Star Wars: Age of Rebellion Grand Moff Tarkin # 1 2019 NM

Star Wars: Age of Rebellion — Grand Moff Tarkin #1 is a canon one-shot comic published by Marvel Comics on April 10, 2019. Written by Greg Pak and illustrated by Marc Laming, the issue, titled "Tooth and Claw," serves as a disturbing character study of the man behind the Death Star. 

Plot Summary

The story explores Tarkin’s ruthless leadership and the survivalist upbringing on his homeworld, Eriadu, that forged his cold resolve. 

• The Lesson: A flashback shows a young Tarkin left alone on the Carrion Plains by his uncle Jova to face deadly predators, teaching him that one must "kill or be killed".
• The Fantasy: On the Death Star, Tarkin conducts a failed firing simulation. He singles out Chief Gunner Endo Frant and envisions a brutal, shirtless duel where he kills the younger man to demonstrate Imperial discipline.
• The Execution: Following the actual destruction of Alderaan, biometric trackers reveal that Frant and several other gunners hesitated during the sequence.
• The Final Act: When Frant asks if Tarkin would ever destroy his own home, Tarkin coldly states he would do so "with pleasure". He then has the hesitant gunners jettisoned into the vacuum of space.