Star Wars 96 is the ninety-sixth issue in the Marvel Star Wars series of comics.
Publisher's summary[]
There's a new Dark Lord in the galaxy, and she's out for Luke's head! Not only must Luke fight Lumiya, he must also deal with who and, more dangerously, what she really is! "Duel With a Dark Lady!" written by Jo Duffy, penciled by Cynthia Martin and inked by Bob Wiacek.[1]
Plot summary[]
Luke Skywalker battling Lumiya.
Luke Skywalker faces off with the Dark Lady Lumiya on Kinooine. Lumiya and her lightwhip soundly defeat Luke, whom Lumiya then captures; she has already captured the Zeltron, Dani. Meanwhile, Kiro, a water-breathing Iskalonian who had already been defeated by Lumiya and left for dead, jury-rigs breathing equipment and goes to rescue Luke and Dani. He finds Luke first, and Luke formulates a plan to defeat Lumiya. The two find her, and Luke reclaims his lightsaber from her with the Force. Lumiya expects to defeat him again, only Luke reveals his plan - he has created a shoto which, in concert with his lightsaber, allow him to match Lumiya's lightwhip. Luke manages to rip the whip from her hands, and she charges him, enraged; he sidesteps and cuts half of her armor off, revealing the face beneath, that of Shira Brie. Luke tries to reach out to the good in her, but before he has any success, the Nagai invasion fleet appears out of hyperspace in the skies overhead . . .
Media[]
Collected in[]
- Return of the Jedi Weekly 102 - 104
- Star Wars: A Long Time Ago... Volume 7: Far, Far Away
- Star Wars: Luke Skywalker, Last Hope for the Galaxy
Star Wars: Legacy Collection (Star Wars Comic Pack: #07: Lumiya & Luke Skywalker (Marvel's Star Wars #96)) (backup link)- Star Wars Omnibus: A Long Time Ago.... Volume 5
- Star Wars: The Original Marvel Years Omnibus Vol. 3
- Star Wars Legends Epic Collection: The Original Marvel Years Vol. 6
Appearances[]
| Characters | Organisms | Droid models | Events | Locations |
| Organizations and titles | Sentient species | Vehicles and vessels | Weapons and technology | Miscellanea |
Characters
|
Events
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Locations
Organizations and titles
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Sentient species
Vehicles and vessels
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Weapons and technology
Reception[]
- "Artist Cynthia Martin's design of a "female Vader" is so striking that the character enthralls readers at first glance. With no sound and no words, Luke's Jedi lightsaber proves deficient against the bizarre and spellbinding power of Lumiya's malleable Sith lightwhip."
- ―Abel G. Peña and Enrique Guerrero
In 2005, the magazine article "20 Most Memorable Moments of the Expanded Universe," written by Abel G. Peña and Enrique Guerrero and published in Star Wars Insider 83, named Star Wars 96's opening duel between Luke Skywalker and Lumiya as one of its titular most memorable moments. They praised writer Mary Jo Duffy's decision to write a wordless duel that "lets the panels of the comic do the talking" and asserted that "artist Cynthia Martin's design of a 'female Vader' is so striking that the character enthralls readers at first glance."[3]
Tegan O'Neil of The A.V. Club similarly praised Martin's work in a 2015 retrospective of Marvel's original Star Wars series, captioning art of Lumiya from Star Wars 96 with the claim that "Cynthia Martin's manga influenced art was a highlight of the series' last year."[4] Jason Fry, too, commented on the anime-inspired look of the Nagai that debuted in Star Wars 96—he profiled the issue in his Star Wars Insider 91 article "Comic Marvels" (2006), while also noting that the invading Nagai fleet seen in the closing pages predicted a trope that would recur numerous times in the Expanded Universe.[5]
Legacy[]
- "The shoto was a special half-length lightsaber that Luke had built after nearly losing his life the first time he encountered Lumiya's lightwhip. The shorter blade allowed him to fight in the Jar'Kai style—with a weapon in each hand—which counteracted the advantage of the lightwhip's dual-natured strands of energy and matter."
- ―Narration in the 2006 novel Legacy of the Force: Tempest
Lumiya appeared several more times in Marvel Comics' ongoing Star Wars series,[7][8] and she was ultimately defeated by Luke Skywalker in its final issue.[9] In 2006, she returned to the Expanded Universe in the novel series Legacy of the Force,[10] and her duel with Skywalker on Kinooine was referenced in the series' third book, Tempest.[6]
The shoto lightsaber that was invented by author Mary Jo Duffy for Star Wars 96 went on to have a robust lifespan in Star Wars media over the years, being re-wielded by Skywalker in the aforementioned Legacy of the Force novels[6] and later emerging as a choice weapon of the Jedi Ahsoka Tano in the animated Star Wars: The Clone Wars TV series,[11] and again in live-action TV shows like The Mandalorian[12] and the eponymous Ahsoka.[13] The lightsaber used by the diminutive Yoda in the Star Wars Prequel trilogy was also retconned to be a shoto.[14]
Sources[]
- "20 Most Memorable Moments of the Expanded Universe" — Star Wars Insider 83
- "Comic Marvels" — Star Wars Insider 91
Notes and references[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Marvel Age #26
- ↑
The Forgotten War: The Nagai and the Tofs on Hyperspace (article) (content obsolete and backup link not available)
- ↑ 3.0 3.1
"20 Most Memorable Moments of the Expanded Universe" — Star Wars Insider 83
- ↑
A really long time ago, Marvel played fast and loose with Star Wars by Tegan O'Neil on The A.V. Club (November 21, 2015) (backup link archived on July 12, 2022)
- ↑ "Comic Marvels" — Star Wars Insider 91
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Legacy of the Force: Tempest
- ↑ Star Wars (1977) 97
- ↑ Star Wars (1977) 100
- ↑ Star Wars (1977) 107
- ↑ Legacy of the Force: Betrayal
- ↑ Star Wars: The Clone Wars — "Heroes on Both Sides"
- ↑ Star Wars: The Mandalorian — "Chapter 13: The Jedi"
- ↑ Star Wars: Ahsoka — "Part One: Master and Apprentice"
- ↑ Ultimate Star Wars
