– Spoiler Review –
A new on-going series arrives with Bounty Hunters #1, taking us deep into the seedy criminal underbelly of the Star Wars galaxy, which follows a group of bounty hunters dealing with the repercussion of a botched mission several years before. I’ve had reservations about this series since it was announced, and while issue #1 doesn’t fully upend my feelings, it takes a big step in the right direction.
The issue begins in media res, with several bounty hunters on Corellia for a mission. We have Beilert Valance, a character first created for the original Marvel run of comics and reborn into canon two years ago, recently seen in the Target Vader miniseries. He’s a cyborg after injuries in service to the Empire and he’s been causing havoc as a bounty hunter for a while now, but I haven’t quite connected with his story thus far, especially since I have no connection or nostalgia for his Legends incarnation. Then there’s Nakano Lash, a Nautolan (think Kit Fisto) bounty hunter, a mentor to Valance, who’s leading the mission, and also T’ongor, another hunter. They are joined by two characters who need no introduction: Boba Fett and Bossk. Altogether, this team is working for Khamus, the daughter son* of one criminal syndicate who has hired them to attack a rival syndicate’s base on Corellia. The mission seems to go smoothly, with each character getting their moment to shine and look badass, but it’s when Lash, Khamus, and T’ongor breach the door that it all goes haywire. Someone calls out Khamus’ name in surprise and he sees something, off panel, that Lash begs him not to shoot but he does anyways because he doesn’t believe they should live. Was it children he had with the rival gang? A group of Baby Yodas (I kid, mostly)? Lash takes out Khamus for what he did and T’ongor shouts they have to leave, ending the flashback to the mission for now.
It’s an interesting scene with plenty of mystery, helping hook me in for a series I’ve not felt was made for me. After reading the issue, the action focus and the “heroic” panels of our bounty hunting characters in action certainly didn’t help with my initial reservations, but there’s enough intriguing aspects and interesting characters to make me want to come back for more, something writer Ethan Sacks has pulled off before, like in his Galaxy’s Edge miniseries.
When the issue returns to post-The Empire Strikes Back timeframe, we catch up with the bounty hunters involved with the mission, each doing their own thing until they hear Nakano Lash has popped up on the radar, prompting each one to consider revenge for her betrayal on the botched Corellia mission…which a lot of people seem to know about. Boba Fett decides it’s worth taking a detour from dropping off Han Solo at Jabba’s Palace, while Valance wants to understand why his mentor betrayed him. As for T’ongor, he supposedly died on the mission too though we haven’t seen it yet, but that’s why T’ongor’s twin T’onga leaves her partner to go after Lash for revenge; I wish it was a little more explicit T’onga and Losha were a couple, as while the dialogue and how they hold each other close seems to suggest it, it still comes off as more of a suggestion than a fact. Bounty hunter Ooris joins the fray, as a bounty hunting company gives her the job, and I’m very curious to see more from her for two reasons: one, since she’s the same species as Jedi Master Oppo Rancisis, a Thisspiasian, which we don’t see often enough, and second that she causes a lot of collateral damage, which should cause some good havoc.
When getting Bossk back into play, the issue offers a pleasant surprise: Doctor Aphra and Black Krrsantan! Aphra is my favorite character overall, if it hasn’t been clear from my many other posts regarding the character, and it was a true to delight to get more content with her ahead of her series relaunch next month, helping make the wait easier. Aphra’s appearance sounds like her (nicknaming Krrsantan BK, much like DK aka Donkey Kong, was funny) and I love the new outfit the art team gave her, but something felt off about her time in the issue. At first, I chalked it up to her being so gung-ho about bounty hunting; I get this might be BK’s idea, as he’s the bounty hunter and they need the credits, but her going into bounty hunting doesn’t quite feel right. Beyond that though, the real problem stems from how Aphra, BK, and Bossk seemingly haven’t met before, as their dialogue makes abundantly clear, but they have all met before! In Darth Vader #7 (Vol. 1), to be precise, as Aphra recruits the likes of Bossk and Krrsantan and help her steal some credits on Vader’s behalf, so not only have they met…they went on a whole mission together across a few issues! I could understand Aphra chalking up Bossk being any Trandoshan, and vice versa with everyone else, but the dialogue about them recognizing each other by reputation definitely implies they haven’t actually met or seen one another, which simply isn’t the case. Something felt off while reading it, then I saw a tweet mentioning someone forgot events from Kieron Gillen’s Vader run, which led me to bring up Bossk on Wookieepedia, where his page detailed the scene in DV #7, and a quick look at my digital copy confirmed it. I understand things can slip through the cracks from time to time, and this doesn’t take away from the issue overall, but it was a quick search to verify these characters had already met so I have some disappointment this happened.
Paolo Villanelli provides the art and Arif Prianto is on colors, with Travis Lanham lettering. There’s a real kinetic vibe to Villanelli’s art, something I’ve always enjoyed across series like Lando: Double or Nothing and Jedi: Fallen Order – Dark Temple, but it’s always a little tough to follow along with some of his action sequences and the problem persists here, which isn’t good considering the action focus of the series so hopefully it isn’t too much of a problem going forward. Prianto’s colors really shine though, giving characters a very distinct look at feel, and providing brightness even in the gloomiest of places. I really enjoyed Lanham’s big action lettering, especially the “blam!” when Khamus shoots whatever he shoots, as it punctuates the scene and is the equivalent of movie going silent and focusing solely on the gunshot.
Here are a few other things:
- I think I’ve reached peak Batuu references, as I shook my head when Valance happened to be there this issue, but I understand it happening since Sacks for the tie-in comic, as I mentioned earlier.
- The second issue is out March 25, so fans won’t have to wait too long to see what happens next!
- *It wasn’t quite clear from the art or lack of pronouns for Khamus on his gender, but after reading the second issue, it became clear Khamus was a man, not a woman,
Bounty Hunters #1 offers plenty of mystery and a wide cast of seedy criminals, providing the series with a solid launch.
+ Mystery abounds in botched mission
+ Already delivering on seedy underworld view, with kinetic art
+ Doctor Aphra appearance (despite the problems)!
– Sometimes feels like action for action’s sake
– Still isn’t helping connect me with Valance
Ryan is Mynock Manor’s Head Butler. You can follow him on Twitter @BrushYourTeeth. You can follow the website @MynockManor.
BOUNTY HUNTERS
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