– Spoiler Review –
After such a riveting opening issue, can Ethan Sacks, Luke Ross, and team do it again? Jango Fett #2 proves there was no accident and lightning can strike twice as various hunters and parties merge in the clash for the Hope of Glee Anselm.
The opening issue kicked off with a mic-drop worthy moment and issue #2 doesn’t try to top it, but it does offer a reminder of Jango Fett’s skills and the gritter tone in a subtle way I really appreciated: as Jango approaches his latest lead on the Hope of Glee Anselm, some Coruscant Level 1313 thugs think he’s an easy catch, but instead of seeing him decimate his attackers, we pick up only moments afterwards, the hints of his beatdown in the various bodies lining the streets, letting Luke Ross, Nolan Woodard, and Joe Caramagna do all the talking, keeping up Jango’s man-of-a-few-words persona. And just like the first issue, issue #2 has another delightful quip to follow the opening action scene, with this one about the convenience enemies afford him sometimes, which is a helpful reminder he’ll talk when he wants to and there’s a humorous edge to the grittier proceedings of the series. It’s a tone the issue balances wonderfully throughout, much like the opening did, be it in his interactions with the information broker in Level 1313 he’s come for, Aurra Sing’s deal-gets-worse-all-the-time situation with the Republic Judicial Huijari, and the brutal entrance of Vigor Struk to the proceedings and Jango’s tools to fight him. Beyond the great tone so far, the levels of intrigue don’t abate either, offering plenty of questions about certain motivations for characters like Huijari or the person(s) who stole the artifact, as we learn a little about the insurgents, as well as the various sides and their own reasonings or not for wanting the gem back. Despite all the lingering questions, what little we get in issue #2 leaves me confident, as well as with the overall plot, Sacks and team will make this story feel appropriately told, even only with only two issues remaining. The amount of reveals versus entertaining action and suspense keeps the series moving at an engaging pace, making it impossible to not enjoy the ride and be left eager for the next entry!
Given Vigor Struk’s memorable entrance in the first issue, I figured he’d be a force to be reckoned with, but he really gives Jango a run for his money when they go head-to-head in this issue. Up until this point, Jango’s proven his reputation enough where it was almost feeling a little too easy for him, so this was a nice way to bring him down to size, if only to some degree, as Jango’s real ace up his sleeve is the ever-present Slave I which helps him sneak out of Struk’s grip…for now. We don’t know much about Struk, but he reminds me a little of Baylan Skoll from Ahsoka, from his imposing stature, his strength, to his confidence in his purpose, and I look forward to learning more about him. On Aurra Sing’s side, the ever-bossy Huijari is grating to her as she plays his game since he secured her early release, but when she gets to be free for a moment to infiltrate a command room, we see she could likely take out Huijari with her eyes closed. Why she isn’t and breaking free yet remains to be seen, while Huijari’s motives and whomever he could be working for remain a tantalizing mystery too, as we see him kill another being, with surprising strength, for just getting in his way. Both the Anselmi and the Nautolans of Glee Anselm have their own ideas on getting back the gem, as Jango kills a secret team of Anselmi in the opening and he promptly shuts off communications with Fiarok, a member of the Nautolan peace delegation, when they try to cancel his contract. Jango Fett wants his money and won’t let this go against his stellar reputation! Lastly, as for who was behind the theft, given the issue #3 cover and some words from the Chevin Jango interrogates on a junk world, it might be a Nautolan, whom is described as a child. What would drive such a young one to want war to break out? Or what are her motivations? Can’t wait to find out!
Jango’s swagger, the seedy nature of the unfolding situation, Sing’s lithely deadly skills, and Struk’s imposing presence wouldn’t be possible without another stellar showing from Luke Ross, Nolan Woodard on colors, and Joe Caramagna lettering. Two parts really stood out to me from the art team and I’ll begin with the end of Struk and Jango’s fight (which is on the same page as the other scene I’ll talk about). On the bottom half of the page, the first panel of the end of their fight is where Struk snaps, a satisfying sound FX for Caramagna here, the blade off Jango’s wrist accessory and brings it up to slash at the hunter. In the second panel, Struk bears the blade down at Jango’s vulnerable neck/shoulder area, Caramagna’s SFX carrying the weight of the blow, and Jango’s anguish in his scream, Struk’s face creasing with the effort. The final panel on the page is Jango knelt down on the ground, Struk standing above, blade raised for the final blow, the coloring of the area around them white, as if this is the final moment, there’s nothing else that could come…though we see Jango “beep” something on his wrist comm. The next page is a giant one page panel where the intimidating Firespray ship looms over the combatants, its bright lights so overwhelming it makes it feel like the previous panel’s white background could’ve been from the ship, always present, always near. The other sequence I quite enjoyed was Sing’s display of her abilities, complete with a very gruesome, meaty “shunk” of a knife into someone’s face, but it was the final panel of her part that stood out the most. It’s a small panel above the end of Struk/Jango’s fight, but it’s a close-up on her, a wicked smile to her eyes and face, as if she enjoyed the freedom, the violence, while the way her eyes and up are shadowed a little gives the impression she’s not shown all her cards yet, she’s still holding back. Thankfully this art team isn’t holding back themselves, giving us another spectacular issue to behold.
Here are a few other things:
- Jango receives help from a familiar face to fans of Sacks’ Bounty Hunters series: Kligson! He’s gets wrapped up in the whole Dark Droids incident of that series’ story, though he has roots in Legends tales.
- This issue clarifies where the short story in Revelations (2023) #1 takes place to the miniseries, and it’s right where I guessed: between issues #1 and #2!
Jango Fett #2 is another enjoyable, intriguing entry which makes me wish more and more there was more than four issues!
+ Tone never wavers
+ Intrigue only gets more interesting
+ Ross and team deliver more glorious art
Ryan is Mynock Manor’s Head Butler. You can follow him on Twitter @BrushYourTeeth. You can follow the website on Bluesky, Twitter @MynockManor, and Instagram @mynockmanor.
JANGO FETT MINISERIES REVIEWS
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