– Spoiler Review –
In Ethan Sacks’ Bounty Hunters #30, Valance’s world is shattered when running into T’onga and her crew leads to revelations the Empire’s kept from him, changing the trajectory of the series once again.
After a pleasant little flashback to their time with Nakano Lash’s group, where we see when T’onga meets Losha and Valance amongst family who actually cares about him and not what he can do for them, we pick back up with T’onga and Valance’s tense reunion on Bestine. There is no battle, instead an exchange of words, each other surprised to see what side they are on now, but it leads to T’onga realizing he doesn’t know what’s happened to Cadeliah and Yura. When T’onga drops the news, it breaks what’s left of the cyborg’s heart, and he lets some steam off on the hapless shore troopers, going cyborg monster mode, as one would expect from the series. And then he contacts Lt. Haydenn, who has been conflicted about her feelings for him and telling him the truth, which obviously drives him away from her and the Empire, and she doesn’t get a chance to make her case before he cuts her off. Since we see her come down to Bestine with Darth Vader, maybe she’ll get a chance to redeem herself in his eyes by helping him escape Vader’s clutches (though please don’t let it end in her death, especially since she gets to shine on next issue’s special cover*). Regardless, I’m glad someone tore this band aid off since I was wearing a little thin on how much longer the charade could last (especially after the Revelations one-shot already revealed it would happen and had a whole different story to explore), though I am concerned T’onga and crew might not be as center-stage anymore, as her and Losha have really turned my interest in the series around.
As much as Valance goes off, letting out his anger, at least T’onga is there for him, the flashback’s lesson about having a family coming full circle as she embraces the hurting cyborg. I’m glad she got to be the one breaking the news because she actually cares for him, to some degree, so she could offer the support he needs before he goes off. I loved the little glimpse of T’onga working up to talking to Losha in the bar, as while we don’t get the exchange, just the glances between them is enough considering we know where it all goes.
After Valance’s rampage, he reveals the truth of the Empire’s deception to the rest of the crew, so they quickly rally to his side, making for one big group of bounty hunters and mercenaries by issues’ end. Will they be enough to help Valance against Darth Vader?! And who will make it out alive from the duel ahead? Should be quite the fight next issue!
Artist Paolo Villanelli, colorist Arif Prianto, and letterer Travis Lanham go big for Valance’s breakdown when he learns Yura died because the Empire pulled their location from his memory banks (though it’s Deathstick calling in the base for an airstrike, aka Crimson Dawn, that actually brings about the destruction). Regardless, the initial page is a cool set up, with Valance physically stumbling through the images flashing across the page, which starts with a smiling Yura, shows the strike raining down on the base, and lastly the destruction afterwards, paired with Valance’s face contorted in pain and agony. The next page has him on the ground, holding his head, T’onga draped over him, the inescapable image of a dead skull he can’t stop picturing hanging over the scene, ghostly in its vision, born from the fiery destruction, the blacks and purples around the skull by Prianto providing the morbid sense of pain Valance goes through. Lanham’s lettering is very minimal here, just the word bubble at the top on the first page, where he talks about it being all his fault, him believing it shown as he stumbles away and alone, while T’onga’s words don’t bisect the skull but hang to the side, almost like an offering for Valance to get up and accept instead of digging into this vision of the skull more, digging into this pain. Last issue the team had fun with the lightning and storm and they do so again this one, Valance looming over the shore trooper about to kill T’onga’s team against Valance’s orders, the his face unseen due to the bright flash of lightning in the background, though in the close-up of his face in the little panel next to it, you only see his human eye open, showing this anger isn’t some manufactured one by his cyborg side, but from what’s left of him that’s alive. The next panel, where he punches straight through the trooper has some really cool SFX work by Lanham, the sound of Valance’s punch letters drawn as black, marker-like letters, an unnatural look to most SFX to highlight the unnatural strength and destruction he’s causing now with his punch.
Here are a few other things:
- *Haydenn graces issue #31’s Black History Month cover! Check out hers and the other awesome covers coming this February!
- Vader might have other concerns than chasing after Valance again after these events, so we’ll see some familiar faces come hunt him instead: Inferno Squad, per the April 2023 solicitations!
- No follow-up on IG-88 and his mission to go after Vukorah this issue, so I’ll be curious to see when that picks back up again.
Bounty Hunters #30 brings T’onga and Valance back together, the former helping the latter with some big revelations, just in time to face off against Darth Vader himself.
+ Revelations finally here for Valance
+T’onga supporting everyone everywhere all at once
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 — The Raid on the Vermillion: #23 | #24 | #25 | #26 | #27 | #28 — Bedlam on Bestine: #29