Written by Alyssa Wong
Art by Minkyu Jung
Published by Marvel Comics
The moment I have been anticipating has arrived, much sooner than I thought.
It’s the court of the Crimson Dawn. Storylines converge.
And doesn’t make a lick of sense.
Doctor Aphra’s mission to crash Crimson Dawn’s Han Solo auction party plays out, or rather overlaps, across two issues; Doctor Aphra #12 and War of the Bounty Hunters #2.
All of the galactic crime syndicates have gathered for the privilege to bid on Han Solo frozen in carbonite.
Aphra, accompanied by her loyal partner Sana, in disguise via a stolen invitation, works the room for both her employer, business mogul Domma Tagge, and her own interests.
While Aphra’s part is fun and interesting, what’s going on around her is contrived as far as this Star Wars fan is concerned.
Just Lucky and Aridce Yu are also on the scene working a plot to assassinate their mentor who betrayed the Sixth Kyn.
This has less to do with Han Solo and Boba Fett and more to do with Doctor Aphra’s extended adventures.
As Aphra, believing none are the wiser to her presence, plots to steal valuable crystals from an important attendee, she’s recognized by a mysterious figure whose identity you can probably guess. This is great and pays off in War of the Bounty Hunters #2 (Part 2 of this review.)
What’s baffling is the presence of the Empire at these proceedings — by invitation.
The Empire gave Solo to Fett. I can’t see any political or strategic value in Crimson Dawn inviting the Empire. Their presence at the auction just doesn’t make sense in the context of the carbonite frozen Han Solo storyline. Why bother giving Solo to Fett if he was important enough to get back?
I might buy it if the word hadn’t yet reached these officers, but once they learn of how things went down, especially with Darth Vader involved, they’d be fools on the level of Admiral Ozzel to get involved.
Speaking of Vader…
Darth Vader shows up to reclaim Han Solo. I can only assume in an effort to find Luke Skywalker again. But, if this is the case, why wouldn’t Vader be waiting for Luke on Tatooine in Return of the Jedi?
This is the danger of trying to tell a story between a story. It’s too easy to force events and all into question canon.
What works for me is the sheer terror Aphra experiences in the presence of Darth Vader. A reaction that most sentient life-forms should have. I wish I was experiencing this in a different story’s backdrop.
Continued in Part 2, War of the Bounty Hunters #2.
