Monday, Strip 56 -- Wow, feels like I haven't had a full widescreen panoramic panel in a while. It's almost a breath of fresh air. Add to that there's no dialogue, it makes it a relative breeze to produce.

This is our first full view of Raal's ship. It's an original design. The twirling cable is the power feed coming loose.

And having Furlag shoot two-pistols John Woo style isn't based on any precedent.

Tuesday, Strip 57 -- Some more nostalgia in that Kenner's Imperial Troop Transport appears as a vehicle. I had this thing as a kid and loved it, though when you think about it, the little sleeves on the side for individual stormtroopers to stand in really don't make a heck of a lot of sense. The vehicle has appeared in the EU before, most notably in the Marvel series in the late 1970s.

The black suited Imperial officer barking out commands is supposed to a stormtrooper officer, as identified in the original Visual Dictionary. These were the only officers shown in A New Hope to wear both black uniforms and large thick gloves. Most other officers were gloveless. Though it's hard to see in the size provided, the officer is using a disk-shaped "loudhailer" to amplify his voice, hence the squarish voice balloon.

Wednesday, Strip 58 So, who called the Empire? Well, Skorr did. We saw him on the comlink as he approached the docking bay. So, it's not as if the bounty hunters are in trouble or being arrested or anything. But he has failed in his assignment. But he does notice something the Imperials don't seem to be paying attention to...

Thursday, Strip 59 Another old reference: the Five Fire Rings of Fornax. These were originally mentioned in the shooting script of A New Hope, but cut out -- though they're still mentioned in the dialogue.

And now, finally, after all this time, Sammie, Kestrel and Raal are in the same panel. There's still someone missing, though.

Friday, Strip 60 As first meetings go, it's not exactly off to a jovial start. What with the gun-pointing and all.

The stand off continues next week...

ph