Star Wars: Republic #79

Part one of a two-part "Hunt for the Jedi" story, this 2005 Dark Horse entry in the long-running Republic series opens with a striking cover by John Gallagher featuring a formidable red-skinned, horned alien warrior clutching an ignited green lightsaber — a figure who radiates hard-won experience and quiet menace. Writer Welles Hartley and artist Doug Wheatley promise a tale that ventures into dangerous territory in the uncertain aftermath of the Clone Wars. If you've been following Republic's darker turn, "Into the Unknown" looks like essential reading.