Today saw the release of the 42nd (and final) issue of Star Wars: Bounty Hunters from Marvel Comics, and below are my brief recap and thoughts on this climactic installment from writer Ethan Sacks.
Bounty Hunters #42 opens where the previous issue teased it would: at Jabba’s Palace on Tatooine, where the slimy crimelord is making his latest underhanded play for more power. Enter the cyborg Beilert Valance, who has served as the unlikely protagonist for most of the run of this comic-book title, and he is prepared to face off with the denizens of Jabba’s throne room. But unlike what was implied in issue #41, Beilert hasn’t actually come to Tatooine to rescue his old war buddy Han Solo from his carbonite prison. Instead, after a showdown with Boba Fett, Valance demands to see the “secret droid” that Jabba apparently has hidden somewhere in his vast domain. Cut to the Grand Arena of Mos Espa (first seen being used as a podracing track in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace) and the reveal that the Hutt has managed to get his grimy hands on a trade federation Megadroid– a weapon we were introduced to in last year’s Star Wars: Yoda comic miniseries).
Jabba is broadcasting the battle between Beilert Valance and the Megadroid via hologram to his enemies in the rival crime syndicates as a show of strength, but we as fans know that Valance isn’t so easily defeated. His own secret weapon is his friends: T’onga, Losha, Zuckuss, and 4-LOM ride in on speeder bikes to help him combat the enormous droid. This plays out over a ten-page fight sequence that serves as a fitting climax to this often action-packed comic, and talented artist Jethro Morales does a great job in rendering it with energy and clarity, assisted by adept colorist Arif Prianto. But Sacks doesn’t let that battle conclude the entire story, as he’s still got a few surprises up his sleeve. We get a tip of the hat to the beginning of Return of the Jedi as Valance passes the task of rescuing Han off to Chewbacca, Princess Leia Organa, and Luke Skywalker. And then it’s time for all the regular Star Wars: Bounty Hunters characters to get really nice, emotional epilogue thanks to a collaborative reunion between Sacks and his former artist Paolo Villanelli, who drew the illustrations for 31 previous issues.
We get rather satisfying resolutions for the narratives of Tonga and Losha, Dengar, IG-88, Vukorah, Tasu Leech, Zuckuss and 4-LOM, rebel operatives Yura and Kondra, Khel Tanna, Deathstick, Durge, and Bossk. Plus there’s one other character we haven’t heard from in a little while who gets a button at the end of her story as well, though I won’t spoil who that is in this review (if you’ve been paying attention to Bounty Hunters throughout its run, you can probably guess). Then Sacks wraps things up in the final few pages with a tease that Beilert Valance’s adventures might continue in some form after he also reunites with a loved one. I actually thought the creative team here did a pretty marvelous job of bringing things to a close, tying up pretty much all the loose ends, and sending these bounty hunters and their various associates and antagonists off into the sunset– for now, at least. I especially enjoyed the rewarding connective tissue to Yoda and the Star Wars: Han Solo & Chewbacca miniseries, not to mention the heartfelt letter from Ethan Sacks after the last panel of this comic series, which drove it all home perfectly. I’ll miss this title, but I’ll hold out hope that we’ll eventually get more Bounty Hunters action set after the events of Return of the Jedi (though I guess that’s just The Mandalorian, isn’t it?). In the meantime, I’m thrilled Ethan Sacks will be jumping to the upcoming Star Wars: Jango Fett miniseries from Marvel Comics. And I’ll be keeping an eye out for wherever Beilert Valance and his ragtag crew might pop up next.
Star Wars: Bounty Hunters #42 is available now wherever comic books are sold.