– Spoiler Review –
While there weren’t any Hutts punching anyone again, there were enough epic Wookiee smack-downs to make up for it. Star Wars #10 focuses its time on setting up for bigger events, but manages to do so in a mostly entertaining way.
I’ve not been too worried about the idea of a comic with Chewbacca as a main character (coming this month), but Chewie’s role here in #10 only makes me more excited for it. Threepio plays his lovable dimwitted self and he only serves to make Chewie’s part even more enjoyable than it would’ve been without him, as Chewie goes on a spree of entertaining violence to track down leads about Luke’s whereabouts. And since the life debt is the stuff of Legends now, Chewie can seemingly do more than always be at Han’s side and Jason Aaron proves the Wookiee is just as enjoyable without him (again, making the Wookiee’s solo comic even more appealing). Part of me is now sure Chewie gleefully takes full advantage of Threepio’s naivety at all times, having fun in the way only a Wookiee can. By the end of the issue they’re pointed in the right direction for Luke’s trail, and with backup on the way, the rescue attempt should be rather exciting.
By backup, I mean Han, Leia, and Sana, currently en route to Nar Shaddaa aboard Sana’s ship, the Volt Cobra. She may not technically be Han’s wife, but boasting about her ship actually being the fastest over the Falcon certainly makes her sound like a Solo. In fact, I really have been enjoying the banter between Sana and Leia, with Han just hoping to get a word in but seemingly never can. However, seeing as they are stuck on a small little ship now, the fact that we only got a location where Sana “married” Han, Stenness, #10 didn’t as artfully dodge a full explanation like the previous issues were able to do (while again, it’s not until #13 for the full reveal).
Luke begins training at the hands of the mysterious Gamemaster, who is quite the knowledgeable character. Between the training in The Weapon of a Jedi and here, it’s no wonder Luke is able to stand against Vader as long as he does on Cloud City (which is funny, considering Grakkus’ line referencing them not needing him to beat Vader). In all of Luke’s scenes here, I felt like Stuart Immonen nailed the young Jedi’s facial expressions and I enjoyed how his being pulled into the arena felt like a definite callback to Attack of the Clones‘ scene with Anakin and Padmé taken out into the Geonosian arena. Likewise, Aaron continues his mastery of the core characters, even having a solid Luke without any original trilogy characters to bounce him off of.
Here are a few other things:
- Jar-Jar is alive!!!!! Okay, kidding, but I was a little surprised to see a one-eyed Gungan on Nar Shaddaa. That being said, it was actually kind of cool, considering the work The Clone Wars did to salvage the Gungan’s reputation by having them successfully capture General Grievous, and honestly I don’t mind them much (and really never did). And did this Gungan just make a reference to his pal having his arm pulled out of his socket by Chewie after beating the Wookiee at Dejarik?
- So it seems lightsabers eventually fizzle out? I imagine it’s because the crystal needs to be regularly touched by the Force, so unless they stash them near a Force nexus, they’ll just slowly lose their power. I wonder if Luke would be able to reignite them. Love when a small, almost throwaway line opens up some interesting questions.
- Thankfully someone put that bartender in this place!
- Dengar should complicate matters…
Star Wars #10 entertains despite feeling like a issue devoted to getting everyone in place for something more epic, for which we can definitely expect “blood and lightsabers.” Blood and lightsabers, indeed.
+ Chewbacca kicking multi-species/droid butt (Threepio’s blindness to it all)
+ Banter with the “Solos” and Leia
– Doesn’t as artfully dodge Sana explanation as previous issues
Ryan is Mynock Manor’s Head Butler. You can follow him on Twitter @BrushYourTeeth. You can follow the website @MynockManor.
Star Wars (Vol. 1)
Jason Aaron: Skywalker Strikes (#1-6) | Old Ben’s Journals | Showdown on the Smuggler’s Moon: #8 | #9 | #11 | #12 | Rebel Jail (#16-19) | The Last Flight of the Harbinger (#21-25) | Yoda’s Secret War (#26-30) | The Screaming Citadel crossover (#31-32)| Out Among the Stars (#33-37) | Retrospective (#1-37)
Kieron Gillen Retrospective (#38-67) | Greg Pak and Phil Noto Retrospective (#68-75)