The recent release of the Celebration V Camie and Fixer two-pack marked the last of Hasbro's
Star Wars comic figures. These offerings featured rare figures representing iconic moments from the saga's storied comic book history. The end of the line means that tons of characters will never get the opportunity to be immortalized in plastic. As you are doubtlessly aware, the Marvel comics were the first place that readers could experience new
Star Wars stories off of the big screen. This is why it is especially sad that so many of the comics' characters got the shaft from Hasbro. As great as it is to have a Darth Vader figure with blue paint accents that reflect those of his comic doppelganger, it feels like an opportunity to make some fun new figures was missed. From a financial point of view it makes more sense for Hasbro to issue repaints than create new molds for niche characters from the various Marvel and Dark Horse books, but that doesn't mean we have to like it. So here's a list of folks from Marvel's sometimes silly, often sublime
Star Wars comic that are more than worthy of their own action figures. For the most part, these entries are characters that have never been represented in toy form before. But there are some variations of fan favorites thrown in for good measure as well. As Chewbacca would say, "Gronk!"
10) Rik Duel
Early on in the Marvel run, Rik Duel turned up to make life difficult for Luke, Leia, et al. He was a Corellian smuggler who had a penchant for the ladies and was constantly one step ahead of the Empire. Sound familiar? Yep, Duel was largely a carbon copy of Han Solo. The main difference is that he was mostly out for himself. His self-serving behavior made his presence in the comic reinforce what a lovable rogue Han really was (deep down he's just a Wookie-hugging softie - check out the
Star Wars Holiday Special and see for yourself). Meanwhile, it's a good thing that Corellia isn't a real place otherwise, its residents would be way pissed at how the
Star Wars universe strictly portrays them as horny grifters.
9) Darker
Darker is a pretty uninspired name to be sure. Yet seeing how contemporary
Star Wars villains have ridiculous monikers like Elan Sleezebaggano and Savage Oppress, you've got to appreciate the use of restraint in a galaxy far, far away wherever you can find it. Part Grinch and part Nosferatu, the character was the physical embodiment of an entire race's bad feelings. As such, he was more than just a little cranky. When he encountered Chewie and C-3PO in issue #67, he attempted to unleash eons of rage upon them -- completely unaware that the dumbest thing he could ever do was attempt to fuck with a Wookie and his sassy gay robot. Needless to say, Chewbacca put a stop to this nonsense. These days, the Darker character is largely forgotten. Because of his creepy appearance, he would have made an especially nice figure for one of Hasbro's comic packs. That we will never be able to put him on our action figure shelves makes me feel some pent-up anger of my own...
8) Dani
One of Rik Duel's gang of swindlers, Dani is a purple-skinned alien from the planet Zeltros whose hobbies include blue-balling Luke Skywalker and petty theft. Her loyalty to Duel and her ferocious sense of independence made her the most complex female supporting character in the comic (insert your assertion that Shira Brie/Lumiya was a better character here). It's a safe bet that some of you are thinking more about masturbating furiously to Dani's picture than contemplating her strength and intelligence right now. In that case,
here you go.
7) The Hiromi
There's really nothing less menacing than Space Beatniks. These intergalactic blowhards were an insect race intent on conquering the galaxy, all the while dressed like extras from the coffee shop sequences of
A Bucket of Blood. Because Hasbro mainly reused existing molds for their comic figures (Lumiya being a notable exception), we didn't get any Hiromi toys. Their monstrous -- yet delightfully stupid -- looks would have made them right at home in the Creature Cantina dioramas of Star Warriors worldwide.
6) Master-Com
Since
Star Wars' primary robot is a pissy bitch, it was refreshing whenever a strong cyborg character took center stage in the comic stories. Enter Master-Com. That was the name given to a series of droids who more or less shared the same consciousness aboard the "Wheel" space station that appeared in a second year story arc. When one Master-Com was destroyed, another went online. All of these robots developed feelings of friendship for humans and their fight against evil, which is a nice break from the usual cyborg M.O. of wanting to eradicate meatbags from the universe. So each Master-Com lived his life with a sense of honor while Goldenrod spent his days whining and cockblocking Han Solo. You tell me which one you'd rather be stuck in space with.
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