This year’s IDW Star Wars annual sees the return of the Hoojibs! They first appeared in Star Wars #55 (1977). The cover is by Arianna Florean, the interior artist, with Jaxxon, the green rabbitoid (a Lepi) chased out of the spotlight! Jaxxon appeared to this SW continuity in Star Wars Adventures Annual 2018 from Cavan Scott and Mauricet. He made his debut in Star Wars #8 (1977) when the comic book took up its own adventures with Luke, Han, and Chewbacca. Jaxxon was part of the Star-Hoppers of Aduba-3 who took on the raiding Cloud-Riders. They made it into canon with Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018). The first story, “The Hoojib Menace” is by written by Cavan Scott, who also pens the Star Wars: The High Republic comic for Marvel. Florean has a cartoony art style, but can also handle the starships and SW action!
It starts off with a splash page of the Millennium Falcon tailed by several TIE fighters, open with straight starship action, nice! There is a blue planet below them. Han is on the rear cannon while talking to Chewie about working for Jabba the Hutt. He is not too concerned about the TIE fighters. They should be launched from a large starship, but the fighters seem local, maybe from the planet. Han brings up finding a pet to add to Jabba’s menagerie. He says he heard of a Nimbanel trader from the Bon’nyuw-Luq sector. The Nimbanel were an early rendition of Jabba in the comics. They became canon in the Clone Wars animated series with “Sphere of Influence” (2010). The sector seems to have an Irish connection, Bonny Loch?, luck? look?, I’m guessing the yuw is like ewe, the female sheep? Han destroys the last TIE fighter and they are on their way to the sector.
They land on the planet Abra, a planet with forests, the trader is checking on boxes before a cave. The Nimbanel has a bald head, small, walrus-like cheeks and two hair braids from the end of this chin. This is Bralem Mopak. He tries to entice Han with a waiting list for the creature for three months. Bralem has several bulky, bodyguard droids. He hears Han mention Jabba and gives him a box free of charge. Chewie growls that this is too good to be true, Han should have listened. At Jabba’s Palace at the pit, the Rancoer is fighting the praying mantis-like Acklay. A translator droid talks to a trader named Keradd, he is a Gotal, the furred alien with two horns, seen in the cantina. They are working on an alliance when Han bursts in with his creature box. It is apparent that he hasn’t opened this box. In a splash page, Han, smiling opens the box.
The expressions of Chewie, arms crossed with a guarded look, and the Gamorrean guard’s surprise, is priceless. Out of the box, the Hoojib hops out, a rabbit-like creature with an antennae. It makes a whining, “Yi-Yi-Yi” sound. Jabba is not happy, but the trader likes the Hoojib. He slaps away the Hoojib with Han and Chewie sent away. At the docking bay, IG-88 and some of Jabba’s men try to take them back to Jabba. Han blasts a Nikto, but they are caught by IG-88’s electrified cables. They hang upside down in front of Jabba who wants to know who hired them. The Hutt gangster says his deal with Keradd ended the moment they left. The power suddenly goes out with Chewie and Han falling to the floor. They try to escape, but IG-88 throws a flash bang-like device. The duo is thrown into Jabba’s prison cell.
The Hoojib finds them and then feeds on the wires of the cell door. Han discovers the Hoojib named Plif and help him with Bralem Mopak to keep the Hoojib from acting as his spies wth criminal leaders! This is a fun story bringing back the Hoojib. It seems like all of the fun parts of the early Star Wars Marvel comic. The second story, “The Coin”, is by Chip Zdarksy and co-written by Jason Loo who is also the artist. It has a trio of young thieves; Venraya and younger kids, Traff, an Ugnaught kid, and Moxxin, taking a Canto Bight coin from the criminal Wonn Ionstrike. This is on Cloud City so it may get the interest of a certain Baron Administrator. Star Wars Adventures Annual 2021 is a welcome return for the Hoojibs, just fun adventures!
Four Lightsabers out of Five!
#StarWarsAdventuresAnnual, #TheHoojibMenace, #CavanScott, #AriannaFlorean, #TheCoin, #ChipZdarsky, #JasonLoo
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