Dune: The Official Comic Book

Dune is a comic adaptation of the Frank Herbert novel. The comic was published by Berkeley Books and Marvel Comics.

Synopsis
In the distant future, the known universe is ruled by Padishah Emperor Shaddam IV. The most important substance in the empire is the drug known as melange or "the spice". It has many special properties, such as extending life and expanding consciousness. The most profitable and important of its properties is its ability to assist the Spacing Guild with folding space, which allows safe, instantaneous interstellar travel.

Sensing a potential threat to spice production, the Spacing Guild sends an emissary to demand an explanation from the Emperor, who confidentially shares his plans to destroy House Atreides. The popularity of Duke Leto Atreides has grown through the empire, and he is suspected to be amassing a secret army, which Emperor Shaddam sees as a potential threat to his rule. Shaddam's plan is to give House Atreides control of the planet Arrakis (also known as Dune), the only source of spice. Once they are installed on Arrakis, he intends to have them ambushed by their longtime archenemies, the Harkonnens, with assistance from the Emperor's elite troops, the Sardaukar. The Guild Navigator also commands the Emperor to kill Duke Leto's son, Paul Atreides, a young man who dreams prophetic visions of his purpose. The execution order draws the attention of the Bene Gesserit sisterhood, as Paul is tied to their centuries-long breeding program to produce a superbeing, the Kwisatz Haderach. Before he leaves for Arrakis, Paul is tested by the Bene Gesserit Reverend Mother Mohiam by being forced to place his hand in a box which induces excruciating pain. To Mohiam's surprise and eventual satisfaction, he passes the test.

Meanwhile, on the industrial world of Giedi Prime, the sadistic Baron Vladimir Harkonnen tells his nephews Glossu Rabban and Feyd-Rautha about his plan to eliminate the Atreides by manipulating someone in House Atreides into betraying the Duke. The Atreides leave their homeworld Caladan for Arrakis, a barren desert planet populated by gigantic Sandworms. The native people of Arrakis are called the Fremen, a mysterious people who have long held a prophecy that a messiah will lead them to freedom. Upon arrival on Arrakis, Duke Leto is informed by one of his right-hand men, Duncan Idaho, that the Fremen have been underestimated. There are in fact large numbers of them and they could prove to be powerful allies. Duke Leto begins to gain the trust of the Fremen, but before an alliance can be established, the Harkonnens launch their attack.

The Harkonnens' traitor within House Atreides, Dr. Wellington Yueh, Leto's personal physician, disables critical shields and destroys sonic weapons, leaving House Atreides nearly defenseless. In the attack, Idaho is killed, Leto is captured, and nearly all of House Atreides is wiped out. While captured, Leto dies in a failed attempt to assassinate the Baron Harkonnen using a poison gas capsule planted in his tooth by Dr. Yueh. The Baron then executes Yueh. Leto's concubine Lady Jessica and his son Paul survive the attack and escape into the deep desert, where they discover a sietch of Fremen, led by Stilgar. Paul and Jessica are taken in by the Fremen; Jessica becomes their Reverend Mother, and Paul falls in love with Chani, a Fremen warrior he has previously seen in one of his visions.

Paul takes on the Fremen name Muad'Dib, and emerges as the leader for whom the Fremen have been waiting. He teaches the Fremen to build and use Weirding Modules—sonic weapons developed by House Atreides—and begins to target spice mining production, which is back in the Harkonnen's control, overseen by the baronial nephew Rabban. Over the next two years, spice production is effectively halted, a fact Rabban tries to keep hidden from the empire. The Spacing Guild returns to the Emperor to warn him of the deteriorating situation on Arrakis. They also fear that Paul will consume the Water of Life, a powerful poison used by the Bene Gesserit to help induce their abilities. The meeting is revealed to Paul in a prophetic dream, but then the dreams suddenly stop. Shaken by the absence of his visions, he goes out into the desert, drinks the Water of Life and enters into a trance. Upon awakening, he is transformed, obtaining powerful psychic abilities and the ability to control the sandworms. Paul also regains his ability to see into space and the future, and learns the Emperor is amassing a huge invasion fleet above Arrakis to wipe out the Fremen and regain control of the planet.

Upon the Emperor's arrival at Arrakis, he executes Rabban for failing to remedy the spice situation, calling in Baron Harkonnen to demand an explanation. At the same time, Paul launches a final attack against the Harkonnens and the Emperor's Sardaukar at the capital city of Arrakeen. Riding in on sandworms and brandishing their sonic weapons, his Fremen warriors easily defeat the Emperor's legions, while Paul's sister Alia kills Baron Harkonnen. Once in Arrakeen, Paul faces the Emperor and engages Feyd-Rautha in a duel to the death; Paul kills Feyd and relieves Emperor Shaddam of power. Paul then demonstrates his newfound powers and fulfills the Fremen prophecy that he is the promised messiah by causing rain to fall on Arrakis for the first time ever, as Alia declares him to be the Kwisatz Haderach.

Individuals

 * Paul Atreides
 * Jessica Atreides
 * Leto Atreides I
 * Wellington Yueh
 * Thufir Hawat
 * Gurney Halleck
 * Duncan Idaho
 * Vladimir Harkonnen
 * Piter de Vries
 * Glossu Rabban Harkonnen
 * Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen
 * Liet Kynes
 * Chani Kynes
 * Stilgar
 * Gaius Helen Mohiam
 * Alia Atreides
 * Shaddam Corrino IV
 * Irulan Corrino

Creatures

 * Sandworm

Locations

 * Arrakis
 * Arrakeen
 * Sietch Tabr
 * Caladan
 * Castle Caladan
 * Giedi Prime
 * Kaitain

Items

 * Weirding Module
 * Crysknife

Publication History
It was originally released by Marvel Comics Group in December 4, 1984, being published in 1985 as the 36th in the Marvel Super Special series, containing 68 pages.

Marvel together with the Berkley Publishing Group also published the pocketbook version, where the panels were reformatted to fit the pocket format, leading to an increase in the total number of pages to 164.

Marvel also divided the story into three editions published in April, May and June 1985.