– Spoiler Review –
Beckett #1 follows a job the titular character and his crew, Val and Rio Durant, embark on sometime before the events of Solo: A Star Wars Story. As far as one-shots go, this might be the best one yet, unseating the oddball favorite C-3P0 from 2016, even despite this not being about one of the characters I’d rather have been in focus.
I was a little disappointed when Beckett #1 was announced, because as much as I enjoyed Woody Harrelson in Star Wars, I found some of the other characters to be more interesting or more deserving of some time in the spotlight, from Val, Enfys Nest, to even Rio, as some of them got the short (and very short) end of the stick when it came to screentime in Solo. But I put aside that caveat when I went into reading this issue and came away pleasantly surprised by the one-shot, as Beckett’s crew factors into the story a great deal and even Enfys Nest got an appearance. I was able to have my cake and eat it too, which is way more than I expected, to the point I liked it the best of all the one-shots to date (which might not be saying much, but still).
What really made Beckett #1 standout immediately to me was the presentation, followed by the way the opening “Chapter” began. The issue is presented much like an old Western, as the opening credit page is actually a wanted poster for Tobias Beckett, with quick details on Val and Rio as well, and the story is separated into three “chapters,” though it’s all the same tale just told by different artists throughout; The old serial Western “dime novel” feel goes a long way, as it really sets your mindset going in. And the fact the story begins with Beckett’s gang in the middle of a con, which serves their larger mission from Dryden Vos, their Crimson Dawn overlord, means the issue hits the ground running and never really lets up, making it a joy to read as it’s one funny mishap and one lucky break in their efforts to get outta debt after another. On these two things alone, this one-shot stands above the rest as it knows what it is and enjoys being it.
Gerry Duggan’s writing, with how masterfully he captures the interplay between Beckett, Val, and Rio, as well as each character individually, is the next best thing about this one-shot. I really enjoyed all three characters in Solo, even if Beckett was typical Woody, Val was drastically underused, while Rio ate every screen he was in, and Duggan’s ability to expand and breathe new life into their characterizations makes me enjoy these characters even more, increasing my mourning for Val and Rio and actually making me hopeful we’ll get to spend more time with this ragtag crew in the future. Beckett is up to his usual dirty moves and tricks, gunslinging (and punching) his way to profits without a care in the world, Val’s pragmatism is in full swing, as she’s forced to keep the two boys in line so they can live to drink/fight/play another day, while Rio is still the main source of levity in the group. To basically sum up what was so great about the writing and getting more of the entire crew, let’s briefly talk one hilarious moment: As Beckett and Val try to grab a gangster with the blank I.D. chips they need to steal, tentacles of some undersea creature create chaos around them, and somehow Rio is both shooting the tentacles and mixing a drink, and when Beckett angrily inquires about the latter, Rio’s response is simple, “I got four arms but only two guns.” It’s little nuggets like that one, which there are plenty, that fuel the fun atmosphere and quick pace of the issue, highlighting why this crew deserves more time then what they got in Solo.
As seen on the cover, Enfys Nest and her Marauders certainly do show up, as she was the mastermind behind the whole job Beckett and his crew set out on, once again making her the smarter, more resourceful character and highlighting just how low-level Beckett’s crew is in the grand scheme of things. Unfortunately, Enfys is gone as soon as she appears, once again leaving her underused, though at least she’s shown to be tactical, and a bit brutal, once again outplaying Beckett and his crew. It really adds a bit to their angry stare-down in Solo, when Enfys takes off her mask (though it still doesn’t quite save that moment from feeling like there was more to it). As much as I was able to forget about my misgivings of this not being about Enfys Nest, she seriously needs her own series, one-shot, novel, TV show, A Star Wars Story film, video game, what-have-you, as the actress who played her nor the character unmasked have been allowed to be seen outside of the actual movie theater and that’s a damn shame.
I was really curious how having three artists would look for this issue, as would their styles be so radically different it’d be obvious, would it be too subtle but they’d not tell us who did which part à la Shattered Empire, or were we getting three small stories within this issue? Turns out each chapter was a new artist, and Edgar Salazar, Marc Laming, and Will Sliney’s works were all close enough in style that it wasn’t distracting, but had they been, it would’ve been easy to deal with due to the separate chapters of this story. It’s Jordan Boyd’s colors which bring the experience together so nicely, as his work across all three stories gives them some common ground. I really enjoyed the design of the Rampart, the ship Beckett’s crew had stolen and is using during the issue, which has two Falcon cockpits, the Falcon engines in the back, a tank-like Clone Wars design for the body, and a weird half-ring extending behind it; Still Star Wars enough to fit, unique enough to stand out. Letters was handled by Travis Lanham, his first issue for Star Wars as far as I can recall, and he felt right at home with the usual two who’ve been doing the work since 2015. Tom Groneman was Assistant Editor and Mark Paniccia Editor.
Thanks to its slick presentation, Duggan’s fun writing and characterizations, and great art from three different artists, Beckett #1 is the first one-shot since 2016’s C-3PO to be a really enjoyable one-off.
+ Presentation does matter
+ Duggan’s writing makes me love this crew even more
+ All three artists deliver
+ Well hello there, Enfys…
– …okay, bye Enfys.
Ryan is Mynock Manor’s Head Butler. You can follow him on Twitter @BrushYourTeeth. You can follow the website @MynockManor.
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