Star Wars: Bounty Hunters #21
T’ONGA’S BOUNTY HUNTERS FACE THEIR DEADLIEST MISSION YET! T’ONGA, BOSSK, TASU LEECH, ZUCKUSS, 4-LOM and LOSHA are plotting to kidnap the leader of a major crime syndicate. But is the crew walking into a trap? And what is the diabolical DENGAR planning that could jeopardize everything?
Writer: Ethan Sacks
Artist: Paolo Villanelli
Letterer: Travis Lanham
Colorist: Bryan Valenza
Cover artist: Giuseppe Camuncoli
Editor: Mark Paniccia
Publication date: March 30 2022
After the barnstorming issue 20 Bounty Hunters returns with another, if somewhat less revelatory, action packed issue. Charging forward with their noble crusade of trying to unite the warring clans by exalting Cadeliah, the heir to both the Unbroken Clan and the Mourner’s Wail, the crew of The Edgehawk turn to Lady Proxima to help take down their biggest opposition, the newly and murderously appointed leader of the Unbroken Clan, Lady Vukorah.
It is unclear whether this new post-War of the Bounty Hunters direction for the roster of bounty hunters is permanent or simply for the Crimson Reign crossover but I have to say, I’m finding it a more compelling and enjoyable team with a stronger lead in T’onga. While he has had his moments, Valance’s motivations have always been somewhat murky and this stopped Bounty Hunters from ever really finding it’s feet. The Mando-esque protector/charge dynamic of it’s early arc really gave the series purpose so it was perplexing when it was dropped in favour of aimless Bounty Hunter posturing later on. T’onga is far more relatable with clear aims and with emotional stakes and conflict that resonate on every page. The love she has for her wife and the fear and regret she feels as she drags Tosha deeper into this life without a choice is affecting and far more riveting than Valance’s confused conflict. It’s hard to see the flashback of the catalyst for T’onga’s quest at the start of this issue as anything other than confirmation of a reset for the series.
The rest of the Bounty Hunters, with newly restored 4-LOM, shine here and the interplay between them as they battle the Unbroken Clan in the streets of Coronet City is playful and a joy to read. The lightness they bring to a series so filled with violence and death is welcome. It’s a perfect counterbalance to the terrifying and unhinged villain Vukorah. She terrified me in Doctor Aphra and she terrifies me here. Her unpredictability and love of violence reminds me of the Droogs from A Clockwork Orange and I adore every panel she occupies. In a series that’s full of characters with twisted codes and disciplines it’s unnerving that our anti-heroes are facing an adversary that seems to only be devoted to chaos and power. She’s a self-serving agent of savagery and I cant get enough.
