Star Wars, Issue 49, Page 14

Day 26. Thirty-one days of Star Wars (2025 edition).

From the issue titled "The Last Jedi!" Published long before Episode VIII used the moniker. Inthis story, Princess Leia, Luke and the droids take a Y-wing fighter to a jungle planet where they answer a beacon left behind by Prince Denid of Velmor. Denid, his betrothed Loren, and his friend Jedidiah crash-landed on this world years ago, a crash that claimed Loren's life, left Jedidiah with a traumatic brain injury, and Denid presumed dead by those back on his home world. It is now imperative the prince returns to Velmor to take the rite of succession or else his younger brother, an Imperial sympathizer, will gain control of the planet. Luke is surprised to find that Jedidiah was once a potential Jedi Knight, but now lost in a mental haze from the injuries. Luke dons a disguise while Leia posses as Loren as they escort Denid back to Velmor.

Disguised as bounty hunter Korl Marcus, Luke goes to warn Leia of a plot to kill her and frame or kill Denid, but finds her with the prince, who is professing his love. Who will Leia choose?

Before Walt Simonson became the regular penciller on Star Wars, he had worked on a single earlier issue with Archie Goodwin and they co-created the fan favorite character, Beilert Valance in “The Hunter” story [see Star Wars #16 true believers! —JW]. In 1981 he took over the pencilling chores on a regular basis with this issue.

Although a Heritage win, this was was not credited with coming from the Tom Palmer estate, but still happy to add a second Simonson to my collection.

This is the May!