The Frozen World of Ota

"The Frozen World of Ota" is the last comic strip written by Russ Manning. When poor health forced Manning to abandon the strip, his assistant, Rick Hoberg, and inker, Alfredo Alcala, completed the story.

Plot summary

Luke Skywalker is chasing a damaged TIE fighter, which crashes on Ota. The pilot is Boba Fett. Their shootout is interrupted by the Snogars, planet inhabitants who kidnap both of them because they need smart outworlders to fix their city's generator before they freeze.

In order to get away, however, Boba causes the generator to blow up. Luke would rather have reasoned with the Snogars, but now the Snogars are chasing both of them because of Boba's act.

Han, Chewbacca, Leia, and the droids follow Luke to the planet, and Han goes looking for him. He is then kidnapped by the Snogars as well. Boba sees Han and advances on him, saying that he can turn Han in to Jabba for some extra money. Han, however, is not Boba's quarry on this trip. Luke kicks Boba from behind, and the two heroes briefly have the bounty hunter in a hold before he breaks out of it.

Meanwhile, Chewbacca has gone to look for Han on the ice planet and is attacked by a large snow-serpent-type monster. An avalanche falls on him, and he is saved by a mysterious man.

Back in the city, the angry Snogars catch up to Boba and the star warriors. Boba wards them off with his flames and demands to know where the Mole is. The Snogars are still intent on killing them, however, so Boba wrecks more of their machinery. One part of the city, though, is still lit. The Snogars say that part of the city is a bad place of ancient outworlders and that they never go there.

So, of course, the three do go there directly, where they find the Mole nursing Chewie back to health. The Mole is Boba's target. He is a spy for Darth Vader, who has recently abandoned the Empire. He escapes Boba by hitting a gas switch and gassing the rest of the party as they pass through a doorway.

Leia comes up behind the group then, having nearly become another kidnapee, but then agreeing to go with the Snogars willingly. The party overpowers Fett and when the power turns back on, his armor magnetizes to the wall and leaves him stuck in place while the others escape.