Comic-Only Fights Adapted To Novel Format

To see if it changes our perspective on how we perceive fights that take place in comics-only, I'm going to adapt some comics into novel format. Taking requests. To serve as a template, this is how A'Sharad Hett vs Obi-Wan Kenobi looks when you directly juxtapose the comic panels with the prose from The Life and Legend of Obi-Wan Kenobi:

Hett's hands dropped to his belt and the two light-sabers practically leapt into his gloved hands. He ignited both weapons at once, unleashing their identical green energy beams. He swung fast with the lightsaber in his right hand but Ben blocked it. The lightsabers sizzled loudly as they clashed.
It was fortunate for Ben that he had continued his Jedi exercises on Tatooine, that he had not allowed his reflexes to become dull. He did not think about how long it had been since he had last used his lightsaber in combat. Nor did consider that he was older than Hett by at least a decade, or Hett's considerable skills with his own weapons, and that the Tusken was far more experienced at fighting in the desert. Ben knew that any such thoughts would probably only get him killed.
As prepared as Ben was for many things, he was not ready to die. Not yet. Not today.
Hett brought his other lightsaber in at a sharp angle, forcing Ben to lurch back. Ben gripped his own weapon with both hands as he swung at Hett's legs, but Hett blocked the swipe. There was another loud sizzle as the blades dragged across each other.

Ben gasped as Hett launched a powerful kick to his midriff. The kick knocked Ben off his feet, and as he fell back through the air, Hett hurled one of his lightsabers at Ben's body. Ben clung tight to his own lightsaber as he twisted his body in midair to avoid being struck by the spinning blade of Hett's weapon. The moment Hett's lightsaber whipped past Ben's head, Hett used the Force to retrieve it, drawing it back to his waiting left hand.
As Hett caught the lightsaber, Ben rolled up from the ground and swung out again. Hett blocked the strike with his right lightsaber, then threw his left arm forward to smash his other lightsaber's handle into Ben's jaw.

Ben ignored the painful jolt to his head and reflexively brought his blade up high, forcing Hett to block the blow with his right lightsaber and leaving his own midsection briefly exposed. Before Hett could strike with his other lightsaber, Ben kicked him hard in the stomach.
Hett grunted, but he didn't go down. He lashed out again at Ben, kicking up sand as he moved in for the kill. Not one of the mounted Tuskens so much as flinched as they watched the duel, nor did they rally for their chief. They merely watched in silence, waiting for the outcome.
Ben blocked each blow, but he wasn't doing it with ease. Hett was far more experienced at fighting on the sand and in the desert heat. Ben knew that his opponent would never surrender, let alone withdraw. As much as he hoped to avoid killing Hett, he also knew that they couldn't keep fighting indefinitely.
But in the end, Ben knew he wasn't fighting for his own life. He was fighting for Luke's.

Quickly raising his left hand, Ben used the Force to push out at Hett, shoving him back through the air as Ben's lightsaber swept up and through Hett's right arm. Hett shouted as his arm fell away from his body. As Hett stumbled back, Ben used the Force to tear Hett's other lightsaber from his left hand's grip. Both of Hett's lightsabers deactivated as they sailed past Ben and landed in the sand behind him.

Not sure if this should be a blog or a Legends discussion panel.

Anyway, do all the movie fights.

It was fortunate for Ben that he had continued his Jedi exercises on Tatooine, that he had not allowed his reflexes to become dull. He did not think about how long it had been since he had last used his lightsaber in combat. 

Interesting how some people keep bringing up the first bit of the quote to say Obi-Wan kept up his skills yet conveniently ignore the next sentence where he says it's been a while since he last used a lightsaber. 

Anyway, it's still hard to quantify how long the fight was. The way the novel depicts it, it only lasts about 3 minutes.

Cade focused on the glass case. By all appearances it was undamaged, but through the Force he could now see that it had countless imperceptible flaws. He traced the red lines with his awareness, honing in on the weakest points. Placing his hand on the glass pane, he applied pressure through the Force, allowing energy to flow into the red lines. Cracks slowly began to form until-

Clink

The case smashed into a thousand razor sharp shards. Drawing them up in the air, Cade wasted no time in turning them onto the Sith as lethal projectiles. Turning away, each Sith redirected most of the shards out of harms way. Some bounced harmlessly off of their armor, while others caused flesh wounds.

All Cade had accomplished was provocation. With a snap hiss each Sith ignited their lightsabers in a flash. Seething with anger, the Hands of Darth Krayt practically flew towards Cade, whose eyes had once again turned bloodshot red. He would avenge Hosk Trey'lis and his father and put an end to the Sith all in one fell swoop.

"C'mere." In an instant Kol Skywalker's old lightsaber had flown into his son's hand, and just as quickly Cade ignited the green blade-

And ran it through Darth Talon. "Something to karkin' remember me by, Schutta."

Darth Nihl wasted no time and mounted an attack on Cade with his custom-built long-handle Lightsaber. Before Talon's seemingly lifeless body could hit the floor a flash of red and green plasma illuminated the Sith Temple. Nihl swung his blade in a wide arc, leveraging his weight efficiently with each strike. Cade's green blade was a blur as he met each strike, which he did far from easily. Cade barely parried a low slash aimed at his legs. The Nagai Warlord turned Sith's style was unconventional and idiosyncratic, forged from a lifetime of war and training.

The battle raged on. Waves of red and green flashed from the highest window of the Sith Temple.

"Your hate makes you stronger." said Darth Krayt. "Slay the one who killed your father!"

Cade felt his anger redouble. Gripping his father's lightsaber in a strong two-handed grip, he smashed his blade against Nihl's, forcing them down. Nihl crushed shards of glass as he staggered from the weight of the strike.

"Destroy Nihl -- take your revenge."

Nihl pivoted desperately to avoid tripping over Talon. Cade continued his frenzied assault, taking his saber in a reverse grip. Forced into an awkward angle, Nihl smelt an acrid stink of plasma as he barely parried a decapitating slash. It was all the Sith could do not to lose his footing outright. Cade had changed since their last encounter - his technique was sharper, but even more alarming was the savage intensity he fought with. Drawing freely from the dark side of the Force, Cade brought lethal intent with every attack - not unlike a Sith.

"Kark that! When I'm done with him, I'm comin' for you!"

Seizing the advantage, Cade folded Nihl in half with a kick.

Nihl could sense Cade's fury intensifying with each attack. It was almost as if-

"Good! Let the anger flow through you! Strike in anger, take your revenge -- and then come join me, Skywalker -- on the dark side!"

Krayt was stoking the young Jedi's anger - the thought passed Nihl's mind that he was using Force Suggestion - drawing him further into the dark side. Cade roared, raining down on Nihl with savage strikes. Whatever the case, Krayt's plan was working.

 "It is the only path left for you!"

Nihl grew more and more desperate. He knew he was expendable to Krayt, but he could never have predicted that his life would be so easily thrown away for the sake of this boy - this Sith pretender. The advantage, insofar as he had one, was in his long experience. He knew that the key to victory lay in superior strategy. Drawing back, he let Cade expend his fury as he slashed at thin air. Cade reversed his blade into a high slash headed for Nihl's face. Nihl swung his blade forward in a reverse grip, pushing Cade further in the direction of his strike-

As the green blade whizzed where Nihl's head was an instant before, the Sith kicked Cade hard in the hip. Cade staggered forward, but regained his footing with the grace one might expect from a seasoned veteran. Regardless, Nihl pounced on the opportunity and slammed a backfist into Cade's ear.

Cade felt a jolt of pain and his eyes burned a deeper shade of red. With his left ear now ringing, the fire in the pit of his chest became an inferno.

The green blade took an arm, and before Nihl could register what had happened, an audible crunch echoed through the chamber - Nihl's fractured ribs - and he found himself flying headfirst into a nearby pillar.

The air charged with stray bolts of Force Lightning, Cade held his father's killer on the torturous precipice between life and death. Seven years ago Cade had brought his master, Wolf, back from the brink using his unique healing gift. Now, steeped in the dark side, he could use the same gift to exact his vengeance.

"Nihl is the Sith who killed your father and maimed your teacher! Claim your rightful and just vengeance! Embrace your anger, your hate, and become strong! Kill him!" said Darth Krayt.

"No."

"Why?!"

"Because you want me to!"

Cade flew towards the Dark Lord of the Sith, smashing into him with the full weight of his anger. Krayt held firm, turning the wild blow aside.

With Coruscant as the backdrop, the violent dance between Skywalker and Sith to determine the fate of the galaxy began as it had before over a century ago. Krayt, in his customary Jar'kai stance, deflected a flurry of two-handed power strikes.

"Do you think you can turn against me, Skywalker?" said Krayt. "I completed training as both Jedi and Sith. I honed my skills in the Clone Wars and I've killed thousands of opponents since then."

In Krayt's hands, the dual blades carved a lethal tapestry. Cade was forced onto the defensive, floundering to block the violent rhythm of slashes and stabs. If he parried high, he found himself dodging a low stab with mere inches to spare. Krayt attacked from all available angles and sides, picking apart the flaws in Cade's form, never allowing a moment of respite or the possibility of a counterattack.

"You are neither Jedi nor Sith -- just a mewling brat wallowing in righteous self-pity."

Krayt's assault was elegant yet savage -- wild, but layered with strategy nonetheless. Wasting nothing he pressed the advantage, seeking to pin his opponent to the nearby wall-

Cade leapt straight up into the air as a red blade sliced effortlessly through an engraved pillar. Nearly sawed in half, Cade was on the retreat.

"The only thing that saves you thus far is the blood of Vader that runs through your veins."

Smoothly transitioning into a reverse grip, Krayt swung his blade overhanded in an arc, crashing down on Cade's blade. Cade used the Force to soften the impact and keep his balance.

"There is no possibility of escape. No hope of rescue. You are trapped within the citadel of your enemies."

Cade slid his blade down Krayt's hoping to hit something - a hilt or limb would have sufficed - but with preternatural speed and strength Krayt forced the path of their blades harmlessly through the narrow space between them-

And sent Cade reeling with a Force-augmented palm strike.

"Your only hope of survival is to give in to the raw anger that is your true legacy."

Cade knew he was outmatched. But he also knew that Krayt had no intention of killing him. What's more, in spite of his overwhelming anger and desire for vengeance, he had enough experience to know when he was being goaded - even if it was working. Most important of all was what Cade had noticed the moment he locked blades with the Dark Lord of the Sith.

"Enough about me. Let's talk about you. You and my Dad opened my eyes to my abilities. I see real clear now. I can see how sick and twisted up your insides are." Cade span back around and swung at Krayt's head in a downward arc. Krayt stopped the blade cold with an X-block. Cade held him there, pressing down with all the strength he had left.

"I can see what fighting me is costing you. Those Vong... things in your innards. Nasty little critters want to take you over real bad." He hit a nerve. Krayt threw the green blade up and away, but just as quickly Cade angled a downward diagonal slash. "What do they feel like, huh? Something gnawing your guts? Clawing at you?" Cade grinned devilishly. "Tell me -- do the other Sith know how sick you really are? How weak? What would they do if they knew?"

Krayt growled, ignoring the pain of the vong coral seeds tearing at his flesh. He drew more deeply on the dark rage that had sustained him well beyond his natural life span, and smashed one blade against Cade's. With the second blade free, he-

"If I die here then I die as who I am -- controlled by nobody. You?"

Krayt held his second blade at bay. Cade held the Dark Lord's murderous gaze.

"Without me you will die -- and it won't be as Darth Krayt or even A'Sharad Hett! You'll die as some mindless Vong growth!"

Krayt knew he was right - he knew he could not kill the boy, that he needed him. He knew that his strength was dissipating rapidly, and that he could not afford to expend himself any further lest he risk being eaten alive - or worse, transformed into a mindless vongspawn. This knowledge -- that he was in a double bind, forced by a Sith Zygote, and a Skywalker at that -- unleashed an explosion of anger and self-hatred within him so volcanic that it ripped through his entire body, threatening to consume his sanity. Krayt screamed, and with inhuman strength threw Cade back, using his last shred of self-constraint to angle his blade at the ground to avoid a killing blow.

Cade's grin started to slip. Backing the most powerful man in the galaxy into a corner, dangling all that he holds dear - his life, his vision, his victory - above his head - may not have been the brightest move. But it was the only play he had left.

Krayt slammed his dual crimson blades against Cade again and again, without constraint, willing his dark anger to fuel his dying body with the energy he needed to finish this. He could not kill the boy, true, but he had no problem with destroying his will. It took all the strength Cade had just to meet Krayt's savage blows, each one grinding him down further. The muscles in Cade's forearms burned under the weight of the strikes which came again and again with no end in sight, and he found himself taking a knee.

Strategy was irrelevant now. It was only a matter of time. Either Krayt's body, his will, would give out and the vong parasites would finally claim their host, or Cade would reach the end of his strength and crumple beneath the Dark Lord. Cade lost his footing completely from a double bladed strike and slid across the ground from the sheer force of it. His victory at hand, Krayt swooped in to disarm his foe-

Only to be smashed in the back and sent careening down the temple steps. His biological armor - the very thing enslaving him - was what saved him from death.

It had been far too long since Krayt had felt the scorching sun of a desert planet. Such a planet had once been his home. Where his life had begun as a Tusken and where he’d returned after failing as a Jedi. Across the hot deserts and tombs of Korriban this heat had once again brought him new strength so long ago.
It is only fate that such heat would find him reborn again. Muurs contact was fate, the will of the force guiding him to his destiny. He only needs take it.

Talon strode beside him, she was nervous. Eyes darting back and forth looking for movement, her senses wide. Stryfe was restless, a barely contained firestorm of not unimpressive power. Had Krayt merely twitched his finger he would charge Muur like a stampeding bantha. Maladi hung back. Her presence one only of observation.
Finally, the stairway leading from their parked shuttle to the upper platform ended. Much to Krayt’s shame he found himself drawing breath more heavily than such a mundane exertion had ever required of him.


“No more.” Krayt thought. “Today I reclaim my own fate”


Skywalker was in chains. His arms stretched wide. Beside him stood Muur, looking both impressed and disappointed, his condescending stance almost reminded him of An'ya.

“I told you to come alone.” Muur cackled. His tone was hoarse but filled with utter confidence as he reached for Skywalker, small spark dancing around his fingertips. “I warned you what would happen if you did not.”



Krayt allowed a smile to grace his lips. The ancient siths attempt to speak from a position of strength was quaint, entirely predictable and easily countered. He strode forward, towering over the diminutive human female.

“You need something from me.” He stated matter of factly. “Kill Skywalker and you get nothing.” He allowed his presence in the force to expand, the desert winds of Had Abbadon picked up in response buffeting them both with sand and heat.

Muur merely smiled. “You may be too much of a coward to face me alone Lord Krayt, but at least you’re not a stupid coward.”

“Well at least the formalities are over.” Krayt mused. “Skywalker had others with him.”

“I had no use for them so they are dead.” Muur shuddered. As if remembering a time of unmatched pleasure. “It seemed to upset Skywalker. I feasted on his pain.”
Krayt fought the urge for his eyes to roll. This was what the One Sith were meant to replace. The old Sith who knew nothing but masochistic pleasure and self-destruction. Yet here he was, left no choice but to barter with one.

“No matter.” Krayt reaffirmed. He only need indulge in this game for a short time. The death of Skywalkers friends though was a pity. Draco could have led him to Fel, Sazen to whatever decaying husk was left of the Galactic Alliance and Jedi Order.


It had been far too long since he had paid K’Kruhk a visit.

“What is it you want of me Lord Murr?” Krayt droned. Muur turned his back and paced towards the chained Skywalker.

“I propose an alliance. You must kill this creature I ride and free me. Then when you and I are joined, I will heal you. Your power will be mine and my power will be yours.”

Krayt bit back a chuckle. How utterly transparent Muur’s scheme was. Once attached, Murr would try to take advantage of his weakened state to completely possess him. Only then would he heal his body, take Skywalker as his apprentice and rule the Sith Empire with his body as a vacant husk.

 “Only a little longer.”


“I need proof you can do what you say.” A simple ploy. Did Karness Muur’s arrogance outweigh his intelligence?

Muur faced him once more. His face a picture of barely contained delight. He spoke now as a king would to his servant. “As a gesture of good faith, I will begin the process. Step forward, Lord Krayt.”

Krayt smiled “You shortsighted old fool.”



Without warning Muur stepped forward and slammed his hand down upon the former Tusken’s chest. Lightning coursed throughout Krayt’s ribcage. Sky blue bolts singing his skin but venturing not one inch further.



Krayt would not let them

Muur spoke swiftly, caught in his own exertion of power. “Ye-es, yes. I sense the alien seeds within you seeking to expand their domain, to consume your flesh.” Krayt scoffed. He had known that for years. Thankfully Karness did not notice his indignation. “Together we must focus.”

Krayt had nothing to lose, he let go. Liquid fire crackled and surged through his form, only once before had the pain he was experiencing been surpassed and it was then Vergere had taught him what to do with pain.

Krayt burned. He burned brighter than Tatooine’s primary, hotter than Moorjhone on the Day of Three Suns, and at the center of his being a nuclear furnace, long forced cold, re-ignited.

The Vong implants inside him squirmed and screamed in the flames. For the first time in decades they retreated. Curled into themselves as a womp rat would at the first light of dawn
And it was dawn, the genesis, the beginning of something new. With each minute recession of the parasites his power multiplied. Only barely in the back of his mind did he hear Stryfe’s saber ignite.

“No!” with a casual thought Krayt encased his concerned Hand in a stasis field.

“Do not interfere! It’s working! Now I understand!.” He was free. With or without Muur he understood now how to rid himself of the vong! He would finally sit upon a bloodshine throne from which he would see the entire galaxy bow!



A lightsaber ignited.

“How quaint” Krayt thought. Cade’s manacles dropped to the floor as the saber met his palm

“Attack!”
 
 

Very cool what you guys have done here.

Although @ILS, explain to me: what happened here?

Smoothly transitioning into a reverse grip, Krayt swung his blade overhanded in an arc, crashing down on Cade's blade. Cade used the Force to soften the impact and keep his balance.

"There is no possibility of escape. No hope of rescue. You are trapped within the citadel of your enemies."

Cade slid his blade down Krayt's hoping to hit something - a hilt or limb would have sufficed - but with preternatural speed and strength Krayt forced the path of their blades harmlessly through the narrow space between them-

And sent Cade reeling with a Force-augmented palm strike.

"Your only hope of survival is to give in to the raw anger that is your true legacy."

Cade knew he was outmatched. But he also knew that Krayt had no intention of killing him. What's more, in spite of his overwhelming anger and desire for vengeance, he had enough experience to know when he was being goaded - even if it was working. Most important of all was what Cade had noticed the moment he locked blades with the Dark Lord of the Sith.

"Enough about me. Let's talk about you. You and my Dad opened my eyes to my abilities. I see real clear now. I can see how sick and twisted up your insides are." Cade span back around and swung at Krayt's head in a downward arc. Krayt stopped the blade cold with an X-block. Cade held him there, pressing down with all the strength he had left.

See the comic panels: Krayt has a lightsaber in both hands yet when he uses a Force push (or a palm strike as you interpret it), his hand is absent of a saber, but in the next panel he has it again. Did he deliberately drop it to strike at Cade unarmed, and then picked it up again, or did Cade disarm him?

This is a great idea. Nice job.

I kinda want to adapt the Hett/Anakin fight, that one remains one of my favorites.

TheVivas wrote:This is a great idea. Nice job.

Welcome to the forum.