Published: June 29, 2022
Rating: Rated T
Writer: Marc Guggenheim
Artist: David Messina
Colourist: Alex Sinclair
Letterer: VC’s Joe Caramagna
Cover Artist: Phil Noto
The synopsis;
“I DON’T KNOW HOW WE’RE GONNA GET OUT OF THIS ONE!”
• HAN is trapped on the top floor of a skyscraper with security guards closing in on him. How will he escape?
• Would you believe…asking the Galactic Empire for help?
• This issue ties directly into the events of Crimson Reign. Guest starring QI’RA & THE ARCHIVIST!
• Will Han reunite with his first love?
The review;
Mark Alders: The classic who-done-it for a true classic duo. We left our team last issue having to figure out how to escape the building they are trapped in, but more importantly, why are they trapped? Is it a plan gone wrong or has Greedo set them up to fail? Looking at the cover, maybe there is someone lurking in the background waiting to reveal themselves. What can be guaranteed is some incredible writing from Guggenheim that showcases everyone’s favourite smuggler and artwork that is the perfect blend of both Han’s from Messina. It’s an issue I cannot wait to sink my teeth into.
Let’s start with the cover because there is so much to love. It has the classic feel of older Star Wars issues; here are the characters standing with pride on the front, Falcon in the background. What I like is the mysterious figure in the background, twinkle in one of their eyes. It reminds me so much of the old eighties covers of the Brian Daley Han Solo covers. For me, that sets the tone of this series, pushing forward with one eye always on what has gone before.
Kat Ree-Jauke: That past and present can totally be seen just in the first panel of the comic, with Han using lines straight from A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back. But why change someone as iconic as Han? His character is so iconic that it’s impossible and unnecessary. Guggenheim knows exactly how to balance this younger Han, putting him in new situations yet still staying true to the smuggler. Though it seems Han hasn’t learned his lesson about magnetically sealed rooms (wasn’t that Greedo!?)! It was Greedo, but you’d think Han may have made a mental note after nearly getting blasted with a ricocheting bolt.
With the team trapped, the heist gone wrong, and the security guards trying to break down the door, it seems like a tricky situation. However, while Han does come across as an arrogant flyboy, he’s actually very smart. Thinking on his feet even in such a stressful situation he comes up with a plan to escape. Not that any ideas were going to be coming forth from Greedo anytime soon. Actually, seeing more of Greedo in this series now makes you understand why Han was so relaxed in the cantina on Tatooine. Greedo is just so dumb there was no way he could pose Han a threat. The writing of his scenes is very funny and Greedo almost feels like Jar Jar at times in his clumsiness.
For me, it’s Greedo’s character that really shines this issue (I say shine, tarnish might be a better word!). I agree on the one hand, you can see why Han can so casually draw his blaster, how it is so easy to distract Greedo from his task. But much like Han’s father, I’m there thinking, is it too much, too obvious? Is this a ploy to lull us while Greedo is secretly doing a long con? Who told Greedo about the location of the urn? I feel like there is a lot more here that we won’t understand until the end of the series.
And that is what I’m loving about this series. When focused on a smuggler and conman like Han, I’m continually questioning every decision, every plot point, every action. Is what we are seeing true to form or deceiving us from something else? Greedo is one example, the other is Han’s father. He has slotted in very well – too well – into the story and Han and Chewie’s life. Surely there is more here? It’s Han’s “idea” to bring him along, the way any true con artist works; he makes it think like it’s your idea. It surprises me just how much Han has trusted him so quickly, although when looking at Solo we do know his emotions can get the better of him.
Han may have a good heart, but he does some pretty backhanded stuff in the second half of the comic. Ditching Greedo on Corellia (That was a laugh out moment for me!) – not that anyone on the Falcon is complaining – and then selling out a relic’s trader to the Imperials on Antillion. It’s a much harsher side of Han, and it makes the reader wonder if he’s trying to prove himself tough to his so-called father. The way Guggenheim writes their dynamic, it’s like Han is trying too hard to impress his father. Is he being blinded to the truth by his own need for validation? The same thing happened with Han and Beckett in Solo, and I’m worried he’s going to get burned twice.
And it looks like the events of Solo are going to come back to haunt Han, as in an exciting development this issue is tying Han Solo & Chewbacca to the Crimson Reign comics by Charles Soule. Doing this opens more story opportunities, and it’s a fantastic chance to see the same scenes but from a different perspective and in Messina’s style. I love the fact that they’re tying in, as well as showing just how far back Qi’ra’s machinations actually go. My only wish was to have Han’s father provide more flashbacks to how life was back then with a very young Han, but perhaps that may still be coming in the remaining issues.
Chewbacca is in this issue more than the previous, but I still feel like he is playing more in the background than I would like. Han always jumps in first with Chewie staying behind, just in case. I love the Wookiee, and I would love to see him and Han together pulling off more than Han with his dad. It surprises me Han would treat Chewie like this. Han side-lining Chewie is definitely a big sign that something is off, and that he’s too focussed on his dad. I need the Wookiee to knock some sense into his co-pilot!
The artwork, as with every issue, is superb. The transition between planets is excellent and the contrast between the metropolitan Corellia with the backwater planet they end up on allows us to see Messina’s range. The expressions on the character’s faces, particularly the med team, is timed perfectly, creating such a cinematic flow to the entire comic. Messina is able to create such a sense of character, and my favourite scene is from the finale when a close-up of Han’s holster is followed by the smuggler’s look of shock when he realizes he can’t blast his way out of the situation.
Guggenheim and Messina tease a big cameo at the end of Han Solo & Chewbacca #3, something that might not have worked as well before The Book of Boba Fett. With Black Krrsantan now on the scene, will we finally get to see Chewie in action? I mean, Han can talk himself out of lots of situations, but a Wookiee? Surely there’s a Wookiee battle on the cards. Well as an Aphra fan, I’m thrilled to see the character, but I agree, having his appearance in The Book of Boba Fett helps this appearance greatly. Where did he come from? Who sent him? So many questions, I just can’t wait!
Availability;
Han Solo and Chewbacca is an ongoing series available from Marvel. This issue is retails at $3.99 and is available via the Marvel App, comiXology and all good comic book stores.
