Okay so Deathstick is working for Qui’ra and she’s tracking down Dengar & Valance, but let’s take a minute to look at the characters in the B-plot.
T’onga & Losha are women in a mixed-race marriage. Now, you actually see a lot of LGBTQ+ characters in Star Wars these days, but it was nonexistent before Sinjir Rath Velus’ introduction in the novel “Aftermath in 2015. Now we actually have many gay characters in the franchise (even if you have to sometimes dig for them),
Disney & Marvel jumped aboard the pride train this summer by promoting the June comics with a variety of LGBTQ+ characters featured on variant covers. These characters included Doctor Aphra, Yrica Quell, Rae Slone, Sana Starros, Lando Calrissian and Jedi Twins Terec and Ceret.
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| The LGBTQ+ Characters of Star Wars |
Issue #12 - Doctor Aphra #12 - “Party Tricks”
Speaking of LGBTQ+ characters, it is notable that Aphra is an Asian Lesbian that has her own comic line (currently on its 52nd issue!).
We are now 12 chapters into “The War of the Bounty Hunters” and we are really getting into the meat of this storyline. The auction for Han Solo has begun and Jabba the Hutt looks like the high bidder, that is until Darth Vader walks onto the scene.
Now Aphra has not encountered Vader since he tried to kill her way back in the 2015 Darth Vader series, so this is obviously a traumatic moment for her and a fitting cliffhanger...
Issue #13 - War of the Bounty Hunters #2 - “The Scoundrel's Ball”
There is a mysterious cloaked stranger wandering the banquet halls at the auction of Han Solo, but he is not a Clone Trooper as Doctor Aphra suspects. It is Boba Fett.
The auction of Han Solo is the event where this crossover project starts to get really crossovery. All the main players are here: Aphra, Boba, Vader, Jabba, and even Leia, Lando, & Chewie.
We are also a little off-script here when compared to the films. “The Empire Strikes Back” pretty seamlessly leads into “Return of the Jedi”. Lando and Chewie head out to rescue Han at the end of “Empire” and by “Jedi” they are already at Jabba’s Palace. However over the years there have been attempts to fill in the year-long gap between the two films. “Shadows of the Empire” was the first attempt and “War of the Bounty Hunters” is starting to feel a little like “Shadows”.
Issue #14 - Darth Vader #14 - “The Blade Behind the Curtain”
Sly Moore is an interesting character. She is Palpatine’s left hand politician in “Attack of the Clones” and “Revenge of the Sith”, though she has no lines. She is the first Umbaran to appear in Star Wars and can apparently use The Force. She has also been rumored to have mothered various children of Palpatine- everyone from Triclops to Rey’s father.
Like everyone around Palpatine, Moore is vying for more power. Her main rivals are Mas Amedda and Darth Vader himself. Moore is actually dangerously close to discovering Vader’s true identity.
Issue #15 - War of the Bounty Hunters: Jabba The Hutt #1- “Trust Issues”
4 years after “The Battle of Yavin” many people wanted Jabba the Hutt dead. Even the other Hutts had become disenchanted by him. Around age 600, Jabba had really become too greedy for his own good. His weight had increased and he had become comfortable and confident in his own political standing. He underestimated his enemies including Han Solo, Luke Skywalker, and the woman that would strangle him to death, Princess Leia. Moral of the story? Leia Organa is a badass, never chain Leia Organa to your throne and hope to survive.
Sidenote: Isn’t that a Bothan on page 23?
Issue #16 - Star Wars #15 - “Friends and Enemies”
This issue takes us away from Han’s auction and gives us a Luke Skywalker story. Luke, Wedge, and Starlight Squadron are hunting down a Rebel cell and trying to reconnect them to the main fleet. The problem? The seven ships of Starlight Squadron will have to battle an Imperial Class Star Destroyer and a legion of TIE fighters. Luke took down the Death Star by remaining focussed and trusting The Force, but now something is disturbing him.
The ending here actually gives readers some good insight on how the Rebel Fleet transitions from the small band we see at the end of “The Empire Strikes Back” to the sizable force we see in “Return of the Jedi”. We also get some cameos from some very high ranking rebels.
