Originally published on Set The Tape
In the previous issue of Star Wars: Hyperspace Stories everyone’s least favourite Rodian, Greedo, spent the issue trying to get his foot in the door with Jabba the Hutt, bumbling from one mishap to another before finally managing to save his neck by accidentally kidnapping a Wookiee toy maker. It gave us a fun insight into just how bad of a bounty hunter Greedo is (and we got to see Rotta the Hutt for the first time in 13 years!), but this issue we get to see what a real bounty hunter can do as we watch Boba Fett be a complete bad-ass.
The story for this issue is pretty simple: we find Boba on a remote planet where a young Wookiee woman named Viiveenn is trying to hire him to track down a missing item, but they then both become targets for a group of Trandoshan hunters. And the simple plot really works for this story, as the overly complex narratives and masses of characters that feature in something like Star Wars: Bounty Hunters comics makes that series something of a hit or miss at times. Here, however, things are kept neat, simple, and violent.
For those that have been following the Star Wars: Hyperspace Stories reviews since issue one, the name Viiveenn might be familiar. That’s because the Wookiee teen trying to hire Fett’s services is none other than the little girl from the first issue, the daughter of the Wookiee senator. And, the item that she’s trying to track down is the Wookiee doll that’s been appearing in all of the issues in one form or another; the Wookiee doll that had something important and mysterious hidden inside it. At this point it’s almost become something of a game to try and guess how each issue is going to tie into this doll narrative, but I think that this is the one that I actually like the most.
Having the doll, or other versions of the doll (as in the previous issue) just suddenly showing up, being picked up by the main characters who decide they want to have this Wookiee doll for some reason, sometimes feels a little forced, or at least obviously done. The doll doesn’t appear in this story, Viiveenn doesn’t almost get her hands on it or anything like that, instead, the entire plot is driven by it. Viiveenn is desperate to get her lost doll because it was the last thing that her father gave her before he died, and this story connects with Boba and his own experiences, and is why he keeps her safe whilst the Trandoshans are hunting her.
The action spread across the book is pretty good, and it works well to make Boba Fett look competent and dangerous. He doesn’t come across as overpowered and amazing as his on screen return in season two of The Mandalorian, but it’s still really entertaining, with some great scenes that almost make him boogeyman-like in how he’s taking down enemies from the shadows. This is helped a lot by the art team, Andrea Mutti, and Vallerio Alloro, who do a wonderful job in making the book look dynamic and interesting. Considering that this is a comic that doesn’t have any human faces in it (Boba is the only human and wears his helmet the entire time) they still manage to make all of the characters engaging and emotive; an impressive thing considering they’re lizards or furry folks.
The villains arc in Star Wars: Hyperspace Stories is starting to become more entertaining than the issues that focused on the heroes. Villains can be more fun, they can go to extreme places and do very arch things, and this issue really shows that off well. Hopefully the next will continue that on.
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