SPOILER Jordan's Review: Marvel's Han Solo #3

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After being delayed for about a month, Han Solo #3 finally hit the shelves today, as writer Marjorie Liu and artists Mark Brooks, Dexter Vines, and Sonia Oback continue to deliver the goods in what has been arguably the most entertaining Star Wars miniseries from Marvel to date.

If you missed out on the first two issues of this series, I highly recommend that you start with those as they are excellent additions to Marvel’s Star Wars library. But to get you up to speed before tackling this issue, I’ll start with a little review of what has happened thus far in the series.

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Shortly after A New Hope, Han Solo and his partner Chewbacca have returned to a life of smuggling where Han struggles with his newfound sense of morality interfering with his ability to perform his job as well as he used to – that is – before his chance encounter with an old hermit, two droids, a princess, and a farm boy altered the course of his life forever.

Failing to make ends meet, but too prideful to admit it, Han is soon contacted by Princess Leia with an offer he can’t refuse on a mission for the Rebellion. Han and Chewie would be entered in the infamous “Dragon Void” race. At each planetary stop during the race, Han would rendezvous with a rebel informant and get them off-planet and to safety before an unidentified rebel turncoat kills them all one by one.

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After rescuing the first rebel informant, the race came to a screeching halt in the last issue as Imperial officer Tomine threatened to shut down the race and take the few remaining pilots into custody. This third issue in the series begins in the midst of this skirmish as Tormine continues his threats against the racers.

Annoyed by the luminous orbs that surround the legendary racer Loo Re Anno, Tormine instructs his troopers to get rid of them. Anno informs the officer that the orbs are living beings and pleads with him to let them be as Han stands up for her, which earns her respect.

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It isn’t until the mysterious giant-jawa-like race runners step in and warn Tormine of the possible repercussions of his actions (that the fuel stations sponsoring the race would be most unhappy with the Empire if the race was cancelled) that he allows the event to continue.

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After the brief Imperial hiccup, the race is back on, and Han returns to the Falcon to find that Chewie and the Duro informant have barely made it back to the ship in one piece. With an even greater resolve this time around, Han, Chewie and their new friend embark on the most dangerous leg of the race yet – a 12-hour haul through a debris field that would require the racers to maintain a very high speed throughout or risk becoming disqualified.

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In the last hour of the course, Han hits some debris which threatens to slow down the ship, but he is saved by a quick tow from the Pantoran, trying to make amends after attempting to sabotage the Falcon at the beginning of the race.

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The racers arrive on the next planet where Han goes off on his own to meet the rebel informant. Unfortunately, cameras are everywhere and Han must lose them to avoid further suspicion. One of Anno’s orb creatures comes to his aid and destroys the nearby cameras, allowing Han to rendezvous with the informant, a large cat-like character who we learn has actually dealt with Han and Chewie in the past.

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Who is this mysterious tiger-alien and what role will he play in the story moving forward? Is he the traitor or will it be the next informant that stabs them in the back? Or perhaps something even more sinister is at work? What’s the deal with the floaty orb creatures that happen to bear a strong resemblance to the Force guides that Yoda encountered on Dagobah during the Clone Wars? Why are they helping Han on his mission? Hopefully these questions will be answered in the final two issues of the series.

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I really enjoyed this issue. The pacing is exciting, the mystery is intriguing, and the art is fantastic. Bermejo’s third ugly cover aside, Brooks’ pencil work has given readers the best Han Solo to date in Marvel comics and Liu’s writing continues to prove that she understands the characters in her story.

My overall opinion of the miniseries will be greatly shaped by its conclusion, but with three great issues out of a total of five having been released already, I can at least say that this series is very good and worth a read. The next two issues will hopefully move my opinion from “very good” to “great”. But for now let me just say this about Han Solo: if you are a Han Solo fan, a comic fan, or just a Star Wars fan in general, this is a series you should be reading.

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