Star Wars, Issue 53, Page 17

Day 30. Thirty-one days of Star Wars (2025 edition).

Marvel repurposed an unused story from the cancelled “John Carter, Warlord of Mars” series for Star Wars. Carmine Infantino and Alan Kupperberg handled the original John Carter art chores. Chris Claremont was tasked with crafting a new story along with Walter Simonson adapting the pages stretching it to two issues to accommodate new transition and expanded story pages to make it more Star Warsy. John Carter became Aron Peacebringer, though Marvel downplayed the connection, presenting the two-issue story arc as merely inspired by Burroughs' classic tales. Tom Palmer supplied revised and new inks here in issue 53.

At a regal gala, Aron Peacebringer presents Leia to his inner circle as desire simmers, doubt lingers, and duty clouds every careful smile and glance. There is a stat text paste-up in the last panel, where a block of text was moved having been originally drawn to be said by the man dancing with Leia. That original dialogue box was whited out and covered by the drapes. Some additional white out retouches are found throughout, particularly to Leia’s hair and character face details for the three at left in panel 1.

I don’t think there are any actual Infantino or Kupperberg touches on this page. As mentioned, all but one relocated text box is hand lettered on the board so it doesn’t have replacement dialogue or a lot of cut-and-paste or stat replacement panels as found on other pages used from the original John Carter issue (tune in for my post tomorrow). I’m not sure if there is even much Simonson here, I think Palmer handled most of the art on this page, perhaps having light boxed an Infantino-Kupperberg page while just working Leia into the dance. As this is just my opinion on a likely process for this page, I’m still crediting everyone. By the next issue, Al Milgrom and Frank Giacoia were also inking pages with Palmer to get the book done.

This is the May! (At least for one more day.)