The last Return of the Jedi one-shots, Ewoks, brings us back to the “Teddy Bears’ Picnic” and stories going back to Legends material! On the Forest Moon (Chiutatal) of Endor (Tana), Chief Chirpa is part of a campfire tales to the young Woklings. The cover is by Ryan Brown of a closeup of an Ewok, Chief Chirpa?, with pale fur and a brown hood. There are three stories that are all written by Alyssa Wong, the writer of the Star Wars: Doctor Aphra title. It begins with the Ewok village (vootok) at night, the fires lighting the platforms is impressive work by colorist, Java Tartaglia.
The camp fire scenes has art by Lee Garbett. The Woklings (Theesa) cross a bridge, but the pale-furred Ewok falls, he is helped up by a brown fur friend. The massive village fire burns with the Ewoks huddled around it. We see Chief Chripa call (Oh hheneheh) the Woklings. The first segment, “The Woklings’ Tale”, has the artwork of Paulina Ganucheau. The artist worked on the Wonder Woman back-up stories that collected in Wonder Woman: The Adventures of Young Diana Special #1 (2021). It is delightfully cartoony art just like the Ewoks (1985-1986) cartoon by Nelvana.
An Ewok with a blue hood and a tuft of yellow hair gathers fruits (sleesh) in a basket. Again, I think Ewoks are vegetarian and not carnivores. Her parents (shodeesh) are disapproving and the Ewok nervously takes the rope (shtek) from the tree hut. The Ewok explains in thought dialogue, the comic has gestures more than dialogue, that she will feed her Endorian pony. There is some of the Ewok language, Ewokese, in The Galactic Phase Book & Travel Guide (2001) by Ben Burtt and we picked up on Ewok words in the tv movies, but no Ewok words are translated. The father (Deej) fears the Ewok will face the clubs of the Duloks!
They were the Grinch-like version of the people who also inhabited the Moon of Endor. They were the menace of the Ewoks in the cartoon. The Duloks first appeared in The Adventures of Teebo (1984) by Joe Johnston. Chief Chirpa relates the story as the Ewok walks with the pony. They reach a cave (kreeth) that Blue Hood enters with the pony. A female Dulok happily gives both of them garlands and given fruits to share for a picnic. They discuss in image dialogue about disapproving Dulok parents. At the campfire, Kneesa and Wicket, the heroes of the Ewoks cartoon, are quick to stop Paploo from telling the Woklings. This is a fun story of forbidden friendship. Paploo can’t believe the happy story and decides to tell the Woklings a scary story.
Next is “Paploo’s Tales” with artist, Kyle Hotz. His art is also found in Spider-Man: The Lost Hunt #3 (2023). We get darkness and a swampy floor of the Endor forest (Eeekeekeek). There is a fly crawling on the black cornea of an Ewok corpse. He has a broken spear (kaletuhkuh). Rachel Rosenberg is the colorist for a story that is almost an Ewoks: Black, White, & Red! Paploo checks on the Ewok, hears something, and then in a stunning splash page we get the giant Gorax! The Gorax first appeared in The Ewok Adventure (1984). I would have liked to have seen the warrior (shetai), Chukha-Trok, played by Kevin Thompson. Even more is (you know this is gonna be noted) Teek (Niki Botelho) from Ewoks: The Battle for Endor (1985).
The Gorax chases after Paploo though the forest, its vicious claw reaching for him! This is for the Ewoks a terrifying tale and Chief Chirpa disapproves of scaring the Woklings, but this honors the lost, brave Ewok! Lastly, there is “Peekpa’s Tale”, illustrated by Caspar Wijingaard. He worked on the first volume of Doctor Aphra with writer Simon Spurrier. She was identified in the novel, Star Wars: Last Shot (2018). She stayed by Chewbacca after the Battle of Endor. She is tying a rope around a tree and this takes out the scout trooper on the speeder bike. She starts collecting parts from the speeder bike. The scout recovers and reaches for Peekpa without his helmet, but is struck by heavy branch by her.
Peekpa sees her project, the head part of the scout walker with her tent next to it on a cliff. She starts working on the cables and other workings of the walker head. Other Ewoks are able to help Peekpa. She works through the day and into the night looking out to the stars. The end sequence of a Wokling going to sleep and then going through the adventures before sleeping, to dream? The trick to all of the tales is that they are campfire stories so they may come from Legends material, but could still be fictional in the Star Wars Universe. Star Wars: Return of the Jedi - Ewoks #1 has a collection of fun and spooky stories, almost bringing Legends material into canon, but I can’t wait for more stories on the Moon of Endor - with Teek! Ee Chee wa Maa!
Four Ewok Hoods out of Five!
#StarWarsReturnOfTheJedi, #Ewoks, #AlyssaWong, #LeeGarbett, #PaulinaGanucheau, #KyleHotz, #CasparWijingaard
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