Force in Focus: Star Wars #102

"School Spirit!"
December 1985

In a Nutshell
The return of Kiro.

Writer: Jo Duffy
Breakdowns: Sal Buscema
Finishes: Sam De La Rosa
Coloring: Petra Scotese
Lettering: Rick Parker
Editor: Ann Nocenti
Editor-in-Chief: Jim Shooter

Plot
Luke & Lando return to Iskalon, intending to inform Mone about the death of Kiro. The Nagai are on the planet as well, but one of their detachments is taken out by a mysterious figure. When Mone meets with Luke & Lando and learns they were not responsible for defeating the Nagai forces, Mone tells them it must have been Kiro, whom he insists is still alive and on the planet. Luke & Lando are skeptical, but when a secondary force of Nagai attack, Kiro does indeed appear and help fight them off, but not before Mone and other members of the school are captured. With Kiro having disappeared again, Luke & Lando work together to rescue Mone and destroy the Nagai base. They are soon joined by Kiro, who savagely attacks the Nagai and rescues Mone and the rest of the captive school. Afterwards, he tells Luke how he survived his encounter with Den on Kinooine, then followed the Nagai to Iskalon. He begs Luke to keep his survival a secret, as he must remain on his homeworld to help protect his people from the Nagai. Luke agrees to keep his secret, and realizes that while he'd been mourning Kiro, he's now starting to feel pretty good again.

Force in Focus: Star Wars #93

"Catspaw"
March 1985

In a Nutshell
The Star Warriors help reunite rival factions of the cat-like Cantrosians!

Script/Plot: Jo Duffy
Pencils: Sal Buscema
Inks: Tom Palmer
Coloring: Petra Scotese
Lettering: Rick Parker
Editor: Ann Nocenti
Editor-in-Chief: Jim Shooter

Plot
When an X-wing appears in the skies above the Rebel base on Saijo, the visiting Han, Luke & Leia leap into action, shooting down the pursuing ships and bringing the crashed pilot in for medical treatment. The pilot, Minka, tells them that the Rebel forces on her home planet of Cantros 7 are under attack by Imperial forces, prompting the trio to accompany her home. Once there, they meet Minka's friends Sami & Durne. Puzzled by the reports of Imperial activity, given the relative decline of the Empire, Han, Luke & Leia travel to the far side of the planet, accompanied by Minka & Sami. Shot down en route, Han, Luke & Sami are captured, while Leia & Minka escape. The captives are taken before a group of Cantrosians who claim to be part of the Rebel Alliance, believing their captives to be Imperial agents. As they argue over what to do with the captives, Durne appears, and it becomes clear he's been playing both sides against each other. Just then, Leia & Minka arrive, helping free the captives, and in the ensuing shootout, Luke blocks a kill shot fired by Durne at the leader of the other faction. This confirms for the rival faction that Luke and his friends aren't Imperial agents, and they take Durne captive, with the two sides reconciling. Leia is pleased with their victory, but Luke remains troubled, pondering who Durne was working for, the latest in a string of odd incidents that have left him wondering what is going on in the galaxy.

X-amining Wolverine #27

"The Lazarus Project Part 1: Predators and Prey!"
Late July 1990

In a Nutshell 
Wolverine is drawn into the Lazarus Project. 

Writer: Jo Duffy
Artists:John Buscema & Dan Green
Letterer: Ken Bruzenak
Colorist: Glynis Oliver
Editor: Bob Harras
Editor-in-Chief: Tom DeFalco

Plot
In Lowtown, Wolverine and Tyger Tiger fight a group of street toughs, aided by Karma, then retire to the Princess Bar, where Wolverine learns that Prince Baran has hired Jessica Drew as his bodyguard. Meanwhile, on the island of Rumika, a group of villagers are given custody of the Master Form. Meanwhile, Andover discusses the Master Form, key to the Lazarus Project, with his business partners, General Coy and Prince Baran, as Jessica patrols the palace. She overhears a scientist named Page discussing an attack on Rumika, and Page orders a massive robot named Pinocchio to attack Jessica. Later, Wolverine finds a badly beaten Jessica in the streets, and sends both her and Lindsay McCabe back to America for their own safety. Investigating the palace himself, Wolverine discovers Page and is attacked by Pinocchio, who proves resistant to his claws. When Page tosses a beaker of chemicals in Wolverine's face, he dives in pain out of the palace, eventually staggering off the docks and into the ocean.

X-amining Wolverine #25

"Heir Aid"
June 1990

In a Nutshell 
A rare (possible) glimpse at Wolverine's early days.

Writer: Jo Duffy
Artist: John Buscema
Letterer: Ken Bruzenak
Colorist: Glynis Oliver
Editor: Bob Harras
Chief: Tom DeFalco

Plot
A small time gangster named Morrow calls in a favor from Wolverine. He is preparing to launch a turf war with his rival Piggot, and fearing Piggot will attack through Morrow's son, Gabriel, tasks Wolverine with protecting the boy for the evening. When Gabriel asks for a bedtime story, Wolverine tells him of a small boy cast out for being weak, who is adopted by a pack of wolverines in the Canadian wilderness. Growing stronger and more feral, the boy is captured by fur traders, but the wolverines attempt to free him. When some are shot, the boy flies into a rage and kills the traders.