Bounty Hunters #3: Galaxy's Deadliest, Part III: As the Scorekeeper Wills by Ethan Sacks
"Bounty Hunters #3: Galaxy's Deadliest, Part III: As the Scorekeeper Wills" written by Ethan Sacks, illustrated by Paolo Villanelli and Arif Prianto
Wow...so again there is A LOT to take in, including an ever expanding array of new characters and situations. It all feels a bit unwieldy and I'd be down for more streamlining of the story, but perhaps everything will come back around to connect together as the story progresses...maybe?...one can only hope. Regardless, the color and artwork was absolutely brilliant and enthralling and I'm still curious to see what happens next.
We start off with the bounty hunter Ooris Bynar (a Thisspiasian) speaking to the person who gave him the bounty, Syphacc, about co-opting the information Valance has discovered away from the cyborg. Because remember from the last issue that Valance is the only bounty hunter who has discovered Nakano Lash's coordinates. Nakano Lash (see image below of her during the flashback mentioned below) being the Nautolan who betrayed them all during a mission in which she murdered the client--the heir to the Mourner's Wail syndicate. Ooris is familiar from previous issues but I'm still not so sure how he fits into the bigger picture.
We learn that the planet Ruusan is where Nakano has been in hiding and she seems to be living a normal life, albeit a fearful one, as she watches over her nephew. This makes me feel oddly bad for her and her current circumstances, but also leaves me wondering...am I supposed to feel bad for her?? I mean she did betray her people...
In a flashback, we get a good image of T'ongor, T'onga's brother (see image below). This comic also makes it very clear that T'onga is queer! She's engaged to a woman at this point, presumably the woman from earlier in the storyline who she kisses goodbye. So much yay!! Especially since it appears T'onga will be a big part of the story going forward.
We also see in this flashback that on the planet Chorin (Valance's homeworld) is a woman who means a lot to Valance although their relationship is not clear. Bossk assumes Valance wishes he and the woman, Yuralla Vega (see image below), were lovers. Oddly enough, Valance begins a call to her but then ends it right as the transmission connects... This just so happens to be the same woman Valance spoke with in the "Target Vader" series when he revisited his home planet. Yura, as she was called, had discussed just how horribly the Empire had treated Chorin as they took everything they could and then left them defenseless and alone.
Then we get a whole other set of characters in a scene with General Vukorah who appears to be a leader in the Unbroken Clan, the rivals to the Mourner's Wail. She wants revenge for what happened on Chorgad (see trivia below). Maybe this will connect to the overall story...goodness, I certainly hope it does.
And finally, as an AWESOME post-comic treat, we get a visual breakdown of Valance's cybernetics in an incredibly detailed infographic (see image below). This was a fascinating read and truly reveals the extreme extent to which Valance is now much more machine than man--he only really looks human because of the synthflesh covering his metal parts.
Trivia:
-Valance's ship is the Broken Wing.
-Chorgad: a planet where a bombing took place and people from the Mourner's Wail killed Unbroken Clan members.
-Nakano Lash's ship is the Starskimmer.
-Some of Valance's cybernetics are from battle droids!!
-Apparently Bossk believes in a "great goddess"...interesting. Now I'm curious about Trandoshan religious proclivities.
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Previous issues in this arc:
"Bounty Hunters #1: Galaxy's Deadliest, Part I: Ghosts of Corellia"
"Bounty Hunters #2: Galaxy's Deadliest, Part II: Sorrow of the Syndicates"
Other comic series featuring Valance:
"Han Solo: Imperial Cadet"
"Target Vader"
---
So all in all, still quite confusing since as the story becomes a bit more clear, they throw new characters and situations into the mix to muddy the waters further. Not so sure how I feel about this method of storytelling, but I'm hoping it pays off in the end. I am definitely curious though to see what will happen once Nakano finally gets taken into bounty hunter custody...
I'll leave you with a great example of that brilliant color and artwork mentioned in the first paragraph above...although, note, this image comes from a super extended scene of a fight between Valance and Bossk that seems to go on past its prime. They are literally beating each other to a pulp while firing blasters into the fray as well. It's a scene that could have been shortened to make more room for explaining what exactly went on in the past that brought all these bounty hunters to the places they are today. And it would've been nice to learn more about Ooris and what skin he has in the game. I just feel like the pages could have been used more thoughtfully, but like I said, perhaps everything will come together in the end.
We start off with the bounty hunter Ooris Bynar (a Thisspiasian) speaking to the person who gave him the bounty, Syphacc, about co-opting the information Valance has discovered away from the cyborg. Because remember from the last issue that Valance is the only bounty hunter who has discovered Nakano Lash's coordinates. Nakano Lash (see image below of her during the flashback mentioned below) being the Nautolan who betrayed them all during a mission in which she murdered the client--the heir to the Mourner's Wail syndicate. Ooris is familiar from previous issues but I'm still not so sure how he fits into the bigger picture.
In a flashback, we get a good image of T'ongor, T'onga's brother (see image below). This comic also makes it very clear that T'onga is queer! She's engaged to a woman at this point, presumably the woman from earlier in the storyline who she kisses goodbye. So much yay!! Especially since it appears T'onga will be a big part of the story going forward.
And finally, as an AWESOME post-comic treat, we get a visual breakdown of Valance's cybernetics in an incredibly detailed infographic (see image below). This was a fascinating read and truly reveals the extreme extent to which Valance is now much more machine than man--he only really looks human because of the synthflesh covering his metal parts.
Trivia:
-Valance's ship is the Broken Wing.
-Chorgad: a planet where a bombing took place and people from the Mourner's Wail killed Unbroken Clan members.
-Nakano Lash's ship is the Starskimmer.
-Some of Valance's cybernetics are from battle droids!!
-Apparently Bossk believes in a "great goddess"...interesting. Now I'm curious about Trandoshan religious proclivities.
---
Previous issues in this arc:
"Bounty Hunters #1: Galaxy's Deadliest, Part I: Ghosts of Corellia"
"Bounty Hunters #2: Galaxy's Deadliest, Part II: Sorrow of the Syndicates"
Other comic series featuring Valance:
"Han Solo: Imperial Cadet"
"Target Vader"
---
So all in all, still quite confusing since as the story becomes a bit more clear, they throw new characters and situations into the mix to muddy the waters further. Not so sure how I feel about this method of storytelling, but I'm hoping it pays off in the end. I am definitely curious though to see what will happen once Nakano finally gets taken into bounty hunter custody...
I'll leave you with a great example of that brilliant color and artwork mentioned in the first paragraph above...although, note, this image comes from a super extended scene of a fight between Valance and Bossk that seems to go on past its prime. They are literally beating each other to a pulp while firing blasters into the fray as well. It's a scene that could have been shortened to make more room for explaining what exactly went on in the past that brought all these bounty hunters to the places they are today. And it would've been nice to learn more about Ooris and what skin he has in the game. I just feel like the pages could have been used more thoughtfully, but like I said, perhaps everything will come together in the end.
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