Graphic Novel published as
Classic Star Wars: Escape to Hoth.
Check availability & pricing at:

Comic Strip published 1981-1984 by LA Times; Comic Book series published December 1993 thru June 1994 as Classic Star Wars #15, 16, 17, 18, 19 & 20 by Dark Horse Comics:

Issue #15Issue #16

Issue #17Issue #18

Issue #19Issue #20

e-Comic Book
Published 2012 by Dark Horse Digital.

Check availability & pricing at:

Synopsis:
This is the final volume of reformatted LA Times newspaper comic strips from 1981-1984 describing Luke, Han, and Leia's adventures during the time between the end of A New Hope and the beginning of The Empire Strikes Back.
Their previous rebel base has been destroyed and our heroes must escape an Imperial blockade on the world of the Mon Calimari in order to establish a new base on the ice planet of Hoth.
This volume collates the following stories:

• Doom Mission! (pt.2)
  The Executor starts for Yavin, fighting its way through the Rebel ships. As the Millennium Falcon arrives at one of the battle aftermaths, they see a scout ship racing away. Continuing on to Yavin, they find a grieving Dodonna - Vrad is believed lost. Suddenly Vrad's ship arrives, badly damaged. Luke is suspicious - that is the same ship, and it was not damaged then. Luke and Vrad are selected for a near-suicide mission - using the almost-out-of-energy power gem against the Executor. When Luke voices his suspicions, Vrad and he take it outside for a brawl. During the fight, Vrad lets it slip that he fled the battle. Nevertheless, they head out together on the mission. Vrad lands on a barren planetoid, and announces he intends to bargain with the Empire for the gem, and strands Luke. Vader turns on his course toward the planetoid to take Skywalker. Vrad takes off, with Vader in pursuit. Han shows up, expecting that Vrad would do this, and picks Luke up. With Vader trying to pull the ship in, Vrad suddenly turns and attacks. His suicidal ram weakens the Executor's shields enough for the Millennium Falcon to damage it.

• Race for Survival
  Yavin IV is in full evacuation. Vader calls Griff, telling him to hold the Rebels off until he can get there. Griff happily orders a first strike. Meanwhile, a burned-out and tearful General Dodonna promotes Luke to Lieutenant Commander. The last transport takes off, but Dodonna is not on it. He is in the base, waiting for the Imperials. He blows up the base and the attackers, seemingly dying in the process. (In reality, he is found and captured.) Vader decides to hang back and let Griff handle the situation. The Mon Calamari begins striking at the Imperial blockade. Griff sees through the deception, and moves to intercept the fleet. Leia sends Han out to find an alternative escape corridor. He finds one in an unstable star with many solar flares. As Griff pursues the fleet, Vader prepares to meet the escaping Rebels and crush them himself. The Millennium Falcon moves ahead of the fleet so that Luke can use the Force to guide them through the dangerous area. Vader is about to meet them at the other side - when Griff suddenly crashes into him, trying to beat the Rebels himself. All three of Griff's ships are destroyed; the Executor only weakened. The Rebel fleet hyperjumps to the new base - Hoth.

• The Paradise Detour
  While the fleet arrives at Hoth, the Millennium Falcon is lost due to a busted nav computer. The Millennium Falcon lands on a tropical world to make repairs. Han is jumpy - every world they have been on, something happens. In addition, something does happen - Luke sees Tanith Shire. However, it is not her - it is a woman named S'ybll, who leads him to the ruins that is her home. Alongside are empty stormtrooper armour and a smashed shuttle. When Luke rebuffs her advances, she disappears - and the Night Beast appears, attacking him. Then a vision of Ben Kenobi, telling him to go help S'ybll. S'ybll takes him to her bedroom, where he finds his stolen comlink. S'ybll reveals her true form - an old mind witch who wants to drain his life. Luke proves too strong for her, and he breaks free. She conjures up an image of Vader to stop Luke's escape. Luke uses the Force to see through her illusions, and she drains the last of her own energies trying to stop him. The Millennium Falcon travels to Hoth.

• A New Beginning
  Just as Han and Luke arrive, another ship appears over Hoth, having trailed them. The Millennium Falcon takes off again to lead the ship away from Hoth, only to be shot at and tractored aboard. The captain of the ship sends a message to Jabba the Hutt, saying he has Solo. As the captain haggles with Jabba, Jabba sends Boba Fett out to find Hoth. Han comes out of the Millennium Falcon and confronts the captain - Raskar. Han lies and says he will give him the reward from Leia - on Ord Mantell. Raskar thinks the reward is really on Hoth, and demands to be taken there.

• Showdown!
  Han pilots the Millennium Falcon (with Raskar aboard) down into a ravine on Hoth's equator. He deliberately crash-lands the Falcon into a cavern. Raskar sends his gang in to dig for the treasure. They manage to find lumni spice, the rarest spice of all - as well as a fire-breathing breathing dragon-slug Han and Luke saves Raskar from. They return to Raskar's ship, only to find a ton of bounty hunters (including Dengar, Bossk, Zuckuss, and Skorr), all eager to take Solo off Raskar's hands. They fly off to Ord Mantell, to find the Executor waiting in orbit. Fett is dealing with Vader, promising him Skywalker in return for Solo and the reward for both. Leaving Raskar locked in the cargo hold of his own ship, the bounty hunters take the Falcon and the prisoners down to an abandoned moisture plant on Ord Mantell. Skorr takes the news of Vader and Fett's teaming badly, and tries to kill Solo. Luke takes the opportunity to pull his lightsaber (that Skorr is carrying) to his hand via the Force and slices them out, allowing them to flee into the desert. They double-back toward the Falcon, to find Skorr waiting for them with blaster in hand. Han jumps him, and Skorr ends up being shot himself. Raskar shoots off the bounty hunters in his ship long enough to let the Millennium Falcon escape.

Synopsis taken from Christopher G. McElroy's Time Tales, www.theforce.net/timetales.

Related Stories (in chronological order):

• A New Hope by George Lucas
• The Early Adventures by Russ Manning et al.
• In Deadly Pursuit by Archie Goodwin et al.
• The Rebel Storm by Archie Goodwin et al.
• Escape to Hoth
• The Empire Strikes Back by Donald F. Glut
• Return of the Jedi by James Kahn
• The Vandelhelm Mission by Archie Goodwin et al.