Star Wars Adventures Annuals have been our yearly allowance of Jaxxon T. Tumperakki canon content (besides this year!) and it always delivers a memorable experience; Annual 2020 is no different, providing his best comic tail (I’ll never not do that, sorry) yet, while the backup story involving IG-88 leaves one wanting a whole lot more, in a good way!
“Rabbit Hunt” – Cavan Scott (Writer), Francesco Gaston (Artist), Charlie Kirchoff (Colorist), Neil Uyetake (Letterer, throughout)
Cavan Scott, the talented purveyor of hare-brained Jaxxon entertainment, continues his streak in Star Wars Adventures Annual 2020’s opening tale, which finds Jaxxon on the run from infamous bounty hunter Dengar. Turns out the Rebellion wants him too, but it’s about what he stole, not the Empire’s giant bounty on his head. However, it’s all due to a galaxy-wide, and familiar to us here on Earth, bias, as it’s actually Jaxxon’s cousin Reegor who stole the Imperial goodies, distinguishable from Jaxxon thanks to a scar over one of his eyes! The galaxy’s inability to distinguish Lepis comes into play in a big, hilarious way at the end of the story, giving them an edge no one ever expected from a Lepi. I also appreciated the return of Amaiza, the cause of Jaxxon’s pulled hairs of course, as it seemed strange she hadn’t yet tried to get back at him for their little dispute in Annual 2018. The little surprises, Han, Luke, and Chewie’s involvement in things, and the expansion of known Lepi gave Annual 2020 the edge as my favorite of his comic shenanigans. Jaxxon was great in a team-up with Lando, and while he’s dealing with other familiar heroes and villains here as well, I felt he had more chances to shine here and that’s why I enjoyed this one the most; I’m hoping his next tail (can’t help myself) is less connected to familiar faces so he can really be the main star. Also, the rabbit/bunny jokes continue to split my carrots, so bravo to Scott’s ability to keep these fresh and funny the more he brings the character to life.
Francesco Gaston’s art, with Kirchoff colors, kept the brighter, cartoonish look Star Wars Adventures is known for, but adds a little darker, sharper look than most of the main art usually does. In particular, I felt like Gaston gave Jaxxon my favorite overall look, with the more pronounced hair tuffs (which my dog has and I love) and the bigger teeth, with a more expressive face, giving Jaxxon a more mature look in the end. Kirchoff’s colors really brighten things up, but it’s not excessive and really helps fit the adventurous, humorous tone of the tale.
Bonus Thoughts:
- The other Jaxxon content this year? A short story in From a Certain Point of View – The Empire Strikes Back! That’s right, he’s hopped off the panels and into the pages of prose!
“A Rebel Bounty” – Written and Art/Colors by Nick Brokenshire
IG-88 had a rather solid story in last year’s Age of Rebellion – Special #1, and while that one glorified his destructive ability and his cognitive power, Nick Brokenshire’s “A Rebel Bounty” highlights his subtleties as well as his own goals and desires, something we haven’t seen much of and I’d like more of now that we’ve had it. A mysterious new bounty comes under his radar, leading IG-88 to capture this one and attempt to gain their secrets for himself instead of giving them up to Jabba or the Empire, which I feel was a very rare, and interesting move for the droid. Turns out this bounty is some type of android, belonging to a race called the Grand-Engineers, and her ancient and deep knowledge is fodder for IG-88’s desire to better himself, but her power is far beyond anything IG-88 or us readers have ever seen before.
Honestly, I need an entire slate of comics and novels about this mysterious and intriguing new race, the Grand Engineers! I’m not even 100% sure calling them androids is correct, but it’s the best option at the moment. Lony Coleema calls the Rebellion’s droid sister, referring to her as kindred spirits, though she’s seemingly flesh (I don’t know about blood), and it gave me big Descender vibes, a comic series from Image that dealt with all different levels and varieties of machines and androids that often blurred the line between man and droid. The way Lony transfers data, with the pink swirls and dots hovering over her, how it looks when IG-88 interfaces to read her mind, her defensive form, to the brief glimpse of her history, there’s a big, intriguing, and deep new race and story to uncover. How she integrates with the Rebellion, and what her skills, knowledge, and abilities could bring to the table are numerous and would be compelling to see unfold; if you can’t tell by now, I really want to see more of Lony’s story and the Grand-Engineers. I wonder if we’ll see them in The High Republic…
Brokenshire also provides the art, and much like his backup story in Star Wars Adventures #1 (Vol. 1), this allows him to make every panel purposeful, full of exactly what he wants us to see and not to see. His designs for the Grand Engineers really help flesh out the new race and entice readers to know more, like the look at their homeworld and Lony’s signal-father, or the glance into her mind, which Brokenshire turned from his edgier look to a cleaner, brighter one to befit the race’s technological prowess and connection; a lot of thought and care went into developing their look and various aspects of their race, even for such a short story, and it really shows in the variety of ways we learn more about them simply through the art. Though we can’t forget to talk about IG-88’s exquisite poncho, putting Clint Eastwood’s own poncho game to shame, so bravo on that, Brokenshire.
Bonus Thoughts:
- Was that Agent Kallus as Fulcrum this issue?! Those sideburns are unforgettable and only one man could wear them like he does. If so, fun little moment to see him in the role again!
Here’s one other thing:
- As of this posting, Star Wars Adventures #2 (Vol. 2) is still listing as arriving 11/18/20 (per PreviewsWorld), but it didn’t launch today; it’ s unfortunately not too surprising given how often IDW shuffles their dates,
to the point we have a third issue due in January 2021 but the 4th is still scheduled for December 2020(it changed from this morning!) to the point they have the third, fourth, and fifth issue all arriving in January. UPDATE 11/22: Only a few days later, but now SWA #2 is set for 11/25, while the third is for December, and now only the fourth and fifth are in January. Things are looking up! END UPDATE The pandemic has affected every aspect of our lives, so it’s not a surprise they might still have some problem, but IDW has had troubles like this previously. I hope they can manage to get things on track again soon, especially with their The High Republic Adventures scheduled in February 2021, as that’s an important part of a bigger initiative. In the end, it’s just disappointing for fans, especially the younger ones who might only be able to enjoy these all-ages adventures for the time being, and I can’t even imagine how the creatives involved feel about their work left up in the air.
Star Wars Adventures Annual 2020 provides the usual Jaxxon fun, but its backup story nearly steals the spotlight with its new character/race.
+ Never underestimate a Lepi…
+ Lony and the Grand Engineers
+ Art for both stories fit and expand their subjects
– Hoping for Jaxxon to go truly solo
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.
IDW’S STAR WARS ADVENTURES REVIEWS:
Annual 2018 | Annual 2019
Vol. 2: #1
Shadow of Vader’s Castle (one-shot)