Published: January 17, 2024
Rated: T
Writer: Ethan Sacks
Artists: Jethro Morales (Main Story), Paulo Villanelli (Coda)
Colours: Arif Prianto
Letterer: VC’s Travis Lanham
Cover: Josemaria Casanovas
The synopsis;
THE EXPLOSIVE END OF THE SAGA!
• VALANCE THE BOUNTY HUNTER has one final mission to complete…and it may indeed be his LAST!
• Can he and the crew fight their way past BOBA FETT…and JABBA’s SECRET WEAPON?
• The GRAND FINALE of the series that’s four years in the making!
The review;
There are 4 covers for the finale of the Bounty Hunters series. The direct cover is by Josemaria Casanovas showing Valance taking a beating from a Megadroid, with characters who will feature in the comic almost in callout bubbles, reminding me of old TV series from the 80’s. I also love the fact that this cover is so bright and vibrant. Then we have Dave Wachter’s variant. Wow, what a contrast from bright and vibrant to macabre, dark, and sinister. An almost zombie like Valance surrounded by the cream of the crop of the underworld. There is also a black cover with just the logo adorning the cover. They look stunning, but would have preferred a white background, so I could have got an artist friend to customise a Valance cover of their own. And then, we have the Walter Simonson variant. (FANFARE!!!!!) It had to be, didn’t it? There was no way the legend that is Simonson could not be involved with this issue. After giving us the iconic first look at Valance on the cover of Star Wars #14, back in 1978, this cover is a direct homage. He is assisted this time by Laura Martin for this present-day rendition. There was a simple choice of which cover I would be choosing for this issue!
So, 41 issues down, and just one to go. It has been a tumultuous journey for Beilert Valance to say the least. Coined as The Persecution of Beilert Valance by me, there has been some pretty intense action from the get-go for all parties. But let’s see what Ethan Sacks has lined up for this final outing.
Jabba is holding court, quite reluctantly when a thermal detonator skittles into the room. Leaving a trail of Gamorrean guards in his wake, Valance approaches the dais and tells Jabba that he has something that doesn’t belong to him. Jabba’s immediate response is to offer a fee for the one in his court that take down Valance.
From the crowd Dengar rears up, much to the angst of Manaroo. He’ll do it for free, pulls a vibroblade and reminds Valance of how he left him on Jekara a while ago. With one swift and crushing blow, Valance wipes out Dengar and leaves him prostrate on the floor. More queue up to take him out, all to meet a similar fate. And Valance finally faces Solo’s carbonite form on the wall, but that is not the reason he is here, he wants Jabba’s secret droid. Boba Fett springs into action and gets the upper hand with an electric charge to the neck which brings down Valance.
Valance wakes with a start being drenched by water. He is in the Mos Espa Grand Arena with an array of weapons laid out before him in the sand. Watching a holo of the events from the comfort of his palace, Jabba has relayed it to all of the underworld bosses to share what his new toy can do, and he releases the Megadroid from its lair.
The Megadroid unleashes an assault on Valance, for which his palm blasters are no match. Its outer shell seems impervious to his attack. In the distance 3 speeder bikes approach the melee. T’onga, Losha, Zuckuss and 4-LOM are heading to join the fray. Losha is sporting a modified particle beam drill and takes a shot at the chest of Megadroid, its response is to shoot back at their speeder bike which unseats Losha. T’onga dismounts but sends the speeder bike careening into a nearby skiff containing some of Jabba’s guards, destroying it.
Valance continues his fight and but for intervention by 4-LOM, seems to be losing. Now in the grasp of the Megadroid, Valance has his arm torn away and is thrown to the ground. Next to him is a spear and Valance realises that this is his chance. He rams the spear tip into the breast plate of the Megadroid exactly where Losha’s particle beam had hit and weakened its shell, bringing the Megadroid down leaving Jabba incredulous.
News of the Megadroid’s defeat has reached the cockpit of the Millennium Falcon, where Leia, Luke and Chewbacca realise that their plan is now ready to roll, thanks to Valance. It’s time for Valance and the rest of them to make a sharp exit before more of Jabba’s guards arrive on the scene.
T’onga and Losha arrive at a barren piece of land on the Moon of Logal Ri. T’onga dreams of a cantina and a refuge for scoundrels like them, and Cadeliah will help them finance it. Dengar has not learned from his past failures and is still trying to con his way around the galaxy. IG-88 is still collecting bounties and raining violence on those he hunts. Vukorah is planning to settle with her Loth cats on Nevarro; Tasu Leech continues to thrive in Kanji Klub; 4-LOM and Zuckuss are still collecting bounties in tandem; while Khel, Bossk, Durge and Deathstick are still teamed up ready for their next job.
But what of Valance? In the spaceport of Pelkonen, former Imperial Lieutenant, Jyala Haydenn has been cornered by her previous employers. She resists their attempts to arrest her and out of nowhere help arrives… in the form of Beilert Valance. Together they make swift work of the Imperials levaing them alone together. So, what next for the pair? They will figure it out together!
The End… For Now.
A neat little bow has been put on the top of this series and with a “they all lived happily ever after”with what is “the end” … for now. I loved the way there were so many call outs to pervious series of comics we have all way through this issue. We are not just talking the other series from the crossover events, but the connections his issue of Bounty Hunters has for mini-series like Yoda and Han Solo: Imperial Cadet. It is only clever planning and writing that can achieve this type of adjoined storyline.
For this issue the story is a solid closing statement. The plot to rescue Solo from Jabba the Hutt is afoot. T’onga and the crew she has formed seem to have found their places in the galaxy. Valance is redeemed, back in one piece and gets the girl – and oh boy, has he been through hell and back and had to work mighty hard for that!
In modern times, a run of 42 comics over a 4-year period is no mean feat. And to be able to keep that storyline fresh and exciting, is even harder. Ethan Sacks has managed to do that consistently over that period. Out of all the Star Wars titles, it feels like Bounty Hunters has had its autonomy in the timeline. Yes, the crossovers have swayed its storyline at time, but that has added a multitude of depth to Valance as a character. Beilert Valance won the hearts of Sacks, me, and many others all those years ago, and for him to be up front and centre all these years later is a well-earned tribute to the writers of his original storylines.
But it’s not just been down to Sacks. Paolo Villanelli was the perfect choice as an artist for the series. Sadly, Villanelli moved on at around the halfway point, but he did come back for the odd issue now and then. It was great to see him run an assist with the coda in the closing pages for #42. The energy and movement Villanelli can convey in his artwork is a unique talent that he has. Since Villanelli moved on, we have had a mix of artists. Ramón F. Bachs, Natacha Bustos, Alessandro Miracolo, Lan Medina, Davide Tinto, and Jethro Morales all stepped up to the plate and pitched in admirable performances.
Supporting that stunning list of artists have been Arif Prianto and Bryan Valenza. Prianto has been the primary colour artist for the series and his work was almost symbiotic when paired with Villanelli. And then we have the ever-present Travis Lanham from VC. I mentioned on a regular basis that his lettering was near perfection on so many issues. An unsung role in any comic run, but Sacks could not have asked for a better wingman for this series.
Behind the scenes have been the editors and Lucasfilm story group allowing the return of Valance. There are too many to name, so to avoid this becoming an Oscar style acceptance speech, I think I need to sum it up and say… “from the team here at Jedi News, we wish you all a huge congratulations on an amazing closing issue, but also a fantastic series!”
One series ends and another one is about to begin for Sacks. He has managed to bring his childhood comic favourite to a new generation. Valance has a new cult following, if you are a part of that following, you are part of the #VALANCENATION. Next is a wonderful opportunity to stay on the bounty hunter theme, but in a different era. With issue 1 of Jango Fett hitting the shelves in late March 2024, let’s see if he can unleash some Valancesque evil and pain on Jango. And yet again, Sacks has been paired with an unbelievably brilliant artist. Teaming up this time with the amazing Luke Ross. I for one, cannot wait.
Availability;
Star Wars: Bounty Hunters is an ongoing series available from Marvel Comics. This issue retails at $5.99 and is available via the Marvel App, ComiXology and all good comic book stores.
