''Vader's Quest'' is a four-issue

comic book A comic book, comic-magazine, or simply comic is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panel (comics), panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are often accompanied by descriptive prose and wri ...

miniseries set in the ''Star Wars'' Expanded Universe, written by

Darko Macan Darko Macan (born 1966) is a Croatian writer and illustrator who has created and collaborated on comics, essays and science fiction and fantasy. He is also an editor. Biography Born in Zagreb, where he still lives, he has a degree in history and ...

and drawn by

Dave Gibbons David Chester Gibbons (born 14 April 1949) is an English comics artist, writer and sometimes letterer. He is best known for his collaborations with writer Alan Moore, which include the miniseries ''Watchmen'' and the Superman story " For the M ...

and Angus McKie. Published by

Dark Horse Comics Dark Horse Comics is an American comic book, graphic novel, manga and Artist's book, art book publisher founded in Milwaukie, Oregon, by Mike Richardson in 1986. The company was created using funds earned from Richardson's chain of Portland, O ...

, the original four issues appeared in February through May 1999; a trade paperback reprinting all four was released in December of that same year. Together, the four covers of the individual issues form a tetraptych, which is printed in the trade paperback. They focus on, from left to right,

Darth Vader Darth Vader () is a fictional character in the ''Star Wars'' franchise. He was first introduced in the original film trilogy as the primary antagonist and one of the leaders of the Galactic Empire. He has become one of the most iconic villain ...

Palpatine Sheev Palpatine ( ) is the main antagonist of the ''Star Wars'' franchise. He first appeared in the 1980 film ''The Empire Strikes Back'' as . He is also known by his Sith name, Darth Sidious, which was first used in the novelization of the 199 ...

, Jal Te Gniev, and

Luke Skywalker Luke Skywalker is a fictional character in the ''Star Wars'' franchise. He was introduced in the original film trilogy as the main protagonist and also appears in the sequel trilogy. Raised as a poor moisture farmer on the desert planet Tat ...

Synopsis

Soon after the events of the original ''Star Wars'' film, the Sith Lord

has hired

bounty hunter A bounty hunter is a private agent working for a bail bondsman who captures fugitives or criminals for a commission or bounty. The occupation, officially known as a bail enforcement agent or fugitive recovery agent, has traditionally operated ...

s to find out who was responsible for the destruction of the

Death Star The Death Star is a fictional space station and superweapon featured in the ''Star Wars'' space-opera franchise. Constructed by the autocratic Galactic Empire, the Death Star is capable of obliterating entire planets, and serves to enforce ...

. At the Museum of the Old Republic, Thurlow Harris, a captured and tortured Rebel pilot, who survived the Death Star battle and returned to his homeworld of Centares, betrays the pilot's surname: Skywalker. Vader attempts to kill every bounty hunter (including Brazzo, Selle, and Ban Papeega) who hears this revelation, but one, Mala Mala, escapes and heads to Coruscant to tell

the name in exchange for protection from Vader. Rebel pilot Jal Te Gniev, who is envious and resentful of Luke, tells a woman in a cantina that Luke will be on Jazbina; not knowing anything about Luke besides that he is a wanted man, she then sells this information to an Imperial-connected bounty hunter in exchange for forgiving her father's debt. Vader pursues Luke and comes face to face with him for the first time on Jazbina (where Jal has also journeyed to warn Luke and redeem himself) but the decidedly anti- Imperial locals force him to leave, saving Luke.

Continuity

Vader previously met Luke face to face in the 1978 novel sequel to the original film, '' Splinter of the Mind's Eye'', though this book became largely non-canonical with the release of a full-fledged sequel in the form of ''

The Empire Strikes Back ''The Empire Strikes Back'' (also known as ''Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back'') is a 1980 American epic film, epic space opera film directed by Irvin Kershner from a screenplay by Leigh Brackett and Lawrence Kasdan, based o ...

'' (1980)''.'' The unnamed Rebel pilot who betrays Skywalker's name was later revealed to be Thurlow Harris from the video game '' Star Wars: Rebel Assault'' (1993).

Collections

*''Omnibus: Early Victories'' (2008) * ''Marvel Epic Collection: Star Wars – The Rebellion, Vol. 1'' (2016)

References

1999 comics debuts Dark Horse Comics limited series Comics based on Star Wars Comics by Dave Gibbons {{DarkHorse-comics-stub