The start of a legend.
Creative Staff:
Story: Jody Houser
Art: Luke Ross
Colors: Java Tartaglia
Letterer: VC’s Travis Lanham
What They Say:
THE MOST FEARED BOUNTY HUNTER IN THE GALAXY! JANGO FETT’S reputation precedes him as joins a crew for what seems like a simple job. Wait, is that a KID with him?! Will his fellow bounty hunters be foolish enough to betray Jango and his son, BOBA FETT?
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
The Age of Republic one-shots continue and we get to explore some fun things while bringing other elements into the overall continuity. Jody Houser has quickly become one of my favorite solid writers in the Star Wars comics realm, first with the adaptations and the difficulties in producing those, but more so now with these standalone works. She’s again paired well with Luke Ross handling the art duties and he’s ideal for dealing with a bounty hunter story, touching on the early phase of the clone army, and just a kind of anything goes aspect that comes from the characters involved. It’s not overly flashy but it feels authentic as it fills in one of the many gaps that can be explored.
The story of Jango Fett doesn’t go into his deep past or anything and takes place, prior to the discovery of what’s going on in Attack of the Clones. We get some background material in seeing Tyranus recruiting Jango for his genetic template to build the clone army to defend the Republic and it’s one that makes it clear he’s very well off because of it. His special demand is one we know as it results in a clone offspring of his own that won’t be raised in the same way, which makes sense as he’s not exactly a fan of what’s being done there with the clones. They’re just cannon fodder in his mind, not real warriors, though those who watch the evolution of the clones through the Clone Wars TV series know that their exposure to the galaxy really does alter and change them in a great many ways.
The background material is solid as it’s spread throughout the book but there’s fun with the main storyline itself. It involves Jango bringing out Boba on what looks to be his first mission with him where they work with three other bounty hunters. Boba’s frustration at working with such no-names as this is amusing but it’s the kind of training that’s ideal because he doesn’t know them and their usual style and what kind of betrayal they may have. The mission itself is a simple one of bringing back a girl that’s gone off but the dynamic of the group is what makes it fun as Jango is kind of hands-off while Boba gets into the thick of it. He’s not totally cocky or anything, he’s been trained too well, but he does have that superior aspect about him that Jango is trying to sand off so that he doesn’t make stupid mistakes in the future.
In Summary:
It’s easy to write off a character like Jango based on the film and the slim use there but those that have been reading the novels over the years and the various comics knows there’s plenty of space to mine for stories and ways to expand and make the character more. Jody Houser does keep it a bit slim on him but we get some good additional background brought in, a dynamic explored with his clone son, and a fun mission in and of itself. Luke Ross once again puts in a great book with an easy and engaging flow to the panels and some fun character designs with the aliens that allow for a little more creativity. It’s a solid entry that won’t change anyone’s opinions about the character but it adds a little more context, continuity, and connectivity in the always expanding Star Wars universe.
Grade: B+
Age Rating: 13+
Released By: Marvel Comics via ComiXology
Release Date: January 9th, 2019
MSRP: $3.99
