Star Wars: Han Solo & Chewbacca #2
THE CRYSTAL RUN, Part 2
It is a golden age of criminal enterprise. With the evil GALACTIC EMPIRE preoccupied with bringing the galaxy under its thumb, scoundrels and thieves are free to ply their criminal trades with abandon.
The vile gangster Jabba the Hutt has hired Han Solo, Chewbacca and Greedo to steal an urn containing the ashes of his archrival.
The urn is located on Han’s home planet of Corellia, where an unexpected reunion awaits him….
Writer: Marc Guggenheim
Artist: David Messina
Letterer: Joe Caramagna
Colorist: Alex Sinclair
Cover artist: Alex Maleev
Editor: Mark Paniccia
Publication date: May 189, 2022
After the reveal at the end of last issue we jump straight back into where it left off with a bang, literally. Han enlists the help of Ovan, his supposed father, to break back into the penthouse of Jabba The Hutt’s rival to steal something of extreme sentimental value. This much to the chagrin of Han’s partner’s Chewbacca and the difficult bounty hunter Greedo.
The first issue surprised me with just how much fun it was. Whilst somewhat lacking in the surprise element of that issue, the second installment continues the electrifying energy admirably. There’s a reckless and carefree tone in these pages, despite the obvious threats our team face, that is perfectly in character with the first of our title heroes. Whilst definitely being Ford’s Solo, the setting being Correlia and a slightly less world weary attitude strongly suggests that this is meant to bridge the gap on the two portrayals and silence the calls of disparity in the characterisations.
The revelation of Han’s father being alive was incredibly unexpected and is quite clearly the purpose for this series. It would be extremely disappointing if this turns out to be a red herring as the current canon is constantly being criticised for small scale stories that shy away from shaking up the canon. This would only reinforce that unfair narrative. The issue starts with a flashback of a childhood memory of Han sharing a moment with father, it’s trite sure but effective and I hope we see more of Han’s youth in the future. Between this, the other two Han Solo comic series, the book Most Wanted and Solo we are building quite a picture of who Han is in this canon and he’s feeling like a more complete character, playing more on his boyish charm and innocence than previous incarnations. It’s a tall order to compete with Solo’s celebrated history in Legends and whilst it’s not quite there yet I’m definitely fond of this version of the lovable rogue.
If I had to lay a criticism on the issue then it would be an echo of my point in my review for Issue #1. This series is titled Hand Solo & Chewbacca and there’s very little of the walking carpet, the focus squarely being placed on Han. The arc title ” The Crystal Run” suggests that we will have different arcs in the future so hopefully they will focus more on Chewie. I’d love to see an exploration of his family on Kashyyyk or maybe an exploration in the enslaved Wookie’s he freed in Solo.
I’d like to comment more on the story of the gang’s mission but unfortunately that was rather thin in this issue, with the story focusing more on Han reeling from finding his father and all that suggests. Still I’m loving this series and I’m looking forward to seeing where it goes from here. Fingers crossed for a run in with the White Worms.
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