Boba Fett is back in this series, bridging the gap between his capture of Han Solo in Cloud City and the transport of everyone’s favorite smuggler to Tatooine. Published by Marvel Comics, written by Charles Soule, and illustrated by Steve McNiven with colors by Laura Martin and letters by VC’s Travis Lanham, Star Wars: War Of The Bounty Hunters Alpha is hopefully the beginning of an inordinate conflict featuring one of the most popular characters in pop culture.
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After putting Han Solo in carbonite following the events in Cloud City, the original movies would have us believe that the trip to bring Han to Jabba the Hutt on Tatooine was smooth sailing. But War Of The Bounty Hunters Alpha says otherwise. Something goes wrong with the carbonite entrapping Han Solo. To make sure that Han makes it to Tatooine alive, Fett seeks out a doctor. But without the ability to pay, Fett is coaxed into doing a risky favor.
While I never thought that there was ever a plot hole that needed to be filled in Fett’s trip between Cloud City and Tatooine, this issue nevertheless offers an interesting jumping point. We’re very quickly introduced to the main problem—the carbonite is doing something funky. But this isn’t the biggest conflict that will move this series; you won’t get a flavor of that until the end, which is a great move. You never know what’s going to happen.
As a fan-favorite character, it’s essential to get Boba Fett right. While Boba’s visual character design is consistent with canon, Soule’s writing and McNiven and Martin’s art are really what make the character meet expectations. For a character without a face, body language is a huge deal, and the creative team does a marvelous job. Boba is nonchalant even in the direst of situations and always confident. And the dialogue represents this man of few words well. Simple, direct, with just a touch of cynicism here and there.
The art is a treat. Star Wars is known for its many alien species; there’s plenty to see in this issue, and each one is distinct. Besides Boba and Han, there are no other human characters to be seen, which I feel is uncommon even in Star Wars media. The crosshatching shadows and texture in each panel add depth but also give a sense of grime that reflects the underground and seedy business affairs Boba is intrinsically connected to.
Lanham’s lettering helps the plot along with well-placed speech balloons that never overshadow the characters or action and balloon designs that make it easy to tell who is talking, whether face-to-face or over comms.
Overall, this is an interesting and exciting jumping point for a series focusing on Boba Fett. The creative team has represented this fan-favorite character wonderfully between the dialogue and art. I’m interested in seeing just where this adventure leads.
War Of The Bounty Hunters Alpha is available now wherever comics are sold.
Star Wars: War Of The Bounty Hunters Alpha #1
TL;DR
This is an interesting and exciting jumping point for a series focusing on Boba Fett. The creative team has represented this fan-favorite character wonderfully between the dialogue and art. I’m interested in seeing just where this adventure leads.
