"Bounty Hunters 20: With friends like these..." by Ethan Sacks

"Bounty Hunters 20: With friends like these..." written by Ethan Sacks, illustrated by Paolo Villanelli and Bryan Valenza

This issue was fun with a lot of action and some pretty great banter between the characters, and there were some surprising moments as well. It didn't feel like all that much happened, but there were three separate storylines addressed so there was plenty of plot. It was weird having an issue of this series without Valance, but it still worked and I look forward to seeing how this series progresses.

Quick note about the title. I much prefer the promotional title of this issue of "Forlorn for 4-LOM." I mean that is good stuff!! I'm not even sure how to interpret, "With friends like these..." Oh well.

The majority of the issue follows T'Onga and crew (T'Onga, her wife Losha, Zuckuss, Bossk, and Tasu Leech--see below, the Nexu is not pictured) as they search a seemingly abandoned Hutt vessel in "The Wreck Belt orbiting Lotho Minor." There's discussion before they enter the Hutt ship and during their search of it on whether or not they are all being led into a trap...and of course they are!! 4-LOM is still programmed to kill Zuckuss and it is the one directive that will not leave his "mind." (See 4-LOM attacking below.) Although, it does appear that deep, deep down in his programming, he still cares for and misses his old friend. There's even a super sweet moment between the two as they touch each other head-to-head...just before Zuckuss actually gets up the guts to do the unthinkable. Needless to say, T'Onga and crew get the info they need to find the potentially syndicate-bonding young girl. 

The plotline with the second most amount of "screen time" involves Vukorah going to the Unbroken Clan Palace on Corellia (see below) and meeting with the Grand Leader, Cadeliah's grandfather, to...discuss business. Yeah, no, she just wants to kill him so she can take over (see her below after doing the deed). But there's a caveat. I've never liked Vukorah, she always just seemed unnecessarily evil. After this issue though? I feel her pain enormously!! The Great Leader proclaims that she was nothing, just a street rat until he saved her, to which Vukorah replies, "I dedicated my life to you! To this syndicate! I was more of a daughter to you than she ever was!" And the Great Leader disgustingly responds with, "Not to me. To me, you will always be just a street rat." And here's where I really got punched in the gut (simply because it is far too close to home): "I guess deep down I always knew how you felt. Maybe I hoped if I gave everything to the Unbroken Clan, you would notice my worth." Yeah, syndicates...companies...they don't always recognize or notice your worth no matter how much effort, care, and blood/sweat/tears you put in. *sigh* One little tidbit of potentially fascinating information that I really want more context around is the fact that Vukorah might actually be the Grand Leader's daughter and thus Cadeliah's aunt!!!...despite his street rat proclamation. There's even a knife that is an ancient family heirloom that can supposedly only be wielded by someone with the proper blood...and you can see Vukorah below, holding the weapon with electricity sparking all around it... I'll be very interested to see if any of this comes up in future issues.

Lastly, we have Dengar back in the mix, working for Crimson Dawn now as he is ordered by Deathstick to go after the "band of bounty hunters" that tapped their communication beacon...a.k.a. T'Onga's crew!!! Side note, he is back with Manaroo and they seem to be a legit couple so I'm happy for the scarred man that he finally got his love back. Oh, and also, it seems he could really care less about Crimson Dawn: "Yeah, yeah...await the Dawn and all that. Just get to the point. Who do you want me to kill?" So, his current affiliation is clearly out of necessity and not desire or passion. It'll be very interesting to see how his involvement with Crimson Dawn continues.

Okay, so there was more to this issue than I let on at first. I still think this series in particular is top notch and never disappoints. Can't wait to see how it plays with the new Crimson Reign crossover event!!