STAR WARS: JEDI VS. SITH #5

Cover shows sharp, unblunted corners and clean, glossy surfaces with vibrant unfaded colors. No visible spine stress lines, creases, or color breaks along the spine edge in this photo, and no tears or stains are apparent. The book is in a protective sleeve which may slightly obscure fine surface texture; interior and back cover were not assessed.

Star Wars: Jedi vs. Sith #5 (Dark Horse, 2001) is the penultimate chapter of Darko Macan and Ramon Bachs' six-issue maxiseries chronicling the Jedi-Sith war roughly a thousand years before the films. The series is best remembered within Star Wars Expanded Universe continuity for laying the groundwork for the Sith "Rule of Two," the doctrine later credited to Darth Bane limiting the Sith to a master and an apprentice, a concept that would carry forward through subsequent tie-in fiction. This issue advances the collapse of Lord Kaan's Brotherhood of Darkness and the maneuvering among its Sith Lords, including Bane and Githany, as the war reaches its climax.

The book's market profile is that of a lightly collected modern direct-market title with a small certified population and thin sales activity across most grades. Pricing is essentially flat from 9.2 through 9.6, with a modest step up at 9.8, indicating that grade scarcity above near-mint drives most of the premium rather than broad collector competition. Demand is concentrated among Star Wars Expanded Universe completists and Sith-lore specialists rather than mainstream key-issue buyers, and the series has not achieved the crossover recognition of Dark Horse's earlier Boba Fett or Vader-focused issues.

This is a book most often acquired to complete a run rather than pursued individually, and raw copies in any presentable grade remain inexpensive and easy to source. The CGC 9.8 tier is the only bracket with meaningful transaction history, reflecting a narrow but persistent base of grading enthusiasts and Star Wars lore collectors chasing top-census copies. Absent a resurgence of interest tied to the Rule of Two concept in other media, the book should continue to trade as an affordable, low-friction acquisition across the grading spectrum.