Marvel Star Wars #68

Overview

"The Search Begins"

May or may not be Boba Fett on the cover. Pro: Wookiee scalps. Con: different shoulder armor and other helmet details.

Two Mandalorians, Tobbi Dala and Fenn Shysa, make an appearance!

Written by David Michelinie. Illustrated by Gene Day and Thomas Palmer.

Cover date of February 1983 but on sale as early as November 16, 1982.

Dynamic in composition with Boba Fett occupying the traditional "Darth Vader" looming background area — and remember, this was back in the day when a Boba Fett cover was something new. Leia is both vulnerable (due to her size) yet deadly (thanks to the smoking blaster) and the rectilinear laser blasts draw our eyes across the art. The artwork is dense enough to offer exploration yet clean enough to remain uncluttered. To be critical, the cover's a big misdirect. Boba Fett doesn't turn out to be the featured Mandalorian in the story within, but the tale is so rousing that it's really hard to quibble. — starwars.com

On Arbra, waiting for her Y-Wing to be readied, Leia recalls how her relationship with Han changed. She and 3PO go to Mandalore to find Dengar, Luke and R2 take an X-Wing to find IG-88, and Chewie and Lando use the Falcon to find Bossk. Landing near the capitol, Kedalbe, she sees Slavers herding captives in energy-links binding their wrists and souls. Warriors attack the Slavers, seemingly led by Boba Fett. Leia considers killing him, but instead saves his life. ... After winning the fight, Leia threatens to kill Fett, but he is actually Fett's ex-comrade, Fenn Shysa. Fenn brings them to a village feast, greets a comrade named Parma, and says he was in the Mandalorian Protectors, a super-commando group sent to aid Palpatine in the Clone Wars in Firespray-class ships identical to Slave I. During the war, they were briefed on Leia and other enemies, but of 212 Protectors, only Fett, Fenn, and Tobbi Dala survived. After the war, Fett tired of helping others and became a bounty hunter, but Fenn and Tobbi found Mandalore run by Slavers supplying the Imperial war machine, and began trying to free their people. He has Dengar locked up to trade to the Slavers for Tobbi, now a prisoner, and refuses to let her bring him to Arbra for questioning. Dengar offers to help her if she frees him, so that night, she sneaks to his cage. Fenn finds her and leads her away for a stroll, while 3PO cuts the rope to Dengar's cage, dropping it on his guards. Leia kisses Fenn, then slams his head into a tree and joins 3PO, but as she frees Dengar, he signals troops in Kedalbe, planning to collect the bounty on her as well... — TF.N Comics