Written by Daniel José Older
Art by Kei Zama
Published by Marvel Comics
Bounty Hunters 4-LOM and Zuckuss get their own adventure in this uniquely told story.
Well, kind of.
4-LOM’s head was last seen being used by Boba Fett to find out who put the bounty on his head, so this story is told from Zuckuss’ point of view. And if you’re keeping current with the War of the Bounty Hunters series, I would advise reading this issue before Bounty Hunters #15, also released this week.
The 4-LOM and Zuckuss story goes way back to the early 80’s. These were the last two Bounty Hunter action figures released from Kenner’s The Empire Strikes Back toy line. With their insect-like heads, it seemed that somehow these guys were buddies and I for one treated them as such.
Further adding to their lore is the infamous name swap. Back then, 4-LOM was Zuckuss and Zuckuss was 4-LOM.
These two were destined to be bound together.
In their inaugural issue, Zuckuss laments over the loss of his friend. He commiserates his loss with Trot, an old ally and small primate-type creature that gives Rocket Racoon a run for his money.
We get to see 4-Lom and Zuckuss in their prime via flashback, but with live commentary from Zuckuss and Trot which is what helps keeps this issue fresh. The flashback also provides a nice tie-in into the new series Jabba the Hutt by utilizing the new Deva Lompop to assign 4-LOM and Zuckuss’ their first mission together.
Elsewhere, Zuckuss’ past catches up to him. An old foe plots the sweetest of revenges; using what’s left of 4-LOM to kill him!
In the final showdown that results, you can’t help but sympathize with Zuckuss. His hand is forced and must either kill or be killed.
Of note is a particular character introduced in this issue; a human scavenger named Ramsin. Riding an ornate Dewback, Ramsin is one of those characters that has such a strongly designed look, that there must be plans to bring him back some day.
The only fault is that this issue really doesn’t push the overall War of the Bounty Hunters narrative forward. It’s just a side story.
And a thoroughly enjoyable one at that.
