Star Wars Issue #55 Pg 18 (ft Plif [Hoojib], Leia, Slivilith)

Star Wars Issue #55 was published on October 20, 1981. This issue marked the first appearance of Plif, the Hoojibs, Planet Arbra, and the Slivilith. This page features imagery of all these first appearances, even though it is not technically the debut page. In this scene, Plif is caught in the tentacles of the Slivilith while helping Leia rid their home of the creature. Leia frees him with her blaster and shouts, “PUT THAT HOOJIB DOWN!” As a fan of creatures and animals in comics, I was absolutely thrilled to obtain this piece. The Hoojibs are wonderful characters, and I hope to see them reintegrated into future Star Wars films.

Although this comic was published before I was born, there was a read-along story titled, "Star Wars: Planet of the Hoojibs," released in 1983, which is the year of my birth. This read-along came out in both record and tape formats and retold the story from this issue. In the read-along, there is even a page that closely matches this one, though with different artwork.

I had been eyeing early Star Wars pieces for the past year and had made several attempts to acquire one at auction, to no avail. As OAX 2026 came into view, I reached out to a group of friends and mentioned that I was hoping to find a Walt Simonson Star Wars page to have signed at the show. It just so happened that someone in the chat knew of a page that had recently been up for sale and still knew where it resided. Luckily, it was in the collection of another friend I’ve made along the way, and it was still available. This page truly felt meant for my collection, and I am grateful to both collectors who helped make it a reality. My dream of owning an original Star Wars page from the first series has now been fulfilled.

Fast forward to OAX 2026, where I was able to meet Walt Simonson in person and have him sign this piece. It was a truly meaningful moment in my collecting journey, given how pivotal he has been in the comic industry, his incredible skill as an artist, and the kindness he shows as a person. Because I was able to acquire this page, and since his quick sketch prices were within reach, I was also able to pay it forward by helping a friend secure a Thor piece from him at the convention. I gifted him that piece a month or two ago and it was an amazing moment to help a friend that has helped me so much in my personal life.

May the 4th be with you all!