Okay, so one character I'd never thought I'd become attached to was Lobot, I mean, he doesn't speak, he does practically nothing, yet somehow Charles Soule has managed to make Lando's attachment to him into something that I'm really invested in, and I spent a good portion of this issue hoping that he was going to be okay. That's definitely a sign that Soule is doing some damn good things with the series.
Issue #11 picks up where the last one left off, with Starlight Squadron unable to contact the Rebel fleet, and being engaged by Commander Zahra and her Imperial forces, whilst Lando tries desperately to save his friend's life. It's a high stakes issue for sure, and one that never slows down or gives the reader a break in the tension until the final moments.
What makes the issue really goo, even better than the last one, is that you really feel like you get a lot from it, and the book uses its twenty pages well. We get great character moments, like Lando trying to risk his life for Lobot, or Leia putting Lobot at risk in order to achieve her goals; which ultimate lead to Lando feeling like he can't trust the Rebellion and doesn't belong there. There's clever action beats like Starlight Squadron using the tractor beam on Tarkin's Will to propel themselves into the hanger bay where they'd be safe from the ships guns, and can steal an astromech so that they can escape. Plus the issue manages to set up some exciting things to come with the obvious eventual rescue of Shara Bey that has to happen, as well as Lando's deal with Jabba. And all of that managed to happen without the issue feeling crowded or rushed.
With some of the issues leading up to this point having felt like they've taken a while, or been pretty thin on the ground, it really feels like Star Wars has found its feet, and has settled into a decent storytelling rhythm. The important characters and plots have been introduced, and now we get to see how it all plays out.
What I've been enjoying with the series is how it's going out of its way to give the smaller characters a chance to shine. Whilst Zahra is driven by her vendetta to get Leia it doesn't mean that Leia has to be the focus, and it's people like Shara, Kes, Wedge, and L'Ulo who get things to do, who get the heroic moments and the emotional beats. As we've seen time and time again with things like Clone Wars, Rebels, and The Mandalorian, Star Wars is about more than the Skywalker family and their friends, and that by giving other people in that universe the chance to shine makes for more diverse and interesting tales.
That being said, one major character that is getting some development in these issues is Lando, and it's making him such a better character. Yes, he's always been a fan favourite (mainly due to people just being unable to to hate Billy Dee Williams), but his change from reluctantly selling out the heroes in Empire Strikes Back to being on their side in Return of the Jedi was always a pretty quick thing, something that seemed relatively easy. These issues are showing that actually, this was a pretty long process, and as much as he had to show the Rebellion that he could be trusted, they also had to show him they were worth fighting for too. It's adding a whole new layer of depth to the character that I didn't even realise I wanted.
The issue ends with the possible betrayal from an important character, and this just opens more avenues to more dramatic stories to come; and I'm certainly looking forward to seeing what Charles Soule does next.
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