Star Wars: War of the Bounty Hunters #5
WAR OF THE BOUNTY HUNTERS
PART V
“ATTACK AT DAWN”
Han Solo is currently frozen in carbonite and in the grasp of the Empire, but the rebels aboard the Millennium Falcon plan to take him back.
They are not the only ones looking to recapture Solo: Boba Fett and Valance are both on a collision course with the Falcon and the Imperial shuttle holding Han Solo.
But neither group were expecting the Hutts to come with an entire armada….
Writer: Charles Soule
Artist: Luke Ross, David Messina
Letterer: Travis Lanham
Colorist: Rachelle Rosenberg, Neeraj Menon
Cover artist: Steve McNiven
Publication date: October 13, 2021
Pages: 25
My review of Star Wars #17 dived deep into my observation that Charles Soule has a rare talent in crafting comic tales that feel ready-made to be built into cinematic or television (these days same difference) moments, and War of the Bounty Hunters #5 once again hands us a number of such moments. We’re back in orbit over Jekara, the ISSD Executor looming ominously in the background as the stricken Lambda class shuttle holding carbonite frozen Han Solo hangs temptingly close to the Millennium Falcon as the incoming Hutt fleet approaches. The Hutts intend to send a message to the Empire, that while they are allies they are not ot be trifled with, but any hopes of sending that message in a non-confrontational way are dashed as the Executor spews TIE Fighters into space.
Vader continues to tail Luke closely, blasting green fire at his X-Wing as Admiral Piett conveys the situation regarding the Hutts, something Vader is less than interested in listening to. Luke contacts the Falcon, learning the freighter is still immobile due to Boba Fett in Slave 1 as the Mandalorian and Valance swoop in, giving codes to accessand board the Executor – remember, Fett was onboard not too long ago in The Empire Strikes Back – while the Falcon finally kicks into life to see the shuttle dock in the Executor.
Here’s where it gets interesting on a personal level as a message is sent to the Falcon, giving them access to the Super Star Destroyer. Lando determines this message is from Qi’ra, and quizzed why Lando aludes to Qi’ra’s past relationship with Han, something they can use to their advantage. Indeed, the Imperial officer they meet with is a member of Crimson Dawn, showing just how deep their influence runs, while fellow influencers the Hutts make the decision to attack the Executor, leading to a stunning poster-worthy splash page of space combat over the Super Star Destroyer.
Meanwhile, Fett and Valance arrive on the Executor, moving through familiar corridors that run them into a towering KX-Series droid that Valance dispatches until the ultimate betrayal as Fett throws a mine at Valance which exlpodes, tearing him apart and leaving him in pieces on the floor. Ordered by Vader not to disturb him, Piett instead contacts the Emperor directly who orders him to tell Vader to send a personal message to the Hutts. Vader breaks off his purtuit of Luke as we join Lando, Chewie and Leia blasting their way towards coffee table Han Solo and almost taking him into their custody when Fett arrives. No sooner does he warn them to back away, a misile hits the Executor, blasting a hole in the side of the ship as Solo slips off and begins to tumble to the ocean below.
A brief moment of Vader entering the Hutts chamber for ‘aggressive negotiations’ sees us back with Fett as he leaps thorugh the hole, blasting after Solo with his rocket pack and snaring him with his grapple hook as he hits the water. Solo survives, and now in Fetts custody we reach the final pages of War of the Bounty Hunters as Qi’ra assembles her underlings including the Knights of Ren and Deathstick as we end on Tatooine and the palace of Jabba the Hutt as Fett delivers Solo, warning Jabba the needs paying. It’s a stong end, a lining up of the chess pieces that will soon start in Crimson Reign as well as fitting neatly with what we know happens in Return of the Jedi.
It’s been a strong series, and while some of the tie-in issues have been somewhat superflouous – which is to be expected with so many issues across 5 months – the core story has been nothing less than gripping. I’ll admit to some trepidation when this kicked off; that core era between Empire and Jedi is so vital in story and the years from 1980 to ’83 so beloved in time, it would be very easy to feel off, and with the oft-maligned but no less vital Shadows of the Empire telling a similiar story 25 years ago, War of the Bounty Hunters had a lot to live up to. That it did in such style bodes well for the second chapter of the trilogy Crimson Reign, and at the risk of sounding like a broken record kudos to Charles Soule and the art team for such an exhilarating tale.
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