Review: Bounty Hunters #39 is a Valance-Sized Punch to the Gut

Dear Marvel, we are now into the third month of Dark Droids. Let's move onto the next phase of this thing. Enough of the games and confusing motivations of villains. Let's dive full steam into what has been a cool idea for a crossover, despite it being a bit uneven so far. I consider Bounty Hunters the most consistent of the four mainline series, but it isn't innocent in lacking forward momentum. The last two issues were ostensibly the same, their only saving grace being an earth-shattering final page.



That cliffhanger of Beilert Valance falling under the control of Tarr Kligson, becoming his personal killing machine without any conscious tie to his old self, resulted in this week's issue being as viscerally charged as you can imagine. Bounty Hunters #39 is the beginning of the end for our crew as we know it. Unlike the previous arc, where the Empire broke the moral core of the team, there is no gray area here. Valance will kill all his friends without hesitation, and T'onga, Bossk, and the whole team must adapt to their new reality. I'm sure there's light on the other side of the tunnel, but right now, it's hard to see how we get there.



This isn't a perfect issue, but writer Ethan Sacks takes a confident step in the right direction, catching readers up with almost every loose thread in the larger story and once again throttling them emotionally with a punch to the gut.



Spoilers ahead...



ETHAN SACKS (W) • DAVIDE TINTO (A) • Cover by MARCO CHECCHETTO



One of the nagging bits for me so far about Dark Droids is the Scourge and how each author uses the evil entity differently. You want your creators to take liberties, but they must still be consistent. Sparing Zuckuss in the last issue doesn't align with the atrocities the Scourge has committed everywhere else. Why is it merciful to some, but performing unholy experiments on others? Why is it murdering some when they become useless, but simultaneously picky and choosy over who it controls? All of this prefaces how relieved I was to open this issue and almost immediately have this particular problem remedied.



Another joy was to have flashbacks that actually matter. The first takes us to Tarr Kligson and Telemak. The former reveals that he brought the Scourge onto the Haven, thereby infecting almost every droid aboard. Telemak, who still has a grip on reality, invokes the name of Ajax and how the droid revolutionary would not stand for such an insult on what it means for droids to be free. Of course, this doesn't go well for him, and Tarr rips his head off for light reprogramming.







The Scourge has allegedly promised Tarr a place in its greater plans at the price of handing over an empty hybrid vessel. So, circling back, why did the Scourge spare Zuckuss? Because it already had what it needed on the operating table: Beilert Valance. Why care about killing anything else when it had already won? A point illustrated further when it abandoned Tarr at the end of the issue.



The other flashback is with Valance and T'onga. It's your standard 'If it comes down to it and I can't be saved, kill me. I'd rather be dead than live like this' plea from Valance as they approach the Haven. This is a solid dread-building scene, knowing you're about to flip the page and T'onga will be forced to make that call.







Once the fighting broke out, artist Davide Tinto took his game to another level. I was continually drawn to the eyes. There is a stunning contrast between Valance's soulless pits and T'onga's hyper-expressive gaze as she watches in horror at what Valance is doing.







Arif Prianto's colors help the fights between Valance and various members of the team pop off the page. Each fight has a different flavor and is well composed between their unique paneling and Bounty Hunters' stapled brutality. Valance versus Durge was the main event based on the cover, but Valance treated the Gen'dai like he was a welterweight stepping onto the heavyweight stage.







All roads lead back to T'onga, who is struggling mightily with what she has to do. The few times they have a confrontation, there is a sense that a small part of Valance remembers her, but it's fleeting. She's a woman who gave up everything in her world just for a chance to save her friend, but now she's on the verge of losing him. By the end, when the Scourged droids are leading Valance away, T'onga does find her resolve. But the mission isn't to save him any longer. She's seen enough; the time to give her friend his death wish is now.







Bounty Hunters #39 ramps up the tension to 12 and delivers the thrills and answers I've been waiting for. How Valance fits in with the Scourge's plan is fascinating, as it will surely bleed over into another series. This issue does feature a needless detour with Losha and Vukorah that left me baffled at its inclusion in this particular issue, but maybe it'll matter for something. Beyond that, this issue has plenty to enjoy, and the big 4-0 issue promises even better. And perhaps a tear or two.


<p style='text-align: center;']RATING: 8/10</p>






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