More ties that bind – almost a little too tightly.
Creative Staff:
Story: Marc Guggenheim
Art: David Messina
Colors: Alex Sinclair
Letterer: VC’s Joe Caramagna
What They Say:
“I DON’T KNOW HOW WE’RE GONNA GET OUT OF THIS ONE!” HAN is trapped on the top floor of a skyscraper with security guards closing in on him. How will he escape? Would you believe…asking the Galactic Empire for help? This issue ties directly into Crimson Reign #3. Guest starring QI’RA & THE ARCHIVIST! Will Han reunite with his first love?
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
This series is one that I’m not surprised was made, nor that it has a decent sense of fun about it, but I’m still wary of digging too much into the past of the character overall. Marc Guggenheim may not have cracked the code but he 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.
With the group trapped in the penthouse apartment, the first half is mostly trying to figure out how to get away from the Locris guards that are trying to get in. That has Han figuring out a plan thanks to Greedo’s ill-advised firing of a blaster and it plays out in a way that certainly makes you laugh as it’s classic stuff when it comes to getaways. Calling in more Locris guards through the medical unit side with an ambulance, they’re able to fool them and get away, even with a bit of a chuckle along the way. This also sets up a bit more of the problems that exist between Han and Greedo since Han basically abandons him on Corellia since his usefulness has come to an end since the urn isn’t there. Han did, however, figure out where urn has gone since as it’s ended up on Antillon.
With his father deciding to come along – and admire the Falcon itself – we get a bit more of a streamlined team to this pretty much dead-end world. What’s amusing is that they’ve figured out where the urn was sold with a sava named Madelin Sun, who we know as the Archivist from the Crimson Reign series. Han’s confrontation with her feels badly done since it required a suave hand and it was like a bull in a store, but we get the amusing roundabout piece that ties into the Archivist’s past as it was Han was the one that called the Imperials on her that in turn put her in Qi’ra’s hands. Han’s his own worst enemy in a lot of ways and while I think it’s just a little too cute, I am amused at how close he got to Qi’ra once again without realizing. What does realize he’s close to is Krrsantan, however, as he’s there to start whaling on Han.
In Summary:
There’s a light and breezy approach to this that works well and I do think it’s fun. It falls into that area of I’m not sure we needed it and that there’s just a sense that so much of Han’s past is likely exaggerated compared to reality that looking too deeply kind of takes away from it. It’s the kind of thing that feels like it needs to be played more serious than it is but that kind of comic charm is what made the character work so well in the films. It’s a problem in that the character is so beloved but it has to be handled just right. It’s a solid story overall with what we get here and the artwork is pretty fun, making it enjoyable enough overall. I’m curious to see where it’ll go next but hoping that the connections are kept to a minimum overall.
Grade: B
Age Rating: 13+
Released By: Marvel Comics
Release Date: June 29th, 2022
MSRP: 4.99
