Return of the Jedi – Max Rebo (2023) #1
THE MAX REBO BAND
With the Rebel Alliance and the Galactic Empire locked in a civil war for control of the galaxy, scoundrels and gangsters find new ways to profit from the chaos.
Chief amongs these is the crime lord JABBA THE HUTT, who rules over a criminal empire based on the Outer Rim planet of TATOOINE.
From his palace, Jabba commands his organization of thugs, thieves and bounty hunters by appealing to their greed–and taking advantage of their fear….
Writer: Daniel Jose Older
Artist: Paul Fry
Letterer: Travis Lanham
Colorist: David Lopez
Cover artist: Ryan Brown
Editor: Danny Khazem
Release Date: August 9, 2023
With this final entry in the Return of the Jedi 40th celebrations we head to Tatooine and the palace of Jabba the Hutt where we find Max Rebo and his legendary band doing what they do best and laying down the hottest jizz tunes and dodging blaster bolts as we open with another scuffle in the great Hutts court. It’s a near miss for Max, and as he turns to check on the hole in the wall his chindinkalu flute player Droopy McCool picks up on his mood and begins a song composed by one of his mentors which only takes Max back to a time when he found his mentor dead on the corner of a Nar Shaddaa street, caught in the crossfire of a fight between strangers. The moment hits home – for as long as he’s been in the palace, it’s the first time he’s felt in danger and he remembers the words of his mentor Quez – “Music – it’s worth dying for.”
By that logic, it must also be worth killing for, and we cut to later that evening as Max’s two drummers argue, about their timing during songs and the fact that not only Jabba but Max were in danger during the courtroom scuffle. They calm down as a droid approaches with a personal message for Umpass-Stay, who insists the droid read it out even though Ak-Rev is still there. The message is from Umpass’ father and is stark and simple – KILL JABBA!
We return to Max, still wallowing as he dreams of Quez and wakes with a start, wondering if today will be the day he joins him in death and we cut to the throne room, during the events of Return of the Jedi. He doesn’t pick up on Ak-Rev and Umpass-Stay ready to go for each other, and watches as poor Oola falls into the rancor pit. She had family back on Nar Shadda, and the band cared for her but were too fearful to show it, but his fear is clear as Boushh enters the court with a thermal detonator.
Later that evening we see Ak-Rev race into the desert on a speeder bike, meeting with fellow Weequay before a brawl breaks out that sees him stunned into unconsciousness and we return to Max who is silently waiting to slip poison into the toads Jabba enjoys munching on next to his dias. As he’s about to do it we hear the unfrozen Han Solo plead with Jabba as Max’s chance passes, and we’re back with Ak-Rev as he meets his Weequay clan mother, telling her of the recent attempt on Jabba’s life, and that more are to follow. The clan mother insists he protect Jabba, their clan being generational ‘servants’ to the Hutt, but Ak believes they can do better. She blames the music he plays, and as he races back to the palace we hear her order – protect Jabba, or the band he plays with shall be wiped out.
The following day Max is testy and nervous, and we watch as Chewie is taken away and oiur heroes are taken to the Pit of Carkoon to face the Sarlacc. Luke fights as Ak-Rev and Umpass-Stay fight, a clash broken up by Max, and they all stop to turn and watch as Princess Leia ends the Hutt. Later we see a floatilla of landspeeders as Max explains that many survived the destruction of the Khetanna, but not Ak-Rev’s clan who were all destroyed, and we roll out of this very satisfying issue as we see Max in Madam Garsa Fwips Sanctuary, chiming a glass with her as his next chapter begins.
The perfect way to roll out of this Return of the Jedi celebration and beyond the events of Episode VI. Daniel Jose Older – no surprise – nails the tone of Jabba’s court while giving us glimpses of the Jedi action as Max has his own events going on. We can also surmise that Max gets to Mos Espa and begins his residency with Garsa Fwip closer to the events of Jedi than we may have thought, but that’s not the point of this issue. Engaging art, snappy dialogue and an insightful yet unobtrusive storyline makes this yet another winning entry in this celebratory run of stand alone issues.
- Amazon Kindle Edition
- Pak, Greg (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 23 Pages - 08/16/2023 (Publication Date) - Marvel (Publisher)
