Bounty Hunters continues to be the slow-burn title in the Star Wars comic universe, giving plenty of character moments to its cast of misfits and villains, making it an enjoyable, action-packed read. Like most of the line, this Star Wars: Bounty Hunters Vol. 6: Bedlam On Bestine is hardly revolutionary, but does provide ample familiarity for fans looking to dig into criminal corners of the universe.
Collecting issues #29-34 of the Star Wars: Bounty Hunters monthly book, this collection continues the ongoing storylines involving Valance, keen to extract revenge against Darth Vader, while T’onga, IG-88, Zuckas, and 4-Lom confront their own trials and ordeals. Like any Star Wars title of this nature, a deep backstory is developed for characters who had no more than a few seconds of screen time in the films, giving them purpose and justifying their existence in the larger mythos. Ethan Sacks is a capable writer and gives these background figures rich histories worthy of exploring. I especially like the backstory Zuckas is given on his home world of Gand in issue #32, giving the character depth and complexity.
By putting the bounty hunters at odds with the Empire, this arc is an improvement on some of the previous conflicts which simply found the bounty hunters stuck in a perpetual conflict with each other. One can see how the Empire, now extending its reach deeper into every aspect of the galaxy, would work to remove the lawless figures that once were tolerated for expediency.
Paolo Villanelli does most of the artwork for this run, combining strong panel layouts with excellent droid and mechanical styling. Many of his human characters have a similar facial build, but the action is done very well, giving the series a cinematic quality well suited for a Star Wars comic.
The trade has a couple variant covers reprinted as full pages at the end of the book and promises the return of the quintessential Star Wars bounty hunter in the next arc. Seeing how quick Marvel has been to cancel and reboot titles in recent years, it’s impressive that the Star Wars comic universe has continued for this long. One hopes Bounty Hunters‘ creative team continues to develop this cast of misfits in a galaxy far, far away…
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