Star Wars Special: C-3PO 1

Star Wars Special: C-3PO 1: The Phantom Limb is a one-shot Marvel comic book that was published on April 13, 2016. The comic was originally to be published as part of the Journey to Star Wars: The Force Awakens publishing program in December 2015, but was delayed multiple times. Despite this, certain variant covers of the comic still display the Journey to Star Wars: The Force Awakens banner. The comic, written by James Robinson with art by Tony Harris, tells the story of how C-3PO received a red-colored arm, as seen in the film Star Wars: Episode VII The Force Awakens. The comic was later collected in the hardcover compilation of the miniseries Star Wars: Shattered Empire on September 13, 2016.

Publisher's summary

 * Follow everyone's favorite protocol droid as he Journeys to Star Wars: The Force Awakens, in this special one-shot leading up to his appearance in the film! Just how did Threepio get a red arm, anyway? Find out here as the blockbuster creative team of James Robinson and Tony Harris of DC's Starman reunite for the first time in nearly two decades!
 * You may be fluent in over six million forms of communication&hellip;but this book is a must have in any language!

Continuity
In 2016, The Phantom Limb was adapted in the video game LEGO Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

Legacy
Reportedly, The Phantom Limb is a reference to the 2015 video game Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, in which the protagonist, Venom Snake, has a red prosthetic left arm to replace the one he lost. During the promotional period of both The Phantom Pain and The Force Awakens, fans noted the similarity in the arms and it subsequently became a minor meme featuring crossovers between the two series. The similarity also caught the attention of Metal Gear creator Hideo Kojima, who shared several of the memes on Twitter. Kojima is also a real-life friend of J.J. Abrams, the director of The Force Awakens, who included at least one other reference to Kojima in the film in the form of the cry uttered by the nightwatcher worm.

Collections

 * Star Wars: Journey to Star Wars: The Force Awakens – Shattered Empire