Star Wars: Bounty Hunters #20
WITH FRIENDS LIKE THESE…
In their effort to save Cadeliah, the young heir of two warring
crime syndicates, the bounty hunters must find Zuckuss’
partner, 4-LOM. The former protocol droid-turned-mercernary
is capable of slicing thousands of communications across the
galaxy for clues to Cadeliah’s whereabouts.But during the events of the War of the Bounty Hunters,
4-LOM was rebuilt and programmed to kill Zuckuss. Can the
bounty hunters survive an encounter with this monstrous
killing machine in time to bring peace to an underworld that’s
destroying itself?
Writer: Ethan Sacks
Artist: Paolo Villanelli
Letterer: Travis Lanham
Colorist: Bryan Valenza
Cover artist: Giuseppe Camuncoli
Editor: Mark Paniccia
Publication date: January 12 2022
It’s been said often during our previous 19 reviews of Bounty Hunters, that this title evokes the no punches pulled, knock-‘em-down-and-drag-‘em-out spirit of the early 90’s Dark Horse issues that worked so well in that very different decade. Take that spirit and drop into the third decade of the 21st century and you could be forgiven for believing it wouldn’t work. Newsflash; it does, and perfectly, populated as it is by characters very much at home in 90’s storytelling. Here, we’re in the Wreck Belt of Lotho Minor, a graveyard for destroyed starships that T’onga and her motley crew are gazing upon as they hunt for their best chance to find young Cadeliah, the reprogrammed tracker droid 4-LOM. Identifying a Hutt freighter, they head on in to investigate.
With the twitchy team ready to blast the droid apart and take only his head, Zuckuss intercedes. Keen to reconnect with his old friend, the Gand steps forward to take point, and as the rest of the crew find an effigy of Zuckess covered in stab marks, he steps into a room as 4-LOM hides in the shadows above…
Meanwhile on Corellia at the palace of the Unbroken Clan, General Vukorah marches in to see the Grand Leader, grieving at the loss of his daughter and ungrateful for Vukorah’s devotion to the Unbroken Clan cause. She kills him with a sacred blade, telling him as he dies of his granddaughter Cadeliah, now hunted by Crimson Dawn. Assuming the title of Grand Leader Vukotrah, she tells her troops to send a transmission to Lady Qi’ra that the Unbroken Clan is now an ally of Crimson Dawn.
Back on the Hutt Freighter, Zuckuss reunites with the murderous 4-LOM, programmed to kill him and intent on achieving it. He claims to have lured Zuckuss to the freighter, and as he attacks the rest of the team arrive. Tasu Leech rips into the droid, Bossk pulls a limb off, but Zuckuss implores that they stop, pleading to his friend to see beyond his programming. In a genius move, the Gand ‘reads’ his friend, getting close enough to block an attack and remove the head from the body. In addition, the re-routing 4-LOM did to lure them to the freighter could be used to find Cadeliah, and using the head of 4-LOM – his memory of recent events thankfully gone – they intercept a Crimson Dawn transmission. However, that is picked up by Deathstick and Crimson Dawn, and she sends in one of their own agents – Dengar.
One accusation you can never level at Bounty Hunters is slow pacing. It’s as kinetic a comic as you can find. While that doesn’t work for every title, it certainly does for this and once again Ethan Sacks treats us to another pacey chapter while Paula Villanelli delivers his usual quality work and Bryan Valenza some beautiful colouring. Satisfying, world-building fun from the first panel to last; you can’t ask for more than that.
Star Wars: Bounty Hunters #21 (Sprouse Lucasfilm 50th Variant) @ ForbiddenPlanet.com
