– Spoiler Review –
Lando and crew find themselves in even more trouble than originally imagined, with Lobot’s life hanging in the balance and deadly Imperial Guards on the loose. How will Lando find a way out of this mess? Find out in Lando issue #3, where the deal keeps getting worse all the time for Lando…and better for us readers.
The twins, Aleksin and Pavol, are left to deal with the Imperial Guards while Lando and Sava Korin do their best to save Lobot. It seems the implants, while beneficial to the user for various reasons like data storage and hacking capabilities, have a huge drawback: if the wearer’s mind loses focus, they take over…for good. Lobot would become an emotionless drone, which would seem to be the case with him by The Empire Strikes Back, no? Given his entertaining personality and friendship with Lando, which has been built up rather well in the first two issues, knowing he loses that all because of another of Lando’s schemes going bad would add quite a bit of tragedy to his appearance in the film. That would mean Lando lost Sava Korin an eye, Lobot his personality, and Han to carbonite/Luke his hand, making you wonder what other pains his plans have caused in the past.
The overall arc for Lando in this comic, while highlighting the issues he faces as he continuously strikes out every time he tries his luck at galactic entrepreneuralism, might just help strengthen his arc in the final two Original Trilogy films. There’s a possibility this comic could lead to the reason why he might have rolled so easily on his friends at the first sign of the Empire, but it also gives us more hints he always has/had an alternative plan in the works. Ultimately, seeing as he leads the assault on the second Death Star while trusting the friend he most recently betrayed to knock out it’s shield, he finds redemption, but this comic so far has begun to show us why he needs it so badly…and why he deserves it in the first place.
On top of all that, #3 has several cool surprises, ending on one of the more interesting cliffhangers. First off though, is the return of Darth Maul’s vessel from The Phantom Menance, the Scimitar, which is the only ship capable of tracking the Imperialis. That would make sense, given they are two personal ships used primarily by the Sith, but the Scimitar‘s ability to track the Imperialis reveals an interesting tidbit about Palpatine’s personal craft: the energy signature of the drive is comparable to a neutron star. Why it uses so much/needs so much energy is an intriguing question and it might be tied to the object seen at this issue’s cliffhanger, but more on that in a bit. There’s also some teases of the Scimitar‘s Sith-filled history, as O-66, the droid aboard the ship, says it’s been owned by very special people and is very ancient. Chanath Cha doesn’t get as awesome of a scene as their first appearance last issue, but Cha’s job smarts and quirks help add to their mysterious aura.
Lando and Sava Korin attempt to help the cloned twins against the Imperial Guards only to find their help isn’t needed. But Korin notices something wrong with them and says they are corrupted, which might be possible because they were cooped up in a room full of Sith artifacts! Korin reveals he only knows they are Sith because he used to research the Jedi before the Empire’s rise, while the only artifact we see clearly is a strange and very old helmet. As Korin and Lando contemplate all the riches in the room, the helmet/head thing does something: its eyes glow a menacing red. I had dreamed being on Palpatine’s ship would reveal some interesting artifacts and issue #2’s Gungan fertility totem was thankfully a smoke screen, as this helmet/head sure looks to be a menacing artifact befitting a Sith’s legacy. Could it be what corrupted the guards? Could keeping it in check require such a powerful engine? With those questions, this series has taken a true turn for the completely unexpected.
Here are a few other things:
- Lando mentions he knew a Imperial Guard once, which is instantly a story I’d want to see, but it makes me wonder if Soule is bringing this up because we’ll see said person in this series. I know how Lando talks about her makes it seem like she’s likely dead, but how interesting would it be for Chanath Cha to be the her he’s referring too?
- Loved Korin’s, “So do you,” response when Lando laments guns cause more trouble than they seem to solve. In fact, the implied history between Lando and Korin keeps getting more convincing with each issue, showing the strength with which Soule has been writing this series so far.
- Again, I can’t say much more on how much I love the style of the art and the colors, by Maleev and Mounts respectively, and just how well they fit with the tone of the story.
- Tseebo, as seen in Star Wars Rebels, had a similar issue with the implants seemingly taking over after he mentally shut down. He managed to recover…a bit. Could Lobot find a happy medium or will he truly end up being exactly like when we first met him in Ep. V?
Lando #3 keeps the surprises coming and they’re only getting bigger and bolder with each issue. With Chanath Cha on their way, a possible corruptive artifact unleashed on the unsuspecting crew, and Lobot’s personality on the line, it seems less and less likely Lando can find a way out of the mess. Since we know he will though, the more important question becomes: at what cost?
+ Big, bold surprises
+ Building Lando’s arc
+ How the heck will he get out of this one?!?
Ryan is Mynock Manor’s Head Butler. You can follow him on Twitter @BrushYourTeeth. You can follow the website @MynockManor.