With Star Wars Bounty Hunters issue 3 we get first comic release since epidemic started

Alright I might have exaggerated the title a little bit. In early may there was the release of the first new Doctor Aphra comic series. You can the review here. However, since then we have had delay after delay. Most of the series won’t return until July 8th, and some not until August. As if to test the waters Marvel did release Star Wars Bounty Hunters issue # 3 today. Thus marking a slow return to a normal release schedule. The third issue of Star Wars Bounty Hunters can be purchased for 4.49 euros from Comixology.

Recap of the story thus far

As it has been a long time since the release of the prior issue you could be forgiven for not remembering what this comic is all about. Let me recap. The Star Wars universe’s most famed bounty hunter including Bossk and Boba Fett joined the gang of Nakano Lash. Before they were betrayed by her. Now they each want to beat the others to catch. Its for the money, and for revenge.

And in issue 3 we find to bounty hunters: the venom coughing Bossk and the cyborg Valance fighting a very personal dual on the planet Galmerah. Valance’s droid has the coordinates to Lash. So the stakes are high, whoever defeats the other gets the droid and gets Lash. This issue does a good job to remind the reader why they hate each other. Bossk has always been a bully, especially towards Valance’s love for a women named Yuralla Vega.

However, despite some setbacks Valance manages to gain the upperhand against Bossk and knock him out. After finding his droid he discovers its head has been removed and his ship is gone. Instead Ooris Bynar is the first to locate Lash and quickly takes a hostage. Meanwhile Valance, who used to be a protégé of Lash, find a new ship and boards it. There he finds a former gang associate Tonga, whose brother Tonger’s death was attributed to Lash’s betrayal. She greets Valance by pointing a blaster at him.

A last opinion on Bounty Hunters

And so sadly ends the third issue of Star Wars Bounty Hunters. While it is captivating to read, and the fight between Bossk and Valance is very visceral it is also far too short. The plot progresses, but not as much as I had hoped. And when it does it feels like a deus ex machina. It is funny that neither Bossk nor Valance got their hands on the droid coordinates, but Lash being located so quickly feels wrong. I can only surmise she wants to be found. That said, we know very little about the circumstances that made Lash turn on her client and betray her gang. This issue does offer a few more snippets of information. Yet, a lot of developments in this series continue to feel contrived.

I would say that while this issue is welcome it also feels like it is an effort just to tie-over the story. Maybe issue # 4 will bring more zest . I do complement artist Paolo Villanelli and colorist Arif Prianto for their beautiful work.