– Spoiler Review –
Han’s so-called dad is gone with the Falcon, leaving Han and Chewie stuck with Krrsantan and more barreling down on them, which quickly turns into a non-stop issue, as revelations and old grudges roll through Han Solo & Chewbacca #5.
Believe it or not, we’re at the series’ midpoint, according to the preview of this issue (even though it was initially announced as an on-going), so it makes sense a lot of threads are wrapped up and dealt with in issue #5, bringing revelations to the forefront and some fun character interactions as well under the skilled hands of writer Marc Guggenheim. Han’s dad doesn’t get far, Han and Chewie are ‘rescued’ simply because they have the best lead on the stolen goods, and the Marshal Buck Vancto makes things personal for Han…which he’ll only be able to deal with after he recovers from a run-in with a blaster! Like I said, this issue is packed!
Let’s start with Han’s not-so-dad dad. Leading up to the series’ start, I had my suspicions the big surprise at the end of issue #1 would turn out to be his father returning, but I enjoyed how, while I was technically ‘right,’ I immediately (and many others, I’m sure) doubted it when Papa Han appeared. When we catch up to Papa Han, the pace of Imperial bureaucracy at the site he’s visiting isn’t enough to help him, as it both leaves him vulnerable to Marshal Buck Vancto and can’t stop him from being arrested. Captured, Vancto reveals his chat with Bib Fortuna a few issues back was enough to give him what he needed to track down the elusive criminal, who is totally not Han’s dad, but actually a man name named Corbus Tyra. The deception is finally in the open thankfully, as while it was a fun little mystery these past few issues, I don’t know much longer it go without it straining the story, but I’m looking forward to seeing what happens when Han and Corbus meet for real next time. I’m also glad this issue clarifies how much Han believed it or not, and while he bought some of it, he didn’t believe it enough to the point he put a tracker on the man. So as Vancto brings in Corbus to the Marshal headquarters, Han’s piloting someone else’s ship for the intercept. I’m also glad we got more time with Vancto, even having him unmasked and looking like no species we’ve met before, as he got to show off more of his personality and I quite enjoyed his colloquialisms. Hopefully he can appear elsewhere once this series wraps up in 5 issues.
As Krrsantan and Graves’ security team barrel down on Han and Chewie, left without an escape due to Corbus’ deception, an unrequested rescue takes place. It comes with a black eye (or two) and a gun (or seven, hey Han can count!) in Han’s face specifically, with even Greedo getting his fair share in after being abandoned last issue. Greedo’s teamed up with Khel Tanna and her crew, which was first revealed in issue #1 and contains T’onga, who is now the series’ lead for the Bounty Hunters series (which takes place after this) and Ooris, another hunter we’ve met in the BH series before; I hope we get a little more time with Khel, as she seems like she has a lot of potential but she’s not in either issue so far for very long. As much as Khel would prefer to leave him in harm’s way, the rest of the crew likes the potential credits for the urn Jabba requested and Han happens to be their best lead, considering he knows where it was last, so they outvoted her to rescue him and Chewie. Corbus knows as well though, so he’s already got it, which means Han’s tracker comes in real handy as they fly to the Benelex Marshal Service Headquarters in their YT-variant ship.
And then there was a firefight! Khel and her crew, with Han and Chewie, arrive just as Vancto is dropping off Corbus, opening fire on the Marshal and their forces in an attempt to get Corbus back since he’s the only one who knows where the urn is now. In these scenes is where I came to enjoy Vancto a bit…even though he’s the one to shoot Chewie in the back!! Khel and crew, with Corbus on board, vote to leave Chewie behind, which of course Han vehemently opposes, fighting with her after she points her gun at him for not flying them out of there, only for Greedo to stumble into the situation and blast Han in the gut! If there’s ever been a better justification of Han shooting first originally, I can’t say I’ve seen it, and how long he’s out due to this means it might be some time before Chewie is freed from the Marshals’ prison! Wookiees are tough cookies, so he’s not as badly off as Han is, but he is locked up in jail now, though I hope he’ll get to help orchestrate his escape and it won’t all rest on Han’s shoulders; after all, we’ve already have a Wookiee-centric issue, why not have the next one be his escape?! At least he’s not alone…Maz Kanata is more than pleased to see the walking carpet in jail with her, so that should be fun to see more of their interactions!
The glimpse at Vancto, from his ship to his unmasking, was some of my favorite work from David Messina’s art and Alex Sinclair’s colors. The ship is a very interesting, bulbous design, short and compact, with some VERY big guns up front which remind me of rotary blaster cannons, and it speaks to a Marshal who views the ship as a place to ferry criminals to and fro, and keeping it small maybe makes it a hard one to target, while the guns probably scare prey off from time to time. Inside, we don’t get to see much but when Vancto takes off his helmet, his skin is a yellow not too far off from his helmet’s gold, but his red eyes are around the height of the thin visor part of his helmet, not where those bright eyes at the top are. Does he have the helmet to make himself appear taller/bigger than he actually is? Elsewhere with the art, I love the commitment to Han’s black eye throughout the issue, as well as letterer Joe Caramagna’s SFX for Han being punched by Khel and Greedo made for a satisfying connection between fist and face (though I noticed both punches were the same panel, just different arms/background for the most part). Caramagna didn’t get to lead as much as he did last issue, but he goes big and bold for the final action sequence, with giant “pews” and explosions as the action heats-up, thermal detonators go off, and ships blast at the ground; it’s chaotic, yet framed in a way it feels like a pulp-action scene from something out of both Star Wars and Indiana Jones. Meanwhile, Corbus without the fake scar and eye-patch gave me Count Dooku-vibes, which I’m not mad about!
Here is one other thing:
- Maz isn’t the only familiar face in prison with Chewie, Ponda Baba and Dr. Evazan are there as well. I guess they’ll make their escape when Chewie does, leading to them being at Jedha, Tatooine, and later messing with Doctor Aphra!
Han Solo & Chewbacca #5 takes the series already fast pace and amps it up as various characters and threads come to a head, marking an action-packed, fun midway point for the series.
+ Big, packed issue
+ Pulpy fun ahead
– Less time with some characters due to fast pace
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.
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