Published: January 18, 2022
Rated: T
Writer: Marc Guggenheim
Artist: David Messina
Colourist: Alex Sinclair
Letterer: VC’s Joe Caramagna
Cover Artist: Phil Noto
The synopsis;
DEAD OR ALIVE, Part IV
“GET IN THERE, YOU BIG, FURRY OAF!”
• What’s inside the urn that Jabba the Hutt wants so badly? Hint: It’s not ashes.
• Guest-starring Ugnaught Sava Korin Pers.
• This issue ties in directly to Revelations!
The review;
Last issue saw our heroes having to get themselves into the heart of the Empire itself, Coruscant. With some luck and a choice encounter with non-other than Grand Moff Tarkin, Han, Chewie, and their newly acquired friend Phaedra, were able to retrieve the urn. This issue sees them not home free yet but having to escape Coruscant itself.
Mark: Well, the first thing that I’m very glad about, is that Chewbacca is ok! The first page sorts that out relatively quickly, which considering we’ve already had to deal with Chewie and Han being separated is definitely the right move to have made. For me, this quickly having a situation arise and then dealt with equally as quickly really sums this issue up. This is one of the fastest and most action intense issues that we have had so far in this series. There’s very little down time, Guggenheim pushes us faster and faster until before you know it, the comic has come to an end. Did it go equally as fast for you Kat?
Kat: It absolutely did! Han Solo & Chewbacca #9 is joining the dots not just throughout this mini-series, but also with other Star Wars lore. It’s a lot to take in and for fans who haven’t been reading everything available, then this issue might just be a little confusing because of its multiple story lines. It’s testament to Guggenheim’s writing though that he can incorporate so much into a fluid plot that is fast-paced and very intriguing. After surviving Coruscant (I actually wish we’d gotten a bit more of that escape), Han opens the urn that has caused him and Chewie so much trouble, only to discover something very strange inside. Unsure of the contents and why Jabba’s been lying, Han needs some extra information – all in the name of profit of course.
What I really liked about this part of the story is that we get to see Han’s street knowledge coming into play. While the flyboy might not be the brightest spark in the galaxy, Han knows where to find information and just the right people to ask. Discovering just what lies inside the urn takes them to Nar Shaddaa, which is better known by its nickname the Smuggler’s Moon. This is a planet famous for its lawlessness and home to plenty of scoundrels and Hutts alike. It’s even one of the few planets that First Order officers could take some shore leave on. Did you enjoy the return of this location Mark?
I always love going to Nar Shaddaa! Although not the savouriest of places, it was such a cornerstone of what is now ‘Legends’. More than that, with the old Dark Forces games, we got to run around it so much that I feel like I know it so well. I really like anytime we return to it. The fact that the ‘connection’ is an Ugnaught somehow feels completely perfect! I agree with you that Han’s character shines through, not only with his knowledge, but the way he talks his way into and out of situations almost effortlessly. It really highlights that in The Force Awakens, why he thinks he’s still got it and can talk to the ‘kids’ of the day like he used to.
There are a lot of things here, and sometimes I wonder how much of a disadvantage other readers are at. Because you can follow the storyline, Guggenheim is very good at guiding us, but the joining of the dots? Without all the information, are you able to? Or are you at a disadvantage because we’ve read everything? With this I’m looking at the urn, a droid uprising where droids slaughter humans willingly for their own ends. Am I the only one who’s mind started wondering to a pair of droids from another series?
If fans haven’t been reading Doctor Aphra or Star Wars: Reveltaions then the mention of Ajax Sigma will come as quite the surprise. He’s a droid that was fighting for the freedom of his kind, though not in the friendly way of L3-37. His murderous streak is very reminiscent of Triple Zero and BT-1 and I wonder whether part of his programming made its way into their creation at some point. Even knowing how dangerous the contents of the urn now are, Han is still pretty reluctant to give up a chance at his credits. This is such classic Han though, because he always makes himself out to be a money-orientated hustler, yet that’s not the real Han. Chewie acts as his conscience almost, always steering him to make better choices.
That’s pretty hard to do when once again the past comes back to haunt the duo and they have to make another run for it with blasters blazing. There are some great panels here by Messina as Chewbacca takes on the Marshal. It’s rare that we get to see the Wookiee fully unleashing, and all the pent-up frustration is so palpable in Messina’s artwork, only heightened more with the use of all the action lines and Chewie’s fur flowing with the speed of his movements.
Messina is on top form this issue. With so much action, it’s him who is really telling the reader these parts of the story. Like you say, Chewie unleashed. There’s also the fate of the urn at several points, where Messina’s timing in the panels is flawless. The one thing I always keep coming back to again and again with his work is Han. It is always so incredible how he combines the two portrayals of Han so well, yet I also feel now he is gradually moving to more of a Harrison Ford look with each issue that gets released. It’s a wonderful shift towards Ford’s likeness; it’s this care and dedication to the look and the feel that really sets Messina apart.
The elephant in the room? Han’s ‘dad’. After we realise that Tyra is not Han’s real father, he suddenly becomes a frustration that seems to arise at every point to thwart Han. Initially it gets annoying but the more I thought about it, the more I thought he’s like the classic villains in old serials that would never stay down for very long, who were always one step ahead of the hero. And no matter what they do, you always want them to get their just desserts. What’s your opinion on him Kat?
We’ve definitely reached the stage where I want Tyra to be defeated once and for all! Every time it seems he might be out of the picture; he manages to somehow get out of it. In a strange, convoluted sort of way, Tyra is what Han could have become. If Han had only focussed on himself and how many credits he could make, then he might have turned into a cold, twisted person like Tyra. Having backed the smuggler into a corner aboard the Falcon, there’s clearly going to be a major showdown between the two in the concluding issue.
Agreed, and knowing Guggenheim and Messina, it’ll be incredible both written and visually. The real question I suppose is what will happen to the urn, will Han do the right thing, or will he mirror what Tyra would do? Is he always good at heart or is meeting a young farmer from Tatooine the thing that allows him to redeem his past transgressions. The next issue promises a lot of answers.
Availability;
Han Solo & Chewbacca is a 10-part mini series published by Marvel comics. This issue retails at $3.99 and is available via the Marvel App, ComiXology and all good comic book stores.
