '78 about events that we finally saw and read about today (The Clone Wars).
Another great story but very strange is the introduction of Jabba the HuT (yes one T) For any Star Wars fan it should be interesting how Jabba the Hutt had evolved to the slug we see in ROTJ. In this one he is anyting but what we expected hes a Humanoid with tusks. Hes rich and he even has underlings that do his dirty buisness and its kind of cool to see him in such a light.

This is a must read collection for any true Star Wars fan