Published: January 27, 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 “TERMINUS GAUNTLET” CONTINUES!
• Trapped on a REBEL transport under attack by pirates, VALANCE must make a desperate gambit to survive.
• But little does the cyborg bounty hunter know he’s on a collision course with his old rival, DENGAR!
• Plus, a familiar face makes a shocking return with a plan that will change the underworld forever.
The review;
Oh, how I love this cover! Beilert Valance climbing out through the shattered cockpit of an X-Wing that is destined to crash is awesome! Mattia de Iulis has done an amazing job for his first cover for this series. I must admit to being sad that Lee Bermejo’s run seems to have come to an end, but I am really looking forward to more from de Iulis. The 27th Empire variant depicts the iconic “I love you, I know” scene. Yet another great illustration and I cannot wait to see the solicited compendium of these covers in April.
The waits between issues of Bounty Hunters are becoming so frustrating. We had the COVID enforced sabbatical of 3 months but waiting another 4-5 weeks for the next issue is killing me! So, the arrival of issue 9 this week was a welcome way to beat those January blues.
Sacks starts this issue by delving back into more events from Valance’s past. These are events from the planet Qholusk that first featured in Robbie Thompson’s Imperial Cadet series in 2018. Valance feeling abandoned realises that Han Solo and the other cadets are there for him and care about his fate and have defied Imperial command to setup his rescue. We also see the beginning of Valance’s journey towards becoming cybernetic being he is now. With the loss of his left eye in a bare fisted battle for his life, this just the start of his journey to what will happen on Mimban.
Valance’s entry onto the Rebel ship is a bit… well, how can I say this? Unorthodox! Jettisoning the engines, the Broken Wing is now well and truly ‘broken’. The Rebels are not too keen on Valance’s presence and he ends up in the brig. But he plays on the heart strings of his guard and she lets him free to find a fighter to take on Skragg and the Ohnaka Gang. And as Valance always does, he does it in his unique style.
Yet again there is another twist. Subterfuge within the Rebel ranks will now see their vessel boarded with Skragg and the Ohnaka Gang with their captive counterpart Dengar plotting against them. But Valance will have other plans, won’t he?
As John ‘Hannibal’ Smith used to say in The A-Team, “I love it when a plan comes together” and issue 9 ties up a few loose ends from the first arc and in particular issues 4 and 5. There was a lot said about some of those events, but it is now obvious there was a reason for what happened. We now know who was in the escape pod that landed on Russian and to the joy of many, T’onga is back on the scene, although far from full health.
Story telling through comics is not always about that 1 solitary issue, or even the story arc. There is always a long game to play and Sacks is doing just that. I get the feeling so many seeds have been sewn throughout the 9 issues to date, that we will all sit there and then have mini epiphanies when those seeds blossom in later issues.
The artwork yet again is sublime and Villanelli and Prianto are doing amazing work. This team up with Sacks reminds me of when Charles Soule was partnered with Giuseppe Camuncoli for Darth Vader. Their work went hand in hand, and it delivered on every level. They stayed together on pretty much the whole run and I really do hope that will be the case here.
With the Unbroken Clan now actively involved in the plot of Doctor Aphra and Cadeliah now being under the protection of the Rebel Alliance, all paths seem to be merging for one all mighty crossover story… and I cannot wait!
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.
