REVIEW: Star Wars: War of the Bounty Hunters Alpha

“WHAT IF HE DIES? HE’S WORTH A LOT TO ME.”

Star Wars War of the Bounty Hunters is the exact kind of energy, action and stakes to attract new readers to the comics world. Charles Soule and Steve McNiven create an epic, beautiful opening battle to kick off the largest crossover in Star Wars History. Charles Soule clearly lives and breathes the lore and knows exactly the kind of classic, action-packed Star Wars story that will draw in new and old fans alike. The battle for the Carbonite Encased Han Solo is one that feels very logical. Given the massive bounty Jabba has placed on Han’s capture, it makes perfect sense that other bounty hunters would compete for the prize. The issue begins where Boba Fett’s Empire Strikes Back journey ended, he has left Cloud City with his unique cargo. Unfortunately the Empire’s use of Carbonite is still in its infancy and the Carbonite matrix is unstable. This forces Boba to make an unwelcome stop on Nar Shaddaa, known as the smuggler’s moon. His contact, Doc Ragon promises to stabilize the matrix if Boba does him a favor in return. This begins a classic setup familiar to every fan of The Mandalorian series, when a Mandalorian needs something they find themselves getting dragged into a side mission in return. The Kanji have a warrior Wyrmen Lictor and Doc Ragon wants her dead. The easiest way for Boba to get away with this is to enter their tournament and work his way up to a battle to the death against her. Boba disguises himself with a simple paint-job and using the name Jango.

What follows is an absolute artistic bonanza with Boba Fett taking down one combatant after another in insanely violent fun. McNiven uses this issue to showcase a slightly less polished style. This allows us to feel more immersed in the story and action. The details and the battle elements are jaw-dropping. Every panel of this book showcases classic Star Wars characters and action beyond anything we could have dreamed. Boba Fett is exactly the warrior we want him to be capped by the explosive final battle against the Spider-like Wyrmen. The color art in this sequence and the entire book is a massive contributing factor to lifting this book from great to mind-meltingly fun. Seeing the pink remains of Wyrmen covering the black costumed Fett is the perfect end to the battle. The issue is capped off with the unfortunate killing of Doc Ragon and of course Han’s body has been stabilized but is stolen, opening up the insanity for the crossover to come.

This is a massive opening salvo to what promises to be the biggest bounty hunter focused story we have ever seen. Every fan of Star Wars and The Mandalorian series needs to check out just how great Star Wars comics can get.

Writing: 4.8 of 5 stars
Art: 4.9 of 5 stars
Colors: 4.8 of 5 stars

Overall: 4.8 of 5 stars

Writing: Charles Soule
Art: Steve McNiven
Colors: Laura Martin
Publisher: Marvel Comics

Author Profile

M.R. Jafri

M.R. Jafri was born and raised in Niagara Falls New York and now lives with his family in Detroit Michigan. He's a talkative introvert and argumentative geek. His loves include Star Wars, Star Trek, Superheroes, Ninja Turtles, Power Rangers, Transformers, GI Joe, Films, Comics, TV Shows, Action Figures and Twizzlers.