The Crystal Run gets underway.
Creative Staff:
Story: Marc Guggenheim
Art: David Messina
Colors: Alex Sinclair
Letterer: VC’s Joe Caramagna
What They Say:
NEW ONGOING SERIES – HAN SOLO IS BACK! But wait! Isn’t HAN still frozen in Carbonite? Yes. But you can’t keep a good smuggler down. Set a few years before Episode IV: A New Hope, Han, his partner, CHEWBACCA and GREEDO, embark on a heist for JABBA THE HUTT. It’s supposed to be an easy job. What could possibly go wrong? Well, for starters, how about a reunion with the very last person Han expected to see? The last page is a jaw-dropper…
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
Coming at this from the position as someone that enjoyed the Solo movie, I’ll admit being wary about doing stories of the character during the in-between time. I read those novels back in the day, Stars End and the like, but playing with the character after all that has come and gone just leaves me feeling unsure as few writers feel like they get the character. Marc Guggenheim may have if not cracked the code has loosened it up significantly where there’s a good feel to this that comes across as pre-ANH Han Solo. Here, he’s joined by David Messina on the art duties and we get a solid piece that captures the Star Wars design and aesthetic and is trying to bring in some of that youthful Solo that predates Ford’s ANH period. He was leading man material then but was over a decade older than the other two main leads. Trying to find that balance isn’t easy but I think Messina has captured it, and that really is half the battle here.
While no time period is set specifically, we’re in the midst of the period where Han and Chewie are working for Jabba a lot and dealing with various jobs assigned. It’s mostly being the getaway driver for all sorts of heists, such as the opening one that’s successful in the end but has complications because of the Falcon along the way. It sets him at odds with another of Jabba’s folks, Khel, and sets up Han and Chewie up for the next job as they need the money for repairs. Half a million credits is a lot of money but it means working hand in hand with Greedo of all people, as he does not have a great reputation. The mission is simple enough to retrieve a jar of ashes of someone that Jabba hates and wants to have for himself, but the parameters of it all are very complicated. And it’s Greedo that has the details on the where, so he’s in for the finder’s fee himself.
The problem for Han is that it’s in the wealthy district of Corellia, which he promised himself he would never return to. This is a lot of money, however, so he’s in for it as long as they avoid Lady Proxima, which should be easy since he’s not a gutter rat anymore. The mission is a slow starter with some investigation using Han’s style of just kind of freestyling things and it’s a delight because he’s cool and collected but knows when to push as he gains access to the place to scope it out. The problem is that it’s so protected that he really has to spend some time drinking and thinking on how to achieve getting past this state-of-the-art security. Of course, heavy drinking leans into hanging out with a local that he ends up discovering is his father. Whether that’s true or not remains to be seen but it’s a perfectly Han moment as they spend the night drinking together only for that shocking reveal.
In Summary:
This opening installment brings in a few other characters that will complicate things, including a lawman that’s being pulled into going after Han, so you know things will get more complicated as time goes on. The main focus really is on Han overall to get us to connect here as Chewie doesn’t get much time overall. Greedo is nicely fleshed out a bit and it helps to add a bit more color to their infamous scene together down the line. I do like the idea of bringing Han back to Corellia, even for something like this, and to see more of his time as a scoundrel that Jabba likes a lot and rewards with plenty of work – but just enough so that it keeps him under Jabba’s thumb. Guggenheim has a good handle on Han’s voice and swagger and has set up a heist storyline to get things underway with that looks like it’ll spiral out of control in some fun ways. I’m looking forward to seeing what comes of it.
Grade: B+
Age Rating: 13+
Released By: Marvel Comics
Release Date: March 9th, 2022
MSRP: 4.99
