– Spoiler Review –
Bounty Hunters #14 is the opening issue for July’s events within the War of the Bounty Hunters crossover and while it’s short on forward momentum for the larger story, it carries a lot of its own important plots toward something I’m gaining interest in.
I really appreciate the disclaimer upfront regarding when this takes place within the timeline of the War of the Bounty Hunters crossover, as reading the other series made the last issue’s placement easy, but if you’re just reading this and maybe the miniseries, it might be a little confusing. In the opening credits page, it mentions issue #14 takes place prior to War of the Bounty Hunters #1, so in a way the last page reveal of Lady Qi’ra as Deathstick’s employer technically is the first chronological appearance of her return. I hope they continue to use such disclaimers to keep things clear for readers!
Speaking of Qi’ra, I’m not totally surprised she hired Deathstick, but I am surprised by her orders for her: keep them alive and get them to Jekara and the auction. Qi’ra has always been the planner, as seen in Solo: A Star Wars Story and the rather fantastic Most Wanted, so what outcome is she looking for, what contingency is she making room for, if she wants both Valance and Dengar at the party? I’m not as sure with Dengar, but it might have to do with her finding some weird way to help him with his problem revealed here, but for Valance it might be rather clear: he wants to save Han Solo out of some honor and debt he owes the man, so Qi’ra likely wants him around to ensure the frozen Han doesn’t die or falls into the wrong hands during whatever will come during the auction. In fact, such motivation suggests the auction won’t be as straightforward as everyone assumes, though that shouldn’t be a surprise at all either. I’m glad to see Qi’ra appear here, as it gives me hope she won’t be regulated to the miniseries only, meaning we’ll get more time with her as the crossover continues. Regardless, Deathstick looks to be a formidable force and I look forward to her making more appearances in the future, especially if it’s to help with whatever eventually chaos comes to the auction.
As I mentioned above, Dengar has a problem he needs help with, as it connects to his motivation to claim the bounty on Boba Fett: Jabba holds his beloved Manaroo captive, with the price of her safe return being Boba Fett. My theory Qi’ra wants to help him potentially makes sense once you consider her past within Crimson Dawn under Dryden Vos, so knowing Manaroo’s position she’d likely want to help her, and she’d probably know because she likely has a mole in Jabba’s operation, as hinted at in Doctor Aphra #10 (Vol. 2). As for Dengar’s motivations being a damsel in distress, it’s beyond rote, but I’m glad that’s not the focus here. She is a Legends pull, mainly seen in one of my odd favorites of Legends, The Bounty Hunter Wars (familiar sounding name, hey?), where she was unfortunately held captive by Jabba as well, while her freedom came alongside Jabba’s death, so maybe things will turn out a little differently this time around? Just as long as it’s not her death due to Dengar’s failure or something, that would make this appearance a real disappointment.
Know what’s not a disappointment? T’onga and Losha! As T’onga tries to wrap up the series long story of Cadeliah and the chasm between Mourner’s Wail and the Unbroken Clan, she finds herself in a siege against the Mourner’s Wail by Crimson Dawn. Not only does she get a chance to shine in taking out the Crimson Dawn, calling the sick calvary of their nexu, but Losha barges in to rescue her, mowing down the Dawn to protect her wife. It was such a cool moment and shows how far writer Ethan Sacks and the series has come from its low point with T’onga’s “death,” while the back and forth between T’onga and Khamdek, the Wail’s leader, regarding Losha was a hilarious, wonderful scene. With the Dawn beaten back, T’onga finally tells Khamdek about his granddaughter, Cadeliah, and the events that led to his son’s death, where he shows his disappointment in his son’s choice to hide the truth and an eagerness to protect his family’s heir, regardless of her mixed blood. Will this lead to the two sides putting their differences aside and combining forces, especially to help fight back Crimson Dawn? It seems Qi’ra sent out her troops to issue an ultimatum, join us or die, and I have no doubts she sent them after the two Corellian groups due to her history there, but who else is she trying to take over while she hosts the fancy auction? In the end, I loved seeing T’onga help wrap up some of the series’ storylines and get a great moment in the spotlight, alongside her wife, but it’s not the issue’s only hint of storylines ending.
It’s no secret I’m not a fan of Beilert Valance, as I have no nostalgic pull to the character having never read the original Marvel comics nor has anything put out about him since changed my mind, but I actually enjoyed a development with his character in Bounty Hunters #14: Dengar’s old boss, a mechanic on Corellia, patches up Valance and tells Dengar the robotic parts are in tip-top shape, but his human heart might be on its last legs. Yes, I’m finally excited about Valance’s trajectory because his time seems numbered, which might make me a jerk but I’m sure he’d appreciate the honesty! There’s some precedence for Valance making the ultimate sacrifice to help our heroes, against Darth Vader to help Luke Skywalker or, as we saw in 2019’s one-time Legends continuation, he returned to help stop the spread of the Crimson Forever virus as his final act. Huh, I just put it together: he has to deal with the resurgent Crimson Dawn in canon and he dealt with the Crimson Forever in Legends. Could his next sacrifice unfold within the pages of the crossover, doing something to help save Han’s life, which sets into motion Boba securing Han and taking him to Jabba’s Palace and thus the events of Return of the Jedi? Only time will tell, but it would be a fitting way to end his tale, while it would give the Bounty Hunters series a chance to start fresh with a new set of characters and storyline, if they’d like to use it in such a way.
Paolo Villanelli (artist), Arif Prianto (colors), and Travis Lanham on lettering keep the action tight and engaging, and I especially liked how far they went with the nexu plowing into the fray, jaws engulfing one of the hapless Crimson Dawn soldiers; it’s a two pager of epic nexu pet action, it’s large mouth almost smiling as it enters the fight, it’s growl breaking out of the confines of the speech bubble. In one of the quieter scenes, the panel of Deathstick’s shadowy form in the mist of Nar Shaddaa was a killer play between Villanelli’s art and Prianto’s colors, and how she’s missing when Dengar glances back out, really adds to the tension of when we’ll see her again. Lanham went off on the lettering this issue, as he felt reserved the last few and now, in the middle of the Wail’s battle with Crimson Dawn forces or Deathstick’s big entrance later in the issue. I particularly loved the pages and panels devoted to backstory, where Mamma Stammoch, Dengar’s mechanic boss lady friend, offers a little background to Crimson Dawn, covering events from The Clone Wars, where we get some cool looks at Mauldalorians, Captain Rex, the Siege of Mandalore, and even Dryden Vos in this team’s style and wow would I love them to be involved with any series that might explore more of that timeline, especially Dryden.
Here are a few other things:
- The War of the Bounty Hunters crossover lasts through October, and we’ll be covering the whole thing here. Each month we’ll have our Hunters’ Guide, an article that rounds up the month’s issues about the event, detailing what happened and what it might mean for the rest of the event, which is a handy way to keep on top of the large story in case you’re not reading all of the content. The crossover was made modular in design, so you could read just the eponymous miniseries, but reading these tie-in issues expands and adds context to the larger story! Check out June’s Hunters’ Guide to get all caught up now!
- It’s always a big recommendation to watch The Clone Wars to get the background of Maul’s crash through the criminal syndicates during the Clone Wars, alongside the Son of Dathomir comic, but the flashback panels were a fairly succinct but informative look at that story.
- Peer ahead at the auction party hosted by Qi’ra and Crimson Dawn with the previews for next week’s Star Wars comics, War of the Bounty Hunters #2 and Doctor Aphra #12 (Vol. 2)!
Bounty Hunters #14 keeps most of the focus on its own tale, offering an entertaining time and a few intriguing possibilities for what’s to come in its issues and the War of the Bounty Hunters crossover.
+ T’onga and Losha fighting for each other
+ Getting behind Valance, even if it’s because he’ll die
+ Qi’ra’s potential plans for everyone
– Dengar’s motivation
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.
WAR OF THE BOUNTY HUNTERS CROSSOVER
June: War of the Bounty Hunters #1 | Bounty Hunters #13 | Star Wars #14 | Darth Vader #13 | Doctor Aphra #11 / Hunters’ Guide for June
May: Alpha #1 | Star Wars #13 | Bounty Hunters #12 | Darth Vader #12 | Doctor Aphra #10 / Hunters’ Guide for May