Review by C.J. Bunce
We’re probably far from seeing a story featuring the bounty hunter Valance as good as in the pages of the original Marvel Comics series in 1978, but the first issue of the latest Star Wars comic book series is promising. Valance, borg Hall of Famer and the first character in science fiction specifically referred to as a “borg,” shares the spotlight with a few other familiar faces in Star Wars: Bounty Hunters, now available in comic book stores. When Star Wars writers and artists pull from the original trilogy and do it right, it can be quite fun for fans of the franchise. And much seems to involve deconstructing every detail of George Lucas’s original visions. For this series, that means asking the question: Why would you have so many bounty hunters on the bridge of Darth Vader’s star destroyer? The answer became clear in last year’s Disney+ series The Mandalorian: it’s because sometimes that’s how the jobs work–if you can afford it. And that’s the starting point of Star Wars: Bounty Hunters.
In the not too distant past we meet Valance working with Boba Fett the Mandalorian and the lizard-like Trandoshan called Bossk, two of the fellows we first met on Vader’s ship, working a job with a few other hunters. Only the job goes sideways due to the actions of one of the hunters, Nakano Lash. So the story begins when Lash becomes the bounty, setting the other hunters after her. Taking place after the events of The Empire Strikes Back, that means Han Solo remains in carbonite in the cargo hold. And it also means Lady Proxima is still around, the character that held Han’s life in her hands, introduced in Solo: A Star Wars Story. And it also makes room for Doctor Aphra, a character from the more recent comics universe.
In fact, writer Ethan Sacks and artist Paolo Villanelli appear to have the ability to play with the entire Star Wars universe in a single series. No longer are they held back, tethered to the lead characters Luke, Leia, Han, and Darth Vader, so readers can finally dig into the other corners of the already established Star Wars galaxy. The first issue probably has more characters and action sequences than necessary, but it’s a promising beginning. Check out covers from the first four issues and a preview of the first issue below.
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