Around age 10-11, two things that my world revolved around were Star Wars and rabbits.
Star Wars is pretty much a given as how much it’s been a part of my life.
But rabbits?
I had a plush bunny rabbit as one of my first toys as a baby, and I held onto that bunny well into my pre-teen years. He lead my cadre of other toys, including Action Jackson, the Six Million Dollar Man, and various other plushies.
I have always been a big fan of Warner Bros. cartoons, especially Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck.
After the initial 6-issue run of Marvel’s original Star Wars comic, they started to tell new stories. The first arc was about Han Solo and Chewbacca getting involved in a ‘Magnificent Seven’-esque confrontation on some planet.
One of the members of his gang, the Star-Hoppers of Aduba-3?
Described as a 7-foot tall Lepi smuggler, Jaxxon became my first favorite character from Star Wars who was *not* in the original film.
This means he beat out Boba Fett as my first favorite by about a year (comic released in November, 1977).
As the link mentions, Jaxxon pretty much disappeared from the comics after issue #16, with reference to him in other media, but no appearances.
Which is too bad, because the character has left a lasting impression on me and many other Star Wars fans. Whether the impression is good or bad, is up to the individual fan.
Han Solo: “I saw that, rabbit…”
Jaxxon: “Well, hooray for your side! You must’a been eatin’ your space-carrots…never could stand ’em myself! I’m—”
Han Solo: “I heard: A meat-eater…one that needs a job right?”
Jaxxon: “Well I ain’t standin’ out here for the decor.”
―Jaxxon meets Han Solo