REVIEW: ‘Star Wars: Han Solo & Chewbacca,’ Issue #1

Star Wars: Han Solo & Chewbacca #1 is written by Marc Guggenheim, illustrated by David Medina, colored by Alex Sinclair, and lettered by VC’s Joe Caramagna. It’s published by Marvel Comics. Part one of the opening arc, titled “The Crystal Run,” takes place before the events of Star Wars: A New Hope. Smuggler Han Solo and his first mate Chewbacca are tasked by Jabba the Hutt to pull off a heist for the sum of a million credits. However, this plan has two wrinkles: Solo and Chewie have to bring along fellow smuggler Greedo with them, and the heist happens to take Solo back to his homeworld of Corellia.

Han Solo is a tricky character to write in the Star Wars universe. Most of his character development happened during the original Star Wars trilogy with a few attempts to build upon his character. Most notably, Solo: A Star Wars Story was met with the fan equivalent of a shrug. This comic is the opposite, as it chooses to focus on the partnership between Solo and Chewie, which is one of the most interesting things about the character. Guggenheim’s script lends equal weight to the partnership, whether it’s Solo navigating the Millenium Falcon through a crumbling building or Chewie being the voice of reason. There’s also the introduction of Marshall Buck Vancto, whose hunt for Solo brings elements of The Fugitive into the series, and Solo’s prickly relationship with Greedo, which leads to a rather clumsy nod at the “Han Shot First” meme that’s circulated amongst Star Wars fans.

Joining Guggenheim is Messina, who ironically has made a name for himself working on IDW’s Star Trek comics, notably The Q Conflict miniseries. His artwork manages to perfectly capture Harrison Ford’s likeness and the various aliens that populate the Star Wars universe. Messina also has the chance to design a new planet, Galator III, which shows up in the opening pages. Described as a “casino planet,” Galator III is comprised of a massive series of skyscrapers, which makes the Millennium Falcon‘s escape attempt all the more thrilling.

Rounding out the creative team is Sinclair on colors, and each planet feels visually distinct. Tatooine is bathed in reddish light from both of its setting suns, the skies of Galator III are an inky bluish-black, and Corellia’s streets are pelted with sheets of greyish rain. Throughout the issue, Solo is shown wearing a blue and black version of his trademark vest and shirt. And Caramagna depicts Chewbacca’s roars as large black blocks of text, with readers inferring his mood based on the punctuation. If there are exclamations, he’s angry or stressed; if there are periods, he’s making a joke-usually at Solo’s expense.

Star Wars: Han Solo & Chewbacca #1 puts the spotlight on one of the most enduring friendships in Star Wars by showing Han Solo and Chewbacca doing what they did best before becoming Rebels. With a rather intriguing final page, it looks like the duo’s latest adventure is about to get a lot more complicated. And knowing Han and Chewie, they’ll probably come up with some sort of death-defying escape.

Star Wars: Han Solo & Chewbacca #1 is available wherever comics are sold.