The Early Adventures #1
Gambler's World, Part 1

Place in timeline - After A New Hope

Published: August 1994
Story: Russ Manning
Pencillers: Russ Manning & Steve Gerber
Inkers: Mike Royer
Art Retouch: Rick Hoberg

Artoo-Detoo and See-Threepio search for Luke and Leia, but will their quest leave them dismantled on a decidedly anti-droid Gambler's World? Dark Horse has unearthed a series of strips by the famed Russ Manning and presents them here for the first time ever in color! These strips have been reformatted and expertly retouched by Rick Hoberg, who worked with Manning on the original strips. As a special treat, Star Wars fan and Madman creator Michael Allred has created a classic color cover for this issue.

The Early Adventures #2
Gambler's World, Part 2

Place in timeline - After A New Hope

Published: September 1994
Story: Russ Manning
Pencillers: Russ Manning & Steve Gerber
Inkers: Mike Royer
Art Retouch: Rick Hoberg

Artoo-Detoo and See-Threepio continue their search for the kidnapped Luke and Leia on Gambler's World. The two droids come up with some innovative plans to rescue their masters, but will they work against the scheming of Darth Vader and the mysterious Blackhole? These strips, which ran in newspapers from 1979 to 1980, have been reformatted and expertly retouched by Rick Hoberg, who worked with Russ Manning on the original newspaper strips. Hoberg adds a great color cover to top off the package.

The Early Adventures #3
Gambler's World, Part 3

Place in timeline - After A New Hope

Published: October 1994
Story: Russ Manning
Pencillers: Russ Manning & Steve Gerber
Inkers: Mike Royer
Art Retouch: Rick Hoberg

Having finally met up with the rebels of Vorzyd-5, Luke is selected to meet with the secret government contact who can help the Rebel Alliance defeat the Empire. But as he follows the instructions on his way to meet the contact, he is closely monitored by Blackhole's personal cadre of stormtroopers! Meanwhile, Princess Leia has been kidnapped by the gang of freelies, who want nothing to do with the Rebel Alliance, or the Empire, for that matter!

The Early Adventures #4
Tatooine Sojourn

Place in timeline - After A New Hope

Published: November 1994
Story: Russ Manning
Pencillers: Russ Manning & Steve Gerber
Inkers: Mike Royer
Art Retouch: Rick Hoberg

Luke Skywalker is ordered by Rebel Command to abandon a reconnaissance mission. It seems that appearances of unscheduled transport capsules have coincided with the destruction of Rebel bases, and just such a capsule has landed -- on Tatooine! Luke must return to his home planet, now a bustling locus of trade and a hotbed of rebellion, to discover how the Empire is finding out about the hidden Rebel bases. He finds the answer, but will it be at the cost of his life?

The Early Adventures #5
Princess Leia,  Imperial Servant

Place in timeline - After A New Hope

Published: December 1994
Story: Russ Manning
Pencillers: Russ Manning & R.S. Helm
Inkers: Mike Royer
Art Retouch: Rick Hoberg

Princess Leia narrowly escapes an Imperial blockade and is forced to crash-land on a nearby planet... a planet that happens to be an Imperial labor colony! There she discovers that the colony is one of the Empire's main sources of volatile megonite moss, a central ingredient in Imperial ammunition. What's worse, Leia is pressed into service by Lady Tarkin, the angry, bereaved wife of Grand Moff Tarkin, who died aboard the Death Star. Now Leia has to find a way to escape from a colony riddled with Imperials, on a planet where a single misstep can kill!

The Early Adventures #6
The Second Kessel Run

Place in timeline - After A New Hope

Published: January 1995
Story: Russ Manning
Pencillers: Russ Manning
Inkers: Mike Royer
Art Retouch: Rick Hoberg

A peaceful scientist has created a device capable of turning a planetary wasteland into a paradise, but the Empire has exactly the opposite in mind! Luke Skywalker and Han Solo encounter the scientist's stowaway daughter on board the Millennium Falcon, and before they know it, they are swept along in a desperate race to catch up with the climate-altering spaceship, which has left a trail of damaged planets in its wake!

The Early Adventures #7
Bring Me the Children

Place in timeline - between A New Hope and Empire

Published: February 1995
Story: Russ Manning
Pencillers: Russ Manning & Don Christiansen
Inkers: Mike Royer
Art Retouch: Rick Hoberg

While delivering a cache of pre-Empire textbooks to an outlying system, Luke Skywalker encounters Imperial forces as they take an entire school hostage! A young prodigy escapes, and he alone can offer the rallying cry that could save the children...and the Rebel Alliance as well!

The Early Adventures #8
As Long As We Live

Place in timeline - between A New Hope and Empire

Published: March 1995
Story: Russ Manning
Pencillers: Russ Manning & Don Christiansen
Inkers: Mike Royer
Art Retouch: Rick Hoberg

Crucial components of the Rebel Alliance's X-wing fighters have been compromised by a neutral planet's desire for profits. Some people in Tun Wala would sell the units to the Empire as soon as they'd sell them to the Rebellion! Now Darth Vader is on his way to the planet to destroy the Rebels, and, neutral or not, the planet itself!

The Early Adventures #9
As Long As We Live

Place in timeline - between A New Hope and Empire

Published: April 1995
Story: Russ Manning
Pencillers: Russ Manning & Don Christiansen
Inkers: Mike Royer
Art Retouch: Rick Hoberg

Boba Fett makes his first appearance ever in this issue of Classic Star Wars: The Early Adventures! The galaxy's meanest bounty hunter made his debut in the Star Wars daily newspaper strips reprinted herein, featuring Luke and Han hunted on an icy tundra by the enigmatic masked man, Boba Fett!

The Early Adventures TPB

Published: 1997

Buy It Today

Even with less than twenty minutes of "screen time" to his credit, the most popular character from the Star Wars trilogy is Boba Fett. Dark Horse offers a number of comics featuring the merciless bounty hunter, but it all starts here, in this trade paperback collecting Russ Manning's Star Wars newspaper strips. It was in these strips, which originally ran in 1979 and 1980, that Boba Fett made his very first appearance in print, making this a true must-have item for anyone looking to become a Jedi Master! The artwork has been colored, reformatted, and expertly retouched by Rick Hoberg, who worked with Manning on the original strips. Relive the adventures that thrilled readers seventeen years ago! Experience the very first comics appearance of the infamous Boba Fett (dated prior to his motion-picture debut)! And delight in Star Wars legend Al Williamson's new color cover, dedicated to Manning!