"Han Solo and Chewbacca #1: The Crystal Run, Part I" by Marc Guggenheim
"Han Solo and Chewbacca #1: The Crystal Run, Part I" written by Marc Guggenheim, illustrated by David Messina and Alex Sinclair
This series takes place after Han and Chewie have been working for Jabba for some time. Han is very typically Han and it is wonderful. Plus, with the way this first issue ended, I CANNOT wait to read and review the second issue tomorrow!!
We start with the Falcon, again, very typically, needing repairs--the induction manifold is down and Chewie is working hard at fixing it...while Han just chills. The dynamic is perfect! Unfortunately, they're in the middle of a heist on the casino planet of Galator III and their crew is stuck at the scene of the crime under heavy blaster fire. A new character by the name of Khel Tanna (see below) who seems to be leading the crew is none to happy. But, Han being Han, the smuggler swoops in just in the nick of time (see below) and carries the crew and the goods off to safety, after pulling a crazy risky stunt, of course, in flying straight through a level of a casino that is relatively unpopulated (see below). When they all get back to Jabba's Palace, Khel lets Han have it in front of Jabba, but all the Hutt says is, "Don't worry about her. I have another job for you." Turns out, Han really was one of Jabba's most cherished "pets"...until his little mistake in Choose Your Destiny: A Han & Chewie Adventure (the infamous dumping of the cargo).
The new job will pay 1 million credits total which Han jumps at in a heartbeat, but the payment is being split between Han who's pulling the job and Greedo who gave Jabba the tip. There's even a pre-condition that Greedo goes along for the ride... Han tells Greedo in an aside, "My rep ain't for being sleazy and underhanded. Yours is. [...] If you try to screw me over, double-cross me, do anything that gives me a bad feeling...I'll shoot first and ask questions later." I can absolutely see and feel this interaction! The prize Jabba is so desperate to have?? An urn of pure verillix that contains the ashes of one of Jabba's most hated rivals, Krestrel D'Naran. The location of the urn?? On Corellia!! Han is not happy about having to return home and makes a point of saying he does not want to run across Lady Proxima.
And then, as is typical in these mini-series, we are introduced to two other concurrent storylines. I kinda wish they didn't make these mini-series so complicated, but then again, I do enjoy reading a comic in which a lot is going on at once, lol. First, there's one page of Mos Eisley Spaceport on Tatooine where a Nikto named Corbus is giving information to someone on a holo about the potential in stealing the urn for Jabba as well as Han's being on the hunt himself. Second, there's a Pa'lowick (not Sy Snootles it turns out) at Club Silhouette on Hosnian Prime who gets approached by Marshal Buck Vancto (one creepy looking dude--see below) as he's looking for information on a Snivvian bounty(?) by the name of Brox Anthar. Just as the Marshal has put Brox down, he gets a holo call from a Twi'lek who tells him there's another job on the table...going after Han. The Twi'lek says, "The suspect's a real piece of work. He's pulled jobs in dozens of systems. Heists, smuggling, you name it." Hahahaha!! Does anyone else find it funny that Han is being talked about as if he's actually usually successful in these endeavors???
When Han, Chewie, and Greedo arrive in the Corellian shipyards, the page is a mix of the present and flashbacks to Han's time with the White Worms. It's a rather beautiful mash up (see below). The trio make their way to the Pearl District-Home of Corellia's Wealthy and Han determines that they'll need to break into the penthouse where the safe containing the urn is to determine how to break into the safe and then break in a second time to actually steal the urn. Greedo is incredelous, but the first half of the plan works with Han discovering the safe is a Locris 1-42-08 "the most impregnable safe in the galaxy"...whoops!!! The three smugglers go to a cantina at the behest of Han who says, "I happen to do my best thinking over a Montalsian Ale."...not surprised here!! But then something INSANELY COOL happens...
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HAN MEETS HIS DAD!!! Like, WTF?!? He bumps into a man who walks up next to him at the bar and discerns the man works for the Corellian Engineering Corporation like his father did. They share a couple of rounds and finally the man asks for Han's father's name. Turns out it was "Ovan" and the man is dumbstruck...cuz that's his name...and then he makes the connection to Han's name and he says, "By the stars I don't believe it...I've found you, boy." Whether this is a bad thing or a good thing, who freaking knows, but I am super pumped to read issue #2 tomorrow!!!!!
-Marie E. Wilson a.k.a. @AliaMorgaine
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