Star Wars - War of the Bounty Hunters (event) and Star Wars - Darth Vader
Star Wars - War of the Bounty Hunters (event) Writer: Charles Soule / Various
Star Wars - War of the Bounty Hunters (event) Artist: Luke Ross / Various
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Star Wars - Darth Vader Writer: Greg Pak
Star Wars - Darth Vader Artist: Raffaele Ienco
Publisher: Marvel Comics
A long time ago in an office in New York City…
Marvel Comics was in crisis, and on the verge of financial collapse. No, not the time you’re thinking of; this was the mid-1970’s. Thanks to some incredibly savvy business by Roy Thomas, Marvel’s editor-in-chief at the time, the company was basically saved by releasing an adaptation of the soon-to-be-released film, Star Wars (1977). The movie grossed over $550 million during its initial run to become the highest-grossing film of all-time. According to Jim Shooter, a Marvel Comics associate editor in 1976 (later becoming Marvel’s editor-in-chief in 1978):
“It seemed like the company as a whole was in a death spiral… In the most conservative terms, it is inarguable that the success of the Star Wars comics was a significant factor in Marvel’s survival through a couple of very difficult years, 1977 and 1978.”
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Star Wars comic books remained a success for Marvel Comics through their initial 107 issue run, which finally concluded in 1986. The space-saga would continue to delight comic fans over the next couple of decades via many series, mostly published by Dark Horse Comics. In 2014, following Disney’s acquisitions of both Marvel Entertainment and Lucasfilm, it was announced that Star Wars would finally be returning to Marvel Comics.
Since taking back the series, Marvel has released an admirable quantity and quality of Star Wars titles. The main ‘Star Wars’ title fleshed out the time period between the 1977 film and its 1980 sequel, ‘The Empire Strikes Back’, before picking up after the events of ‘Empire’ when the title was re-launched in 2020. The plot of the ‘Star Wars - Darth Vader’ title ran concurrently, and it quickly became a fan favourite and received critical acclaim.
Through various ongoing and limited series, as well as one-shots mostly related to the main title, Marvel told a range of familiar and new tales occurring throughout the period of the Skywalker Saga. In addition to legends like Luke, Vader, Leia and Han, slightly less prominent characters also received the spotlight, including Kanan Jarrus, Poe Dameron, Boba Fett, Grand Admiral Thrawn, and the newly introduced, Doctor Aphra. The new stories admirably filled the gaps in between the movies and added the depth hardcore fans crave.
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However, per the nature of the standard comic book release schedule, the ongoing titles were generally occurring over lengthy periods of time (years). In comparison to the succinct nature of their three-act two-hour blockbuster movie counterparts, the Star Wars comics faced the difficulty of story arcs blending together. Years’ worth of material with no end in sight is a great delight for the most dedicated aficionados, but also a big hurdle for engaging more casual Star Wars fans and general comic book readers. Those looking for a jump-on point for the ‘Star Wars’ title, and being told to start at #1 of a #75 issue series, very likely would not bother. In amongst all those issues, additional series, and supporting material, what is definitively the best story arc to recommend to a person that may just as happily read ‘Star Trek’ as ‘Star Wars’?
All of this is what makes the ‘War of the Bounty Hunters’ storyline such an exciting proposition. It’s a succinct, well-plotted adventure that has the start-to-finish non-stop excitement of one of the Star Wars movies. It’s an excellent ensemble showcase; the titular bounty hunters – led by du jour fan favourite Boba Fett – are deftly paired with the franchise’s all-time biggest and most beloved characters and other recent stand-outs.
‘War of the Bounty Hunters’ begins immediately concluding the movie, ‘The Empire Strikes Back’. Boba Fett is transporting Han Solo – his body frozen in carbonite – to Jabba the Hutt on Tattooine. At the start of the next movie ‘Return of the Jedi’, Solo is still in carbonite on Tattooine under Jabba’s care, with Boba Fett in the gangster’s employ. While readers come into the story with familiarity and a general knowledge of its inevitable conclusion, the ‘War of the Bounty Hunters’ story itself is entirely new ground.
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Boba’s journey to Tattooine faces a setback when the carbonite transportation unit falters and Solo begins to unfreeze. A series of convoluted events sees Fett fighting in a gladiatorial arena to come up with the payment needed to fix the carbonite unit. Unfortunately, while he’s busy fighting, the carbonite unit is stolen, resulting in Jabba placing a bounty on Boba Fett. Fett must recover Solo before the scores of bounty hunters now on his tail take him down, and collect Jabba’s lucrative payment for delivering Solo.
Exciting, right? Well, increasing the scale of proceedings ten-fold is that the theft of Solo has been masterminded by Qi’ra, leader of the long dormant crime syndicate, Crimson Dawn. Her planned resurgence for Crimson Dawn involves inviting the galaxy’s biggest criminal clans to an auction, with Solo the prized purchase. Along with the internally struggling Hutt Council and the other clans, the auction draws the presence of the Empire, including Darth Vader. Leia, Chewbacca and Lando Calrissian are also on-hand to mount a rescue mission, supported at arm’s length by Luke Skywalker. What plays out for each group is a series of misadventures, their ambition of fortune often superseded by the more immediate need to keep breathing. Their failed attempts to acquire Solo place them in direct conflict and great danger, and basically no one comes out of the events better than they started, apart from maybe Jabba.
‘War of the Bounty Hunters’ core story is told neatly and skillfully across the special title’s five issues (six, if you include the preceding Alpha prelude issue). Any comic book fan will do themselves a great kindness in picking up the collected edition for a sharp thrill ride. Where ‘War of the Bounty Hunters’ will really land for hardcore Star Wars fans is through the story’s concurrent telling in the various ongoing Star Wars comic series, and the event’s supplementary one-shots, with the entire event totaling roughly thirty four issues.
The ongoing ‘Darth Vader’ title has been arguably Star Wars best in recent years. The time period preceding ‘War of the Bounty Hunters’ has seen Vader under great pressure and in great peril. The Emperor has shown Darth Vader his true might, forcing him to fight desperately for his life, and almost killing him in the process. Vader is caught between the threat of the Emperor and the threat posed by Luke Skywalker as his potential replacement. Vader is certain his best course of action is to kill Skywalker, but this is complicated by his underlying feelings for the young Jedi.
Vader knows that it is only a matter of time before he will again face the Emperor, and that his ongoing survival can ultimately come only from the Emperor’s demise. Some deeply buried paternal instincts complicate things further, as does Darth Vader’s recognition of the overwhelming skill of the burgeoning Jedi.
We get to see Vader at his angriest, at his most hateful, and most brutal. No one is safe as he unleashes the full force of his power upon anyone that dares defy him. He manages to meet his match twice though, which keeps things interesting. Qi’ra stands up to his threats, and faces off with Vader in one-on-one combat. Skywalker also proves himself a match for Vader in bouts of aerial conflict.
It’s one of the most interesting ways to creatively utilise the character of Darth Vader. When someone manages to meet his threat and call his infallible reputation throughout the galaxy into question, he responds by unleashing even greater danger on anyone and everyone in his vicinity.
The main ‘Star Wars’ title also goes a long way to complement ‘War of the Bounty Hunters’, particularly for fans of the Rebellion’s battle against the Empire. ‘Bounty Hunters’ adds great depth to the main narrative, giving extra time to characters such as Valance and Dengar, who general Star Wars fans may be unfamiliar with. The event’s best art is showcased in ‘Bounty Hunters’ and ‘Doctor Aphra’, delivering a level of excellence that the leading Star Wars titles should aspire to meet. Overall, the ‘War of the Bounty Hunters’ is a definite success, both as a stand-alone title, and as an event. Using it as a template, it’s exciting to think of what the franchise will come up with in the future.
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