Written by Ethan Sacks
Art by Paolo Villanelli
Published by Marvel Comics
Nakano Lash’s decision to betray her crew, which included Beilert Valance and Boba Fett, has been the driving force behind this series. In the last issue, Lash revealed they were hired by Khanus, the heir of the Unbroken Clan crime syndicate, to murder Krynthia, the heir of rival syndicate Mourner’s Wail.
But wait, there’s more.
Krynthia is pregnant with Khanus’ child, who could unite the two factions. Khanus isn’t too fond of losing his inheritance and wants Krynthia dead. Krynthia died from her wounds, and Lash raised her daughter in secret.
Here, we learn the personal motivation of Lash’s betrayal with a flashback scene showing her orphaned at an early age.
The unfortunate events surrounding the loss of her loved ones have always stuck with her. Despite her reputable status as a bounty hunter, we now know that nothing would stop her from saving an expecting Krynthia.
As suspected, Valance talked a big game but showed his true colors, stating he would never kill Lash after he found her.
Boba Fett, on the other hand, is out for blood.
An extended fight scene occurs where Boba has to go through Valance to get to Lash.
There are a couple of teases where it looks like Valance finished off Boba and vice versa, only for both to be proven wrong. Valance is still a new character to the Star Wars universe. Some might not buy him putting up a decent fight against Boba.
However, Valance is the book’s main protagonist. He is also part droid, so giving the galaxy’s most feared bounty hunter a run for his money is plausible. Reputation means a lot to Boba as he revealed he lost a lot of street credit after Lash’s betrayal.
In the middle of the fight we see another flashback showing something new about that job went haywire.
It’s a nice change of pace from the fight, which brought more depth to how current events unfold. After the flashback, Boba leveled up and cut through everyone in his path. The battle concludes with a tender moment that is well done by Ethan Sacks.
Sacks gives Boba Fett a voice that is similar to The Mandalorian. They’re both characters with similar costumes and in the same profession. In terms of live-action, Mando has had more screen time than Fett, making the comparison easy to see.
Paolo Villanelli’s artwork shows great visual direction by matching the mood of the moment with bombastic detail. The action never lets up, and even the quieter panels have energy that keeps the reader firmly engaged. One short moment shows Boba Fett aboard his ship, and there is a reflection in his helmet of a carbonite frozen Han Solo.
Fett hasn’t delivered Solo to Jabba, yet and this made me wonder if he’s now going to do so?
The ending shows Valance looking for someone he hasn’t spoken to in a long time.
Will this be a new character created for the series? Perhaps we’ll see a familiar face that will get readers geeking out?
Sacks and Villanelli did a fantastic job of concluding their first story arc. Valance has a new mission, and the stakes are increased tenfold. While this kind of story is not for every Star Wars fan, the creators work well in tandem, and this issue is the best example of their collaborative mojo.
Rating: B
