SPOILER REVIEW: Marvel's Star Wars #4

Welcome back, everyone! Fresh off the Celebration buzz Marvel has released the fourth issue in its ongoing Star Wars series.

This issue serves as connective tissue to the Darth Vader series. We find ourselves back in Jabba's Palace where the Dark Lord is ironing out a deal for the crime lord to help the Empire re-up it's supply chain. Jabba seems pleased with this deal, more so for the sake of the prestige that comes with dealing with the Emperor's right hand man than the financial benefits.



We find out heroes back with the Rebel Fleet. Han, who is pretty beat up, and Chewie are putting the Millennium Falcon back together. C-3PO is back in one piece again. The only ones who seem affected from the stark realities that a small victory was so difficult are Luke and Leia.

The Rebel Alliance's top brass are gathered in a war room, pondering just how hard the struggle with the Empire is going to be. I get the sense that the assault on the Death Star was really the first time the Rebels have exposed themselves. Now that they are all in it is nerve racking to decide their next move. Leia wants to push for more missions like the Cyon moon, but Mon Mothma suggests that they need to slow down because everyone has been pushing so hard. Leia disagrees.



Luke is starting to show traits we saw in a very frustrated Anakin. Luke is beginning to feel the Force, but he cannot control it or use it to help him. He is very discouraged the ease with which Vader brushed him off and doubts he will ever be strong enough to face the Dark Lord who killed his friend and mentor. Luke no longer considers himself an asset, only a liability. He scolds Leia for suggesting he is needed on another mission and that he is NOT a Jedi.



Back on Tatooine we meet s peculiar bounty hunter in search of Han Solo. I hesitate saying this, but this person is dressed in a very similar garb as Kylo Ren. I'm not insinuating there is a connection, as the cloth in this comic is green and the eyes of the bounty hunter are visible from above the mask, but is is remarkable how closely it resembles it. Whoever this bounty hunter is, they disable a few Rodians that prove less than helpful. Despite the cold demeanor of the bounty hunter, the score to find Han Solo seems very personal.



On another part of the planet, it's confirmed that Jabba and his harem are the equivalent of wicked, backwoods teenagers as they travel around Tatooine in his Sail Barge as they gun down bantha packs just to watch them die. Even Vader seems to be annoyed with the futility of killing an animal just to sate bloodlust. He is along for the ride just to get whatever information he can about Obi-Wan's time on Tatooine. I'm guessing Vader wants to find out how well Obi-Wan knew Luke, and to what extent Jedi training was involved. Jabba is about to begin his stories about the Jedi Master, when we jump back to a more familiar bounty hunter, and this one is looking for Luke Skywalker.



As we leave Luke, he's in an X-Wing headed for the planet furthest from the bright center of the galaxy...

I enjoyed this issue, and if you are a casual reader who does not feel like investing the time in all the different series, this series is probably the best one, as it seems to touch on events from the others. I like that the story is showing us how much of a struggle these conflicts are, and how costly they seem from both sides.

My only complaint is that this issue jumped around a lot. I'm honestly sick of this Jabba/Vader relationship and hope it serves something more than what seems like fan service. I'm looking forward to the next issue to tie the loose threads together.

 

Some photos will be up later today. I'm betting it's female as well, due to the eyes

 

Screen grabs from my comixology app. Best I can do at the moment

 

The more I look the less the similarities are, too. Just the face mask and the way the hood is tightly fastened