– Spoiler Review –
Han Solo & Chewbacca #8 shows how settling into the newfound energy of the series’ final half continues to be a boon to its tale and characters, even if it’s feeling a little one-note now itself.
No time is wasted in another high-paced, high-stakes issue of the Han Solo & Chewbacca maxiseries, which has settled into big heist energy in its second half, as Han, Chewbacca, and new accomplice Phaedra find out where the Falcon is, what happened to the urn, plot a way to take it back in what they call the impossible heist, and promptly succeed in pulling off the impossible, even if things go awry in its cliffhanger ending. Guggenheim’s focus on this energetic pace has brought a delightful, fun vibe to series, as it’s asking readers to just go with it and, from how they pull things off and get into trouble at the same time, skirting disaster at every turn, he more than makes it worth the investment. As much fun as other series are and can be, having one so unconvoluted and upfront is a bit refreshing in the over connected era, so even that alone makes one want to just go with the flow Guggenheim’s offering.
If the cover didn’t already tell you where things were going this issue, it turns out the urn, found missing after being impounded by the Imperials, managed its way into Grand Moff Tarkin’s hands. While that sounds tricky, what makes it impossible is how he keeps it his residence in the middle of the most heavily guarded parts of Coruscant, so no one is foolish or willing to try and take it back. But then there’s Pheadra, who gives Han and his fly-by-the-seat-of-his-pants plans and attitude a run for his money, as she quickly pulls in a lot of favors to get them sanitation outfits to work their way up and through the sewers to Tarkin’s office, while she has the brilliantly funny plan to disguise herself as a droid and pretend she has a message from the Emperor to get him to leave. It’s just outlandish enough it works and doesn’t seem to impossible for these three to pull off, while it’s played out fast and quick so one doesn’t fret too much about the details or the credulity of any of it. With the urn in hand, things start to go awry, with Pheadra blowing out a window and having them jump out with her, landing on a passing train she was counting on being there. It seems like the perfect getaway until a stormtrooper surprisingly shows up, shooting at them and hitting Chewie, who stumbles off the train and plunging into Coruscant traffic like Anakin Skywalker, expect not on purpose and not with the Force to help him! It’s a fun little surprise and leaves one curious how they’ll manage to get away safely, as we know they do, though I suspect it might have something to do with Han’s not dad Corbus and the Marshal Buck Vancto, the latter capturing the former who happens to tell the Marshal just where Han is at the moment.
It’s a shame there’s only two issue left because I really want to spend more time with Pheadra, who is quickly becoming a favorite character. She helps bring the high energy to the series with her carefree and confident attitude, while I really really want to know how and why she has so many contacts and friends, well…everywhere! Especially given her really, really long rap sheet she told Chewie and Maz about in prison, it’s hard to imagine she has a lot of friends in the first place. Though that Chewie trusts her so quickly and thoroughly, to the point he’d walk through a sewer and jump out the tall Coruscant building first after her, says a lot about her ultimate character.
On art David Messina resumes his duties in full, Alex Sinclair on colors still, and Joe Caramagna on lettering. Overall, I felt like the glossy look I had some concerns over in the opening issues has gone away, making characters look more natural in the panels, with Pheadra’s interesting facial tattoos and cherry smugness are a key component to what make her so arresting and interesting. Tarkin’s likeness teetered the edge on the good side of tracing, as he often looked pulled from the movies, especially the last time we see him, hand against his chin before it all blows up in his face, but it felt and fit within the panels naturally, matching the quasi-realistic take Messina has had for Han all series, mixing in Harrison Ford and Alden Ehrenreich’s likenesses. I liked the dirt from their time in the sewers still being on them throughout the scene in Tarkin’s office, Sinclair’s colors dirtying them up just enough it sold us on how long and nasty being in the sewers was while making it clear how bad they’d smell to someone, helping Pheadra’s line humorously land. Caramagna hasn’t held back for the series, especially after he carried the Wookiee-centric one earlier on, and I love the chaos he brings with the SFX as the stormtroopers come to the office after the alarms go off, the “PEW!” SFX comically large and littering the pages, breaking panels and overwhelming them, but not overbearingly so, hammering home how much trouble they are in and how overwhelming the amount of forces in the office really are. I liked the look of the final panel, Chewie falling to his doom, the perspective making it seem like the skyline around him is rushing by, his death unavoidable and speeding towards him as he falls, Caramagna’s lettering for his howl showing how scared and frightened the giant Wookiee is, plainly seen on his face thanks to Messina’s art, while Sinclair’s colors shine a bright light behind him, either to hint at something come to rescue him or tease the light at the end of the tunnel, which is sort of what the skyline looks like in the forced perspective.
Here’s one other thing:
- While it’s been nice this hasn’t been as connected to the rest of the comics of the era, and even when it was, it was a neat little event, the solicitation for the finale of Han Solo & Chewbacca looks to promise it’ll be where everything starts for the next big crossover of this continuously connected era of the comics. Check out the link for my thoughts on why I’m looking forward to it less and less at this point.
Han Solo & Chewbacca #8 doesn’t let up, and while the trick works again, it might be running out of steam moving into the final two issues.
+ Impossible heists done quick and fun
+ Curious to learn more about Pheadra
– Though this pace and quick heists could run out of steam
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.
HAN SOLO & CHEWBACCA REVIEWS
The Crystal Run: #1 | #2 | #3 | #4 | #5 — Dead or Alive #6 | #7