– Spoiler Review –
Han Solo & Chewbacca #1 kicks off a brand-new series by writer Marc Guggenheim and artist David Messina, exploring the heists and cons of the titular pair in the years before A New Hope. While the series captures the banter and partnership of Han and Chewie, and introduces a lot of intriguing elements (including a last page reveal confirming a theory of mine), but its largely plot-proof cast means there’s not a lot of stakes yet.
Placing Han Solo & Chewbacca #1 a few years before A New Hope means Han and Chewie aren’t going to have many drastic changes, which is apparent from the script from the start, as the pair feels very close to how they are portrayed in the 1977 movie. Writer Marc Guggenheim said in the initial reveal he’s working out how to keep the characters engaging, specifically saying “…I’ve searched for opportunities to force Han to choose between his lesser and greater angels,” which issue #1 has a healthy dose of, from his nonchalance when finally showing up to the rendezvous on his current job, his reliance on a stiff drink thinking through a job, and the hopeful optimist inside believing he can always find a way. Chewbacca bumping up against his actions, or enabling them, will also be interesting to watch and the upcoming entire issue from his POV could offer a way for Guggenheim to flesh out his character a bit. Either way, I feel like Guggenheim has a really good handle on their mannerisms, both individually and together, be it their banter or comfort with one another, so if you’re a fan of Han Solo you won’t be disappointed with how he’s portrayed here. And we’ll be going down some interesting avenues with the revelation on the final page (something I managed to predict for once!), but we’ll discuss it in a moment.
Thanks to this period in time, Han and Chewie are just living job to job via Jabba the Hutt, running with and against notable other smugglers and swindlers in the era, but also some new ones as well. Greedo looks to feature prominently in the opening arc, at least, as he’s the one who brings the latest job to Jabba’s attention, an urn of ashes of Jabba’s (former) enemy, and I liked some of the foreshadowing and meta comments about their oft-changed shootout in the bar, even if it was a bit too on the nose. Learning more about Greedo and their interactions before their fateful encounter could add a little more bite to their words with one another and maybe, but unlikely, add some tragedy to Greedo’s death…but judging by Han’s words regarding Greedo’s reputation, it was deserved no matter who shoots first. As for new characters, there simply isn’t much time to get to know them well enough yet, and understandably so, but I’m intrigued nonetheless. First there’s Khel Tanna, part of the crew for the in media res heist the issue starts with, and she’s had it up to the brim working with Solo, vowing to kill him if they meet again (who doesn’t say that to Han?!). She runs with a few other characters and two of them look like those from the Bounty Hunters series, T’onga (confirmed to be in the series so very likely her here) and Ooris, who meets their end early in BH, though I hope both get some expansion here, especially maybe seeing T’onga and Losha (her wife) meet! The results of Han’s reckless actions to get them back to Jabba brings him under scrutiny by a Marshal for hire, Buck Vancto, who seems to have a history with Han (who doesn’t at this point!?), and I’m interested to learn more about him due to his unique design and for-hire Marshal status.
Ever since Han Solo & Chewbacca‘s initial reveal, it’s been teased a surprising character from his past would appear at the end of issue #1. I didn’t quite think of it right then and there, but when the solicitations for March 2022’s comics released, I began to ponder who it could be, especially considering Qi’ra was already mentioned as being in the series. One of my guesses was Han’s father, considering he mentioned him in Solo: A Star Wars Story, and it seemed like it implied the man was still alive, and when the cover for May’s comics were revealed, the old man on the cover felt like a confirmation to me. Turns out, for once in seemingly ever, my theory was correct!! Well…maybe. In the bar on Corellia, an old man happens to bump into Han (a similar SFX is used for when Han ‘bumps’ into his mark to steal the access card) and the two get to drinking, as Han notices the CEC (Corellian Engineering Corporation) badge and gets a bit nostalgic over his dad. Han supplies the name Ovan after the old man asks and then he claims that is his name, embracing our slightly tipsy hero and says he’s been looking for Han this whole time! Is this really Han’s dad, the mythical man who worked for CEC and built YT freighters like the one he calls home now? It could very easily be a swindle, mind you, especially when you consider the mysterious Corbus, who we don’t see the face of but looks to be wearing a similar coat, gets one page being told about Han and crew’s current job and then suddenly this old guy shows up in the bar to talk to Han. I want to hold out hope this might truly be Papa Han though, so maybe we could get Han’s real last name and not what the Imperial officer gave him all those years ago. How they interact and what happens between them here in this series would also be a good way to explain why he sticks with the name Solo, beyond the obvious reasons of reputation and how it fits his personality. Will things go well? Will Ovan/Corbus/whoever he really is survive the series? Will other members of Han’s extended family get brought into canon if this is Ovan? Getting to the bottom of Ovan’s story should be a good focus for the series beyond Han and Chewie on heists, especially since I finished this issue without feeling like there were much stakes or forward momentum from its core story, and therefore I’m currently not pulled to return for issue #2 because of what heist is unfolding, but I am due to these mysteries.
On art we have David Messina, with Alex Sinclair on colors, and Joe Caramagna for letters. Messina has helped out on some issues here and there, but this is the first time he’s the main artist and I left lukewarm about the showing so far. It unfortunately dredged up memories of Salvador Larroca’s trace/reference heavy work, as it was often obvious Han, Chewie, and even Greedo were draw by reusing scenes or looks from other material. Sinclair’s colors don’t help, giving some of the hair and other aspects of characters a plastic-like look, something reminiscent of the Wookiees from Star Wars Rebels’ first season. It isn’t all trace/reference though, as there are plenty of unique or custom looks for Han and other characters, while a lot of the enviroment, ship, and alien designs look really great, as I especially loved the weird doorman (how do his eyes work with those tubes going into them?!), the Coruscant-like look to Corellia’s Pearl District, or all the detail on the Falcon. Also, I liked how packed scenes were with characters, while the helmeted Vancto fit best with Messina’s style, almost feeling out of place here with everyone else, while Sinclair’s colors help ground Vancto and give scenes bright, playful vibe but also convey the grungy nature of some parts of Corellia, especially in the few flashback panels. Caramagna has some exaggerations to make for comedic moments, like Han swiping the data card, and I look forward to him bringing some SFX and lettering that will fit the lighter tone of the series. Though I love the idea that Caramanga’s SFX might be out first tip Ovan isn’t who he says he is, no matter how much myself or Han might want it to be true.
Here are a few other things:
- Han Solo & Chewbacca is one of three new series announced by Marvel for 2022, but disappointingly they all feature male creatives, with not a single non-male creative in sight. It’s been par for the course with Marvel but almost sickeningly so with three new series all that way, something I started diving into with my 2021 comics year-in-review and will for sure have a larger article about in the coming months.
Han Solo & Chewbacca #1 is a solid, entertaining start to the new series, with an intriguing enough last page reveal to make readers want to come back for more.
+ Captures Han and Chewie
+ Mystery of Han’s Dad
+ Art and writing have lighter tone
– Lukewarm on some of the art
– Feels like it lacks stakes/pull to return, from core story
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.