Published: April 14, 2021
Rating: Rated T
Writer: Ethan Sacks
Penciler: Paolo Villanelli
Colourist: Arif Prianto
Letterer: VC’s Travis Lanham
Cover Artist: Mattia de Iulis
The synopsis;
THE GREAT HUNT OF MALASTARE
• BOSSK awakens to find himself as the hunted instead of the hunter on the forest planet of MALASTARE.
• But who is the mysterious figure behind the hunting party stalking the infamous TRANDOSHAN?
• A special solo adventure starring the most savage bounty hunter of all!
The review;
The cover is very much in tune with what we are about to read! Mattia de Iulis has captured the essence of Bossk, licking his lips, almost in anticipation of the blood he is about to taste in combat. The details and colours are perfect, and it really does set you up for what Sacks and Villanelli are about to deliver.
The Empire Strikes Back variant cover series has now reached #32 of 36. This time out, we are given a view of Vader and Luke duelling on the processing vane catwalk on Cloud City. Again, another amazing piece of art to add to the series that Sprouse, Story and Menon should be proud of.
Okay, I need to start off by saying, his issue did not go in the direction I was expecting. Hats off to Ethan Sacks for throwing me a curve a ball that really did see me strike out! After the events of issue 10 and the solicited cover for this issue, I was expecting Bossk to be full on battling it out with Valance, but no, we end up going somewhere completely different.
Valance and Dengar kiss and make up from their previous altercations and deceit. Although Dengar has truly tried to screw over Valance with The Ohnaka Gang and Captain Skragg, the way they forgive and forget is typical of how the Bounty Hunter Code has been seen since issue 1. All the bounty hunters seem to have love hate relationships, but at the same time, they see each other as fair game and have an ability to bury the hatchet at anytime for a greater cause, or slice of the bounty.
It’s then Bossk who takes centre stage, in a big way! The story goes away from Valance and focuses on Bossk being the prey in a hunt on Malastare. The hunt is like something out of The Hunger Games or The Running Man, where the prey is made up of so-called weaker species. The rich being allowed to hunt for sport in an unfair game driven by wealth and power. This has similar context to the abhorrent and cruel safari hunts for wild animals. That is not a criticism of the story, but only a parallel I have drawn. We have seen this type of hunt previously in The Clone Wars where Ahsoka was part of the party being hunted, ironically by Trandoshan’s.
We also see another legacy character turn up from The Force Awakens. Sacks cleverly wrote in Tasu Leech a few issues ago, this time we see Grummgar, who we see at Maz’s Castle on Takodona alongside Bazine Netal. Grummgar is a character that I want to see more of in the future. Alan Dean-Foster wrote a short story for Star Wars Insider a few years back and since then he has been a character that intrigues me. I would also love to see a Hasbro Black Series deluxe 2-pack with him and Netal too, so hopefully the extra exposure will help my quest.
Another character that I was surprised turn up was Bib Fortuna. While observing the hunt, he is there to persuade, Exum Jermit, the Second Vice Chairman of the Banking Clan to reconsider Jabba’s offer to become their business partner. There is also a twist to him being there as well and Bossk is also part of that twist. Bossk ultimately takes out Jermit, meaning his successor may well be more receptive of a deal with Jabba. But Fortuna is about to offer another job to Bossk, so what will that entail?
There is an Easter egg that some readers may miss. Well, it was Easter recently and the hidden item is very literal! When Fortuna offers Bossk the pick of the food he a acquired from the banquet, there are 2 Mudhorn eggs on the table, cracked open showing their golden yolk.
As usual, Sacks gets in some dark humour into the story as well. There have been subtle jokes littered throughout the series, but this issue made me really laugh out loud on a couple of occasions. None more so than after Bossk has issued his rallying talk to the other prey for the hunt and advises them that if they run, they ‘may’ survive. One of the hunted then turns around and quips “He’s not really good at inspirational speeches, is he?”. For me, this is a moment that is very well slotted into the story and in my case, was virtually what I thought when reading the first frame of the sequence.
As per the ten issues that have gone before, the artwork is sublime. The page where Bossk first attacks the Gran hunter is Paolo Villanelli at his best. And then Arif Prianto’s colours just pop off the page as well. The frame in the bottom right of that page is so sinister and has so much energy, it is just, well… perfect!
Dengar and Valance have Slave I and Fett in their sights. Bossk is about to embark on an unknown mission for Jabba. Issue 12 is part of the 4-title crossover, we have the mini-series and the Jabba the Hutt one-shot. So, where do we go from here?
One thing I do know, is that with the talented ensemble that are working on the 4 main titles and then with the addition of more Boba Fett via Charles Soule and Jabba from Justina Ireland, the next few months are going to be a rollercoaster of a ride. Strap yourselves in, as I’m sure it will be a thrilling adventure with twists, turns, cross and double cross on every turn of a page!
Availability;
Bounty Hunters is an ongoing series available from Marvel Comics. This issue is available via the Marvel App and all good comic bookstores and retails at $3.99.
