‘Star Wars: Bounty Hunters #11’ (review)

The Star Wars crossover event, War of the Bounty Hunters, is coming soon, and Boba Fett is the center of what promises to “open a lot of new doors,” says Charles Soule.

We get some bread crumbs in the opening pages as Valance and Dengar trade blows.

Dengar let it slip that Boba Fett is delivering a frozen Han Solo to Jabba the Hutt.

Valance owes Han Solo a debt and plans on rescuing him.

However, Ethan Sacks puts everyone’s favorite Trandoshan, Bossk, front and center this time around.

The Great Hunt of Malastare sees Banking Clan elitists renting woodlands while hunting various people. Innocent lives are at stake while they enjoy fine wines and cheeses. Bossk ends up on the opposite side of the hunt as he’s trapped in this deadly game.

Sacks put forth his most potent writing of the series. The Banking Clan leader exudes an arrogance that’s is palpable. Bossk and company are taken lightly in various ways.

Some are barely worthy of the hunt, while others are not even worth the time of pulling a trigger.

Paolo Villanelli’s illustrations shine in the more subtle moments of the book. The fear of the hunted as Bossk calls the shots produces an uneasy feeling. The fight scenes pull no punches as swooping throat slashings, and bone-crushing strikes are a violent portrait of a galaxy far, far away.

The fact that Bossk is among the hunted makes it easy to relish the moment he finally gets his hands on the leader of the Banking Clan hunting party. When the “Dirty Trandoshan” is dismissed as easy prey, the moment where they meet can’t come soon enough. Trandoshan’s are super tough as it is, but this is Bossk we’re talking about; the best of the best. Valance reappears on the final page, and he’s found quite the lead on Boba Fett.

Ethan Sacks has done a lot with Valance.

Yet, the hunting storyline involving Bossk is the most compelling material of the series. Valance‘s reduced role time served the story well as the character isn’t starring role material. Using different bounty hunters as the lead every couple of issues will make for a more worthwhile experience as readers explore the scum and villainy of Star Wars.

Rating: B