Star Wars #16

The fourth chapter of the "Emissaries to Malastare" arc puts the tension front and center, with a snarling, orange-scaled creature lunging toward the viewer while two figures — a green-skinned alien wielding a purple lightsaber and a robed human scrambling backward — are caught in the chaos. A third figure, a woman clutching a red lightsaber, dashes across the foreground in clear alarm. The cover pencils and inks by Mark Schultz deliver a wonderfully kinetic composition that captures the danger of diplomacy gone wrong on an alien world. With writing by Tim Truman and art by Tom Lyle and Robert Jones inside, this 2000 Dark Horse entry is a satisfying mid-arc installment for any fan of the expanded Star Wars universe.