– Spoiler Review –
Han Solo & Chewbacca #9, the penultimate of the series, doesn’t let go of the high energy it’s been trading in, all while introducing us to the next big story in Star Wars comics: Ajax Sigma. Wait…what and who? Dive below to hear all about it!
Late last year, Star Wars comics peered into the future with Revelations, a one-shot comic with the conceit of Darth Vader talking to a sickly Eye of the Webbish Bog. Also written by Marc Guggenheim, Revelations not only revealed what was ahead on series like Doctor Aphra (Vol. 2), Darth Vader (Vol. 3), Bounty Hunters, and Star Wars (Vol. 2), but it teased the next big comic event by introducing us to Ajax Sigma and his story, which happened 200 some years ago during the High Republic era. So how does that tie into the events of Han Solo & Chewbacca #9 and the future of Star Wars comics if his story took place in the past? As they escape Grand Moff Tarkin’s office with the urn, the team finds out it isn’t filled with ashes…but actually a device. A trip to Sava Korin Pers on Nar Shaddaa later and she reveals it’s the neural core for Ajax Sigma himself. As far as what Sava Pers tells Han, Chewie, and Phaedra in this issue, readers find out Ajax was a free droid and hell-bent on bringing said freedom to droids everywhere in the galaxy, resulting in a revolution (prompting Han and Chewie a flashback to L3-37), and a very violent one since Ajax killed thousands (wiping out a moon’s entire population), until the Jedi put down the revolt, which we learned in Revelations. It doesn’t take a genius to see why Jabba would be interested in having Ajax working for him, if he was such an efficient killer what gangster wouldn’t want him on their side to take out rivals and those who double-cross them, so of course the three here decide not to give it Jabba, at the very least. They are interrupted from thinking of the next steps as everyone after the urn converges on the Smuggler’s Moon.
Before I dive into that, and I already discussed this in my Revelations review, I can’t help but approach the droid revolutionary storyline with apprehension. Droid sentience has been a topic Star Wars hasn’t spent much time on, though when it does it’s resulted in some beautiful and intriguing moments…or the droid stuffed into the Falcon, so bringing such a conversation into the comics, centered around a murderous droid, makes me concerned the franchise will once again miss a greater opportunity for the sake of plot. Given we know, even by the Sequel Trilogy, droids are roughly treated the same, it’s not like his return results in any meaningful change (maybe a retreat for droids to retire to from servicing others?), and instead seems to maybe just tell us why the galaxy continues to keep droids subservient rather than give them autonomy. Beyond concerns regarding handling the nuances of the story, if it’s meant to happen in the current comics, it just feels strange and stretching an already thin era thinner, considering from The Empire Strikes Back to Return of the Jedi is only 6 months and we’re already at nearly the same, if not more, of comic issues the three-year gap from A New Hope to TESB had. With so little time and RotJ hanging over everything, I’m afraid this will feel rushed, so I’m hoping it’s just sort of set up and Ajax’s story only beginning when these series run into the film, and then his story proper can start whenever the comics pick back up post-RotJ. My concerns could be unwarranted and we’re about to get something truly amazing, memorable, and worthy of the subject matter, no matter when it takes place, but as fun as Qi’ra’s big story has been in the comics, the lack of time with her specifically has left some gaps a novel might be better fit to fill, so these big events have a habit of leaving their main character less explored than liked.
But you’re here to hear about how everyone converges on Nar Shaddaa and not all this theoretical stuff, right?! Han knows of the Sava Pers through Lando Calrissian’s acquaintance with her (we see Lando trying to mend things with her as he brings her on a mission in the classic Lando miniseries from 2015), while Buck Vancto and Corbus Tyra make it to the planet because they intercept a transmission between Khel Tanna and her scout after they spot Han and team. With the end in sight, I appreciate how the series has shifted to such a high-octane pace a few issues back, as by now it’s just plan fun, and not overly convenient, everyone collides this quickly after Han and team get back the urn. They make it out of the Sava’s office as Khel, T’onga, and Ooris open fire on them, only to run into Vancto, though Chewie wants a little payback for shooting him/putting him in jail, so Han and Phaedra rush ahead to the Falcon…only for the issue to end with Corbus with a gun on them both. If the last few issues are anything to go by, it’s going to be a fun, fast-paced ride to resolution in the series finale.
On art again is David Messina, Alex Sinclair on colors, and Joe Caramagna lettering, always matching or aiding the script’s energy with the exaggerated expressions on Han, Phaedra, Corbus, and more, while also helping much of the humor land and the goofiness of the situations and run-ins feel fresh. It’s a small thing, but I liked Caramagna’s lettering to open the issue, as Chewie’s fall from the train is resolved, the SFX of his screaming as he ends up catching a passing speeder helps pull our eyes downward, giving the impression of falling, with it ending in a bubble right next to Chewie’s head, an arresting stop that equals his grabbing of the speeder. While I liked the look of Ajax in his original, High Republic-era form as seen in Revelations, Messina and Sinclair’s take is a little different design for his chassis and coloring, though Messina makes him look WAY more dangerous and threatening, therefore something to worry about, whereas the work in the one-shot sort of made him seem normal and non-violent, which he is anything but. I also liked how Sava Pers basically had the same expression for most of her appearance, much like she was in the Lando comic until things got interesting, much like how her expression changes to surprise once Khel and team arrive to mess up her office.
Here are a few other things:
- I hope we’ll get to see more of Phaedra, somewhere and somehow, as she’s been a fun addition to the cast and her time in the comics is seemingly over with the next issue; at least she’s shining brightly with what time she has!
- The solicitations for April 2023 don’t seem to hint yet of Ajax and his storyline coming to the comics, though the one for Doctor Aphra #31 (Vol. 2) mentions her about to unleash something on the galaxy she should regret, and given her penchant for activating murderous droids… Ajax might fit that bill (that issue technically might be coming out in May).
Han Solo & Chewbacca #9 is another joyride of an issue, even while it takes some time to introduce readers to Ajax Sigma and his incoming storyline.
+ No slowing this train down now!
+ Still managing the fun despite breaking to introduce the Ajax Sigma storyline…
– …while my concerns about this story remain
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
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