He's the smooth-talking smuggler armed with a killer smile and endless charisma -- and he's got his own limited series. "Lando" #1, part of Marvel's expanding line of Star Wars comics, hits stores today and gives "Empire Strikes Back" fans a little backstory regarding what the ol' smoothie was up to prior to greeting his ol' buddy Han on that Cloud City landing dock. The series, written by self-professed Lobot superfan Charles Soule and illustrated by Alex Maleev, will put the focus squarely on Lando Calrissian for the first time in a while.

EXCL. PREVIEW: An Intergalactic Heist Takes Shape in "Star Wars: Lando" #1

With #1 in stores today, Marvel has provided Comic Book Resources with an exclusive first look at Maleev's cover for "Lando" #2. The image sees Lando hanging out with his righthand man Lobot and sitting in what appears to be Emperor Palpatine's throne from "Return of the Jedi." Of course, it's entirely possible that Palpatine picked up his throne at the "Star Wars" equivalent of Ikea; who knows how many of them are out there in a galaxy far, far away?

Soule spoke about the series during an appearance at Atlantic City Boardwalk Con earlier this year. "[T]his story is set between episode IV and V, and he's lost the Millennium Falcon but not in Cloud City yet," said Soule. "I think of him as a gambler -- apt for Atlantic City -- and he's always a few hands down. He's not trying to get rich but trying to get even, so he's always doing crazy scams and schemes. In this story, he has to assemble a crew of people to help him pull of a heist."

"Lando" #1 is in stores now.