Bounty Hunters #2: Galaxy's Deadliest, Part II: "Sorrow of the Syndicates" by Ethan Sacks

Bounty Hunters #2: Galaxy's Deadliest, Part II: "Sorrow of the Syndicates" written by Ethan Sacks, illustrated by Paolo Villanelli and Arif Prianto

     So as mentioned in my review of issue #1, this issue's "title crawl" made things make a bit more sense. The Nautolan Nakano Lash, leader of Bossk, Boba Fett, and Valance, betrayed the three years ago on Corellia by killing their client who just so happened to be the only heir to the Mourner's Wail syndicate. Lash having recently resurfaced, the three are out for blood, along with T'onga, a new addition to the bounty hunter cadre that we all know and love.
     First we come across Valance on Eriadu (home of Grand Moff Tarkin!) trying to get some info on Lash but running into just a bunch of dead bodies. He then pulls security feed, and it turns out Boba Fett got there before him! He realizes the next planet on his search is the graveyard planet of Galmerah. But before we move forward, we jump back in time and finally get some more insight into why Valance turned his back on the Empire once and for all after being so freaking dedicated through so many hardships. He runs into some stormtroopers at a cantina who are after a young, poverty-stricken boy who stole some ration packs...and he is pissed! "I used to be a pawn like you...fighting their wars, sent to kill on planets I'd never even heard of...I nearly died for their cause." And then he adds, detailing the stormtroopers' day-to-day, "Attacking starving kids! Terrorizing civilians!" So it turns out, he hates the Empire because he DOES have morals after all!!! I never woulda thunk it from the way he acted in "Han Solo: Imperial Cadet"  Of course he's also pretty pissed off that he's more machine now than man, but it looks like

he does have a heart regardless. See him attacking the stormtroopers below.

     On Galmerah (see the planet below), we learn some super interesting facts about Nautolans and pheromones and how they honor their dead. As Valance's droid says in response to the man's questions about a weird smell, "The artificial pheromones pumped out of the grave are a re-creation of Nautila, the language of the Nautolans. I believe this translates to, 'Beloved parents, taken too soon.'" After touching the swirl of weird green light, Valance's droid announces that the pheromones have switched to offering up map coordinates...something that Bossk overhears as he crashes the party. We don't really see Boba Fett in this issue except for the security cam feed.

     Then there's also T'onga who enters the Mourner's Wail stronghold (see below) to pledge her allegiance to finding and destroying Lash since the Nautolan was not only responsible for the crime syndicate's only heir's death, but was also responsible for the death of her twin brother.

     I'm super pleased that things made WAY more sense in this issue and am looking forward with bated breath to seeing how things play out from here!!