Original generated cover art — not a reproduction of any published cover
Mara Jade’s last mission as the Emperor’s Hand, and what happens to an assassin whose employer dies mid-assignment and leaves a final order ringing in her head.
Seven issues numbered #0 to #6, published between July 1998 and February 1999, written by Timothy Zahn — who created the character — with Michael A. Stackpole, and drawn by Carlos Ezquerra of 2000 AD. Covers by Kilian Plunkett. Collected in September 1999.
This run is in the catalogue but has not been written up. Everything above is verified publication data; there is no opinion here yet, and a placeholder review would be worse than none.
The arc breakdown and issue list below are the useful part for now.
Structure
How the run divides, and where a reader can get on and off.
#0–6
By the Emperor’s Hand
Every issue
Number, title, cover date and credits. A dash means the field is not verified — not that it is empty.
| # | Title | Cover date | Writer | Artist | Cover artist | Arc | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | — | July 1998 | Timothy Zahn, Michael A. Stackpole | Carlos Ezquerra | — | By the Emperor’s Hand | The #0 prologue. Wookieepedia’s infobox describes the run as six issues; its own issue table lists seven, #0 through #6, and the trade paperback collects all seven. |
| 1 | — | August 1998 | Timothy Zahn, Michael A. Stackpole | Carlos Ezquerra | Kilian Plunkett | By the Emperor’s Hand | |
| 2 | — | September 1998 | Timothy Zahn, Michael A. Stackpole | Carlos Ezquerra | Kilian Plunkett | By the Emperor’s Hand | |
| 3 | — | October 1998 | Timothy Zahn, Michael A. Stackpole | Carlos Ezquerra | Kilian Plunkett | By the Emperor’s Hand | |
| 4 | — | November 1998 | Timothy Zahn | Carlos Ezquerra | Kilian Plunkett | By the Emperor’s Hand | |
| 5 | — | December 1998 | Timothy Zahn, Michael A. Stackpole | Carlos Ezquerra | Kilian Plunkett | By the Emperor’s Hand | |
| 6 | — | February 1999 | Timothy Zahn, Michael A. Stackpole | Carlos Ezquerra | Kilian Plunkett | By the Emperor’s Hand |
In print
Trades, omnibuses and Epic Collections. ISBNs appear only where verified.
| Edition | Format | Publisher | Year | Collects | ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Star Wars: Mara Jade – By the Emperor’s Hand | TPB | Dark Horse Comics | 1999 | Star Wars: Mara Jade – By the Emperor’s Hand #0-6 | 1569714010 |
Dossiers
Encyclopedia entries for the figures this run develops.
The Emperor’s assassin who became Luke Skywalker’s wife — and the best case for reading Legends.
A thousand years of Sith planning, executed by a man whose main weapon was committee procedure.
The farm boy the whole shelf is built around — and the character the two continuities disagree about most.
