Star Wars #54

Marvel's Star Wars #54 (December 1981) presents a cover by Walt Simonson that plunges readers into a vertigo-inducing urban battleground — a massive alien creature lunges in the foreground while figures swing and fire through a web of taut lines strung between towering structures, with C-3PO and R2-D2 visible in the upper corner amid the chaos. The ominous caption "In the Name of Darth Vader — Destroy Them!" makes clear that the heroes are very much outnumbered. Inside, writer Chris Claremont and artists Carmine Infantino and Walt Simonson bring the story "Starfire Rising!" to life, promising the kind of kinetic, high-stakes adventure that made this Marvel run a treat for fans throughout the early 1980s.