Star Wars: Bounty Hunters #17
WAR OF THE BOUNTY HUNTERS:
“LAST STAND”
The rise of Crimson Dawn weighs heavily on the bounty hunters as the dust settles from the hunt for Han Solo.
Betrayed by Boba Fett, Beilert Valance was left for dead aboard Darth Vader’s ”Executor” with no hope for escape…
Writer: Ethan Sacks
Artist: Paolo Villanelli
Letterer: Travis Lanham
Colorists: Arif Prianto, Edgar Delgado, Jesus Aburtov
Cover artists: Giuseppe Camuncoli, Nolan Woodard
Editor: Mark Paniccia
Publication date: November 3, 2021
Betrayed – badly betrayed- by Boba Fett, issue 17 of Bounty Hunters finds Beilert Valance face to face with a squad of Stormtroopers, and as Fett leaves Valance in the dust and his immediate predicament takes precidence, there’s little doubt that the cyborg bounty hunter is royally ticked off. Meanwhile, as he battles the Edgehawk with T’onga, Zuckuss, a limbless Bossk and Tasu Leech are roaring towards the Executor, on the hunt for Valance. Little happens by accident in the Star Wars galaxy, and as Valance smashes his way through whitecaps and speaks with T’onga on the comm, the situation changes as Tasu blasts away a TIE fighter, which spews a wing of fighters in their direction.
We’re at the sharp end of the War of the Bounty Hunters, about to enter Crimson Reign and with Qi’ra at the forefront of the tale we turn to her as she confers with her people on Jekara and brings the Unbroken Clan onside, determined to eliminate the uncooperative crime syndicates and unite the underworld under her flag. Meanwhile, Valance is stopped by a young cadet, and as the exchange is picked up on cameras the cadets fate is seemingly sealed as the commander orders the area sealed and vacuumed of air. Valance grabs the cadet to save him, but the explosive decompression is too strong and the cadet is sucked outside to his death. Recognised by Imperial systems, Valance now faces another issue, as the Edgehawk races in to collect him but Jumptroopers prepare to deploy.
Stealing a jetpack off a trooper, Valance roars through space towards T’onga’s ship, his air quickly depleting, and as Zuckuss opens the hatch and grabs Beilerts hand, Imperial laser fire peppering them. It looks like he’s made it, safe on the ship to flee the scene, until his arm comes off in Zuckuss’ hand and Valance is propelled backwards. He’s in the Force-powered invisible grasp of Darth Vader, and as he blacks out and wakes he finds Vader looming above him. He’s wearing an Imperial uniform, his body repaired and Vader informing him that he now serves the dark lord.
What a finish, as Valance manages to survive one vial of certain death and gets pulled into another. It now goes without saying that the art by Paolo Villanelli is easy on the eye, the perfect marriage along with Ethan Sacks velocity-driven script that economically wastes not a frame, not a speech bubble and works hard to move the story forward, leaving us teetering on the precipice of another months wait for the next brushstroke of action. Cracking stuff, consistently engaging as it has been from the start and imbued with a thumping, 90’s era vibe that suits this title perfectly.
Star Wars: Bounty Hunters #18 @ ForbiddenPlanet.com