– Spoiler Review –
After the Sith Lords got to flex their might in the pages of the two previous Black, White & Red miniseries, Marvel went for a change of pace. Despite his gear being anything but black and red, the notorious bounty hunter Boba Fett got his chance to show off his particular set of skills in the unique format, and all the creative teams involved rose to the challenge. Boba Fett: Black, White & Red turned out to be the series’ best, reinvigorating the concept with memorable stories and exceptional art.
While I liked Darth Maul’s Black, White & Red miniseries more than Darth Vader’s, as the story-per-issue format led to deeper tales and Maul isn’t as well-tread as Vader is (but close), I was growing less enthused with the series overall. The fact they went with Boba Fett for the third one was an intriguing change of pace, as Kylo Ren and so many other Sith were sitting right there, waiting for their turn, and it made me hopeful this could change my feelings for the series. By the end of the first issue, I was cautiously optimistic, its story really showed off Boba’s shrewdness and the art team got quite the workout with the location-hopping story. The second issue was even more intriguing to look at, while its story offered something different for bounty hunting and Boba in general. And then issue #3 hit, a wallop of jaw-dropping art and a wicked-fun story. To finish it all off, the fourth issue made some larger commentary and offered glimpses of potential future storylines, with some darn good art to boot as well. Altogether, it showed how Black, White & Red could be so much more than Sith slaughterhouse showcases, not only by giving us more nuanced stories, but by how the art transformed even the more mundane seeming stories into something more. I really hope they stay away from the Sith for another entry, but if they don’t, hopefully they’ve learned from this and strive for something more along its lines.
Now I’m going to briefly breakdown each issue!
Issue #1: “The Impossible Job” – Benjamin Percy (Writer), Chris Allen (Penciler), Chris Allen & Craig Yeung (Inkers), Rachelle Rosenberg (Colorist), Joe Caramagna (Letterer throughout)
While the opening prison break is a fun sequence, I wasn’t totally sold on Percy’s vision right away, but by the end I appreciated the layers it holds. The double and triple-crosses add up in the winding story, yet it’s Boba’s actions which say a lot about his commitment to his reputation and staying out of the bigger fight. Plus, there’s a Besalisk with cybernetic legs, what more could you want?
It’s not hard to imagine Allen, Yeung, and Rosenberg looking at Percy’s script and both giving him the middle finger for the big challenge ahead and gleefully rising to and overcoming it at the same time. “The Impossible Job” is a story with several unique locations that, under less stringent artistic rules, would likely be easier to bring to life, yet Allen and Yeung make it seem easy and Rosenberg ensures it all makes sense. The opening prison is made in the vein of Andor’s Narkina-5, yet instead of being located in the middle of a giant lake, it’s floating in the middle of a giant hurricane-like storm. As Boba jets away with his catch, what we’re seeing is almost hard to understand, as Boba and his bounty are so close to the page, taking up much of the view, with the use of white sort of blending them into the prison complex behind them. But it’s Rosenberg’s choices with the red to denote the storm around the floating prison, as well in limited parts of Fett’s armor and the bounty’s clothes, which give the image its depth. The windy, rolling storm emanates claustrophobia in the red hues, suffocating the prison, and it’s Boba’s proximity and Caramagna’s narration box choices which make it clear he was able to escape. Rosenberg’s reds return to make Boba’s journey into a chaotic solar system seem as daunting as he’s being told it’ll be, while Allen and Yeung pepper the system with several objects with asteroid belts, what looks like a nebula, and more, taking the script and really running with it. Only two pages later might be my favorite panel of the issue. After a brief dog fight with some Rebel ships, Fett flies into the sights of their blockade runner. Referencing a now iconic shot from Solo: A Star Wars Story, where we saw an Imperial Star Destroyer emerge from the maelstrom over Kessel, in the reflection of Boba Fett’s Firespray we see the blockade runner emerging from similar-like rolling clouds, as if to denote this sect of the Rebellion is maybe as nefarious as the Imperials they fight. Rosenberg uses more of a pinkish red in the reflection, as if the bigger ship’s lights are shining down on Boba, putting him in the spotlight, while a few Rebel ships are floating next to him, showing how corned he is.
Issue #2: “Piper’s Pay” – Saladin Ahmed (Writer), Ramon Rosanas (Artist)
As we live in an age where too many of the old guard retain power in the upper echelons of the government, unable and unwilling to let go of their power like a Sith Lord about to enact his master plan, I liked the turns Ahmed’s story took that challenge this unfortunate normal. “Piper’s Pay” follows Samu Mavolak, a well-known escapee of the consequences of his actions, yet now Boba Fett has him in his sights, who is a well-known captor of those who try avoiding the consequences of their actions. Boba’s not the only one after him and the revelation of his Samu’s child throw things for a loop, giving both Boba and Samu choices to make they might not normally deal with. In the end, Samu is willing to give himself up to save his child, hoping the next generation can do better than he, letting him and his actions catch up with him and not burden the kid. It shows the power of letting go, not only in how it can better serve those we’ll leave behind, but also how it’s not just reserved for the Jedi. If only all the Sith still in power could understand this simple concept.
On art is Roman Rosanas, putting in another great showing, especially with how he employs the series’ color scheme. In fact, it was really fun that Samu is a Zeltron with red skin, as it made parts of the issue almost like a extremely easy Where’s Waldo image. Just as Samu’s being told Boba’s prowess, we flip to a splash page which depicts Boba floating above a nearby market, red overhangs obscuring parts of it, with many denizens, all white besides the black lines defining them, seen navigating the market. Yet Samu sticks out like a sore thumb, the only red colored face down below, as if Boba has located him and singled him out amongst the crowd. It’s also to guide our eye, something Caramagna is already doing with his carry-over dialogue box and Samu’s exclamation of surprise. Rosanas employs the same trick later, more for us than to show Boba’s skills, as Samu’s sister (wish she got a name like most of the male characters did this issue), obviously also of the same red skin color, is the only one in red besides the accents he gives to Boba, helping draw our attention to her. He uses this again when Boba reaches out to Samu, promising him a deal, and this is when Rosanas bathes Boba in red, to show he’s aligned with Samu in that moment.
Issue #3: “Meeting of the Minds” – Ethan Sacks (Writer), Juan José Ryp (Artist)
Give Ethan Sacks the keys to the future of the Fett family, this guy gets it. Boot up The Book of Boba Fett season two or just make it an on-going comic with him at the helm! Coming off a great run on Bounty Hunters, an excellent Jango Fett miniseries, and an adventurous Poe Dameron series, Sacks is back in the Fett saddle for Boba Fett: Black, White & Red‘s best tale. Told across two eras, one in Boba’s early days on his own and another in his prime, Fett’s resilience is on full display as not even time, and a lapsed bounty, get in the way of his sense of revenge and justice. Boba’s actions this issue are nothing short of impressive, giving the best sense of his abilities and why he has such a sterling reputation, be it turning his starship against himself to get at the target or how he’s able to use all his gadgets for crowd control against many attackers at once. Sacks also sneaks in some great zingers for the mostly silent man, with the Boba’s response upon entering his target’s outpost on Donovia an all-timer. And then there’s the slight horror aspects of the ending, as the unnerving B’omarr Monk situation, who they put their brains in jars attached to spider-like bodies, is taken to a horror-movie-esque level in the brilliant finale. Lightning doesn’t strike twice, but Sacks captured Boba’s lightning in a bottle with this issue.
Yet I haven’t even spoken about Juan José Ryp’s mind-meltingly good art! Every team does an exceptional job, but if I had to rank them, Ryp would come out on top. And I’m saying this despite him making me very uncomfortable once the B’omarr Monk scene gets revved up! This is such a moody scene, Ryp purposefully obscuring the background in darkness, using a mixture of white and red to signify Boba’s limited view thanks to his blaster’s flashlight. It’s a stark contrast to earlier pages, as Ryp’s ability to cram in so much detail, toeing a fine line with greys helping him color in his subtle and precise line work, leaves scenes feeling stuffed, in the best way possible. So it’s unnerving we can’t see this detailed work anymore, just in Boba’s appearance and what he’s able to shine his light on. When Corm Vargon reveals his new body, it’s a freaky and scary looking droid body, whose buzzing blade almost has a 3D nature to it thanks to Ryp’s subtle use of red on the blade and Caramagna’s satisfying “whir” sound FX. There’s a flashback to how things ended against Corm the first time, giving us a look at Ryp’s details once more, and then we hop back to the present for one freaking impressive double-page spread as Corm and his B’omarr-ified cronies reveal their staggering numbers against Boba. There’s almost 30 spider-like bodies carrying brains in a jar that crawl down from everywhere, flanking Corm’s deadly robot body, which we now also see is spider-like in its legs. It’s such an intimidating spread, not only if you have arachnophobia (Caramagna’s “skitter” SFX has me quaking in my bones just thinking about it), but the sheer numbers against Boba make the task before him, and his survival, seem next to impossible. Also, Ryp’s atmospheric work leaves quite the impression throughout. The stormy, rain-soaked entrance at the Donovia outpost gives the sense of nefarious deeds attempting to be done under the cover of the storm. By using more of a grey throughout much of his work, the white rain droplets can be used abundantly, while the red outlined lightning feels sudden and dangerously large, something Caramagna’s SFX gives even more credence too. The juxtaposition of those panels comes when Boba arrives on Javeek, approaching the criminal B’omarr layer. There’s a sandstorm brewing, given breathtaking voluminous depth in how Ryp draws it, while little particles skittering across the storm and Boba’s cape flapping in the wind increase the wind swept setting. Yet where Caramagna added more to the sense of hiding under cover with his big SFX for the lightning earlier, there’s no SFX here, aiding the large views and desolate feeling. This makes the big double-splash reveal of all the criminal B’omarr even more surprising, as we’re set up to think it’s a big, lonely place. Getting chills just thinking about it all again!
One other thing:
- Adored seeing Korin Aphra again!! Fun to see the character, or any in Chelli Aphra’s orbit, in a non-Doctor Aphra comic!
Issue #4: “Target: Eriadu” – Alyssa Wong (Writer), Sara Pichelli (Artist), Rachelle Rosenberg (Colorist)
For the first time since their work in Doctor Aphra (2020) and The High Republic, Alyssa Wong is back with another Star Wars comic! This return includes some familiar places and faces from their previous works, but fans who haven’t read what’s come before won’t be left out. When one of Grand Moff Tarkin’s nieces is murdered by the masked and mysterious Shadow of Bri-Phrang, her parents hire Boba Fett to bring in the killer alive. Yet he’s not alone in the chase for the Shadow, as bounty hunter Raslin Grace challenges him for the prize. As Boba hunts the Shadow and fends off Raslin’s murderous intentions, Wong takes the time to show how much has changed on Eriadu since the days of the High Republic. Where once the public looked up to and trusted in the ruling class, like the Tarkins and the Graces (yes, Raslin’s from a rich family), their sentiments are anything but friendly to those with all the power and wealth. We see the inequalities of the ruling families hoarding their wealth pop up often in the story, be it the young entrepreneur Boba gains information from or the slum-like conditions of Bri-Phrang, the sister city to the capital Eriadu City, which looks like it never fully recovered from the deadly assault during the Nihil crisis. Water is what separates the two cities, and while this was just a feature, not a bug in The High Republc, it feels like Wong is using this geographical divide to explore various discriminatory practices in the real world. The disparities between Eriadu City’s wealthy and Bri-Phrang’s dilapidation reminded me of all the racially discriminatory acts my home city of Milwaukee, WI used to divide and create racial and wealth gaps, as covered an in excellent podcast series “By Every Measure.” It’s no surprise then these conditions on Eriadu led to someone like the Shadow to appear, hunting for justice in anyway possible, and it’s also no surprise their eventual capture and delivery to the Tarkins leaves them defiant as ever. The Eriaduans have a storied history of defiance and a willingness to fight against a bigger enemy, as seen in much of The High Republic’s final wave of stories in Phase III, so if anything the Shadow’s capture, and their growing legend, is just the fuel for the fire that could bring the ruling class down. It says a lot about Boba here as well, someone who reportedly takes no sides and is only out for himself, but by delivering the Shadow while knowing what such an action could signal to the people on the streets he’s overheard, was he taking a side while still getting paid? We’ll see him come to care about more than himself in The Book of Boba Fett, but for now, this is a great signal towards those instincts inside of him and how he’s always been aware of what the bigger picture could mean for his actions.
Raslin Grace is one helluva unsettling antagonistic character! She was first introduced in Revelations [2023] #1 and teased to be on the hunt for Chelli Aphra at the end of Wong’s Doctor Aphra (2020) run, though we haven’t seen her since. The most recent Aphra series, Chaos Agent, was cancelled before it got to shine, so we have no way of knowing if she was going to be used there or not. But if this was just a taste of what Wong had in mind if they ever got to write Aphra again…oh boy, I’d be worried for everyone. There’s an animalistic quality to Raslin, as she’s just hungry to feel alive, and the way she’s eager to fight and okay with getting hurt is an unnerving extension of that. Considering this all seems to come from boredom and a difference in taste from her elitist upbringing almost makes her more dangerous, as she’s enabled, at least on Eriadu, by the local authorities because of her status. Enabling those in power to do whatever they please never works out for anyone, especially the downtrodden and powerless, and she’s a haunting anti-symbol to the Shadow’s cold justice.
While it was Wong’s big return, it was artist Sara Pichelli’s big debut, having drawn some wonderful covers over the years, as this is her first time providing interior art! I’ve long hoped we’d get to see her on interiors and her debut doesn’t disappoint, while Rosenberg’s return as colorist puts the final icing on the cake to make this my second favorite art showing of the miniseries. When three of the main characters are masked and armored, a lot falls on the artist to bring forth any individualities and match the emotion and direction of the dialogue. Pichelli manages this rather effortlessly, with Boba often little making little movements, the Shadow having bigger and dramatic poses, and Raslin very loose and feral. These all fit their personalities and the big brawl in Bri-Phrang showcases this aspect a lot. For Raslin, she’s hunched over, wrist-mounted blades out, charging forward and into the direct line of fire, her confidence and desire to feel alive behind her brave and seemingly foolish moments. The little smile Pichelli gives Raslin when her helmet is cracked made me shiver, as if her bold movements weren’t enough, this smile triples down on her sadistic enjoyment of the rush of this fight. As for Boba, his movements are small, a hand outstretched here, arms up blocking there, with a straight-backed pose almost always, secure in his confidence in the situation and how he’s playing Raslin to draw out the Shadow. Speaking of, the Shadow’s arrival leads to the fight’s biggest sized panel, as they come leaping out of nowhere, stabbing a blade into Raslin’s shoulder, cape flying behind them, while Caramagna’s sound FX is as loud and as sudden as the attack, mostly obscured by the action but it backs up their loud announcement of their arrival to the confrontation. Caramagna’s SFX buzz throughout the fight, an addition which pronounces the impactful fisticuffs, blades, and blasters each one brings to the table. Rosenberg’s colors accentuate just enough red in each character to help bring some variety to the palette of choice, from the visor and vambraces of Boba’s to Raslin’s flowing scarf and deadly blade. I appreciate how it’s used with the Shadow the most, as their eyes are the only thing glowing, giving them a mystical, almost nightmarish quality, as the rest of their look is all blacks and whites, letting them live up to their shadowy name. I also like Rosenberg’s choices for shiny accents in many different panels, drawing us along each page to look at what Pichelli’s put to panel, while leading us along to and with Caramagna’s work.
One other thing:
- Given Chaos Agent‘s way too abrupt ending, which I’ll be getting into more in detail in my upcoming 2025 comics year-in-review, Chelli Aphra’s future is uncertain at the moment. Will Wong return to write more Aphra now? Will we get to see Raslin’s hunt of Chelli is some way, shape, or form? We’ll see what 2026 has in store…
- I just got Pichelli’s variant for Doctor Aphra: Chaos Agent #1, the week this fourth issue released!
Here are a few other things:
- I was only not reviewing this because I’ve been trying to pull back on my coverage to focus on personal goals and my family and I found myself wishing I was reviewing it issue by issue as each one came in.
- But I’m definitely not kidding, why not give The Book of Boba Fett a second season in the comics? Between some of the great stories here and the character’s potential in the non-The Mandalorian episodes, this once ‘meh’ fan of Boba Fett is interested enough for more, somehow, someway.
Boba Fett: Black, White & Red was the best entry in the series, but also a darn good miniseries on its own, with impressive art and memorable tales that tell us much about Boba and the world as well.
+ Tremendous art across the board, really using the conceit in inventive and memorable ways. Juan José Ryp and Sara Pichelli stand out the most, but all are wonderful on the eyes!
+ What it manages to say about Boba at times, but also commentary on the world at large
Ryan is Mynock Manor’s Head Butler. You can follow him and the website on Bluesky.
OTHER BLACK, WHITE & RED REVIEWS
Darth Maul: #1 | #2 | #3 | #4
Darth Vader: #1 | #2 | #3 & #4