Force in Focus: Star Wars #50

"The Crimson Forever!" / "Rage in the Red Nebula" / "Against the Scarlet Night"
August 1981

In a Nutshell
Luke is inflicted with the Crimson Forever as part of Domina Tagge's revenge scheme.

Writer: Archie Goodwin
Artists: Al Williamson, Tom Palmer & Walt Simonson
Colorist: Don Warfield
Letterer: Ed Stuart
Editor: Louise Jones
Editor-in-Chief: Jim Shooter

Plot
Lando & Chewbacca are pulled from their search for Han Solo by Leia. Luke has contracted the Crimson Forever, a disease he acquired when he led a team of Rebel pilots aboard a seemingly-derelict Star Destroyer carrying a large red jewel. Now near death, Leia needs Chewbacca's help to save Luke, as she recalls Han telling her of a similar encounter with such jewels. Through C-3PO, Chewbacca recounts the tale of his and Han's adventure in the Red Nebula, in which they were pressed into service by a pirate gang and forced to help steal a pair of red jewels from a planet inside the nebula. However, Han tricked the pirates into leaving with fake jewels, though one of the pirates died as a result of briefly separating the jewels, and Han leaves the jewels with their caretaker in exchange for a ship to take them off-world.

Force in Focus: Star Wars #16

"The Hunter!"
October 1978

In a Nutshell
Valance the Hunter stalks the Star-Hoppers, searching for Luke Skywalker. 

Writer/Editor: Archie Goodwin
Guest Artists: Walt Simonson & Bob Wiacek
Colorist: Bob Sharen
Letterer: Denise Wohl
Consulting Editor: James Shooter

Plot
During the midst of a raid on a medical facility on Telos-4, a former Stormtrooper officer-turned-bounty hunter named Valance overhears a dying Don-Wan Kihotay speak of the Star-Hoppers including, specifically, a boy and his droid. Overhearing this, Valance orders his men out, telling them they have a new job. As they fly away from Telos-4, destroying the facility, Valance tells his men to focus on finding Jaxxon, who should be the easiest of the Star-Hoppers to find. Later, Jaxxon is captured by Valance's men and tortured for the name of the planet where he helped Han Solo. Amaiza intervenes, rescuing Jaxxon, but she mentions Aduba-3, giving Valance's men what they want to know. The pair races to the planet to warn Jimm the Starkiller Kid, and they devise a plan for dealing with Valance. Arriving in orbit around Aduba-3, Valance goes over the reports of the destruction of the Death Star once more, hoping that the "boy and his droid" on Aduba-3 is the same boy who helped destroy the Death Star with the friendship of droids.