War of the Bounty Hunters: Jabba the Hutt
“TRUST ISSUES”
Jabba the Hutt is one of the most ruthless and powerful crime bosses in the galaxy, and Boba Fett is Jabba’s favorite bounty hunter.
But Boba is taking too long to deliver Han Solo to Tatooine.
Jabba doesn’t forgive failure, and he never forgets a betrayal.
Just ask Jabba’s old favorite hunter, Deva….
Writer: Justina Ireland
Artists: Luca Pizzari, Ibraim Roberson
Letterer: Ariana Maher
Colorists: Edgar Delgado, Giada Marchisio
Cover artists: Mahmud Asrar, Matthew Wilson
Editors: Thomas Groneman, Mark Paniccia
Publication date: July 21, 2021
Pages: 34
There’s a bulletproof way to approach Boba Fett in any pre-Return of the Jedi storyline; treat him like he’s WWE legend The Undertaker. To best him, you have to fight hard for it. He gives no quarter, pulls no punches, demands respect but isn’t in a hurry to reciprocate and is a man of very few words. He’s at the top of his game, and while occasionally hitting the odd roadblock along the way (losing coffee table Han Solo being a rather large one) he’s the implacable, intimidating, near-mythological bounty hunter you never want to cross. Here in War of the Bounty Hunters: Jabba the Hutt that’s not the case.
Split into two distinct sections, the issue is beautifully presented, with separate art teams drawing the present and the past, giving each era their own unique flavour, and it works perfectly. Ibraim Robertson delivers some luscious art for the present day sequences, complemented perfectly by colourist Edgar Delgado while Luca Pizzari and colourist Gaida Marchisio present a crisp vision of the past. The issue is written by Justina Ireland, adding punch and power to both era’s, especially the kinetic flashback scenes. We’re introduced to a new (to the reader, not to the characters) player in the underworld, Deva Lompop, a former bounty hunter-turned information broker in debt to Jabba and keen to clear it. Despite her obvious wealth, Jabba likes to have her services at his beck and call, and so refuses to allow her to clear that debt, bringing her in for special missions when she is most needed. Imagine a cross between a wealthy Aurra Sing and Boga from Revenge of the Sith and you’re not a million klicks away from Deva. She’s a favourite of Jabba’s, one he’s used many times in the past and who’s services he desires to send a message to regular sparring partner Bokku the Hutt.
To complete the mission to the heavily fortified Mos Entha, Jabba pairs her up with Boba Fett (who Deva insists on referring to as ‘pup’ throughout the issue, lining up a perfectly timed retort of Fetts that even Deva appreciates) and herein lies the only concern with this otherwise solid issue. Throughout the issue Fett is portrayed as a blunt instrument rather than the tactically-minded stealth monster we know him to be from comics, books, TV and film. Deva is a brand new, inks-still-wet addition to the GFFA, but at almost every turn she is one step ahead of Jabba’s favourite and most feared bounty hunter, undermining Fett to the point of stabbing, poisoning and dumping his near unconscious body in Jabba’s court, temporarily defanging the mystique and threat the Fett character has cultivated since 1978 to both the reader and those present in Jabba’s court. If she’d outsmarted Bossk, Dengar, Valance, IG-88 or any other bounty hunter it would be fine, and using one of the major players in all of Star Wars to establish a new character makes sense, but compare Star Trek 2: The Wrath of Khan to Star Trek Into Darkness for a demonstration of earning a moment as opposed to stealing it. As a character there’s a lot of mileage in Deva Lompop. Her methods, her past and her history with Jabba are ripe for plundering in a mini series, a one-shot or regular guest appearances; just not at the expense of a tentpole character like Boba Fett, not on first outing.
That aside this is a great read, the present day events neatly slotting into the War of the Bounty Hunters storyline (the final frame of an enraged Jabba is poster worthy) and fingers crossed there’s more Star Wars comics to come from Justina Ireland. Character building, specifically in her books Lando’s Luck and A Test of Courage, really is her forte, so more adventures for Justina and Deva Lompop would be very welcome indeed.
Star Wars: War Of The Bounty Hunters: Jabba The Hutt #1 (Coello Variant) @ ForbiddenPlanet.com
