– Spoiler Review –
Inferno Squad has its sights set on Beilert Valance and is closing in, but can the cyborg and T’onga’s team hold them back or will the legendary squad make a mark? Find out in my review of Bounty Hunters #34!
If you’ve been following the comic solicitations, then going into this issue you likely already knew, like I did, this series would be closing out one era and moving towards another as its line-up of characters was set to shift. But it’s not the only shift to take notice of this issue, as it’s also the end of Paolo Villanelli’s run on the series, as he moves onto a Captain Marvel book next. Out of the 34 issues, he’s been on for 30 of them, so while we’ve had little deviations with different artists here and there, this will be the series’ biggest since he’s not coming back, coinciding with new team of characters at its core. As far as final showings go, Villanelli, alongside Arif Prianto on colors and Travis Lanham lettering, both goes out in style and ensures Valance Nation is served properly before he leaves. There’s an excellent sequence as Valance and Bossk brawl with Iden, Del, and Gideon of Inferno in the cramped quarters of the Edgehawk’s interior, and not just because Valance is shirtless the whole time, but from all the moving pieces and all the players involved, as their styles and intentions come through in the art as well. Gideon hanging back, helmet on the longest, fits with his desire to stop listening to Iden’s orders and shoot to the kill, though Valance takes the choice from him when he crushes the blaster with his bare mechanical hands. Del’s unflinching support of Iden comes from his weaponless stance against Valance’s enhanced cyborg self. And Iden’s leadership in her willingly going against Bossk by herself, despite the other’s considerable strength and tough scales. One of my favorite panels of the fight happens early, as Valance lands a lunging punch on Del, knocking off his helmet, while Gideon attempts shooting the cyborg with his weapon’s stun setting, while Iden is in the background, prodding Bossk with a stun weapon in hopes of neutralizing him from the equation. Prianto’s colors and Lanham’s SFX draw us across the scene, as the effect for the stun blast by Gideon draws us down to Valance’s glistening skin, which calls our eyes across his punch, while the sound of punch connects to SFX for Iden’s prod zapping Bossk, the bright blue of it bringing our attention up to the combatants. And it might seem twisted to enjoy this next part, but the styling of Valance’s memories being wiped after Inferno is done with him, where we see him recall the memory which opens the issue, but the wiping process is taking over, a dusty appearance showing the details around him and his parents already fading away, until it’s all speckled noise, the wipe complete, really makes the loss hit for us and for him. Another highlight was T’onga’s sadness over her own actions, slumped on the ground, holding Losha after having knocked her out, as if the weight of decision is almost too much to bare, but she did it anyways. And in Vukorah’s section, I adore the shit-eating smile and grin plastered on her face the whole time, as she just knows she has this covered and can’t help herself, which seems very fitting. Topping it all off is her pose over the body of the final remaining Unbroken Clan member, the others dead around them, IG-88 standing dispassionately in the background, as she’s sort of bent forwards over the dead guy, regarding him like someone might with the creation of their kid’s LEGO or something. It’s peak Vukorah through and through and Villanelli gives her a memorable last show in his final outing.
Wait, T’onga knocks out her wife? Valance gets his memory wiped? Vukorah left smirking despite IG-88 entering the room, looking to collect a bounty on her? What all happened?! I wanted to focus on the art team first, but now let’s dive into what all transpires. When we left off last issue, Inferno was stealthily making their way to the Edgehawk and in this issue, it’s only a matter of seconds for them to incapacitate Losha, Tasu Leech, and even Zuckuss, though not before the Findsman manages to send a warning to Valance and Bossk inside. Since they are bickering and Bossk doesn’t trust Valance, the Gand’s efforts almost don’t seem to do them much good, which is when the fight starts in earnest, but after several blows it comes to a halt because Iden threatens to kill the crew one-by-one if he doesn’t let them complete their task. Since it’s Lt. Haydenn who sent them, Iden’s doing her damnedest to follow the strict no kill policy, and the mention of her name, along with Iden’s threat, leads Valance to acquiesce, as he can’t let these people die for him just to retain a memory of sensitive Imperial data. He accepts the wipe, slowly losing his memory, and upon T’onga’s eventual return, she’s already organizing a way to potentially undo what’s been done. This leads to a little shake up in the crew’s make-up, as Tasu Leech, upset he nearly died for a group of strangers instead of with people like himself, especially after they took jobs which pitted him against his own people, decides he’s done with the crew. I’ve enjoyed Tasu for the most part, his bloodlust leading to some humorous moments, but he was getting a little one-note for me so I’m not too upset about the development.
However, it’s T’onga’s choice to gas Losha, knocking her out and leaving her behind, which surprised me. It didn’t upset me, but it felt a bit like a regression with how far they’ve come in trusting one another, especially since Losha’s nearly died several times already since joining the crew against T’onga’s wishes, yet this one time was the straw that broke the eopie’s back? Is it because a killer like Tasu was spooked it scared T’onga into thinking again about losing her wife? What about all the times they’ve been holding one another, comforting one another after missions or Losha’s brush with Vukorah, and why has that gone out the window? She seems to claim whatever they must do next, which involves Boba Fett, plus Durge and Khel Tanna joining the team, is about to be their most dangerous mission yet so she’d rather Losha be mad at her than with them and in danger. Some hints beyond Boba’s inclusion on what is so dangerous about this upcoming mission might’ve helped sell this moment, though I trust writer Ethan Sacks with the decision overall, as I’m curious to see where it all leads, especially as the solicitations have been hinting at an interesting story despite the upcoming crossover Dark Droids consuming all the series.
As for Vukorah, who announced she’s resigning from the Unbroken Clan during last issue, life gets a little more complicated when IG-88 appears for her bounty, but the resourceful woman finds quite the entertaining way out of it. As IG-88’s appearance has everyone’s attention, Vukorah tells him he’s wrong to kill her, and the droid is intrigued enough she points out she’s no longer the leader, which he confirms via sensing her heart rate, and instead points him towards those who were trying to overthrow her, also confirmed by their heart rate, as the leaders and the Clan’s connection with Crimson Dawn are the real reason why the Empire will pay for the bounty. IG-88 makes short work of the Unbroken Clan assembled within and Vukorah’s enemies are dead in one fell swoop, the only fingers she had to lift being the one which grabbed her wine glass and the other which broadcasted their location to IG-88 in the first place. She saunters from the room, eager for the fresh start, and I really, really, really hope it won’t be the last we see of her going forward in the series! If it is the last…maybe when this era of comics end, she heads a new series of her own? Or a book about her? But if this does end up being the last we ever see of her, it’s the badass ending she deserved, showing she’s not just deadly in a fight, but with her mind as well.
Bounty Hunters #34 is a wonderful showcase of Paolo Villanelli’s work on the series, marking as a fitting place for him to take a bow, while the new mission and team shake-up look to revitalize the series a tad.
+ Wonderful final showing from Paolo Villanelli
+ Looking forward to what’s to come/fun fight with Inferno
– T’onga’s choice
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
Galaxy’s Deadliest: #1-4 — War of the Bounty Hunters: #12-17 — Crimson Reign: #18-22 — The Raid on the Vermillion: #23-28 — Bedlam on Bestine: #29 | #30 | #31 | #32 | #33