Published: August 9, 2023
Writer: Daniel José Older
Artist: Paul Fry
Colourist: Carlos Lopez
Letterer: VC’s Travis Lanham
Cover Artist: Ryan Brown
The synopsis;
WHO IS PLOTTING TO KILL JABBA THE HUTT?
• Wait…someone ELSE is plotting to kill one of the galaxy’s most
infamous gangsters? YOU BETTER BELIEVE IT!
• When you’re JABBA THE HUTT, you make a lot of enemies…and
sometimes, they’re even under your employ!
• MAX REBO and the band have their own plans on how to deal
with a mobster like Jabba…
• This issue bookends our JABBA’S PALACE one-shot and leads
directly into the RETURN OF THE JEDI film!
The review;
“It’s Not Easy Being Blue”, singing with one of the members of The Backstre- well if you know, you know! Max Rebo has fascinated viewers since he first appeared in Return of the Jedi and has had several appearances in lots of publications, particularly of the spoof kind! This series of one-shots for the fortieth anniversary of the last in the Original Trilogy have been exceptional. You only have to look at Ewoks by Alyssa Wong, a comic with barely a word, to see how writers and artists have really stepped up their game for this celebration. It’s a very high bar to try and reach. Who would they possibly find to try and reach such high heights with a blue ortolan? Daniel Jose Older of course! Older is part of The High Republic group and with IDW wrote The High Republic Adventures (the sequel from Dark Horse we are still eagerly awaiting in the UK!). Within this comic was some of the most incredible writing I’ve seen in Star Wars, with such an incredible understanding of the force. Older and Max Rebo – an interesting combination for sure. Joining him is Paul Fry, who has made a few appearances before in a galaxy far, far away. Let’s see what this pair have come up with for us.
Well, it’s exactly what you’d expect from the underworld that’s for sure! Older weaves a tapestry of motives and aims from three main people: Max and his two drummers (Ak-Rev and Umpass-Stay). Each has his own goals of what they are trying to do. Older is able to write this all clearly, even in a single issue, so you never get confused. Max is certainly the main character here and right from the first page, he is worried that his life is going to be taken from him. He has spiralled into a bout of depression that he can’t get himself out of. Older links this to a song that gets repeated throughout the comic, that “death, my only companion”. The musical side of the story, the lyrics, the beats, are never far from Older’s thoughts and I love that he returns again and again to it. It provides an underlying theme running throughout the comic. Through Max we learn about his own mentor, a dug by the name of Quez Totark, who ultimately dies because of the music. This constant circling of this theme makes Max completely oblivious to the rest of the band around him, almost making himself absorbed with his thoughts. Dare I say it, the Ortolan is a little blue to say the least! It shows him at his worst and having to overcome that depression that has taken over him. In terms of real world, what Max is going to is very relatable, as I’m sure we’ve all felt like that sometimes. Seeing how Max comes out of this, how he rises about the depression is actually quiet satisfying.
The other two characters are the drummers, characters who haven’t had a lot of attention up to this point. For me, this is the real essence of the issue. You have two characters who are like brothers, who tease and act like they have always been flesh and blood. Yet they then come to blows. Umpass is ordered by his father to kill Jabba, whereas Ak-Rev is ordered to protect Jabba. What Umpass doesn’t know is that if Jabba does die, then the band dies too. It’s a catch 22 scenario, where neither can win and stand to lose everything. The way they follow their families, blindly, brings them to clash against one another when they should be supporting one another. You can see that they both care deeply for each other, but they don’t know how to disobey their own families. You can’t help feeling sorry for them as they battle against this throughout the comic.
The artwork by Fry is superb. There are a lot of moments here that don’t have words, like the Ewoks one-shot, that leave Fry to do what he does best. He is able to move the action forward with ease. Many scenes take place during the events of Return of the Jedi, you can tell Fry enjoyed drawing these. The angles that aren’t the same as the film but still capture the moments are superb and I loved seeing them from a different perspective. The smiles on the dancers however, when they are talking about Luke, has to be my favourite panel. I’m sure both Older and Fry laughed at that one!
With all these one-shots, I’m amazed how much writers are able to fit into a single comic. I mention that Fry had a lot of speech free panels. Confining himself even further, Older is still able to explain easily a complex, interwoven story that encases three different characters. To say I’m impressed would be an understatement. The story flows beautifully. Not only do you have someone dealing with depression and a fear of death, deciding on what is worth dying for but you also have two characters that share a brotherly love at odds with one another. Just one of these storylines would have been enough for this comic, yet it’s not enough for Older. Rebo, with his repetition of worry, is like the beat of the comic, but the duet is held by Ak and Umpass. It all comes to a bang of finale before the beat ends on its last high note. It’s a song within the story about a band. Talk about capturing a character, a band, perfectly. I can’t think of any better way to celebrate this character and for Older to weave such a song, well, I told you he was good!
Availability;
Star Wars: The Rebellion is a one-shot comic published by Marvel Comics. This issue retails at $4.99 and is available via ComiXology and from all good comic book stores.
