"Bounty Hunters #5: The Galaxy's Deadliest, Part 5: The High Cost of Revenge" by Ethan Sacks

 "Bounty Hunters #5: The Galaxy's Deadliest, Part 5: The High Cost of Revenge" written by Ethan Sacks, illustrated by Paolo Villanelli and Arif Prianto

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This series is definitely ramping up and everything is finally making sense which is so nice! I was worried when the series started that the reader would be left to suss everything out on their own, but it's all coming together now and even the newly introduced characters get enough explanation to reduce the confusion. The artwork and colors are absolutely gorgeous and every panel is so vivid and engaging. There's a lot of action in this issue (hand-to-hand combat to be specific), but it still moves the story along and the artistry of this action is so bold and clear that the reader can easily follow it. 

We start off in the past on Glee Anselm with Nakano Lash as a little girl with her parents. They've been swimming and are coming up to shore to take a break (see the image below of Nakano playing with sandmoths), but Nakano's pregnant mother is worried about dangers that may lurk. Turns out some of the Anselmi (the planet's other sentient species) aren't too friendly toward the Nautolans, calling them "water-breathers" and "scum" (see below) and going so far as to kill them. Well, Nakano's parents become victims of this extremism, leaving Nakano as an orphan. No wonder the woman was so hell-bent on protecting the pregnant heir to the Unbroken Clan Syndicate, Krynthia, from death by the hands of her crazed lover, the heir to the Mourner's Wail Syndicate, Khamus. Nakano was also delighted about becoming a big sister to her mother's unborn twins so it follows perfectly that she'd want to protect Krynthia's child who was born right before the heir's death. Plus she was an orphan and connects deeply with the fact that this child, Cadeliah, was also an orphan.

Getting to see Nakano's back story really lets the reader in on why she did what she did in killing Khamus and saving the pregnant Krynthia. She was reliving the horrors of her childhood and couldn't bear the idea of another being going through the same thing she did. It's so crazy because we as the reader saw her as this backstabbing person who only cared about her own skin and in reality she's a deeply caring person who wants the best for those she loves. We even find out that she saved Valance years ago from a life on the streets after the Imperials dumped him. As Valance puts it, "Nobody else saw anything of value in a broken, discarded former Imperial grunt. One who was more machine than man." And Nakano responds with, "You are more human than just about anyone I ever met." And Valance proves her words to be true as he...well, you'll just have to read to find out.

We zip back to the present where Boba Fett has just killed T'onga (who had decided the mission was a bust, Nakano was in the right, and she just wanted to go back home to her girlfriend--I'm still super pissed they killed the only queer character in the series!!) and he hasn't changed his mind about wanting Nakano's blood. He's not even willing to hear out Nakano's reasoning for her betrayal all those years ago. He just wants revenge because Nakano hurt his reputation. Blech, this version of Boba Fett is not to my liking at all! He's cruel, petty, and all around just a really terrible dude. Boba and Valance throw down (see below) with Boba calling his old comrade a droid which does not sit well with the cyborg Valance (see his reaction below). And all hell breaks loose.

Then we get eyes on an Unbroken Clan ship, also in the present, helmed by Vukorah, who gives the order to kill Nakano and everyone with her, damn the possibility that Krynthia's child might actually still be alive. Turns out that Vukorah has her own designs for the future... Love that they introduced a new character and, without seeming exposition-y, managed to flesh her out and let us know her intentions for the other characters involved. The presentation of this new player was done wonderfully.

So, in conclusion, this was a pretty fantastic issue. Despite all the action, we got tons of story to go along with it and learned more about both Nakano and Valance, making at least me truly care for these characters. This series is certainly proving to be an interesting one and I can't wait to see what happens when 4-LOM and Zuckuss take the stage in the next issue!!!