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Star Wars: Tag & Bink #1-4
Star Wars: Tag & Bink Were Here
The infamous exploits of this hapless Rebel pair are now collected in one single, attractive, and highly portable volume!
Officers Tag Greenley and Bink Otauna were minding their own business aboard a familiar, princess-harboring freighter when they suddenly found themselves under siege. Now under attack by the Empire, they will choose life over a noble death and "borrow" the armor off a pair of deceased stormtroopers. Their new disguises might get them off the freighter alive, but they'll also lead Tag and Bink on an adventure neither could have predicted!
Chockfull of appearances by everyone's favorite Star Wars characters, Tag and Bink cleverly weaves the pair's misadventures into the movies themselves. No setting is safe as they traverse the galaxy from the Death Star to the Sarlacc pit to Cloud City to Endor!
Written by fan-favorite writer Kevin Rubio (creator of the internet film sensation Troops and hilarious short stories from Star Wars Tales) and illustrated by Star Wars stalwart Lucas Marangon, find out why Tag and Bink is a favorite of many Dark Horse employees.
Officers Tag Greenley and Bink Otauna were minding their own business aboard a familiar, princess-harboring freighter when they suddenly found themselves under siege. Now under attack by the Empire, they will choose life over a noble death and "borrow" the armor off a pair of deceased stormtroopers. Their new disguises might get them off the freighter alive, but they'll also lead Tag and Bink on an adventure neither could have predicted!
Chockfull of appearances by everyone's favorite Star Wars characters, Tag and Bink cleverly weaves the pair's misadventures into the movies themselves. No setting is safe as they traverse the galaxy from the Death Star to the Sarlacc pit to Cloud City to Endor!
Written by fan-favorite writer Kevin Rubio (creator of the internet film sensation Troops and hilarious short stories from Star Wars Tales) and illustrated by Star Wars stalwart Lucas Marangon, find out why Tag and Bink is a favorite of many Dark Horse employees.
104 pages, Paperback
First published November 8, 2006
22 people are currently reading
235 people want to read
About the author
Kevin Rubio
45 books1 followerRubio studied theater and photography throughout his high school years in California, and made his directorial debut at the age of 17 with a stage adaptation of Robert Redford’s Ordinary People. He spent the next two years directing musical theater in such productions as You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat, earning several awards for these productions. From 1984 - 1988, he apprenticed in the field of lighting, set design, and directing under George Costa, director of the San Jose Civic Light Opera House.
In 1988, Rubio attended Long Beach State University with a major in film. He almost graduated in 1991 and spent the next three years doing various production jobs.
In 1992, Rubio wrote and directed Re-Animation, an animated Frankenstein short that attracted the attention of the Fox Kids Network. Based on the strength of the short, Rubio was hired to design animated characters for their Saturday morning line-up, and eventually headed up their cel animation art department.
In 1996, Rubio produced his first feature film, the low-budget Movies ‘til Dawn, but his biggest success to date came in 1997 with the internet release of Troops, a Star Wars/COPS parody that has been credited with starting the Internet short film craze. The film was later recognized by Lucasfilm with the Pioneer Award at the 2002 Official Star Wars Fan Film Awards.
Rubio has made a living since as a freelance writer and award-winning promotion producer, and has written comic books for Dark Horse's successful Star Wars Tales line. In 2001, Lucasfilm asked Rubio to create a two-part original comedic story for the Star Wars comic line, and he delivered "Tag and Bink Are Dead", which has gone on to critical and financial success. His compilation trade paperback: "Tag and Bink Were Here" was named one of the top trade paperback books of 2006 by The American Library Association.
His list of writer/director credits includes a pilot presentation for the Sci-Fi Channel (Alien Hunter - a sort of Crocodile Hunter in space), Colossor (a pilot for MTV), Action Man for Fox Kids, and Storm Watch, a pilot for the USA Network.
In 2006, Rubio was inducted into the 501st Legion as an honorary member during the 501st dinner at Comic Con International in San Diego.
In 2007, Rubio was contracted by G4 to help integrate Attack of the Show with an online webcam from the site Stickam. He can be seen on the aots webcam talking to fans.
In 2015, Rubio released a Star Wars fan film titled Ackbar's Eleven.
In 1988, Rubio attended Long Beach State University with a major in film. He almost graduated in 1991 and spent the next three years doing various production jobs.
In 1992, Rubio wrote and directed Re-Animation, an animated Frankenstein short that attracted the attention of the Fox Kids Network. Based on the strength of the short, Rubio was hired to design animated characters for their Saturday morning line-up, and eventually headed up their cel animation art department.
In 1996, Rubio produced his first feature film, the low-budget Movies ‘til Dawn, but his biggest success to date came in 1997 with the internet release of Troops, a Star Wars/COPS parody that has been credited with starting the Internet short film craze. The film was later recognized by Lucasfilm with the Pioneer Award at the 2002 Official Star Wars Fan Film Awards.
Rubio has made a living since as a freelance writer and award-winning promotion producer, and has written comic books for Dark Horse's successful Star Wars Tales line. In 2001, Lucasfilm asked Rubio to create a two-part original comedic story for the Star Wars comic line, and he delivered "Tag and Bink Are Dead", which has gone on to critical and financial success. His compilation trade paperback: "Tag and Bink Were Here" was named one of the top trade paperback books of 2006 by The American Library Association.
His list of writer/director credits includes a pilot presentation for the Sci-Fi Channel (Alien Hunter - a sort of Crocodile Hunter in space), Colossor (a pilot for MTV), Action Man for Fox Kids, and Storm Watch, a pilot for the USA Network.
In 2006, Rubio was inducted into the 501st Legion as an honorary member during the 501st dinner at Comic Con International in San Diego.
In 2007, Rubio was contracted by G4 to help integrate Attack of the Show with an online webcam from the site Stickam. He can be seen on the aots webcam talking to fans.
In 2015, Rubio released a Star Wars fan film titled Ackbar's Eleven.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 77 reviews
December 23, 2017
Tom Stoppard’s play Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead retold Hamlet from the perspective of two minor characters; Tag & Bink Were Here is essentially the Star Wars version of that as two nobodies stumble from one wrong place to one wrong time and in the process show us the story of the original trilogy and the prequels, as well as inadvertently playing a role in the overall saga.
As you’d expect from that concept, the tone of Kevin Rubio’s script is very light and silly and Lucas Marangon’s art matches it by being suitably cartoony and irreverent. There were a couple of amusing moments here and there like Tag & Bink playing Cyrano de Bergerac to a clueless Anakin as he witlessly wooed Amidala and I’m not sure if Rubio originated it but the Manny Both-Hanz joke. And credit to Rubio for putting it all together as a readable narrative.
It’s just not much of a story. Tag & Bink as “characters” are whatever the plot needs them to be while the plot itself is one-note and repetitive as, like Scooby and Shaggy, they scaredy-run from one disaster to another. It’s not very funny, it’s too flip and too pointless to be any good. A cute idea but many others have poked fun at Star Wars far better and more entertainingly elsewhere.
As you’d expect from that concept, the tone of Kevin Rubio’s script is very light and silly and Lucas Marangon’s art matches it by being suitably cartoony and irreverent. There were a couple of amusing moments here and there like Tag & Bink playing Cyrano de Bergerac to a clueless Anakin as he witlessly wooed Amidala and I’m not sure if Rubio originated it but the Manny Both-Hanz joke. And credit to Rubio for putting it all together as a readable narrative.
It’s just not much of a story. Tag & Bink as “characters” are whatever the plot needs them to be while the plot itself is one-note and repetitive as, like Scooby and Shaggy, they scaredy-run from one disaster to another. It’s not very funny, it’s too flip and too pointless to be any good. A cute idea but many others have poked fun at Star Wars far better and more entertainingly elsewhere.
January 18, 2018
A story that tries too to be funny, and although has a few sublime moments, those are too few. I wonder why I had such a fondness for this book, but it's not the classic I was hoping it was. This book hit all of its objectives, it was intended to be funny and it worked, but I felt none too richer after reading it.
October 18, 2018
Thanks to Marvel, this collection has been reprinted in a single volume, which includes five issues. "Tag and Bink Are Dead 1" features a parody of Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, in which Tag and Bink, extremely unfortunate and lousy rebels, are the Rosencrants and Guildenstern of Star Wars. They are the people in the background, the characters that were there the whole time, but you never knew! Presumably dead, the creator brings us to "Tag and Bink are Dead 2," where we get their behind the scenes version of The Empire Strikes Back. They are rather unlucky and come across things that we as the reader have already experienced, such as Cloud City. They also seem to have a number of random encounters with Boba Fett. "The Return of Tag and Bink" obviously features their adventures during The Return of the Jedi, and then we take a step into the past with "Tag and Bink: Revenge of the Clone Menace." Yeah, let's just compile their adventures in the prequel trilogy into one tiny thing because...well...prequels. Pretty sure I just saw Jay and Silent Bob in there... And only with this Marvel compilation do we get "The Revenge of Tag and Bink" which is the same thing as "Star Wars Tales 12." This one is extremely short but rather hilarious in that Tag and Bink find themselves stuck in the sarlacc pit....and some Monsters, Inc. characters make an appearance...?
This collection is absolutely hilarious and for any lover of Star Wars, especially the original trilogy. It's fun to follow Tag and Bink and see how they view certain events, or where they were when certain events happen, while us, the reader, imagine the original scene in comparison. I'm also a huge Hamlet fan, so having these perfect Rosencrants and Guildenstern parody characters in one of my favorite media franchises is hilariously fun! I highly recommend to all Star Wars fans and lovers of humor!
This collection is absolutely hilarious and for any lover of Star Wars, especially the original trilogy. It's fun to follow Tag and Bink and see how they view certain events, or where they were when certain events happen, while us, the reader, imagine the original scene in comparison. I'm also a huge Hamlet fan, so having these perfect Rosencrants and Guildenstern parody characters in one of my favorite media franchises is hilariously fun! I highly recommend to all Star Wars fans and lovers of humor!
January 14, 2016
A very smart and funny parody. I loved how they always seemed to be in the right place at the wrong time.
December 31, 2021
Star Wars Legends Project #293
Background: Tag & Bink Were Here, released in November of 2006, collects 4 issues originally published between October 2001 and April 2006. All 4 issues were written by Kevin Rubio and drawn by Lucas Marangon. Both also did a handful of stories for Star Wars Tales. Rubio also wrote the episode "Bombad Jedi" for The Clone Wars show, though he is perhaps best-known for creating the fan-favorite short film TROOPS.
Tag & Bink Were Here takes place throughout both the original trilogy and most of the prequel trilogy films, but it is not canon and therefore has no bearing on the timeline. The main characters are Tag Greenley and Bink Otauna, with cameo appearances by most major characters from the saga. The story takes place primarily in the various locations of the films.
Summary: Friends and comrades-in-arms Tag and Bink, one from Corellia, the other from Alderaan, are a pair of Rebels who always seem to manage to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. We first meet them aboard the Tantive IV, moments before it is boarded by Darth Vader. Life expectancy for any expendable Rebel trooper is short, but things are about to get so much worse . . .
Review: There are probably people who will hate, or at least be indifferent to what Rubio is doing here, but I can't imagine why anyone that deprived of a sense of fun would be a Star Wars fan to begin with. With an obvious nod to "Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead," Rubio drags his characters through the background of almost every major event in a Star Wars film to that point, with a seemingly bottomless capacity to generate inventive and hilarious gags out of familiar scenes. I found the whole exercise totally delightful from start to finish.
A
Background: Tag & Bink Were Here, released in November of 2006, collects 4 issues originally published between October 2001 and April 2006. All 4 issues were written by Kevin Rubio and drawn by Lucas Marangon. Both also did a handful of stories for Star Wars Tales. Rubio also wrote the episode "Bombad Jedi" for The Clone Wars show, though he is perhaps best-known for creating the fan-favorite short film TROOPS.
Tag & Bink Were Here takes place throughout both the original trilogy and most of the prequel trilogy films, but it is not canon and therefore has no bearing on the timeline. The main characters are Tag Greenley and Bink Otauna, with cameo appearances by most major characters from the saga. The story takes place primarily in the various locations of the films.
Summary: Friends and comrades-in-arms Tag and Bink, one from Corellia, the other from Alderaan, are a pair of Rebels who always seem to manage to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. We first meet them aboard the Tantive IV, moments before it is boarded by Darth Vader. Life expectancy for any expendable Rebel trooper is short, but things are about to get so much worse . . .
Review: There are probably people who will hate, or at least be indifferent to what Rubio is doing here, but I can't imagine why anyone that deprived of a sense of fun would be a Star Wars fan to begin with. With an obvious nod to "Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead," Rubio drags his characters through the background of almost every major event in a Star Wars film to that point, with a seemingly bottomless capacity to generate inventive and hilarious gags out of familiar scenes. I found the whole exercise totally delightful from start to finish.
A
April 20, 2012
So what happens when two basically inept Rebels on the Tantive IV decide to disguise themselves as storm troopers instead of facing certain death? A very silly series of comics. Tag and Bink are everywhere, usually in disguise, and usually doing no good. (It's revealed in the prequel comic that Anakin's horrible romantic lines were actually fed to him by young Tag and Bink, which explains so very, very much.) It's a silly parody, but a lot of fun to read.
August 26, 2017
Pretty silly, kinda fun.
May 14, 2021
Embarrasingly bad even for a parody.
A ship-wreck from start to finish, definitely NOT as funny as it believes to be.
A ship-wreck from start to finish, definitely NOT as funny as it believes to be.
May 27, 2013
Forgot to mark this as read a few weeks ago. Honestly this was just OK but it gets 3 stars for the meta humor. Star Wars fans who like parody will enjoy it, but I'll take Mad magazine's straight parodies of the movies over this any day.
January 8, 2008
so disappointed... I thought this would be hilarious, it had a few funny parts, but for the most part it was lame.
The art was pretty good.
The art was pretty good.
May 9, 2018
Actual rating: 2.75 stars.
Not bad, but a little too cartoony for me tbh. It's a good part of Star Wars history though, so I would still say give it a try!
Not bad, but a little too cartoony for me tbh. It's a good part of Star Wars history though, so I would still say give it a try!
May 5, 2018
As luck would have it, I was able to start and finish this on May the Fourth to appropriately celebrate Star Wars day. And honestly these comics were a decent choice for that as they spanned through the original trilogy and prequel trilogy. I decided to read this next because supposedly the characters of Tag and Bink are making their first ever canon debut (as these comics aren’t even apart of the Legends canon timeline) in “Solo: A Star Wars Story,” and I thought I’d read how the characters were originally written before I see the film— even if they are just a glorified cameo.
As for the comic itself, I’m split. It’s one of the better parodies out there (especially for Star Wars) and it was a great homage to “Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead, but it did certainly feel rushed. Even Rubio (who apparently also made the amazing fan film, “Troopers,” the parody of “Cops”) admits to this in the opening scroll, but perhaps it’s because he was only given a couple issues and two one-shots to over the films. The was it transitioned was Tag & Bink literally just stumble into delete scenes or situations in the films and that lead to almost no character development. So the way that the story flows is that the reader is more excited to see how the next scene falls into place rather than what’s next for Tag & Bink. Honestly if Rubio was given the time to craft the story over like ten issues we could have gotten even a more “Lion Ling 1/2” approach. But this isn’t really his fault and he really did do the best he could. But I will say that the RotJ and Prequel issues provided the most room for any character development the way they were structured.
For the comedy I think he had a few bits that he absolutely nailed, such as the “new BT-16” callback, them with Lando, deleting the planet from the archives, etc. There were tons of great parts, overall is a quick read for a quick laugh. It’s a fun and unique choice for a Star Wars story and while it’s not perfect, it’s highly entertaining and worth your time.
As for the comic itself, I’m split. It’s one of the better parodies out there (especially for Star Wars) and it was a great homage to “Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead, but it did certainly feel rushed. Even Rubio (who apparently also made the amazing fan film, “Troopers,” the parody of “Cops”) admits to this in the opening scroll, but perhaps it’s because he was only given a couple issues and two one-shots to over the films. The was it transitioned was Tag & Bink literally just stumble into delete scenes or situations in the films and that lead to almost no character development. So the way that the story flows is that the reader is more excited to see how the next scene falls into place rather than what’s next for Tag & Bink. Honestly if Rubio was given the time to craft the story over like ten issues we could have gotten even a more “Lion Ling 1/2” approach. But this isn’t really his fault and he really did do the best he could. But I will say that the RotJ and Prequel issues provided the most room for any character development the way they were structured.
For the comedy I think he had a few bits that he absolutely nailed, such as the “new BT-16” callback, them with Lando, deleting the planet from the archives, etc. There were tons of great parts, overall is a quick read for a quick laugh. It’s a fun and unique choice for a Star Wars story and while it’s not perfect, it’s highly entertaining and worth your time.
March 10, 2018
I have literally been holding onto a copy of this from the library since Austin McConnell made his video about it back in July. Of last year.
Because of that (and Austin's awesome video) I think I hyped this up far more than it deserved to be. It's one of those things that's hilarious and awesome in concept, but not so much in execution. It's cute, it's silly, and it's fun, but it isn't really special.
The most entertaining part to me was the section that focused on the prequels, where Jay and Silent Bob (yes that Jay and Silent Bob) show up as jedi masters and take Tag and Bink to train as jedi. In their usual fashion, hijinks (Tag and HiBinks?) ensue and the pair ends up giving Anakin dating advice. That part was inspired.
Past that and a few other clever lines here and there, it was just a cute novelty. Here's to hoping Tag and Bink are more interesting and attention-catching in the new Han Solo movie.
Because of that (and Austin's awesome video) I think I hyped this up far more than it deserved to be. It's one of those things that's hilarious and awesome in concept, but not so much in execution. It's cute, it's silly, and it's fun, but it isn't really special.
The most entertaining part to me was the section that focused on the prequels, where Jay and Silent Bob (yes that Jay and Silent Bob) show up as jedi masters and take Tag and Bink to train as jedi. In their usual fashion, hijinks (Tag and HiBinks?) ensue and the pair ends up giving Anakin dating advice. That part was inspired.
Past that and a few other clever lines here and there, it was just a cute novelty. Here's to hoping Tag and Bink are more interesting and attention-catching in the new Han Solo movie.
January 20, 2021
What if the Star Wars universe had its own versions of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern from Shakespeare's Hamlet? That's the question Kevin Rubio tries to answer in this non-Canon story that chronicles the misadventures of two Jedi Padawans turn Rebel soldiers, Tag and Bink. Following the duo through the first 6 Star Wars movies readers see how Tag and Bink were present at some of the series' biggest moments, often in the background or just off-screen. The story is a nice parody/homage to the universe with a few good jokes thrown in as well. It's mostly a footnote in the history of Star Wars stories (although Tag and Bink were technically made Canon by Solo, TBD on how much of their misadventures were Canonized as well) this is still a humorous excursion to A Galaxy Far Far Away.
February 16, 2018
Tag & Bink series is probably one of my favourite Star Wars spinoff series that I've ever read. it's a great parody of Rrosencratz and Guildenstern are Dead, with a lot of cameos and even fourth-wall breaking. and how they actually involved in major events in Star Wars made this better. I also love their bromance (or such an otp? *cough*) that already been made from the Episode 2 (AND THEY EVEN A FRIEND OF ANAKIN SKYWALKER? OHMY).
so yep, rated this 3.5 stars. too bad there's only a little of this even though these such a potential series and characters.
so yep, rated this 3.5 stars. too bad there's only a little of this even though these such a potential series and characters.
May 5, 2018
This comic was alot of fun. It was Star Wars Legends' Deadpool-like comic. It was really fun to witness Star Wars' Rosencrantz and Guildenstern interact with the film timeline, along with some great cameos, including Jay and Silent Bob. I read this because I know that these characters will appear in the new Solo movie and I had never read these before. I am hopeful that the canon will do more with the characters in other media and create their own version. I later found out that the creator was the same dude who did the famous youtube video "Troopers". It's alot of fun. Recommend.
March 23, 2018
I loved this book. Definitely for relatively serious fans who can recognize all of the references (I'm sure that I missed a few background gags the reference other comics or novels, but I did catch Skippy the Jedi Droid!), but the script is witty and - if you can forgive how, from Tag and Bink's perspective, the entire trilogy seems to take place in only a week or two - ties the characters into things in (semi!) plausible ways. Terrific cartooning from Marangon.
November 22, 2017
Inspired by the Shakespearian back-story parody of Hamlet, "Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead", Tag & Bink is a very clever non-canon read. Unfortunately, I'm not sure that this will hold well with future canon works, but it was a lot of fun nevertheless. This is a work any Star Wars fan would find to be entertaining.
January 6, 2018
3.5 stars - I thought this was pretty funny and I could tell the writer had a lot of love and knowledge of the Star Wars universe. I thoroughly enjoyed the first three issues quite a bit, but I felt the last one came up flat a bit. It reminded me of the old Mad or Cracked magazines I used to look at when I was a kid and it was a nice take on some funny parts of the movies..
October 9, 2018
Oh, this was fun! This comedy takes on Star Wars saga (original trilogy), with two nobodies (or are they?) in the shadow of great galactic events. So many references to Original SW trilogy and Disney's universe characters hidden all over the thing, with a great humouristic note to every situation. I felt sceptical about this, but this is so far from serious that you must love it.
August 2, 2020
Tag and Bink are to Star Wars what Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are to Hamlet - they are two nobodies who repeatedly find themselves watching the major scenes unfold and commenting on the action without understanding the consequences. Light and fun, but if you've watched the films more than once you can probably guess the jokes!
January 31, 2021
An amusingly done story with fun art that places two hapless losers into the backdrop of key Star Wars moments as they bumble their way through the saga. It’s never quite as outrageous as it promises to be, and its coy fourth-wall-breaking winks can be too cute by half, but this is an amusingly told read and essential for a certain kind of STAR WARS fan.
September 9, 2023
I stumbled across this excellent TPB at the second-hand store. This came out before I started collecting Star Wars comics and it's a reissue of an old Dark Horse mini-series. Kind of a Rosencrantz & Guildenstern story. Tag & Bink need to come back. I'd love to see them in the Mandoverse and in the Sequel Trilogy. If you need a laugh, this one is for you!
My Rating: 3.7 Stars
My Rating: 3.7 Stars
December 30, 2023
I have to agree with everyone who says this is Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead with Star Wars. (The name of the original miniseries is sort of a give away.) How much you like will really depend on your tolerance for MAD Magazine or mid-90s-early 2000s style silly comics. That's my jam so it is why these are among my favorite Star Wars comics ever.
January 9, 2018
Very clever use of the star wars story and how to two crazy guys get mixed up playing on both sides
A very clever use of the star wars story and how two crazy guy's got mixed up playing on both sides
A very clever use of the star wars story and how two crazy guy's got mixed up playing on both sides
July 8, 2018
The hilarious hijinks of two very minor characters in the Star Wars universe who somehow managed to be everywhere and influence everyone. Apparently Star Wars is really about their lives, Luke, Han, Leia and Chewie just happened to show up at the same time. Perfect for any fan!
January 20, 2020
Good light fun. I think the final chapter of the story (set in the prequel era) was a lot better than the others, but it was enjoyable throughout. It's not the most memorable SW comic or anything, but it's a nice change of pace from all the grand drama.
March 19, 2022
Decent read. Basically, two not terribly bright guys from the Rebellion end up in silly situations that weave them throughout the movies in a way that doesn't impact the movies at all. Some decent jokes, but not laugh out loud funny. Manny Both-Handz may have been the best.
August 15, 2017
A fun idea that's well drawn. I wish the writing had a little more to it. Definitely worth spending an afternoon with it though.
September 21, 2017
Rosencrantz & Guildenstern for Star Wars
Well written and extremely witty. I’m really glad I stumbled upon the series. A very quick read that you won’t regret.
Well written and extremely witty. I’m really glad I stumbled upon the series. A very quick read that you won’t regret.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 77 reviews