With August all wrapped up, there are only two months left in the epic-sized War of the Bounty Hunters and to make sure you’re all caught up as we get closer to its finale, here’s our latest Hunters’ Guide, a handy monthly recap of the crossover’s events. In August, Darth Vader’s arrival on Jekara brought chaos to many things: the auction, Qi’ra’s plans, Aphra’s composure, and so much more. Find out how it all went down in August’s Hunters’ Guide!
While the entire War of the Bounty Hunters crossover started off feeling like Boba Fett’s story, which is what we’ve been told from its initial announcement to even recent interviews, August certainly made it feel like anything but Boba’s story. In fact, by the end of the month, I could barely tell you what he was doing or why he was doing it, his appearance in the main miniseries summed up to a man looking to right the wrong done to him and get his stolen bounty back. It’s not nearly as compelling as Qi’ra’s story, returning Crimson Dawn to the galactic stage with her auction of Han Solo for reasons still unknown, and as she steps up to duel Darth Vader himself, whereas Boba shies away from shooting him, it’s hard to think or care much about what Fett gets up to since we know where his story goes next. For most of the month, we didn’t know where Qi’ra’s story was headed either, but midway through a revelation came out: Qi’ra would survive this crossover and had a whole trilogy of content focused on her return, with part two focused on the upcoming Crimson Reign miniseries. It only added to my feeling, and the impression August’s issues gave me, that Boba Fett might’ve been the original poster child for the crossover, but it was all a smokescreen for Qi’ra’s ascension. Not that I mind, in fact I prefer it, as it seems the more intriguing Boba is in live-action now anyways and I can’t wait to see what all this Qi’ra content means for the future of the comics. Without further ado, let’s dive into each of the month’s issue’s events:
4-LOM & Zuckuss #1: The connective tissue of Deva Lompop wasn’t as strong as originally imagined for these one-shots, but it didn’t matter much when this tale effortlessly empathizes readers to the long-standing friendship of the eponymous characters. The art is wild good and the script is tight, funny, and memorable as it explores the fallout of their defeat at Boba Fett’s hands in War of the Bounty Hunters #1 and what it means for their future as the deadliest pair of hunters around.
Bounty Hunters #15: The only series still playing catch-up to the mainline miniseries, Dengar and Valance show they’ve bonded to some degree as they battle the relentless Deathstick, though she’s almost too good at pretending to kill them in an effort, on behalf of Qi’ra, to push them towards Jekara; they’re finally heading to the auction now, though it’s likely after Darth Vader’s arrival and disruption seen in War of the Bounty Hunters #3. Otherwise, we know Vukorah of the Unbroken Clan attends thanks to Doctor Aphra #12 last month (whereas this issue she received the invite, reluctantly). Meanwhile, the series’ main story finds T’onga and Losha as big-time gangsters putting together a crew, which includes Zuckuss (where we see him without his signature suit for the first time, for better or worse) after the fallout from the aforementioned one-shot, as the pair look to collect and return Cadeliah to her grandfather.
War of the Bounty Hunters #3: Releasing simultaneously with Star Wars #16, there’s tons of overlap, though WotBH #3 focuses more on Vader’s disruption of the event and Qi’ra stepping up in a room full of cowards to battle Vader one on one!! It’s an incredible moment for the character, as she backs up her statement she knows how to handle Sith Lords (can’t wait to learn the story of her and Maul!) and holds her own for a while against Vader. He emerges victorious but before landing a killing blow, sensing the approaching Luke Skywalker distracts him and Qi’ra collects herself and implements a contingency plan for just this moment. Elsewhere, Boba Fett proves he’s more eager to right the wrong against him than make new enemies, ending a battle with Chewbacca swiftly thanks to his flamethrower and letting Leia, Lando, and the singed Wookiee go so he can get his stolen bounty back.
Star Wars #16: While you’d miss out on the swift Chewie v Boba battle only reading this series, you’ll still get some great scenes of the Qi’ra v Vader duel while digging deeper into its core characters amidst all the spectacle. Luke’s fear over his place as a Jedi and having to face Vader again are delightfully rendered as alternative scenes of their Cloud City duel, though the outcome in Luke’s mind is even worse than last time. And when Vader calls to taunt him on his approach, he calls Leia to regretfully inform her he can’t bring himself to face Vader again. Prior to his arrival, Lando and Chewie dodge the details on their past with Qi’ra while acting as the voices of reason to let Han go now and find another way to get him later; we know how one of those alternatives rescues goes!
Doctor Aphra #13: After Chelli Aphra manages to recover from seeing Vader again with Sana Starros’ help, the two uncover the network of Crimson Dawn spies runs deep: they even have them among Black Sun! After a heated debate, they decide to explore the Dawn’s flagship, the Vermillion, since everyone is distracted by Vader and Qi’ra dueling, but instead of riches they find empty halls… and giant guard droids which dump them into the ship’s prison! Elsewhere, Deathstick appears to break up Gillan Crae’s fight with his two protégés, Lucky and Ariole, not before he offers them a place in the organization.
Darth Vader #15: Some convoluted testing of loyalties by Vader uncovers Bokku the Hutt actually works for Crimson Dawn, their mole in the Hutt organization. So many moles and spies, Qi’ra! Ochi has his loyalties tested too and, after some humorous panels, proves himself to Vader before they come to crash the auction party, as this issue actually went back in time a little bit despite its previous issue ending with his arrival at the party.
Will Luke manage to find a way to brave facing Vader again at this moment? Or who else will step up to save Han from Vader? What is Qi’ra’s contingency for Vader’s disruption? And what hasn’t she planned for? September should be a pretty memorable month ahead for the crossover though expect plenty of cliffhangers before the finale drops in October.
Ryan is Mynock Manor’s Head Butler. You can follow him on Twitter @BrushYourTeeth. You can follow the website on Twitter @MynockManor and Instagram @mynockmanor.
WAR OF THE BOUNTY HUNTERS CROSSOVER
August: 4-LOM & Zuckuss #1 | Bounty Hunters #15 | War of the Bounty Hunters #3 | Star Wars #16 | Doctor Aphra #13 | Darth Vader #15
July: Bounty Hunters #14 | Doctor Aphra #12 | War of the Bounty Hunters #2 | Darth Vader #14 | Jabba the Hutt #1 | Star Wars #15 / Hunter’s Guide for July
June: War of the Bounty Hunters #1 | Bounty Hunters #13 | Star Wars #14 | Darth Vader #13 | Doctor Aphra #11 / Hunters’ Guide for June
May: Alpha #1 | Star Wars #13 | Bounty Hunters #12 | Darth Vader #12 | Doctor Aphra #10 / Hunters’ Guide for May