– Spoiler Review –
First it comes for the metal…and then for the rest of Star Wars comics! In Bounty Hunters #37, Beilert Valance’s memory is fading fast so T’onga and crew take a big risk and follow a lead from Boba Fett, but what they find places them right into the thick of the Dark Droids crossover!
Much like the other Marvel on-goings which comprise this era of Star Wars comics, Bounty Hunters is now being swept up in the latest crossover, Dark Droids, which kicked off at the beginning of August and will last through December. Also like them, if this issue is any indication, the series looks poised to also keep itself focused on its characters and own situation all while diving into the horror and larger story of the crossover. There have been some misfires with this in previous crossovers from each series, but with BH #37 coming in at the end of the month, we’re 4 for 4 with the on-goings looking like they’ll do a better balancing act this time around, so let’s hope BH and the others can keep it up through December. For readers of just Bounty Hunters, hints of the crossover’s larger story and droid Scourge sweeping across the galaxy aren’t overwhelming and reading the Dark Droids miniseries doesn’t feel necessary. Beyond a frighteningly fun tease towards the issue’s end, after building up a growing sense of dread, BH #37 does contains some intriguing little tidbits regarding one of the new characters who will factor heavily into the story going forward for the crossover, likely most in the main miniseries: Ajax Sigma. First introduced in the Revelations one-shot, which foretold much of what’s coming with this crossover, Ajax made his entrance in Dark Droids #1 as a priest for a group of enlightened aka free droids, mentioning his warrior past as seen in Revelations. The target Boba Fett sends T’onga and crew after to fix Valance, as revealed in flashbacks with Jango Fett and the target, comes from a long line of droid sympathizers, going so far as to stand alongside Ajax when the Jedi came for him in the High Republic era and later creating a little station for them to call their own. These reveals should sound intriguing without knowing more beyond this series and might just ignite some interest in readers to check out more of this crossover, while I’m curious how many more little tidbits we’ll get through this series.
With a lead from Boba Fett and Valance’s situation deteriorating to the point no one believes they can save him, T’onga’s dealing with a lot of ill sentiment about their situation (too bad Losha isn’t there to back her up, but that’s on her!) and it’s wearing off on her, as she has to convince herself this will all work as well. Once they get to their destination and the welcoming committee seems to have forgotten about them after taking Valance away to help him, she shuts down Khel Tanna’s attempts to gain control of the mission, who was playing into everyone’s anxieties about it, with no help from the shapeshifter, Catak. Beyond Valance, there are only three original members of T’onga’s crew, with Bossk the most likely to follow whoever takes over, while 4-LOM and Zuckuss seem the most loyal to her, which is too bad, considering she sends them deeper into the station they arrived on and we see they’re about to face the dangers of the droid Scourge! How much longer she can continue to handle this crew remains to be seen, especially given the teases from comic solicits out in November, and I’ll be interested to learn how far this storyline pushes them and what the endgame for this series will be after it (if my prediction these are all looking to end on issue #50 sometime next year comes true).
So where are they and what did Boba Fett send them after? Issue #37 has a lot of fun with jumping back and forth in time, with the art team lead by Davide Tinto really playing into the switches, as we learn about Jango Fett’s efforts to save his friend Tarr Kligson in the past and how those actions affect what’s happening in the present. Kligson has a past in Legends as some reclusive droid technician and was in charge of some Droid World utopia or something, but I only have Wookieepedia to thank for that information, though writer Ethan Sacks makes this story and Kligson’s part in it something you don’t need a Legends-worth of knowledge to appreciate. In fact, he injects a growing sense of tension after the opening exciting scene of Jango maneuvering his starship against pursuers, as the differences between the Jango-led past and the T’onga-led future keeps readers guessing and invested, since it’s clear something seems more and more incorrect about the present given what we see in the past. When Jango takes his injured bounty hunting friend Kligson to this Droid World his family helped set up and ignore for generations, they are rather hostile about an organic presence, but once they confirm Kligson isn’t lying about who he is, they take him in to help him, with Jango a little unsure about the whole thing but he listens to his friend and leaves him behind. While the droids aren’t hostile when T’onga and crew arrive, they seem weirdly giddy about the chance to fix and help Valance, with the crew told to wait in the hanger as they work on him. After some time, they grow restless and suspicious, so T’onga sends Zuckuss and 4-LOM to investigate, which is when we get two scenes which confirm the growing sense something is terribly wrong: with the bounty hunting pair, we see the telltale purple POV of a Scourged droid, followed by an absolutely horrifying scene of dozens of droids sneaking up behind them; and then we catch up with Valance, who hasn’t been worked on at all, slowly learning from a shadowy presence they could totally restore his memories but instead want to wipe him clean to help usher in some age of perfection and Valance’s humanity would only get in the way. The shadowy presence: Tarr Kligson, alive but very unwell, mostly mechanical, and with a frightening vision for the future, which I’m not sure if it’s Scourge connected or his own thing, but it’s certainly a problem.
It’s all thanks to Davide Tinto, colorist Arif Prianto, and letterer Travis Lanham that Sack’s script elicits shivers by its end, as their work helps facilitate the growing sense of unease the most. Case in point is the droid which initially greets Droid World visitors in the past and present, as in the past it’s pristine, shiny even, but in the present there are little chunks on its face and body missing, broken and unrepaired, less shiny and a little dirty, scratch marks on it, making it clear something’s happened to this droid utopia since Kligson was dropped off by Jango. When Zuckuss and 4-LOM break off to sneak around, find out what’s happening, the lightning-rimmed purple-haze view of them from a Scourged droid, with the word bubble fitting neatly in the middle with the ‘certain point of view’ line reference brings a sharp spike in anxiety, and it’s warranted in the next panel as the pair are being followed by tons of droids, some even on the walls and ceilings, the purple glint to their eyes almost bring us to a jump scare, especially with how Lanham’s bubbles take us from the sly POV line down to their next lines about not wanting to attract attention and then we start to see the group already lurking behind them. When our glimpses into the past end, I love the page when it happens, as it’s split down the middle between Kligson and Valance, with diagonally symmetrical insert panels, to show how we’re at the precipice for the two characters. Jango saying goodbye to Kligson, affirming he doesn’t believe in fate, and the greeting droid seemingly saying Valance isn’t the first organic they saved, though having Valance as the other insert panel, saying he’ll he back soon, tells us everything we need to know on how he won’t be back soon.
Here is one other thing:
- After my review of last issue, Sacks said I was onto to something with one of my theories, and the more I think about it, the more I’m guessing it has to do with Losha’s plans. I’m assuming whatever I unearthed will become clear by the end of this Dark Droids arc.
Bounty Hunters #37 does a great job of focusing on its current plight, even going into the past to give it flavor and build up tension, all while embracing the coming horror theme of the Dark Droids crossover.
+ Playing with the past and present to build tension
+ Tinto leads the art team in paying off the scares
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 | #34 — #35 | #36 — Dark Droids: