– Spoiler Review –
Bounty Hunters #20 was the course-correction myself and T’onga’s bounty hunter crew were looking for, as plot lines gain plenty of entertaining forward propulsion.
Whereas Bounty Hunters #19 felt like a rehash of #18 for T’onga and crew, though with less violence, #20 finally propels forwards on its various storylines while giving Valance a break. T’onga, Losha, and their crew of Bossk, Tasu Leech, and Zuckuss, arrive at what the Gand believes to be 4-LOM’s last known location, and while it smells and looks like a trap from a parsec away, they all head in anyways. Building off the stellar War of the Bounty Hunters – 4-LOM & Zuckuss one-shot, there’s an emotional through line as Zuckuss tries to bring his friend and partner back from the murderous programming one of their rivals did to the droid, and my investment from that issue got the payoff I was hoping for here. The Gand’s ability to perceive the future, to some extent, allows him to approach the giant, murderous version of his pal with ease, despite everyone else thinking he’d be toast, and while Zuckuss might not be able to talk 4-LOM back to normal, he’s able to predict enough to pop his head off and begin the process. It was a sweet but weird moment, as 4-LOM cries out as Zuckuss is tearing his old friend apart, but at least it seems the restored droid doesn’t quite remember so they can skip the awkward part for now. 4-LOM’s considerable hacking skills help the team locate Cadeliah by way of Crimson Dawn’s chatter about her, setting up for a showdown with the syndicate as they both rush to change the future of the Corellian underworld. I like how the issue sort of addressed, again, why Bossk, Leech, and Zuckuss stick around, from the seemingly bored but having fun of the first two to Zuckuss finding the companions to be decent enough friends for now. I wonder how much longer Zuckuss will stick around now that 4-LOM is back, and if that means the others will abandon as well or if they’ll all see it through regarding Cadeliah.
Whereas #19 focused on Valance mostly and some of T’onga and crew, #20 brings us back to Vukorah and her Crimson Dawn-backed plans with the future of the Unbroken Clan. Back in issue #17, the final part of the War of the Bounty Hunters crossover, Qi’ra offered Vukorah something in a box as a way to bring the Unbroken Clan into the future, and we finally learn what it is here. Storming into the Clan’s headquarters, Vukorah confronts their current leader, who admits he’s been in stasis since his daughter’s death and says he’s taking the Clan down with him when he dies. Vukorah’s given too much for the Unbroken Clan to let that happen, and when he calls her a street rat to cement how he really felt about her, she takes out the Clan’s ancient blade, given to her by Qi’ra, and plunges it into him, telling him about his granddaughter before he passes away. As much as she feels like the villain, I can’t help but cheer for her taking over, as she’s had quite the journey already in these comics, and after feeling sidelined during the WotBH, it’s refreshing to see her take such a central role. It’s a brutal yet unsurprising development in Vukorah’s life and it makes it clear how she’d feel about making a treaty with the Mourner’s Wail if Cadeliah is rescued by T’onga and crew before the Dawn. Will she remain unmoving from this viewpoint or can they convince her? Is Dawn’s influence and help going to prevent her from seeing reason? Either way, I’m hoping this series won’t end with her dead for having this opposing opinion.
On art, series regular Paolo Villanelli returns, with Bryan Valenza on colors this time instead of his usual cohort, and Travis Lanham on lettering. I haven’t always been the biggest fan of Villanelli’s style, but I find I prefer it to Ramon Bachs, who took over for the previous few issues, especially since T’onga and Losha look appropriately aged compared to the nearly baby-faced look they had last issue. There’s just something to Villanelli’s work that adds so much to Vukorah’s big glow-up scene, donning what looks like an ancient Viking’s helmet when she takes over the Unbroken Clan, that gives her such an imposing, deadly, yet exhilarating look. Valenza’s colors complement Villanelli’s work, reminding me such of Arif Prianto’s, though he brings a more haunting look to most of the issue, like the spooky, dark coloring of 4-LOM when the new monstrous version reveals itself amongst the ship’s shadows. Lanham’a choice for the SFX as 4-LOM scours transmissions for Cadeliah made it feel like a long, boring process, hence T’onga and Losha looking sleepy, while the “PING” is the perfect punctuation when results buzz in.
Bounty Hunters #20 moves the series in the right direction: forward.
+ Girlboss Vukorah
+ Zuckuss and 4-LOM Drama
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.
BOUNTY HUNTERS REVIEWS
War of the Bounty Hunters: #12 | #13 | #14 | #15 | #16 | #17 — Galaxy’s Greatest: #18 | #19