War of the Bounty Hunters Part 4

 Issue #17 -  

Bounty Hunters  #15 - 

“The Gathering” 

“Tales of the Bounty Hunters” was my favorite Star Wars short story collection as a teen and I still remember those tales even today. Learning that Dengar’s girlfriend, Manaroo has been re-incorporated into the canon is a treat. Such treats are why I keep up with the New Expanded Universe. 

I am less excited about the Tasu Leech cameo, but I suppose Tasu Leech must have some fans out there… probably. 

However, the biggest treat of this issue is seeing the insectoid Zuckuss san breather-mask for the first time in Star Wars history. Speaking of Zuckuss...

Issue #18 -  

4-LOM & Zuckuss  #1 - 

“Zuckuss Must Die!”

Of the line-up of bounty hunters seen in The Empire Strikes Back, 4-LOM & Zuckuss are the 5th and 6th wheel. When their action figures were first released, even their names were swapped. They have never had on screen appearances outside of “Empire” with the exception of the non-canon “Freemaker Adventures” and a leaked clip of “Detours”. Though it is notable that Zuckuss and 4-LOM are voiced by Andy Richter and Weird Al Yankovich in “Detours”.

Separating 4-LOM & Zuckuss is probably the most interesting thing that has ever happened to them and it is even more interesting that their seppeartion is left unresolved by the end of this issue. Perhaps we will hear more from this defunct duo soon.

Issue #19 - War of the Bounty Hunters #3 - “The Crimson Blade”

The whole point of a well-planned crossover event (other than to rake in oodles of cash) is that after everything is set up, the stakes feel high. And so we come to the center slice of this miniseries and what a good slice it is. Chewbacca vs. Boba Fett. Qi’ra vs. Darth Vader. These are the type of showdowns fans were dreaming of when they purchased their 1997 Teräs Käsi Playstation discs.

The only downside is that the main story of this crossover event is very anchored to the “War of the Bounty Hunters” title and every other title seems to be wasting a lot of time until the September issue of WOTBH falls into our mits.

Issue #20 - Star Wars  #16 - “Missing in Action”

And the plot stalls again. The most interesting thing about this comic is the choice to use Luke’s new yellow saber in flashbacks to “The Empire Strikes Back”. Also, there seems to be a throwaway character inspired by the look of Declan Mulholland (The actor who played the original human version of Jabba the Hutt).

Perhaps the title of this issue is a little too on the nose in that the action (at least any new action) is missing.

Issue #21 - Darth Vader #15- “The Assassin’s Choice”

Tasu Leech may have his fans, but can anyone possibly care about Ochi of Bestoon? The character of Dr. Aphra showed that giving Vader a counterpart could work, but couldn’t they think of a better character than Ochi? 

Issue #22 - Doctor Aphra #13 - “Guest of Honor”

If I were ever going to revisit any of these Star Wars comic lines, Aphra would be the one. Aphra has had an actual serialized storyline going back to “Darth Vader #3” in 2015.

Aphra and Sana are the “Tag and Bink” of this crossover event. They are the only ones not trying to capture Solo, so just kind of skulk in the background doing their own thing. But they are strong characters and more than carry their own weight. It’s fitting that two characters invented for comics actually sustain the most interesting title in the Star Wars Marvel lineup.

Now if I only had the time to re-read Aphra’s entire story-arc.