"Age of Rebellion: Boba Fett: Hunter's Heart" by Greg Pak

"Age of Rebellion: Boba Fett: Hunter's Heart" written by Greg Pak, illustrated by Marc Laming and Neeraj Menon

     A thought provoking story that delved deeper into who Boba Fett is as a person, I really enjoyed this mind-bending tale. Is he a terrorizing menace? Is he a savior only hunting those who are truly evil? Is he a guild-law-abiding hunter who always plays by the books? Is he only in it for the money? Or is he a combination of several of these? We start off on Carajam in the Outer Rim with a woman begging for her life in the face of a blue sentient with horns named Zingo Gabnit (see below--no word yet on what species he is) and a human man named Turfitch.

Apparently the woman has "shards" that Zingo wants. But then someone comes to the rescue!!...and it’s...Boba Fett?!?...on a droid horse-creature?!? I’m a little weirded out by Boba Fett riding in on such a strange mechanical beast (see below)--it even has a tail! I'm not understanding why he couldn't have had a usual Star Wars-y living creature as his steed. Regardless, it appears he’s already got a bounty strapped on to his mount so perhaps Zingo and Turfitch are safe???

Canon connection: Zingo appears to have made a deal with the Xan Sisters (from Solo! Apparently they’ve been terrorizing the local farms on Carajam for a long time). The Sisters are waiting to give Zingo a lift off planet at the port at Danan Karr.

One really great feature of this issue was the inclusion of an incredible amount of realistic and appropriate onomatopoeia. You could hear the detonators exploding and the blasters blasting (and I'm not talking "pew pew") while you could clearly see the associated action taking place. It was artistically carried out quite beautifully. And an interesting detail, we see Boba's Wookiee braids ever present, hanging from his shoulder (see below).

Not only was the artistry and lettering top notch, but the story itself gives you a lot to think about. Halfway through the issue I was wondering about the Boba Fett we were seeing, but knew it was going to take a turn because he was being put in far too positive a light. It kind of reminded me of "Vader: Dark Visions #1" where Vader comes in and saves an entire race on the planet Cianap from a deadly god-like monster...but really was just trying to save his own skin. Perhaps there is some compassion in Boba, but I don't think it runs very deep...unless you're referring to his relationship with Jango, his father. The title--"Hunter's Heart"--absolutely fits this tale as you're thrown into a spiral of doubt and wonder over Boba's true intentions. Definitely leaves me with a lot to ponder over...