– Spoiler Review –
There might be no Jaxxon in sight for once, no matter what the cover says, but the little furry menaces in Star Wars Adventures Annual 2021 more than makes up for it, while a fun chase through Cloud City provides an entertaining back-up story for the latest entry in the series’ Annuals.
“The Hoojib Menance” – Cavan Scott (Writer), Arianna Florean (Artist), Ronda Pattison (Colorist), Johanna Nattalie (Letterer, throughout)
Han Solo gets the bright idea to fetch Jabba a new pet to help Chewie and him get into the gangster’s good graces, thus securing far more lucrative jobs and thus enjoy their lives even more. Chewie, always the voice of reason, quickly smells something fishy when they meet up with a shifty looking Nimbanel on Arba, who offers them his sold out pets for free when he learns Han’s taking it to Jabba’s. Han on the other hand doesn’t look a gift fathier in the mouth, willfully taking the creature without even looking at what it is, thus opening it in front of Jabba only to find out it’s…a rabbit-like creature, better known as a hoojib. Han and Chewie are laughed out of the room, but when Jabba’s deal Han interrupted with the hoojib goes south, suddenly it’s Han and Chewie which Jabba blames. Han’s willful ignorance in the pursuit of credits and fame to get by offers lots of entertainment in this story and it’s great to have a tale with him and Chewie without any baggage or bigger cares in the world, making this feel closer to Solo: A Star Wars Story or Legends books set in this era with Han. Cavan Scott also writes Life Day #1, a special one-shot that released the same day* as this issue, and it has some jolly Han but it captures a pretty sad part of his life too, so having two different versions of Han from the same writer, who both feel like the same character but also feel unique to the era they are in, only goes to show how ingrained Star Wars is in Scott; as if you couldn’t tell from him being apart of the Luminous 5 writing The High Republic.
I knew next to nothing about the hoojibs prior to reading this, as they were in Marvel’s original run of comics a few decades ago, but I feel like Scott brought them to canon rather well considering they are a rabbit-like species with telepathic powers and feed on energy like the mynocks (the mynocks only get the bad rap because we don’t look as cute), as the one Han brought to Jabba, after snitching to the Nimbanel about the deal Han interrupted, comes back to help Han because it feels bad for him being stuck in Jabba’s grasps due to his own actions. Plif is the name of this heroic hoojib and he has some Legends importance: he was featured in the old Marvel comics, traveling alongside Luke Skywalker for a few issues even! This time he teams up with Chewie and Han to save the rest of his kind from the menace rounding them up and using them to spy on other gangsters, and while Han is initially reluctant after Plif drains IG-88 of power and gets them out of Jabba’s Palace, Chewie strong arms him into doing the right thing and helping them. Well…it’s more like Han bumbles around and the hoojib save the day, but it’s about exactly what we expect from Han anyways; at least he’s trying? The hoojib might be a stranger idea to wrap one’s head around, but they came off as cute, useful, and just another part of the universe once the issue ended. Plus, it helps a lot that everything about this story screams Star Wars to me, from Han and Chewie’s nonchalant discussion on securing pets for Jabba while they are attacked by TIEs, Jabba’s threat to eat just about anything, and help from unexpected places (Ewoks, now hoojibs), among other things. Last year’s Annual might be my favorite of the bunch, but this was a close second thanks to this story alone.
Another part of what the hoojib feel more natural was the art by Arianna Florean, teaming up again with colorist Ronda Pattison, as both the creatures and familiar characters were drawn in her same cartoon-like style. A brief glimpse back at the hoojib’s appearances in the old Marvel comics and they seem out of place next to the rest of the work, but here they fit right in with the story as it’s all in the same style; it’s part of what’s made Jaxxon’s return to canon so appealing and fun, as while his hijinks might be comical or over the top, no art team has yet tried to make it feel gritty or realistic, so the style has matched it. Florean’s Chewie is one of my favorites, as she doesn’t aim for matching the character’s design, only in broad strokes, focusing instead on giving him an overly expressive face, like all her other characters, and it allows him more range than just lettering growls and posture; his stare at Han to convince him to do some good certainly would’ve had me changing my tune way sooner than Han did. The hoojib are very small and very lanky, humble looking even, but they pack a mean bite and the Florean’s work makes it easy to underestimate them. Pattison’s colors are often drab, considering a good portion of the story takes place in Jabba’s Palace, but the shining, multi-spectrum of the crystals in the hoojib’s home shows how different and peaceful they are, more welcoming even, as it’s bright and open in their home and not drab and depressing like Jabba’s. Nattalie’s lettering goes very distinct for the hoojib’s telepathic communications, it’s coloring matching their composition, while the little ‘yi’ for the hoojibs chattering is cute and understated, just like them.
Bonus Thoughts:
*Another big week for Cavan Scott, as this is ONE of THREE comics written by the always busy and always humble scribe! I’m working on reviews for the other issues, so I’ll update this when they are done, but he writes both the main tale in Star Wars Adventures #12 (Vol. 2) and the framing story in the special one-shot release, Life Day #1!
“The Coin” – Chip Zdarsky & Jason Loo (Writers), Jason Loo (Artist), Megan Huang (Colorist)
A group of kids steal a special coin from Lando Calrissian, running away to a gangster in the lower levels hoping to trade it in for items from their dreams, but Lando’s droids are hot on their tails. To the kids, the coin is just another sign of the opulence afforded to the rich, while they live in squalor in the lower levels, stealing to get by and hoping for a better, brighter future for themselves. To Lando, the coin is shiny and nice, but it’s special payment for the slicer who’s to hide Cloud City from the Empire’s eyes, so while he might have it good, he doesn’t have the trinket just for show and rather to help ensure continued safety and freedom for all in the City. The kids understandably don’t believe him at first, especially since his head is being projected as a hologram out of the droids’ heads which chase them and they all think he’s a con to come degree, but if there’s one thing Lando’s always good at it, it’s selling a story, especially when it’s the truth and he really believes in it. The kids meet the gangster after evading Lando’s security, but his words of caution about the man come true and the kids decide to undo their mistake. It’s a fun series of events that leads to Lando saving them and getting the coin back, the future of Cloud City secure for the time being from the Empire’s prying eyes. Every scene in Cloud City during The Empire Strikes Back is backed with citizens going about their daily lives and Lando talks a lot about the importance of what they do, but it’s rare we’ve gotten a look into the city, from it’s many citizens to how Lando does really care for it, so “The Coin” was a short and effective way to dive into both aspects; last year’s From a Certain Point of View about TESB expanded on the city quite a lot too.
The art matches the distance between Lando and the kids. Lando’s scenes talking to Lobot about the missing coin and the kids are in his suite, high above the lower levels, in bright, open conditions. Loo makes sure Lando’s apartment looks stocked with goods, has big views of the City, and is even above the clouds, to really drive home how seemingly disconnected he is from the rest of his city, while Huang’s colors ensure these scenes are bright, the gold glinting and Lando’s home shining in the system’s sun. When we’re with the kids, the colors go dark, dreary even, though the kids are the lone bright spot as they navigate the bowels of the city, while the spaces are oppressive with tight corridors. This juxtaposition makes us feel what the kids think of Lando, while his rescue of them brings them up into the light, reality sinking in for them that he’s more than just a man in a castle. I particularly loved the look of the special coin, always shining no matter where it is in a scene.
The first Star Wars Adventures Annual not to feature Jaxxon, 2021’s edition still has its furry content, with two delightful tales with art to help tell their themes and fun.
+ Hoojibs are welcomed here
+ Lando’s love of the City
+ Art sells themes of each story
– A very small step down from last year’s Annual
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.
IDW’S STAR WARS ADVENTURES REVIEWS:
Annual 2018 | Annual 2019 | Annual 2020