Star Wars: Hyperspace Stories: The Bad Batch: Ghost Agents #2
The Bad Batch race bounty hunter Embo to recover stolen intelligence that could compromise Republic spies everywhere! Their mission brings them face-to-face with the nefarious Pyke Syndicate, a notorious gang of spice smugglers that poses a serious threat to the clones.
Will the Bad Batch escape with their lives before Embo flees with the intel? The Republic war effort depends on it!
Writer: Michael Moreci
Penciller: Reese Hannigan
Inker: Elisabetta D’Amico
Colorist: Michael Atiyeh
Letterer: Comicraft
Cover artist: Valeria “Lux” Favoccia
Editor: Spencer Cushing
Publication date: April 2 2025
We open in the Akkadese Maelstrom, where the Havoc Marauder is bouncing around the fierce storm, a bumpy ride that is the best Tech can navigate but also the worst for a weak-stomached Wrecker. They punch through the storm into clear space where Kessel lies before them, and upon landing they spy the ship they’ve been chasing, and the thief they are hunting. Getting closer to hear what’s being said they manage to ascertain that the Pykes seem unwilling to transport the thief offworld, but moments later they appear to strike a deal. Wrecker says they need to board the Pyke ship to raid it, but Crosshair shoots that down, stating they’d be dead before they set foot on the ship. Hunter is wary of attracting the wrong kind of attention, but Tech believes he has an idea, something Wrecker is keen to get on with.
They stealthily sneak up on two guards and enter the control room, turing up the heat on the spice conversation systems, but perhaps a little too eagerly as the system begins to overload and explodes. They have to go, and see Embo as he makes his own escape, thanking them from afar for making his own mission easier. Using a winch gun they leave the control room, and it’s a race to see who’ll get to the thief first, them or Embo. The bounty hunter faces down the thief, but she pulls a lightsaber and cleaves his blaster in half, running for it after using the Force to hurl his dog Marrok away. Hunter tears after her, leaping onto the open ramp of the ship as she blasts off and calls the Batch, telling them to get back to the ship and keep their comm lines open.
In the hold we see the mysterious thief ask why the ship isn’t leaving orbit, and when told by the Pykes they are to remian close to the planet in case they’re needed she claims that doesn’t work for her, and after a fierce firefight she takes control of the vessel, leaving Hunter to contact his brothers as the vessel prepares to leave Kessel.
Another fast-paced episode that reads just like an episode of the TV show, which of course is entirely the point. Michael Moreci has captured the voices of the Batch perfectly, and even in the Clone Wars era before Order 66 and the fall of the Republic, the relationships which ebb and flow over time are right here. For fans of Clone Fore 99 this is a must-buy, and as usual, the next issue can’t come round fast enough.
Have a listen to our Canon Fodder interview with Michael Moreci below.
