The plan is in motion but faces plenty of pitfalls.
Creative Staff:
Story: Kieron Gillen
Art: Salvador Larroca
Colors: Guru e-FX
Letters: VC’s Clayton Cowles
What They Say:
The Rebellion’s fight to liberate Mon Cala continues as Han, Luke and Leia undertake a perilous and nigh-impossible rescue.
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
While the current storyline isn’t exactly complex, it is complicated in what it’s trying to do and a bit more so while dealing with the usual monthly or so gap that exists between issues. Kieron Gillen takes advantage of the scrawl page to recap enough of what’s going on but i continue to feel like his run, similar to the original Vader run and Aphra run, will read much better in trade/collected form than in the singles. There’s just a lot to enjoy in singles that keeps me coming back, though, including what Salvador Larroca does with most pages in presenting the characters and tying back to other events with the visuals and how they’re portrayed. Some moments are smaller than others but the results are just great in building the cohesive universe.
The plan that’s in motion in dealing with Moff Tan Hubi is one that’s a bit audacious to be sure and that makes it watching it unfold, such as with the show that involves Trios and the leader of Mon Cala together with him, all the more enjoyable – particularly with how this ruse is playing out. Trios and Threepio do their best to keep their swap in place so that it feels as natural as possible but there simply are things that are hard to replicate, or tamp down in some cases, which adds to the tension in wondering when he’s going to get called out. The show itself works well enough, though even there he overplays his hand just a bit, but the dinner is even more fraught with tension since it’s easier to get tripped up there even with Threepio feeding you lines.
The flip side of the book involves the real Moff off with Han and his crew as they’re using him to get deep inside of the facility to rescue the king of Mon Cala. While there’s a twist with that at the end, the story here leans into some old Phantom Menace shenanigans that may irritate some and delight others as they travel underwater. Though there’s serious stuff going on here and it’s handled well – I love Larroca’s designs of it all and the color work – it’s the lighter moments to break the tension that click really well. The moff is justifiably freaking out pretty often or getting his face planted against a retina scan to let them into where they need to go, and we even get a bit of time with some stormtroopers playing cards before Han and the gang crash through. The real tension breaker? Chewie shaking water off after bringing Luke in from the outside and getting everyone wet.
In Summary:
I’ve enjoyed parts of this arc so far but I’m still enjoying the one taking place in the Darth Vader book in the post-ROTS era more since that’s putting a lot of things into play and feels a bit more cohesive. This issue shows the two events going on while the “heist” element of it plays out and they’re both fun in seeing the mission play out and watching the distraction unfold – particularly since it has to involve Trios a bit, a character that has been one of the better additions to the comics expanded continuity. It’s a solid book that I think I’ll enjoy more in a re-read with the rest of the arc as it’s a bit of a transitional installment. But it features a lot of great artwork and designs that continues to bind all of these mediums together with the story.
Grade: B
Age Rating: All Ages
Released By: Marvel Comics via ComiXology
Release Date: May 2nd, 2018
MSRP: $3.99
