– Spoiler Review –
There’s truly a panic at the Accretion Disco in Bounty Hunters #28, as Tasu Leech’s decision leads to T’onga’s team praying for a way to escape alive, while Valance and his team find themselves in Vader’s presence after their recent successes, though is this a good or a bad thing? Find out in our review!
Pushed to the edge by the person they were supposed to protect, Tasu Leech ends up killing him, doing the work for the assassins they were holding off. When the Pykes realize what happens, their overwhelming forces turn on T’onga and team, turning the Accretion Disco into the wrong type of mosh pit. The dynamics here are the big draw, the team as friendly to one another as a team of bounty hunters can be, Bossk both impressed by Zuckuss’ abilities but not wanting to hear the details on how he does it, the violent Tasu concerned over Losha’s level of violence, and 4-LOM trusting in his programming to save his friend Zuckuss even if it means bringing down the station hanging over the black hole. Ethan Sacks seems to be enjoying these B-Team pairings, their banter easy and quick, his deep understanding of each one making their decisions and comments feel natural to their characters. My only issue with A-Team-esque shenanigans is how often this team gets into overwhelming scraps and always finds a way out in the end, while fun and enjoyable to read, if I’m not the biggest fan of all the characters it’s not as enduring the more it happens.
Despite T’onga’s reassurances last issue, Losha is still troubled by the death of Furball, blaming herself for the Nexu’s death. It leads to an outburst of anger and violence that disturbs even Tasu, who regularly enjoys talking of killing and gutting people, even potential innocents, and T’onga once again comes to her wife’s side to calm her down. I love how much we see them support one another or talk through things, which in a series known for its action mainly, is much appreciated and allows Sacks to flex his various talents. Losha’s not the only one dealing with the repercussions of Furball’s death, as once Vukorah takes back over the Unbroken Clan, which fell to someone else in her absence, she sits atop the throne and yet can’t help but think about Losha’s pain. It seems we might find Vukorah turning a new leaf over after the encounter and Losha going down the revenge path, meaning whenever these two meet again, Losha might be seeing red too much to notice a changed Vukorah; Tragedy is on the horizon, beware!! Either way, Losha might have her own issues to work out, but she’s at least there for T’onga, distraught after their latest botched mission, assuaging her wife’s fears over the Crimson Dawn deal, paving the way for T’onga to reach out and get their first mission right away. One that’ll have them on a collision course with someone they all know…
Valance and his team, enjoying victories off-panel against Crimson Dawn, get an audience with Darth Vader himself. There’s a comradery to this team (V-Team?) too, while Valance and Lt. Haydenn aren’t really even trying to hide their newfound relationship (which I’m still not for or understand how it came about, but here we are). When they find themselves in Vader’s presence, everyone but Valance and Haydenn kneel before him and, in a funny, surprising moment, Vader even fixes Valance’s collar for him despite the latter yelling at him to protect Haydenn. This Dark Lord is pleased with their progress, though I’m curious where/when this fits in with events in his own comic series, and has a new mission for them: protect a shipment of supplies heading to Bestine…which just so happens to be the shipment T’onga and her crew are meant to attack. If both the B-Team and the V-Team weren’t being assigned a mission to Bestine at the same time, I’d almost begin to question if Valance’s sections were all part of some elaborate dream or messing with his mechanical bits after the little Vader funny moment. I’m glad these two storylines will begin to collide again, as I’ve not always been the biggest Valance fan and haven’t felt like his side’s really been going anywhere.
After some stellar panels and pages last issue, I couldn’t imagine a way Paolo Villanelli, Arif Prianto on colors, and Travis Lanham lettering could top themselves, but the team proves to be a powerhouse again with some dazzling art! In fact, the page of the Edgehawk escaping the event horizon as the Accretion Disco tumbles away into its darkness, crumbling into pieces, lost to time and space forever, is a gorgeous and haunting. Haunting in how Prianto colors the black hole’s accretion disc in golds and oranges, a beautiful yet fiery look that matches the forces of nature at work, showing it’s an uncaring yet natural beast; Lanham’s lettering emphasizing the struggle of the ship’s engines to escape the nearly inescapable; the gambling den tearing apart, sinking in the hole’s depths, looks beautiful in its own way, unnatural torn apart by the natural, as if it had been dancing on the edge, this abomination of predilections avoiding repercussions until the natural order of things brought it down. The next panel shows the disco almost gone, followed by T’onga and crew entering hyperspace, and then another panel of the black hole, at a great distance, look the same and as if nothing ever happened, showing the insignificance of us in the order of things. I also really enjoyed the series of panels of Vukorah sitting on the throne, and while she looks tough and unbeatable and comfortable, she’s thinking of Losha’s cries, so the final panel is of her crying, pained by the memory and the pain she caused, speaking to the larger war inside her.
Here are a few other things:
- I noticed the second Death Star on the screen when Valance and team entered the room…could be why Vader is mad they arrived early but…also shouldn’t he be able to sense them coming?? Was it an intentional slip by Vader, testing those in the room, or just a fun little Easter Egg by the art team?
- Kanjiklub vows to keep tabs on Tasu after what happens before they leave, setting up how he might one day be its leader.
Bounty Hunters #28 is an entertaining issue with the team hurrying to escape a black hole, though the direction the stories are going promises even more exciting.
+ Fun dynamics
+ T’onga, Losha, Vukorah dealing with fallout still
+ Art goes haunting and beautiful
– Another difficult but too easy escape
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.
BOUNTY HUNTERS REVIEWS
War of the Bounty Hunters: #12 | #13 | #14 | #15 | #16 | #17 — Crimson Reign: #18 | #19 | #20 | #21 | #22 | #23 | #24 — The Raid on the Vermillion: #25 | #26 — Accretion Disco: #27