Star Wars: War of the Bounty Hunters - 4-LOM and Zuckuss #1 (August 4): Did I cry for a homicidal bounty hunter mourning the lost of his only (robot) friend? Yes, yes, I did. In truth, this issue isn't particularly well written, and its plot is pretty ridiculous if you think about it too much. Its advancement relies on a number of tired tropes, from flashback exposition to mistaken identity, and Older probably could've achieved the same result with a fresher approach. But, Older excels when showing how lonely bounty hunting is as a profession, particularly when Zuckuss feels the sting of 4-LOM's loss as he observes two other bounty hunters' partnership. Poor Zuckuss.
Star Wars: Bounty Hunters #15 (August 4): This issue picks up right where the above issue ended. T'onga recruits a Zuckuss still wallowing in pity to help her find Boba Fett. She also enlists a not-unhandsome arena fighter named Tasu Leech. Some Wookieepedia-ing reveals that he's the crime boss after Chewie and Han Solo in "Star Wars: The Force Awakens."
Whereas T'onga's efforts to find Boba Fett are going fairly well, Valance has to endure a two-day commuter-shuttle trip from Nar Shaddaa to Canto Bight so he and Dengar can get back Dengar's ship. Dengar continues to overestimate his persuasion skills, and Valance once again has to save their lives. This time, he convinces the Sixth Kin gangster holding Dengar's ship (due to Dengar's debt to him, obviously) to let them use said ship to go after Crimson Dawn. Valance senses via his heart-rate monitor the gangster fears the syndicate so the offer works.
Of course, Deathstick almost kills them again, and Sacks leaves open the question whether Dengar makes a deal with Deathstick after she throws Valance off the rooftop where they're fighting. (Earlier in the issue, Valance had pledged to help Dengar free Manaroo.) It's pretty clear that Deathstick lets Dengar swipe the invitation off her so that he and Valance attend the auction, though I'm still not sure why Qi'ra wants them there in the first place. We'll see.
Star Wars: War of the Bounty Hunters #3 (August 18): This issue is interesting in that it wraps up pretty much all loose ends, leaving you to wonder where we're going next.
Vader announces simply that he's taking Han, despite Jabba the Hutt and Qi'ra each trying to convince him otherwise. Jabba points out the fact that he paid a million credits for Han, an argument that Vader dismisses by reminding him that he could lose his most-favored status among underworld cartels at Vader's will. Qi'ra is more bold, attacking Vader using teräs käsi blades. Vader is impressed with her skill in using a largely forgotten technique and asks her several times who taught her, since he recognizes her training's lineage. (If he does, wouldn't he know who taught her?) Looking at Wookieepedia, I'm assuming Darth Maul taught her, since he previously ran Crimson Dawn, though Qi'ra doesn't confirm that here.
But, Vader is Vader, and he successfully defeats Qi'ra. When he senses Luke entering Jekara's airspace, Vader informs Luke that he'll cut Han in half if Luke doesn't immediately come to him. Again, Vader is not fucking around here.
Aside from Qi'ra's fight with Vader, this issue's most interesting development is Boba Fett refusing to fight Leia and company. Leia initially sends Chewie after him, and he repels Chewie by setting him on fire. But, Boba Fett refuses to engage the gang further, telling Lando and Leia that he has enough enemies. He also stress that his honor requires him to complete this bounty, rebuffing Lando's offer of paying him what Jabba was going to pay him. Lest you think that Boba Fett went soft, though, he earlier taunted Chewie by telling him that his armor's braids come from Wookiees whom he previously defeated, like maybe his aunt or uncle.
Other than Vader confronting Luke in the next issue, as I said, I'm not really sure where we go from here. Qi'ra's adjutant, Margo, helps her flee the scene after Vader defeats her, and they discuss what they have to do next. I don't know what they have to do next, so I'm interested to see what they mean.
Star Wars #16 (August 18): This issue is mostly filler, with Soule giving us an awkwardly monologuing Luke reflecting on his history with Vader. It isn't until the end of the issue, when Luke suddenly leaves Jekara and tells Leia that he isn't ready to fight Vader yet that something happens to advance the overall event's plot. The art is equally disappointing as Rosanas' pencils look rushed, as if he got the assignments just a few days before the art was due.
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