– Spoiler Review –
Star Wars #2 (Vol. 2) puts Lando Calrissian center stage and its richer for it, as the L-Squad gets ready to save the rest of the Rebellion, with Leia taking on more of a leadership role and Luke set to deal with…a mysterious stranger?!
Lando Style! *blasts a far catchier and suave tune than Gangnam Style* Star Wars #2 (Vol. 2) is Lando’s issue, through and through, and it’s a blessing to both readers and this series. Writer Charles Soule proved he understood and could expertly write the character in his 2015 Lando miniseries (and short story in From a Certain Point of View) and he goes full out on Lando in issue #2, capturing the character’s suave and smoothness, masking his deep guile, with ease. Lando finagles Leia into letting him go to Jabba to see if Boba Fett has already delivered frozen Han Solo, though Chewie’s along to watch over him/fly the Falcon. This is where we see the power of Lando Style in action, as he first talks their way out of a fight above Tatooine and later talks his way out of being rancor meat for Jabba the Hutt’s amusement, even if it does mean giving dirt on the Rebellion to Jabba, which I’m curious to see if ever comes to fruition, considering he’s in disguise at the Palace by the time of Return of the Jedi. Either way, there’s shrewdness to Lando’s negotiations that I truly enjoy reading/hearing and I hope we get a lot more of it with him in the spotlight for this series so far. His discussion with Luke at the end, where he bemoans blasters, which Luke’s training with as his Force connection is having troubles, speaks to an epic moment in the Lando mini, where he reveals he is an amazing shot with a blaster, but he likes everyone to think otherwise; I’m hoping he can keep that guise up for as long as possible, especially since it would mean a lot more Lando Style! Funniest moment of the issue has to be when Lando says Chewie not saying they’re friends is ice cold, to which Chewie responds with a glare and Lando apologizes considering what just happened to Han; more humor like this, please and thank you!
One thing I noticed a lot in the previous volume of this series was how the Big Three constantly made decisions and took on missions without much input from higher ups or from those they dragged along with them (and it happens in the movies, from time to time). Which is why I really loved issue #2’s moment where Leia, and the Commander of the rebel fleet our heroes have teamed up with, asks the pilots and soldiers if they want to risk their lives in trying to save the rest of the myriad fleets, as the Empire has cracked their codes and they have to find the others the hard way. It’s a fantastic little scene, overshadowing even the potential Project Luminous hints*, as Leia lays out their options and really comes into the leadership role in their crisis. Even though Shara airs an objection to the idea, Kes Dameron says he doesn’t want to hide, so Shara rallies the group behind taking action and saving the rest of the fleet. It’s a really exciting premise for the series, as it opens plenty of opportunities and action-packed adventures, and with a smart and intriguing villain like Commander Zahra to oppose them, not more Vader, we don’t quite know how it’ll all turn out. I’m definitely down for seeing more of Leia leading the group like this, stepping up to a command position, but I hope it’s balanced with her getting out into the field on missions too!
And it looks like we’ll be out on a mission shortly, heading back to Cloud City, as Lando convinces Luke to talk Leia into it…or maybe Luke’s vision of a hooded and cloaked person snatching his lightsaber from its fall on Cloud City is what convinces him! But let’s back up a minute, before he unwrap all of that. Luke’s not sure of himself or what to do next, after Vader’s revelation, as we saw last issue in homage to a moment from the comics in 2015, and it doesn’t help his connection to the Force is experiencing issues. He’s even denying getting a new hand, waiting to make himself whole spiritually before he physically becomes whole again, a handy (sorry!) reminder of his funky headspace; this also helps place this arc “The Destiny Path” in-between their escape from Cloud City and Luke getting his new hand on the medical ship, a surprising place for this arc, at least, to take place! Getting his lightsaber back might help him, or so Lando guesses so he can go back to Cloud City for his own purposes, but it seems his lightsaber has already been found! The April solicitations mention Luke in search of a mysterious woman by issue #5 of the series, so is this our first glimpse of the woman? How and why was she even on Cloud City to grab the lightsaber in time? There’s plenty of alluring and intriguing stories coming out of this series already, but this is the one I’m most excited to see unfold.
Two issues in and I’m really digging Jesús Saiz (art) and Arif Prianto (colors) work, especially with their ability to capture the character’s faces. In particular, Lando having such a big staring role, there’s extra scrutiny and focus on the character and the team really manages to bring a wide range of emotions and looks to his close-up: from his look after being called out by Chewie for his joke, the look of surprise on his face as the Gamorrean guards put their axes to his neck, or the delight he has when Lando Style pulls through, Lando hasn’t looked this good in comics since 2015! This includes his desert outfit when visiting Jabba’s Palace, as he kills it, like every other outfit he wears. Chewie’s looks at Lando to put him in his place are equally excellent and really give the character a range of emotion I feel only really Phil Noto has managed with the character in the past. The haunting panels, where Leia remembers Han’s final words to her or Luke sees his hand chopped off again, really add to the psychological toll they’ve taken from the events of the film, and add to the darker, grittier look and feel to the overall art. I’m glad the art has taken this grounded feel and look, much more fitting for the era directly following the events of The Empire Strikes Back.
Here are a few other things:
- *For the third time, an author involved with Project Luminous wrote a mention to the High Republic era in their work, the rumored timeframe for the next big part of Star Wars storytelling. First it was Cavan Scott in Dooku: Jedi Lost, next it was Soule in The Rise of Kylo Ren #2, and now it’s Soule again here in this issue. Beyond mentioning the era by name, Commander Grek specifically references something called “Operation Starlight” happening in that era, a station placed in the dark zones to act as a beacon to those who were lost, as a reference for their plans to unite the fleet. Starlight. Luminous. Luminous. Starlight. Sounds pretty similar, no? The issue ends before Grek can tell us all the details, and conveniently the next issue comes out TWO days after the Project Luminous reveal in February, so I wouldn’t be surprised if this is connected! It could be coincidence, but from Grek’s brief description of Starlight, it’s eerily close to the report by Hungarian fan-site Ziro in regards to what Project Luminous is all about, so it feels less and less like a coincidence. Looks like we don’t have to wait long to find out!
Star Wars #2 continues on the heavy character-focus, showing the power of Lando in a leading role, and offers plenty of exciting developments for the series to cover in the issues ahead.
+ Lando Style!!
+ Who/what/how is that person there to grab Luke’s saber??!!!!??
+ Leia really coming into leadership/delegating the decision to others
+ Grounded, gritty art
Ryan is Mynock Manor’s Head Butler. You can follow him on Twitter @BrushYourTeeth. You can follow the website @MynockManor.
STAR WARS (Vol. 2)
The Destiny Path: #1 | #3 | #4 | #5 | #6 / Arc Review