– Spoiler Review –
With the success of Operation Starlight mired in the potential tragedy of losing Shara Bey, and as the Rebellion attempts to parse through the new Imperial data, Star Wars #12 (Vol. 2) slows down and allows some of our heroes to reminiscence and hope again.
Last issue, Starlight Squadron got important Imperial data despite falling into Commander Zahra’s trap, all thanks to a sacrificial move by Shara Bey. Kes Dameron isn’t ready to give up on his wife though, constantly checking in with the comms team if she radios in, as he (rightly) believes she’s still alive, despite what Starlight Squadron seemed to think happened to her. As the Fleet takes a moment to rest, Kes heads away from everyone and runs into Princess Leia, herself dealing with the unknown of a missing loved one in her life. They bond over their shared circumstances, instilling more hope in one another by talking about those they care about. We get a lovely and short tale about Kes and Shara meeting, while Leia surprisingly opens up to Kes and admits her feelings for Han Solo, something I thought she’d never do outright to anyone. Star Wars #12 slowing down the pace of the series was a pleasant and welcomed move, but it’s really this honest, heartfelt moment between these two characters, and their rather fun and impactful stories, that make the issue such a joy to read.
Kes’ tale of meeting Shara isn’t all that surprising, Shara Bey is doing kick-ass piloting because she’s a kick-ass pilot, though it wasn’t in a situation I expected. Kes, celebrating a friend’s impending marriage, has some fun gambling and places his final bit of credits on a race. His chosen racer wins and he decides to thank them for the new found bounty, only to meet Shara Bey, looking rather awesome as a young racer with some great hair, and an awesome orange helmet/ship (orange is my favorite color), and it leads to drinks which leads to well, the present. The way Shara wins the Crestrace, not backing down despite the impending danger of the course’s devious “death chute,” highlights her skill and unending bravery, which we saw last issue when she chooses to sacrifice herself to save her friends and get valuable intel out of their nearly botched mission. Kes knew she had it in her, and even saw it back then, but it wasn’t until she didn’t come back that it really hit him. As for Shara as a death-defying crestracer…I need a whole series on her and her earlier exploits, now. Pronto. Please?! She’s one of those characters, that as we learn more about her, the more amazing and layered she gets.
When Kes pieces together the obvious, and he fills Leia in on how so not secret her and Han Solo are to the entire Rebellion (which we saw extensively in From a Certain Point of View: The Empire Strikes Back), Leia opens up to him about why she’d even like the smuggler. She recalls an unseen tale of their time on Hoth, where Echo Base’s heaters break and the backup situation fails as well, only for Han and Chewie, the latter of which has been complaining about their new living situation the whole time, save the day. Leia reveals how much she knows Han, and really sees him, by acknowledging much of his bravado and complaints are for show, for his image, but the real Han is in there, deep down and his actions speak far louder than his words. She loves that about him, the loyalty we all know is there, and it was refreshing to hear Leia talk about it. Equally refreshing was allowing her this moment of respite, as she’s been basically non-stop since Cloud City. I’m sure she prefers it that way, so she doesn’t have to ruminate on Han and what might never be if she can’t find a way to rescue him, but getting to talk with someone about those feelings, instead of bottling them up, will also be a healthier option for anyone.
The issue ends with the ‘reveal’ Shara lives, hiding within the vast Star Destroyer and recovering even more Imperial secrets, taking advantage of her situation. Kes rejoices and Leia steals herself to lead once again, as she always does, no news about her missing disaster. How they’ll manage to rescue Shara, and just want important intel she’s uncovered, remains to be seen though I wonder if it’ll have anything to do with this series’ part of the upcoming crossover in May.*
While Rachelle Rosenberg returns on colors, alongside Clayton Cowles as letterer, Ramon Rosanas takes back over on art for the issue. It’s an excellent time for this return, as these touching, character focused moments gain beneficial work that highlights the turmoil going on inside Kes and Leia as they worry over those they love. I particularly loved the two panels where Leia steels herself to return as the leader the Rebellion needs, as it looks like she lets out a breath as she hangs her head, taking a moment to cherish her chat with Kes and the next panel resolve consumes her face, looking up and confronting what’s to come. Otherwise, the crestracing looked neat as heck, with the racers reminding me of the ski-speeders used by the Resistance on Crait in The Last Jedi (another thing Poe Dameron pilots that his mom did!), ex these were fancy, colorful, and used on water, while the actual action was easy enough to follow for the shortened panel time. As I mentioned earlier, the orange helmet and racer for Shara was killer, while baby Poe in Kes’ hologram was so damn adorable.
Here are a few other things:
- *The Star Wars series takes a break next month but now we know why it and the other series have had these month breaks this year: so they’re ready and able to be part of the War of the Bounty Hunters crossover! May is a big month for Star Wars comics and especially for Boba Fett fans, as Soule kicks off the Fett-focused crossover with War of the Bounty Hunters Alpha #1 and the story spills across all the current Marvel comics, followed by a 5-issue miniseries in June continuing the story!
- Luke’s absence these last few issues continues to be puzzle, to say the least! He’ll be in the next issue (per the May solicitations), which is part of the crossover I mentioned above, so maybe we’ll learn what he’s been up to all this time.
- From Podracing to the Dragon Void Run, and now this Crestracing and all the other racing competitions out there, the potential for some awesome Star Wars racing video games again is off the charts. Hopefully someone will take advantage.
- The racers Kes Dameron could’ve picked include, from top to bottom (translated from Aurebesh as I best I could): Olin Dille, Em Inaku, Shara Bey, Samir Lee.
Star Wars #12 (Vol. 2) takes a much needed break and excels in showing characters dealing with love and loss while trying to keep hope in the middle of a long war.
+ Kes and Leia bonding
+ Leia finally admitting about Han/resolve setting back in to be the leader again
+ Shara crestracing series when?
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.
STAR WARS (Vol. 2)
The Destiny Path: #1 | #2 | #3 | #4 | #5 | #6 / Arc Review — The Will of Tarkin: #7 | #8/Arc Review — Operation Starlight: #9 | #10 | #11