Comic Review: Star Wars (2020) #44

I have been thinking about the previous issue of Star Wars all month. It was an issue that captured everything that this series is about. Writer Charles Soule is continually bridging the gap between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, gaps that even as fans, we’re not even aware of until Soule does something so incredible as he did last issue. This month, we return to Lando Calrissian and the trial he must stand for betraying the Rebellion. This is, of course, a ticking time bomb story. We know that Lando will get out of this, we know that the Rebellion not only forgives him but trusts him enough to make him a general in only a short few weeks’ time. Yet how that is even possible given the situation is the question. There is no one I would trust a story like this to other than Charles Soule, who proves every issue that he understands Star Wars utterly and completely. Joining him this comic is artist Madibek Musabekov, who has been doing a tremendous job of bringing Soule’s vision to life. After last issue, expectations are at an absolute high, let’s see if this new arc can live up to them.

Now there are two ways to live up to expectations, you try to meet them, or you play the comical side of things and lighten the story up. Soule does in this issue. After been greeted by a bearded Lando (I never thought I’d see the day), we are swept up in the discussions of the Rebellion command. This is absolutely fascinating to read and shows the different factions that make up the Rebels. You have Madine and Ackbar, the two military leaders of the Rebellion who very much see the Lando situation in black and white. Right and wrong. Good and bad. They see it that you point a gun at the bad guys and shoot – in this case, quite literally. This is how they have fought the war; this is how they deal with situations. On the other side you have Leia and Mon Mothma, the two politicians of the Rebellion who see the world very differently in terms of grey. It’s not a simple matter of defeating the bad guy, you must have people believe in you. Their hearts and minds are just as important as the person you are saving them from. Not only that, but if you just shoot the bad guy, what makes you any different from that person? There is far more to it, there is more that must be considered. It’s interesting to see the two groups sparring, the decisions that must be taken into account. Knowing where the galaxy ends up decades after, you can see how it all began with moments like this when things must be debated. For all Palpatine’s faults, he is able to cut through it all, remove the senate and bring his vision, with no opposition, to the galaxy at large.

The arguments that Mothma and Leia make for not simply removing Lando show what an impact he has had. The fact that he is a likeable character, almost a man of the people, means that in a war like this, he is an important person. How can you remove someone like that without consequence? It’s why Leia and Mothma understand this, because although Lando didn’t do it with this intention, it is in fact a political problem. These are all things that we never see in Return of the Jedi, yet when you stop to think about it all make sense. To become a general is one thing, but its more than that, the pilots, Ackbar, they all trust him that there willing to listen to crazy ideas (like attacking star destroyers at point blank range) and follow him.

While we start with these deep moments at how the Rebellion works, we also get to see the start of the trial which is a lot more comedic. Salli Georgio I find to be hilarious. The way she says things, her actions, her complete disregard for anything of sense makes her moments in this issue wonderful. After all the thoughtfulness, it’s a good change of pace for the issue. The ending I can’t say I was surprised by, when I heard Lando making his phone call, I did think that was rather a lot of information – confidential information- that he was giving out to the other line. However, it no way diminishes the moment. Its use adds to the craziness of Georgio and her strategy for setting Lando free. As I said at the start, we know, somehow (and I’m really not sure how), Lando will be set free, that he will be trusted, that he will be promoted, and he will lead the Rebel fleet at Endor. It’s just fascinating to see how Soule will make that all happen. Let’s be honest, things have really gone from bad to worse for him at the moment!

The artwork from Musabekov captures, as always, the story brilliantly. From the shock facial hair of Lando (I’m going to be thinking about that for some time), to the design of Georgio and capturing an out of the box lawyer look for a galaxy far, far away, it’s all there. The panels are always well constructed and the comedic timings (such as Chewbacca with Georgio’s belongings) are timed to perfection. Even the quiet moment between Lando and Lobot, their facial expressions that really bring the emotion to the page work splendidly.

This is a much different arc to the previous one, which was always going to be hard to beat. Yet it still has those deep moments. The examination of the Rebel command structure, the emotional conversations between Lando and Lobot, the humorous lawyer doing everything (and I mean everything) to stop her client been found guilty. It’s all here. Knowing the outcome makes this even more of a fascinating read. Even if you are only just joining the story, Soule provide a brief synopsis in this issue to help bring you up to speed. I have always said that this series is an essential companion series to the original movies, and something tells me this first part is going to lead to a place that will also be essential reading. Jump on board while you can!