– Spoiler Review –
Despite the knowledge a second Death Star looms, Amilyn Holdo suggests a vacation for Princess Leia, Luke Skywalker, Lando Calrissian, and Chewbacca, but as Star Wars #29 (Vol. 2) unfolds, her real plans become clear, tying in some fun references to The High Republic era writer Charles Soule helped create!
There’s a second Death Star somewhere out there, ready to unleash planet killing destruction again, and as far as the Rebellion knows at this point, no chance to learn about it like they had with the first one, no daughter of a scientist to manipulate into tracking down more details, no vault on Scarif to raid again for the plans. Their supply lines, about to be flush from Qi’ra and Crimson Dawn’s resources, is coming up dry as they have seemed to run into their own problems with the Empire (see Crimson Reign and, later this month, Hidden Empire). So…why not take a vacation?! It sounds ridiculous, and at first seems that way with Chewie and Lando gambling, Luke reading a book, Leia and Amilyn sunbathing next to a pool, almost a surreal scene giving the circumstances. Leia’s our audience surrogate here, as she’s just as incredulous with the idea, which helped make me a feel a little less off-put by the idea and embraced it. After some slight teasing between the two, Amilyn reveals to Leia it’s really a working vacation, but a little R&R wouldn’t hurt them before her plans begin. Turns out she has the bead on potential supplies and fuel which will keep them stocked and ready to go until they can find new sources, but it involves…a fancy cocktail party auction! The slightly silly, relaxing atmosphere gets to continue, with at least Leia, Amilyn, and Luke dressing up and being out on the floor, Lando and Chewie watching from above, offering advice and advance warning if something seems out of place.
So what’s on auction and what’s the potential source of more fuel? Well, the item on auction is just the key, or so Amilyn believes, to finding the answers to all the Rebellion’s fuel problems: the lost Kezarat Convoy. It’s said to have disappeared on the same day as the Great Hyperspace Disaster, the starting incident in Light of the Jedi, the novel by Charles Soule starting the High Republic era and the whole initiative. The ships were part of the Byne Guild, 100 ships worth of fuel being moved around the galaxy, entering hyperspace and never seen again, though it sent off one final garbled message no one has ever been able to decode. Amilyn thinks the only way to decode is on a Nihil ship, the deadly marauders of the era linked to the Disaster, entering it into their Path Engines, unique devices sent special hyperspace coordinates from a surprising source. If you’ve yet to join the High Republic hype, Soule makes it easy for readers to gain enough information to make it all fit, while fans of the era will enjoy the references. Not only did I enjoy it, but I particularly loved how it helped put the age of those events into perspective while making them feel like part of the history of the universe; it’s one thing to enjoy the stories in the era unfold, it’s another to start seeing it treated like actual history to characters we already knew and loved. Regardless, the auction gets heated, as Amilyn pushes her funds quite a bit against the ever persistent Curator of the Imperial Museum, who appeared in an arc earlier in the series, and while Amilyn suggests Luke use a mind trick, he’s not feeling well and Lando cautions them not to because it could draw more heat on them than necessary if this curator lost.
But they really need that ship, so an alternative plan is sprung…steal it! It’s an easy job, everyone pitching in, showing the strength of the Rebellion and its members is when they work together. They grab the Path engine and attach it to the ship at Amilyn’s friend’s mansion, but putting the garbled message into the engine doesn’t do anything, and they are forced to flee when the Empire somehow shows up, all hope lost of this latest idea for fuel. But as they flee, punching it into hyperspace, the Path engine turns on, launching them into hyperspace earlier than usually possible and to destinations unknown. When they revert back to realspace, they find themselves at the hiding place of the Nihil: No-Space, where their Great Hall hangs in space, abandoned and partly destroyed! It’s a stunning image by the art team of Ramon Rosanas, Rachelle Rosenberg and Clayton Cowles. I love the scale of the page, the Great Hall looking truly Great, a giant structure, broken and abandoned, hanging in space, while the heroes’ ship barely looks indistinguishable from stars in the background, Cowles lettering shrinking as well to ensure even their voices of concern for where they are are minuscule at best. Rosenberg’s colors are mesmerizing, nearly the entire rainbow on display, swirling in clouds around the derelict station.
Everyone’s relaxing attire is rather fitting, from Leia’s white leisure outfit, Amilyn’s purple get up, Lando’s open robe, and while Luke’s black one certainly keeps up with his looks during this timeframe, it also reminded me A LOT (and I really, really hope this is intentional) of Mark Hamill’s golden jumpsuit from his appearance on German television; the big v-neck front is what really made the connection for me. Elsewhere, the looks of the crew at the auction, which is what they are wearing on the issue’s cover for once, also were fun outfits: Amilyn’s isn’t as concealing as Leia’s, though still features a mask enough to keep her incognito, though the jewelry gives her the look of someone with money; Leia’s masquerade clothes and mask keep her the most concealed and yet stick with her usual white theme of clothes; and I love that Luke’s just a simple suit and racoon eyes mask, not as fancy as his outfit when he and Doctor Aphra went to a special party a few years back. Overall, having the colors of their outfits not change makes it easily visually to keep track of who is who, beyond even the dialogue. The two-page splash of their attack on the stormtroopers guarding the Nihil ship was well-plotted, as it seems to be drawn in a way to show just how quickly and efficiently the team worked together to subdue them and get the ship. The shadow of Chewie over a stormtrooper, only for the next panel to be of him absolutely wrecking the poor soldier underneath, was my favorite part, Cowles SFX for the crushing sound of helmet meets metal, the rushing yellow of the background, and the angle of the panel’s action revel in the Wookiee’s fury.
Here are a few other things:
- As fun as it was to have Amilyn and Leia together, it was not only disappointing they couldn’t go the whole issue without talking about the men around them in a romantic way, but it digs against her comment to Leia in Leia: Princess of Alderaan about being attracted only to men was limiting. It does fit with her open stance on attraction, but a little line about Leia’s look in the issue could’ve balanced it out, as I wonder how many readers of this comic have read the book and might believe this is the only way Amilyn feels.
- What was up with Luke not feeling well? The Nihil ship? It comes out of nowhere in the issue and never seems to bother him again, even when he’s helping to steal the ship so…I hope there will be some explanation in the future.
Star Wars #29 (Vol. 2) kicks off the latest arc with some fun potential and great references to the High Republic any reader will be able to enjoy.
+ Fun High Republic connections for new and old fans alike
+ Getting the whole gang together again, plus Amilyn
– Rationalizing the vacation is a little difficult
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.
STAR WARS (Vol. 2)
The Destiny Path: #1 | #2 | #3 | #4 | #5 | #6 / Arc Review — The Will of Tarkin: #7 | #8/Arc Review — Operation Starlight: #9 | #10 | #11 | #12 — War of the Bounty Hunters: #13 | #14 | #15 | #16 | #17 | #18 — Crimson Reign: #19 | #20 | #21 | #22 | #23 | #24 — Special Issue: #25 — The Path to Victory: #26 | #27 | #28