– Spoiler Review –
Jango Fett #3 by Ethan Sacks and Luke Ross continues to be just plain fun to read, as its penultimate issue includes plenty of intriguing revelations presented in a high-energy way, leaving me eager to see how the team wraps it all up!
The consistency in tone, both in script and art, is one of the Jango Fett miniseries’ biggest strengths and the way this team keeps hitting those marks time and time again means if you’re already a fan, or are curious, there won’t be any disappointment when you open up the pages (even if this is your first issue). I have a lot of faith the team will manage to stick the landing in the finale next issue, especially given the way Ethan Sacks’ Bounty Hunters series came to close earlier this year (a series I’ll be talking about more shortly in this review…), but I’m withholding ranking this against some of my favorite miniseries of the past decade of Star Wars comics until we see the results, though the quality so far ensures it a spot among the greatest regardless. What really worked for me this issue wasn’t just the delightful and surprising returning character, but the sort of madcap, jovial energy when Aurra Sing catches up with Jango and big truths are revealed, yet we still aren’t sure just exactly how the story will wrap up, while hints about the person behind all the strings paints a picture of their most displeased response these hunters are rising above others’ lowly assumptions of them. On a base level, there’s satisfaction from Jango’s execution of his job and the overall mystery of the situation, but the fact the series can pull in these hints and teases about the era at large at the same time makes it feel very versatile.
Jango follows up on the mysterious message he received at the end of last issue, following the unknown contact to Roxuli, a mining planet. This is the most western the series has felt, as he rolls up to the sandy, dusty, quiet little town, people shutting their shops and doors when some local hooligans come to confront the shiny newcomer to town. Given how much The Book of Boba Fett was inspired by Westerns, to a fault almost, this felt like a better mixture, relying on the iconography of the genre for a little shorthand but putting its own spin on it, Jango using his jetpack to kick up dust and make quick work of the attackers. After dealing with them, he makes for the local watering hole, and the sole occupant to flee, he follows, capturing them with his ropes and asking their name: Nakano Lash! She was an important player in the earliest days of Sacks’ Bounty Hunters series, which takes place after The Empire Strikes Back, where her decision in a job on Corellia caused a whole host of problems for hunters under her watch but she took many under her wing to help them grow, fostering a sense of teamwork in a lonely profession. Speaking of lonely, the moment Jango has Nakano, he’s blasted to all hell and attacked by Aurra Sing, who arrives with her not so buddy buddy Republic Judicial Huijari, whom we saw last issue kill an innocent bystander randomly while this issue began with Aurra investigating him on a datapad. Aura proves her deadly status, giving Jango quite the licking, but I enjoyed the sudden turn, set off by the whisper in Jango’s ear about a previous job, resulting in Aurra getting her chance to verify Huijari isn’t really part of the Republic and take him out at the same time. They confront the young thief, learning Huijari was involved with recruiting her, the suits they wore when stealing the gem were booby-trapped, and the gem itself she stole…is a fake?! Nakano’s family being killed or hurt by the Anselmi, only briefly mentioned here, is what prompted her to go along with the job, and her suit being faulty is the only reason she’s still alive, so it seems like Jango was meant to grab her and Aurra, or more likely Huijari pressuring her, was meant to kill Jango and Nakano, and then Huijari would probably kill Aurra or put her back in prison, tidying up what has become quite the mess. We also see the local governor grinning after peace talks with the Nautolans and Anselmi crumble, so whomever is pulling the strings has their hands in a lot of pots…could this be Darth Sidious, already implementing schemes to weaken the Republic ahead of his bigger plans? It makes the most sense, especially once the issue ends and tons of bounty hunters get an alert for a bounty on Jango Fett and Aurra Sing, given they now know way too much. How will they get out alive, as Vigor Struk was a brutal presence and he’s eager to follow-up on his threat to Jagno? And will we learn if this is all part of Sidious’ schemes before the series is over? And why is it over next issue, why not more?!
What do we have to gush over with artist Luke Ross, colorist Nolan Woodard, and letterer Joe Caramagna’s work this issue? One sequence I absolutely adored was the point-of-view panels from the youngest hooligan in the group who attacked Jango, whom the dangerous hunter decides to spare and offer a little advice along the way. We already saw Jango be intimidating and deadly as he jetted around, blasting the young one’s pals, but getting to see him appear from the dust, a little gun in little hands pointing towards him, his looming figure as he snatches away the blaster, and the fearsome look of his helmet close up when he makes a request to the kid, really helps us feel the same as the kid, shaking in our boots. The angle of Jango’s T-visor, the darkness across its edges and the visor part itself, and the low way the word bubble is placed is a very menacing, even for how small the panel is, and it gives the Mandalorian armor, which we’re seeing more of and often in a less frightening light given how Grogu looks at Din Djarin, a bit of its bite back. Three issues, we’ve not seen at least three different bars, and I appreciate how the team has made each one different from the last! On Roxuli, while there are shadows over the private booths around the edges of the main space, it’s probably the bar we’ve seen with the most lighting, lots of soft greens and yellows from the various fixtures. It’s the most put together bar too, without any unended tables, and everyone’s clearly making their living working for the mine, as they’re all in the same outfit, so Jango sticks out like the sorest thumb. We get to see the bar on Daiyu again on the final page, so you can easily contrast how the team puts a certain sense of character for each one. The action sequence with Jango, Aurra, and Huijari has some great panels, and in particular I really focused on the ones after Jango throws Aurra. The initial panel makes for an impressive heave, Aurra in an awkward position, but the next one shows she manages to land with grace, her hair flowing but her form acrobatic, followed up by her cartwheeling towards her rifle, and lastly she already has it drawn and aimed. It’s a quick sequence but it really highlights her finesse and ability, with the yellow background appearing in two of the four, white background in the other, give it a sense of speed, like it happens in a flash. The next panel on the page is a POV down the scope, Jango gritting his teeth, almost looking like he’s betrayed, while Huijari awkwardly holding a thermal detonator seems too far off from her aim to be the real target, keeping us readers guessing for a few more moments. Caramagna’s word bubble directs our gaze off to the next panel, a close up of her about to squeeze the trigger, and on the next page readers are still left guessing, the first panel being of her taking the shot, but we finally see the results, the blast taking Huijari in the chest!
Here are a few other things:
- The final issue of the series in June will help celebrate Pride Month, with a variant cover depicting Sinjir Rath Velus from the Aftermath Trilogy!!
- The way the recent Mace Windu miniseries ended, with the promise of more (and I hope they deliver on that promise), could Jango Fett just be a precursor to something bigger? It does feel like Marvel is getting close to switching eras again, another shift like the one in 2020, and maybe along with it these two titles will get a larger presence? Hopefully we’ll find out soon!
- The little Niamos name-drop makes me eager for the second season of Andor!
Jango Fett #3 has revelations galore and we’re still on the edge our jetpacks, ready to see how it all ends in the finale next month!
+ Revealtions arrive in fun filled cascade
+ How will it wrap it all up?
+ Aurra Sing’s acrobatics and Jango Fett’s intimidation thanks to the art team
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.