Bounty Hunters (2020) #36
A PERILOUS BARGAIN
In a desperate attempt to locate a mysterious cybernetics expert who may be able to save Beilert Valance’s deteriorating mind, T’onga has done the unthinkable:
Joined forces with Boba Fett!
But the most feared bounty hunter in the galaxy has one condition: The crew–which now includes new recruits Khel, Durge, Deathstick and Catak–must help him complete a dangerous mission of his own.
One that may be doomed to fail from the very beginning….
Writer: Ethan Sacks
Artist: Lan Medina
Letterer: Travis Lanham
Colorist: Arif Prianto
Cover artist: Marco Checchetto
Editor: Mark Paniccia
Publication date: July 12, 2023
We kick off issue 36 with a real sticky predicament – what do you do if you’re alone on a starship, bemoaning your lot in life and the people you – a clawdite – are shapeshifting into, when you realise you’ve not only disrespected Boba Fett but your comms are open. That’s the opening gambit of the issue as Fett, T’onga and Khel Tanna listen in as Fett heads down to the hold to find the crew – Valance, Zuckuss, 4-LOM, Bossk, Durge and Deathstick – waiting patiently. He asks Valance, who is slowly losing his memories, if he remembers him, which the cyborg vaguely does as Slave-1 arrives at the junk moon of Quantxi orbiting Ord Mantell, slowing as a cadre of Black Sun Falleen approach. Bossk leans in, offering Fett the option of double-crossing everyone and taking the large bounty, but instead Fett headbutts him, the Trandoshan now the ‘fake‘ bounty as the ramp lowers. However, the Falleen Lord Grunseit stuns Fett and T’onga is part of the deal to deliver Fett in return for the hefty bounty on his head.
We cut to T’onga’s wife Losha fighting in a ring, a hulking Aqualish coming for her as she takes a swig from a drink near to the apron and spits it in the face of the creature, smashing the bottle over its head as we return to Quantxi as the Falleen reveals who he is – the cousin of the current ruler of the syndicate, and keen to stake his own claim to power. In an issue of twists it’s no surprise that the Falleen reneges on the deal, refusing to pay T’onga and her crew as Fett then drops his own bombshell – he was hired by the aforementioned cousin, and he explodes a globular cannister of neurotoxin that kills Lord Grunseit and igniting a firefight that sees Valance unload firepower on the enemy and Durge go tearing in as each member of the team causes havoc while Valance struggles to remember where they are and what they’re doing.
T’onga is furious at the double double-cross played out by Fett, but he stops her melee attack and instead gives her a datachip with coordinates to find Tarr Kligson – yes, that Kligson – who Jango told Boba about when he was a boy. Kligson could help Valance with his memory, and as Fett leaves in Slave-1 T’onga holds the chip, hoping Kligson can help, their last hope for Valance.
It’s well drawn, fast-paced, action-packed and kinetic as ever, and with Boba Fett dipping in for a couple of issues it feels big-time. There’s a Suicide Squad / Dirty Dozen vibe to the title, romping across the galaxy, making bold plans and scraping through them as the timeline broils around them, and now we have the worrying predicament of Valance and his fading memory. As a cyborg in a space fantasy, it’s an obstacle to overcome; in the real world of 2023, when awareness of dementia and alzheimers is growing, there’s a welcome parallel to the worries of people struggling with this devastating illness. The GFFA is a long time ago, far, far away with no obligation to mirror 21st century concerns, but this has slid under the radar to organically shine a light on a very real problem. Intentional or not, it deserves a tip of the hat.
- Amazon Kindle Edition
- Sacks, Ethan (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 21 Pages - 08/30/2023 (Publication Date) - Marvel (Publisher)
