Star Wars: War of the Bounty Hunters #2
WAR OF THE BOUNTY HUNTERS
PART II
“THE SCROUNDEL’S BALL”Boba Fett claimed the bounty of notorious smuggler and rebel officer Han Solo.
But Solo was stolen from Fett on Nar Shaddaa by CRIMSON DAWN!
Now Crimson Dawn seeks to offer Solo up to the highest bidder of the galactic underworld.
But not if Fett has anything to say about it….
Writer: Charles Soule
Artist: Luke Ross
Letterer: Travis Lanham
Colorist: Neeraj Menon
Cover artist: Steve McNiven
Publication date: July 14, 2021
Pages: 34
Fans of Star Wars literature have enjoyed a bumper crop over the past couple of weeks. Readers of The High Republic were in turn thrilled and saddened by the events of the Republic Fair in The Rising Storm, and a couple of centuries further down the timeline the War of the Bounty Hunters arrives at its second issue, and wow, it’s a doozy.
We open on Jekara, as the fortress-flagship of Crimson Dawn hovers, while inside a galaxy of gangsters and ganglords wait while Qi’ra prepares to address them and explain why they are there, and when we say ‘a galaxy of gangsters and ganglords’ that’s no exageration. The Pykes and Black Sun speak quietly amongst themselves, wondering how the Dawn has returned with such strength, while the Hutt council wait to find out why they’ve been summoned by this long-dormant organisation. Oddly, Jabba is the patient once, his circumspect nature waiting to see the turn of the card while the muscular Bokku grumbles impatiently, until Jabba lays down the law and tells them all to wait. Even the Empire is present.
The object of Jabba’s irritation arrives on Jekara; Boba Fett, who ambushes some late arrivals for their invite until one of them reveals himself to be Bossk, and a typically Fett/Bossk scrap ensues, leaving the wily Trandoshan legless – literally – and cable-wrapped to a stone, the cold of the night drawing in on his reptilian bones. Back inside, we see Aphra and Sana Starros keeping a low profile, or at least as low a profile as one could hope Chelli could keep until she is pulled aside by a hooded and unnamed stranger who orders her to help, or her cover is blown.
All eyes turn to the balcony as Qi’ra steps forward, making the bold statement of displaying the one character that has evaded and annoyed every faction in the room; Han Solo, still encased in carbonite, with clearly no love lost between Qi’ra and her former Corellian scrumrat partner. 100,00 credits is the starting bid, a bidding war that hits a million as the increasing friction between Jabba and Bokku hits boiling point, and Fett runs into Lando, Leia and Chewbacca as Luke approaches the planet, as seen in Star Wars #15. And then the cherry on the cake, as none other than Lord Vader enters the room to inform all that Solo belongs to him.
There’s so many treats in this issue to enjoy, it’s like Life Day come early. The mention of the Fromm gang, perfectly timed as Droids lands on Disney Plus and hinting at the potential of the Fromm family arriving somewhere down the line, while the sight of Vader flanked by Deathtroopers is just perfect. Mixing the flavour of Solo: A Star Wars Story – still the most criminally overlooked and underappreciated of all Star Wars films – with the events of the post Empire, pre-Jedi year works perfectly. Bringing Crimson Dawn back could have failed, but the characters of the story are every bit as intrigued by their reappearance as we are, and this colder, even more confident Qi’ra is fascinating to watch. With luck we’ll get a further look at the Dawns hibernation, and what Qi’ra was doing while it slumbered, but for now the table is set for the next month of War of the Bounty Hunters stories, and they’ll have to go all out to top this one.
As usual, Soule finds all the voices with the steadiness of Dee Bradley Baker and Luke Ross absolutely smashes it, clearly having a ball as he details this pivotal moment for the series and indeed for the underworld. Hugely enjoyable, engaging and fun, this is a page turner from start to finish.
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