– Spoiler Review –
Attempting to find a way home for themselves and all of the Kezerat Colony, will our heroes manage to conquer the deadly killdroids to do so or will they be forced to live there forever?! While we all know the answers already, the new truths they find out about themselves are what propel Star Wars #33 (Vol. 2).
Things were looking good for Lando, Amilyn, Chewbacca, and Luke’s plan to grab the Nihil path engine which brought them to No-Space and the Kezarat Colony, but the giant, unbeatable killdroids are closing in and Luke finds himself in their clutches. The group tries to run over and save him, but there are too many, so Luke is on his own besides his tenuous connection to the Force and ends up having his robotic hand crushed and his High Republic lightsaber crumpled. When he needs it most though, moments before his death, it comes back in a big way (tying into events of Hidden Empire #5), helping him blast away all the killdroids and get the book he so desperately wanted back from the grips of endless space. Returning to the fleet, Captain Blythe announces the news they might finally be able to go home, but he wants everyone to know they have a choice to do so or not. And to help them make such a choice, it’s up to Lando and Leia to tell them about the galaxy out there waiting for them when they return to it.
The dialogue the two have, the way they present their side of the story and what the galaxy looks like, is frank and honest, Lando even calling them criminals for standing up to this Empire which rules the galaxy, something not even Leia can disagree with. Leia does start with their point-of-view, their rebellious hopes and dreams, but Lando, still taking the Rebellion’s side, offers the starker reality of the situation, not Leia’s hope-filled take on their war with the Empire. But in his honesty is a strong message of conviction, that even despite these odds, he’s willing to fight because it means something, though it’s a good picture to paint for those who choose to leave the Colony as it’s the odds they’ll face too. He even adds they want the fuel the colony holds, which much remains since they haven’t literally moved in like 200 years, so the whole colony knows their ulterior motive. Blythe says they’ll discuss and get back to them, though he’s certainly not too hyped about leaving anymore, much as I had theorized in the past, though I’m glad it’s not expressed in a way detrimental to the Rebellion’s cause. When Blythe returns, he has some great news, a large portion wants to return to the larger galaxy, especially the younger members, while himself and a few others will remain, taking over the Great Hall now it’s free of the killdroids’ infestation. They’ve agreed to give them all the fuel they can spare for those who want to strike out on their own or for those who stay behind, meaning the Rebellion finally has a restock and more fighters for the cause afterwards, though Leia and the team are never supposed to tell the rest of the galaxy about the No-Space location, a deal Leia of course takes without much question.
When this series started, picking up moments after The Empire Strikes Back ended, Lando was an outsider, making decisions for himself still, and distrusted by most of the group, though now he’s talking about the Rebellion as if he’s one of them. This fits more with his appearance in RotJ, leading strike groups against a giant battle station, so it’s fun to have seen this character progression throughout these opening 33 issues. It’s in a discussion with Amilyn he begins to see where his priorities lay now, as while he initially asks her to see if she’d like to stay and let down their guard, just be themselves, she feels like she’s just getting started and wants to get back out there and fight. They revisit this once they get back to the fleet and she points out he’s just getting started too, to which he agrees. Having Amilyn so eager to reaffirm her commitment to the Rebellion, to the cause, also fits well from what we know of her by the time of The Last Jedi.
As for Luke, he opts to wait until they return to the galaxy to get a new arm, while Artoo does his best to repair the High Republic saber he’s been using. While Leia is curious to learn what Luke all managed to do with the Force against the killdroids, he’s more preoccupied by how the Force feels at the moment, like waves on a beach to him, crashing in the Force feels stronger than ever, though when it recedes, he can’t feel it at all. Leia is concerned for Luke, of course, but her mind immediately goes to the bigger revelation since even she says she feels odd like Luke describes: the Sith Lords atop the Empire might be having the exact same issue and now might be the best time for the Rebellion to strike. She goes off to Mon Mothma to discuss the Rebellion’s next steps, leaving Luke to join her when he’s ready. The Force ebbing and flowing is so distracting, and with the potential need to confront his father again, Luke knows he needs to be ready, so he decides its time to get himself a new lightsaber. Everything is setting us up for Return of the Jedi, to the point this almost could’ve been a good place to end this era of comics, leaving a little up to the imagination of getting from here to the film, but the era marches on as the next crossover is still coming later this year (which we’re likely going to learn about at Celebration Europe’s Marvel panel on April 10). As for why the Force is funky, things didn’t go quite as well as Qi’ra hoped with her plans, so see Hidden Empire #5 for the details (or Bounty Hunters #32, which sort of already revealed what happened).
On art once again is Madibek Musabekov, with Rachelle Rosenberg on colors, and VC’s Clayton Cowles lettering. The look of the colony all tethered together, with what looks like a giant fishing net, highlights the perils of this attempt to leave and how ragtag their resources really were out in No-Space. The panel where the giant lump of ships is catapulting through hyperspace, a colorful array of the rainbow by Rosenberg, and Cowles’ “krrrcklll” SFX, rippling bubble letters matching the various shades around it, giving us a real grasp of how this could go badly at any moment. The linkages take a hit and Amilyn decides to pull them out of hyperspace now, whether they escaped or not, and the resulting sudden reversion sees the lump of ships tumble apart, a mess of ships floating in space. But Rosenberg’s work, where No-Space always had a kaleidoscope of colors against its stars, instantly alerts us to what Amilyn puts together moments later: they’ve made it back to the rest of the galaxy, the stars the usual black and little pin-point of lights. The final page gave the damaged lightsaber Artoo tried to fix such a cool, weird look, as lightning crackles across the blade, while little red speckles emit from the hilt and the tip, making Kylo Ren’s wavering blade almost look normal in comparison. Luke himself has a samurai-like look, the white robes and his stance, a ronin about to go on a quest. One of final panels is the one where Lando’s saying people might consider them criminals in his speech to the colony. Up on the stage, from Luke to Chewie, and even Blythe, they stand arrayed before the crowd, the giant image of the Jedi in the Colony’s mural behind them, showing us and those assembled the real Jedi was the heroes in front of them, not just Luke himself, who saved them.
Star Wars #33 (Vol. 2) is a solid ending to the tale of our heroes stuck in No-Space, pointing us towards what feels like the final half of the series, where Luke will go off to build his green lightsaber and Leia will muster the Rebellion for the final charge.
+ Lando and Leia’s speech to the Colony
+ Exciting places for the story to go next
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 | #12 — War of the Bounty Hunters: #13 | #14 | #15 | #16 | #17 | #18 — Crimson Reign: #19 | #20 | #21 | #22 | #23 | #24 — Special Issue: #25 — The Path to Victory: #26 | #27 | #28 | #29 | #30 | #31 | #32