Published: August 9, 2023
Rating: Rated T
Writer: Charles Soule
Artist: Madibek Musabekov
Colourist: Rachelle Rosenberg
Letterer: VC’s Clayton Cowles
Cover Artist: Stephen Segovia & Rain Beredo
The synopsis;
LOBOT LOST! – A DARK DROIDS TIE-IN!
• Something has gone horribly wrong with Lobot, putting the Rebellion at terrible risk!
• Lando Calrissian will do anything to save his friend, even if it means betraying the Rebels.
• Will the SCOURGE OF THE DROIDS destroy any chance to cure Lobot, or will he be lost forever?
The review;
This series, this series, has been such a delight to read. Charles Soule is the master of telling stories set in the Original Trilogy. The character development, particularly of Luke and Lando, have been exceptional. This issue promises more of a focus on Lando but with a bit of a twist: Dark Droids. The newest and latest crossover event that will affect every current Marvel Star Wars title. If you haven’t read the first issue (also by Soule) then I can’t recommend it enough. Not often – if ever – have I been left speechless by a comic, but Dark Droids #1 did just that. Having read such a dark opening, I can’t wait to see the direction Soule is going to go with this series. Returning to bring Soule’s vision to life is Maribel Musabekov; I wonder if his work will take on a darker tone too.
This is the perfect issue to follow on from Dark Droids. The opening page is full of the anxiety and tension you feel from reading Dark Droids and brings it straight into the series. Musabekov does a tremendous job of capturing the moment perfectly. When Lobot opens his eyes, you just know there’s going to be trouble. Musabekov seems at ease in this issue. Characters are captured perfectly. The tension on the bridge, with Lando, with Leia, he captures it all and you really feel this dread throughout the comic. When we reach the end, he then goes even darker, capturing very dark moments brilliantly – well – in a horrific sort of way of course.
The story itself follows Lobot as things start going wrong. He takes over the Rebels ship as he starts reliving old Imperial battles. The use of colour with just white, black, and red (very similar to another series!) works brilliantly for this dream like visions he has. Although this is all about how Lobot is going wrong, about how he needs to be fixes, this is most definitely an issue all about Lando. It is so interesting to see how Lando responds to this problem with his friend.
Soule has always shown Lando in this series as walking a fine line. We know at the end of The Empire Strikes Back that he is, well we don’t exactly know, but we know he went against the Empire. From this time to Return of the Jedi he becomes a general, someone trusted in the Rebellion. This is the line that Soule has trod, when does this change, when does Lando stop looking out for himself and start looking at a much larger picture? The answer is not today. Although it has built up throughout this series that Lando is becoming a Rebel, when the cards are finally placed down (pun intended) he will ultimately try and save his own skin. When things start going wrong with Lobot he is ultimately worried about himself, then Lobot and doesn’t even think about the Rebellion. As readers, we know there is something bigger at work here and yet Lando withholds information that might help them identify it. Why? Because he doesn’t want to end up in trouble. Lando still has the most important lesson to learn. He asks Leia why no one questions her or Luke when they go off on an adventure. It’s a because they share all, they let those around them in. Lando hasn’t learnt this yet, he still closes off. He hasn’t quite grasped the bigger picture.
It’s big character development for Lando but what I adore is how Soule links this all the way back to his original Lando series from almost a decade ago. It was a fun series with an important message from Lobot. Musabekov redraws the last scene of the series and somehow adds even more weight to the moment. Lobot tells Lando he can be better than what he is. I remember reading the series and thinking thank goodness it will happen. But Soule uses it here to show us that he isn’t better yet, that what Lobot wanted has just been put to the test and Lando has failed. It’s such a pivotal moment in the issue, in the context of the original mini-series and for the character of Lando. Lobot would be disappointed, the beliefs of the Rebellion are what he wished for Lando, and he’s thrown them away for himself and Lobot. The flashback to another scam shows us that Lobot was always the voice of reason for Lando, almost like his consciousness. Lando needs that back, now more than ever. In a way, if he can fix Lobot, he can fix himself.
The last moments in Jabba’s palace show just how short the time scale is for Lando. We see familiar creatures and droids. Soule can always be relied on to make lots of connections between films, series’ and everything that is Star Wars. It’s what helps it feel like such a connected universe – for better… or worse!
This issue is superb and a perfect follow on from Dark Droids. There is this sense of absolute impending doom and Soule is building the anticipation up every single page. We know something is going to go horribly, horribly wrong, we just don’t know when. Lando has always been at the centre of this series, his transition to Rebel always been examined by Soule. Here, Soule shows us just how far he still has to go until he becomes the character we recognise in Return of the Jedi. The artwork captures all this doom and gloom perfectly and I really appreciate the links and panels back to Soule’s original Lando series. What perhaps makes this storyline even more interesting is we don’t actually know the fate of Lobot, is this series where he meets his end? That fear adds such anticipation alongside the Dark Droids storyline. Soule is a master of storytelling and once again he shows us why to perfection in this issue.
Availability;
Star Wars (2020) is an ongoing series available from Marvel Comics. This issue retails at $4.99 and is available via ComiXology and all good comic book stores.
