– Spoiler Review –
Lando – Double or Nothing issue #5 doesn’t save the series, but it brings it to a respectful end. Head below for what I’m now also considering the full miniseries review.
UPDATE 10/5/18: This year I started doing arc/miniseries/on-going reviews when each comes to a close, regardless if I review each individual issue or not, meaning Lando – Double or Nothing should have a full miniseries review now that it has wrapped up. After several drafts, I found I couldn’t add anything to the conversation this review doesn’t already cover, so there will not be a separate article for a full miniseries review.
One of my biggest issues with Double or Nothing has been Lando’s personality, which started off seeming perfect for the era but continued to become more and more talkative as the series drew on, essentially not feeling like the smooth-talker we all know and love. Lando talks, don’t get me wrong, but not this much and not this obnoxiously, but at least the problem didn’t seem as bad in this final issue, mainly because the miniseries’ supporting cast was around for him to be bounced off of, not the walls. As much of a problem as I had with it, Bria LaVorgna from Tosche Station managed to give a different perspective on it. She did a review of the previous issue for the official site’s blog and pointed out Lando, “…is always performing for an audience even if they can’t be seen or he doesn’t know if they’re even there,” like something out of a Shakespeare play. Considering that, this makes his personality and over-talking seem a little less annoying, and I can totally understand if that’s what writer Rodney Barnes was going for, but in the end it still doesn’t feel like Lando to me. This final issue puts more of his narration into actual narration boxes than dialogue, as part of his Calrissian Chronicles, and if the whole series had done that, I would’ve never had a problem with it.
As for the story, things go about exactly as you expect it to: the Petrusians manage to break out thanks to having a few tricks up their sleeves, instead of relying solely on Lando; Lando gets the money; and everyone goes their separate ways. The fact that Kristiss and her father had reprogrammed the droids they were building to fight, and that Kristiss had her fellow rogue Petrusians from issue #1 on a mission of their own to help them, are fun little nods at how Lando puts too much importance onto himself in these types of situations, but these details would’ve gone a LONG way to getting the rest of the Petrusians to revolt had they shared the info. I get not telling Lando, but not telling the rest of your people feels more like a plot contrivance to have them rely on Lando to get their people riled up. Either way, it gave us the opportunity to see L3 out in the field, fighting alongside her brethren, though it’s a little glossed over that these droids were programmed to fight this war for the Petrusians and didn’t do it of their own choice, like L3 does.
Does Lando learn or grow by the end of the series? He seems to come to the understanding feeling good isn’t the only goal in life, which is why he goes on these adventures in the first place, but from the movie alone we get to see Lando experience this as well so it just feels like an additional emphasis to that change in the character. I’m glad the flirtation between Lando and Kristiss didn’t evolve beyond a kiss on the cheek, as it’s nice to show not every woman he deals with falls under his charms (which would be understandable in his less talkative form).
That the issue ends as a direct set up for Lando’s introduction in Solo: A Star Wars Story is a bit too on the nose, much like the little wink and nod about Lando never wanting to be a leader of a colony (hello, Cloud City), as this whole series felt more like it was built to get his butt to Vandor than it was to do anything special with the character prior to that fateful encounter. At least the art has been exceptional the whole time, with Paolo Villanelli (artist) really capturing the vibe of the sabacc table and Andres Mossa (colors) setting the mood lighting. Lettering comes from the deft hands of Joe Caramagna, Assistant Editing from Tom Groneman, and Editing from Mark Paniccia.
Here are a few other things:
- Maybe they have been identified elsewhere, but this was the first I saw the new TIE Fighter, briefly seen in Solo‘s Kessel Run, named as a TIE Brute.
- Expect a review of the full miniseries to drop in the coming weeks.
While it got off to a promising start, Lando – Double or Nothing is brought to a mediocre end after 5 issues.
+ Art was quite dandy
– Feels like a drawn out way to bring us to Lando’s appearance in Solo
Ryan is Mynock Manor’s Head Butler. You can follow him on Twitter @BrushYourTeeth. You can follow the website @MynockManor.
Lando – Double or Nothing
#1 | #2 | #3 | #4
RELATED REVIEWS:
Solo: A Star Wars Story (movie) | Last Shot (novel) | Lando (comic miniseries) | Beckett (one-shot)
CURRENT COMIC SERIES REVIEWS:
Doctor Aphra
Aphra (#1-6) | And the Enormous Profit (#9-13) | Remastered (#14-19) | The Catastrophe Con (#20-25) | Annual: #2
Darth Vader – Dark Lord of the Sith
The Chosen One (#1-6) | The Dying Light (#7-12) | The Rule of Five (#11-12) | Burning Seas (#13-18) | Fortress Vader (#19-25) | Annual: #2
Poe Dameron
Black Squadron (#1-3) | Lockdown (#4-6) | The Gathering Storm (#7-13) | Legend Lost (#14 – 16) | War Stories (#17-19) | Legend Found (#20-25) | The Awakening (#26-31) | Annual: #2
Star Wars
Ashes of Jedha (#38-43) | Mutiny at Mon Cala (#44-49) | Hope Dies (#50-55) | Annual: #4