Luke Skywalker's Walkabout Dark Horse Presents Annual '99 DHP Jr. Contributed by Chad Clark Published 8/28/99 (Click on cover for enlarged image)

I wasn't going to write this review. But a friend told me "anything that people should read or should avoid reading deserves a review". Guess which one this is going to be...

Ten pages. This story is ten pages. That's because it appears in the "Dark Horse Presents" annual, an anthology of black and white short stories focusing on "your" favorite characters. This Annual is a little different though. It is sub-titled "DHP Jr.". And that is because all of these stories tell tales "of your favorite characters BEFORE they became your favorite characters". I am not making this up; it's a tag on the comic's cover.

Which means that this tale of Luke Skywalker takes place before the classic Trilogy. Luke is thirteen years old, to be precise, and so is his friend Windy. These two Tatooine lads go off for a ride on Luke's dewback, Huey. They get caught up in a "sandswirl" and try to search for cover. That's when they come across a Krayt Dragon. Not the skeleton of a Krayt Dragon. A real live Krayt Dragon. Well, Huey gets scared, then Huey gets eaten. But that old Krayt Dragon just isn’t full so it continues to try and snap up the boys. That's when Ben Kenobi shows up. Here, the story takes the one interesting aspect that may appeal to Star Wars fans. It is the first meeting between Luke and Ben. And when Ben escorts Luke safely home, Uncle Owen is not a happy man. The two stare each other down until Owen tells Ben to leave. Aunt Beru gives Owen an earful about Ben saving Luke's life and Owen's stern reply was "So did I, Beru. So did I."

That was the one line of dialogue from this story I enjoyed. Simply because you have to have seen Star Wars to get it. Granted there are millions upon millions of us but we should take heart that this little ten-page story caters to us. The rest of it is crap. Total garbage. It is almost as if the creators had no interest in this story at all. The writing is childlike. The art is some kind of bad pseudo-manga style. (Manga is a Japanese art style which gives a child-like appearance to all the characters.) And the editor couldn't find one of the most glaring mistakes I've ever seen in a single issue, much less a ten-page story! On the second page of the story Windy is listed as "Windom Starkiller" when the boys turn up missing. But 7 pages later when Luke introduces the two of them to Ben, he says Windy's last name is "Marstrap"!

Most likely to blame is Phil Norwood, who wrote and drew this story. He is a designer and storyboard artist in Hollywood and has worked on such projects as "Return of the Jedi", "T2" and "The Batman Adventures". He's worked in comics before, most notably on Dark Horse Comics' original "Aliens vs. Predator" series. Shannon Denton inked this story but I'm going to give her a lot of credit for making it look as nice as it did. Her work on the Huey the Dewback is terrific and the one thing I actually liked to look at in this story. The Krayt Dragon didn't fare as well, ending up looking like some sort of mutant dog.

For those of you still adventurous enough to pick up this comic, I will point out some of its other, better offerings. A decent "Xena Warrior princess" story, but the art is a little muddled. It definitely would have looked better in color (B-). Next is a hilarious 2-page "Hellboy" tale by Mike Mignola that is funny even if you've never heard or read of him before (A+). Stan Sakai fashioned a modest little tale about Usagi Yojimbo that teaches as well as entertains (B+). "Ghost," a character I'm not too familiar with, was a real surprise. Didn't think I'd like it but I do (B). Then there is the tale of "Groo" as a child. If you liked Groo before, you'll like him here too (C+). Another fascinating tale included here is "Concrete" by Paul Chadwick. I've never read Concrete but it is highly acclaimed and I felt that it was all deserved after reading this little gem (A+). Finally, rounding out the bunch was a tale of "The Mask". You all remember the Jim Carrey movie right? Well, here a little boy slips on the mask and finds out its not all its cracked up to be. Good solid, if simple, story (C+). And last but not least will be my grade for the Star Wars tale. You've read my review, heard my thoughts. Don't buy it for this story’s quality. If you only interested in Star Wars, avoid it.    Grade: D

Order Star Wars comics now from Things From Another World, the only official online Dark Horse comic distributor.

(Chad Clark is an aspiring actor and fanatic devotee of Rogue Squadron. When he isn't practicing his heart-melting smile, he writes reviews of the comics he reads while basking in the California sunshine. His agent answers his fan mail at chad@echostation.com)

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