1st Appearance | Origin Story | Main Publication History | Secondary Publication History | Key Storylines | Media Source Material | Key Issues | Compilations
by snowbi-wan, updated Jun 2019
Boba Fett is the Star Wars Universe's infamous and most feared bounty hunter. Although he had only minor roles in the Original Trilogy, he was the one bounty hunter--among the many hired by Darth Vader in THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK--who tracked the Millennium Falcon to Cloud City. Fett ended up with Han Solo as a prize from that job and collected Jabba the Hutt's bounty on Han. Boba Fett appeared first in ESB, then RETURN OF THE JEDI, where he was knocked into the Great Pit of Carkoon, the nesting place of the all-powerful Sarlacc, and was assumed dead. He was retro-actively added to A NEW HOPE with the Special Edition version of the film to more officially establish Jabba's bounty on Han. The Prequel Trilogy expanded on Boba Fett's background, revealing he is an unaltered clone of Jango Fett. Jango was the template for every soldier in the Republic's clone army and a reputable bounty hunter himself. Also within the New Canon, Boba Fett makes appearances in THE CLONE WARS animated television series. In comics, Dark Horse published several feature stories on Boba Fett who had survived his apparent death in ROTJ, but these stories are all part of the Legends canon now. The New Canon has not established his survival from the pit. However, he has made appearances (pre-ROTJ) in Marvel's New Canon comics, notably as the source who, for Darth Vader, discovered the identity of the pilot who destroyed the first Death Star. Fett was trained in the deadly arts by his 'father,' Jango, and continued the family tradition of wearing distinctive Mandalorian battle armor long after the fierce Mandalorians had faded from power and galactic influence. Boba Fett is a perennial fan-favorite Star Wars character who has achieved a sort of cult status. Although his comic book appearances are sporadic, any cover featuring him seems to be popular.
1st Appearance
The first appearance of a character in comic book form is often the most valuable issue featuring that character. It's a nice place to get started in Boba Fett, if it's within your budget. The treasury-sized comic book adaptation of THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK came out in May 1980. Issues #39-44 of the ongoing STAR WARS [1977] series contained the same adaptation a few months later. Issue #42 hit shelves in Sep 1980 and is more highly recognized as Boba Fett's 'first appearance.' It also features him prominently on the cover, which helps boost its collectability significantly. Treasury-sized collecting is kind of a niche collector's market, as well, hindering demand for it. As 'first appearances' can sometimes be subjective, we list both issues below with qualifiers for completeness. (Just as a curious side note, Boba Fett's first screen appearance was actually an animated short in the Star Wars Holiday Special. The special aired 18 months before ESB was released in theaters.)
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- MARVEL SPECIAL EDITION FEATURING STAR WARS: THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK [1980-TREA] #2 (1st appearance of Boba Fett (in a treasury-sized comic book))
- STAR WARS [1977] #42 (***1st appearance of Boba Fett (in a standard-sized comic book)***)
Origin Story
The original presentation of an origin story or a retelling/recounting of it can be a good place to get started with a character or subject. The 'origin' of a superhero/villain is typically the event or circumstances surrounding how they gained their powers and/or began fighting/committing crime. However, Boba Fett is not a superhero/villain. When Boba Fett appeared in THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK, pretty much nothing was known of the nefarious bounty hunter. RETURN OF THE JEDI revealed nothing new. The prequel trilogy is basically the origin of Boba Fett. An unaltered clone of Jango Fett and raised by Jango himself, Boba witnessed Jango's death by the lightsaber of Jedi Master Mace Windu during the Battle of Geonosis, presumably accelerating his journey along a bounty hunter's path. The 1998 STAR WARS HANDBOOK has a 1-page character profile of Boba Fett, but this is from the now-Legends era. As of the New Canon, only his movie and THE CLONE WARS animated series appearances are canon.
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- STAR WARS HANDBOOK [1998] #3 (1-page character profile)
Main Publication History
Series beginnings are always great places to get started in comic books. Here is the Main Publication History for Boba Fett comic books. In the classic comic era, Boba Fett made his few appearances predominantly in the film adaptations. These books tend to be highly collectible. But in the Dark Horse Legends era, Boba Fett starred in several of his own mini-series and one-shots and made minor appearances throughout the comic book line. So far, in the Marvel New Canon era, Boba Fett has made some appearances but has not had a real self-titled series yet. In this Main Publication History list, we include stories where Boba Fett is more than just a background character and stories in the flagship Star Wars series where he appears. See the Secondary Publication History section for more minor appearances of Boba Fett in comic books that don't quite meet our admittedly arbitrary criteria.
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- STAR WARS [1977] #42-44 (appearances of Boba Fett in official ESB adaptation) Find issues on MCS
- EMPIRE STRIKES BACK WEEKLY [1980-MAG] #118-135 (appearances of Boba Fett in official ESB adaptation) Find issues on MCS
- STAR WARS [1977] #50 (appearance of Boba Fett (in one panel) (Chewbacca visualizes attacking Boba Fett)) Find issues on MCS
- STAR WARS [1977] #68 (appearance of Boba Fett (in flashback)) Find issues on MCS
- STAR WARS: RETURN OF THE JEDI [1983] #1-2 (appearances of Boba Fett in official ROTJ adaptation) Find issues on MCS
- STAR WARS [1977] #81 (appearance of Boba Fett, 1st since the events in ROTJ)
Find issues on MCS - CLASSIC STAR WARS [1992] #19-20 (appearances of Boba Fett (reprints of newspaper strips)) (Dark Horse publishing begins) Find issues on MCS
- STAR WARS GALAXY MAGAZINE [1994-MAG] #5-8 (contains the serialized story BOBA FETT: TWIN ENGINES OF DESTRUCTION, takes place 1 yr post-ROTJ) Find issues on MCS
- STAR WARS: BOBA FETT [1995] #1-3 (annual series with Fett working for Gorga the Hutt) Find issues on MCS
- STAR WARS: SHADOWS OF THE EMPIRE [1996A] #1-6 (Boba Fett has a major role in this 'episode' set between ESB and ROTJ) Find issues on MCS
- STAR WARS: BATTLE OF THE BOUNTY HUNTERS [1996-HC] (an original, pop-up, hardcover comic book) Find issues on MCS
- STAR WARS: BOBA FETT--TWIN ENGINES OF DESTRUCTION [1997] (reprints serialized story from STAR WARS GALAXY MAGAZINE [1994-MAG] #5-8) Find issues on MCS
- STAR WARS: BOBA FETT--ENEMY OF THE EMPIRE [1999] #1-4 (pre-ANH tale, Vader hires Boba Fett) Find issues on MCS
- STAR WARS: BOBA FETT--AGENT OF DOOM [2000] Find issues on MCS
- STAR WARS: UNDERWORLD--THE YAVIN VASSILIKA [2000] #1-5 (appearances of Boba Fett) Find issues on MCS
- STAR WARS TALES [1999] #6-7, 11-12, 18-19 (issues of the anthology series with Boba Fett stories) Find issues on MCS
- STAR WARS: EPISODE II--ATTACK OF THE CLONES [2002] #2-4 (appearances of young Boba Fett in official AOTC adaptation) Find issues on MCS
- STAR WARS: EMPIRE [2002] #4, 7, 28 (appearances of Boba Fett) Find issues on MCS
- STAR WARS: BOBA FETT--OVERKILL [2006] Find issues on MCS
- STAR WARS: BLOOD TIES--TALE OF JANGO AND BOBA FETT [2010] #1-4 Find issues on MCS
- STAR WARS: THE FORCE UNLEASHED II [2010-SC] (video game sequel is focused on Boba Fett) Find issues on MCS
- STAR WARS ADVENTURES [2009-DIG] [5] (the fifth volume of this digest series is a Boba Fett story) Find issues on MCS
- STAR WARS: BLOOD TIES--BOBA FETT IS DEAD [2012] #1-4 Find issues on MCS
- STAR WARS [2013] #2, 5, 8-10 (appearances of Boba Fett)
Find issues on MCS - STAR WARS [2015] #1, 4-7 (appearances of Boba Fett) (Marvel publishing begins (again)) Find issues on MCS
- DARTH VADER [2015] #1, 6 (appearances of Boba Fett) Find issues on MCS
- STAR WARS: AGE OF REPUBLIC--JANGO FETT [2019] #1 (appearance of young Boba Fett) Find issues on MCS
- STAR WARS: AGE OF REBELLION--BOBA FETT [2019] #1 (one-shot) Find issues on MCS
- STAR WARS: BOUNTY HUNTERS [2020] #1-42 (ensemble cast) Find issues on MCS
Secondary Publication History
If you've already enjoyed some of the series listed in the Main Publication History above, series from this secondary publication list are very good places to further your exploration. The Main Publication History list include stories where Boba Fett is more than just a background character and stories in the flagship Star Wars series where he appears. In this Secondary Publication History section, we include more minor appearances of Boba Fett in comic books. In some cases, this may include only a couple of the issues of a mini-series.
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- STAR WARS: DARK EMPIRE [1991] #4 (appearance of Boba Fett; Fett's survival of Sarlaac revealed; a vindictive Boba Fett is after Han Solo) Find issues on MCS
- STAR WARS: DARK EMPIRE II [1994] #2, 4-5 (appearance of Boba Fett) Find issues on MCS
- STAR WARS: JANGO FETT [2002] (appearance of young Boba Fett) Find issues on MCS
- STAR WARS: ZAM WESELL [2002] (appearance of young Boba Fett) Find issues on MCS
- STAR WARS: INFINITIES--THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK [2002] #1-2 (appearances of Boba Fett in alternate reality interpretation of ESB) Find issues on MCS
- STAR WARS: INFINITIES--RETURN OF THE JEDI [2003] #1-2 (appearances of Boba Fett in alternate reality interpretation of ROTJ) Find issues on MCS
- STAR WARS: CRIMSON EMPIRE III--EMPIRE LOST [2011] #1-2 (appearances of Boba Fett) Find issues on MCS
- STAR WARS: AGENT OF THE EMPIRE--HARD TARGETS [2012] #1, 4-5 (appearances of Boba Fett)
Find issues on MCS
Selected Key Storylines
This section contains a curated list of some of the best storylines for Boba Fett, any one of which can be a good place to get started. This is a difficult list to make. If you love Boba Fett, then this list will just be a list of everything all over again. We'll resist that urge by only including some selections with notes on their noteworthiness.
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| 1997 | STAR WARS: BOBA FETT--TWIN ENGINES OF DESTRUCTION [1997] (a cold-blooded Fett hunts his inferior imposter, Jodo Kast; originally serialized in STAR WARS GALAXY MAGAZINE [1994-MAG] #5-8) |
| 2010 | STAR WARS: BLOOD TIES--TALE OF JANGO AND BOBA FETT [2010] #1-4 (fantastic, complicated tale where Boba's bounty turns out to be his own half-brother?!?) |
| 2010 | STAR WARS: THE FORCE UNLEASHED II [2010-SC] (plenty of great Boba Fett vs. Starkiller in this video game tie-in, sequel volume) |
| 2012 | STAR WARS: BLOOD TIES--BOBA FETT IS DEAD [2012] #1-4 (equally thrilling sequel to the first BLOOD TIES mini-series) |
Key Issues
A key issue can be an acceptable place to get started with Boba Fett, but they are more of a collector's checklist, as they can carry high price tags. The issues listed in this section are predominantly non-variants (i.e. main covers). But, then, any cover--main or variant--with Boba Fett on it is eagerly sought after by collectors...because it means there's a high likelyhood the popular bounty hunter is inside!
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- STAR WARS [1977] #42 (1st appearance of Boba Fett in comics (in ESB adaptation)) Find it on eBay
- EMPIRE STRIKES BACK WEEKLY [1980-MAG] #129 (appearance of Boba Fett (in ESB adaptation)) Find it on eBay
- STAR WARS [1977] #68 (appearance of Boba Fett (in flashback)) Find it on eBay
- STAR WARS [1977] #81 (appearance of Boba Fett, 1st (in the classic era) since his apparent death in ROTJ) Find it on eBay
- STAR WARS: DARK EMPIRE [1991] #4 (appearance of Boba Fett, 1st (in the Expanded Universe era) since his apparent death in ROTJ; Boba Fett cover) Find it on eBay
- STAR WARS: DARK EMPIRE II [1994] #2 (Boba Fett cover) Find it on eBay
- STAR WARS: DARK EMPIRE II [1994] #4 (Boba Fett cover) Find it on eBay
- CLASSIC STAR WARS: THE EARLY ADVENTURES [1994] #9 (appearance of Boba Fett (reprinted from newspaper strips); Boba Fett cover) Find it on eBay
- STAR WARS: SHADOWS OF THE EMPIRE [1996A] #2 (Boba Fett cover) Find it on eBay
- STAR WARS: SHADOWS OF THE EMPIRE [1996B] (Boba Fett cover) Find it on eBay
- STAR WARS: BOBA FETT [1995] #1/2 (appearance of Boba Fett) Find it on eBay
- STAR WARS TALES [1999] #7 (appearance of Boba Fett; Boba Fett cover) Find it on eBay
- STAR WARS TALES [1999] #7 PHOTO VAR (appearance of Boba Fett; Boba Fett cover) Find it on eBay
- STAR WARS: EMPIRE [2002] #7 (appearance of Boba Fett; Boba Fett cover) Find it on eBay
- STAR WARS TALES [1999] #18 (appearance of Boba Fett; Boba Fett cover) Find it on eBay
- STAR WARS TALES [1999] #18 PHOTO VAR (appearance of Boba Fett; Boba Fett cover) Find it on eBay
- STAR WARS: EMPIRE [2002] #28 (appearance of Boba Fett; Boba Fett cover) Find it on eBay
- STAR WARS: BLOOD TIES--TALE OF JANGO AND BOBA FETT [2010] #2 (1st appearance of Connor Freeman (Boba Fett's 'half-brother') (Legends)) Find it on eBay
- STAR WARS: DOCTOR APHRA [2017] #24 REIS GALACTIC ICON VAR (Boba Fett cover) Find it on eBay
Compilations
In modern comic publishing, it's common (and expected) for individual comic book issues to be collected into compilations of trade paperbacks and/or hardcovers, as well as other special compilations. Unlike the individual source issues, the collected editions typically stay in print for long periods and are less 'collectible.' If individual issues are out of reach or are not of interest to you or if you just need reading copies, the following collected editions of Boba Fett comic books are the most recent in-print editions and are the perfect alternative to get started right away with Boba Fett. The following compilations are presented in a chronologically-based suggested reading order with softcover editions before any hardcover editions (unless the only in-print editions are hardcover--these are integrated into the softcover list).
The bulk of Boba Fett comic book material is from the Dark Horse era (and is now relegated to the non-canon Legends label), and all of their editions are out-of-print. They had a beautiful compilation if you can find it for a reasonable price on the secondary market: STAR WARS OMNIBUS: BOBA FETT [2010-TPB]. Fett's material is sparse and dispersed, but some of it is appearing in Marvel's in-print STAR WARS LEGENDS EPIC COLLECTION series of trade paperbacks. We include those in the list below with notes on what they contain.
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| Cover | Release Month | Series / Number / Storyline | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Quick View | Apr 2010 | STAR WARS OMNIBUS: BOBA FETT [2010-TPB] SUBSEQUENT PRINTINGS (*** OUT-OF-PRINT ***) |  | Go to Amazon | |
 Quick View | May 2018 | STAR WARS LEGENDS EPIC COLLECTION: THE EMPIRE [2015-TPB] VOL 04 CURRENT PRINTING (contains STAR WARS: BOBA FETT--ENEMY OF THE EMPIRE [1999] #1-4) | | Go to Amazon | |
 Quick View | May 2015 | STAR WARS LEGENDS EPIC COLLECTION: THE NEW REPUBLIC [2015-TPB] VOL 01 CURRENT PRINTING (contains STAR WARS: BOBA FETT--TWIN ENGINES OF DESTRUCTION [1997]) | | Go to Amazon | |
 Quick View | Jul 2019 | STAR WARS: AGE OF REBELLION--VILLAINS [2019-TPB] | UNAVAILABLE | $11.69 |
Media Source Material
If you've enjoyed non-comic media for Boba Fett, this section describes the comic book source material for some of the most popular non-comic media. However, with Star Wars, movies and other media are typically not produced from comic source material. Comic book adaptations and comic book spin-offs are instead produced from movies and other media. (Another curious side note: since the forthcoming MANDALORIAN live-action television series is set only 3 years after RETURN OF THE JEDI, there's a slight chance that Boba Fett may show up in that series...that is, if he survived the Great Pit of Carkoon in the New Canon! We know his armor was retrieved from the Sarlaac because it appeared in the AFTERMATH novel trilogy which is in the New Canon.)