Published: August 18, 2021
Rating: Rated T
Writer: Charles Soule
Penciler: Ramon Rosanas
Colourist: Rachelle Rosenberg
Letterer: VC’s Clayton Cowles
Cover Artist: Carlo Pagulayan, Jason Paz and Rain Beredo
The synopsis;
MISSING IN ACTION LEIA ORGANA, CHEWBACCA and LANDO CALRISSIAN battle BOBA FETT for the ultimate prize — HAN SOLO! But they are not the only people who have come to the remote world of JEKARA seeking the smuggler. DARTH VADER, JABBA THE HUTT and more are in the mix as well… Jedi LUKE SKYWALKER may be the Rebels’ only hope…but WHERE is he?
The review;
We’re right in the middle of War of the Bounty Hunters, and if you are like me, you are fresh from reading the second release for this week and the third issue in the crossover series. From the order the timeline tells us to take, we have a good idea where this issue is going to take us this week. Then again, I would have said the same about issue fifteen, which took us in a very unexpected direction. Unexpected, and yet one of the, if not the, best issues we have seen during this series. Soule wrote an incredible tale last issue, and I can’t wait to see where he takes us this week. Will it follow on from War of the Bounty Hunters or will it act like a prequel to the issue, which Soule is so annoyingly good at doing in this crossover event…
Where the last issue was explosive, full of action and deep meaning, this issue is very different. There is action, there are explosions, but this is more the calm before the storm. If you are reading War of the Bounty Hunters in order, then you know what is to be expected. As you read through this comic, you know how this is going to go. Soule, oh Soule, is anything but unpredictable, using what we think we know to twist it on its head. He uses a reader’s own surmising to misdirect them… again. It creates a shock ending, a very shock ending that we don’t see coming.
So, let’s focus on the main character, Luke. Soule has switched between Luke and Lando in this series, but I’m very glad he’s returned to Luke. It is his emotionally journey that I think is the real attraction to this series as Soule is a master of diving into a character, showing us what they are going through. Who better to show us of the journey Luke goes through from The Empire Strikes Back to Return of the Jedi? The issue begins with Luke in his X-Wing, communicating with Artoo. Soule is one of the few authors who never forgets the droids, who realises that they form the backbone of the whole franchise. To return to Luke talking to Artoo is wonderful, it allows us to home in on the character, but also shows how special the relationship between the two is. Luke fully trusts Artoo with everything (and Luke doesn’t realise Artoo already does know everything) and is able to share his feelings with him. In a way, this is how Luke is able to meditate, to find some peace through his sharing with his astromech.
Seeing this relationship is fantastic, but it’s what Soule does with that that really helps it to work as well as it does. We see Luke reflecting with Artoo on the events on Bespin and it is this that’s worth the price of the issue alone. Luke thinks back on the battle, of why Vader was able to defeat him. He understands what Vader is and what a storm he is. You can almost hear Luke complaining that Yoda only trained him in lighter combat, where Vader used so much more. I’m sure I’m not the only one thinking that Luke didn’t complete his training, that Yoda warned him he was not ready. It really shows that Luke didn’t understand the full extent of the force, that it is far more than waving a lightsaber around. It’s about control and skill. Seeing how Luke viewed the battle was astounding, revisiting the emotions of the fight.
Soule uses a technic he employed last issue, rewriting history. We see how Luke thinks a battle may go with Vader now. Luke has grown in the force and in his control, yet it must be remembered that is has been mere weeks. Soule shows that for all his growth, Luke can still be overconfident, Luke can still think like the optimistic farm boy he used to be. It’s wishful thinking, not reality. It leads Luke to face the one thing he is continually battling throughout the original movies, his fear. Soule brings this back and I think how he deals with it is wonderful. This is Soule at his absolute best dealing with a character that we have all grown up with. The results, well as I’ve said, extremely unexpected. I don’t want to ruin anything for those who have not read it, but it is shocking yet also understandable, which is perhaps the hardest thing to deal with.
Having Leia, Chewie and Lando in War of the Bounty Hunters 3 frees up this issue for Soule to focus on Luke but that doesn’t mean these three are forgotten. After a rather…heated…issue three, Soule shows us something we don’t often see. Leia is usually the calm, levelheaded character yet here, she starts to lose control over Han’s fate. It is here that Lando comes into his own, to start to build that trust with Leia that we eventually see in Return of the Jedi. Lando shows that he is very similar to Leia in a lot of ways, practical and knowing the reality of a situation. It is Lando who is able to stop Leia from making a mistake that could cost her her life. Soule also brings in Lando’s part in Solo to help with Lando’s reasoning. This part really interests me, as Lando and Chewie know the different characters and factions (as we readers do), but Leia doesn’t. She is in the dark and I wonder how much will be revealed to here over the coming issues.
Last issue I said that Rosanas was in his element, lots of space battles with gorgeous detail on all the ships. This issue is the same, there are lots of space battles here and they do look stunning. For me though, Rosanas goes one further this issue with the flashbacks from The Empire Strikes Back. Rosanas is able to bring the movie to life on the page, to get across the atmosphere and the emotion through every panel he draws. It is a feast for the eyes and every issue he seems to set the bar higher and higher.
War of the Bounty Hunters is an incredible crossover event, well planned and thought out on a crucial time in the Star Wars timeline. However, it is this series that for me is the pinnacle of the whole event. It would be so easy for Soule to forget how this series started, to get swept up in the crossover event but he doesn’t. This series is fitting beautifully into the War of the Bounty Hunters, but it is also standing on its own. The analysis of Luke and the journey he is taking is exceptional, we have never delved into Luke’s emotions the way Soule is doing here. It makes this essential reading for any fan of the original trilogy as it will make you see the films in a whole new light. The ending? A shock and one for me to discuss in my next review, but my goodness, has Soule just tipped everything on its head. Let’s hope the force is with us!
Availability;
Star Wars is an ongoing series available from Marvel. This issue is available via the Marvel App and all good comic bookstores. This issue retails at $3.99.
