Boba Fett #1

Age of Rebellion – Boba Fett #1

Writer: Greg Pak
Artist: Marc Laming
Colorist: Neeraj Menon
Letterer: Travis Langham
Cover Artist: Terry and Rachel Dodson

Carajam – Zingo Gabnit, Turfitch

Boba Fett #1 is a straightforward bounty hunter story as he hunts down a fellow bounty hunter who’s broken the rules. With minimal dialog for Fett, and maximum violence from his prey, you would almost think they were setting him up to be the hero, but not quite.

The story takes place on a planet called Carajam. We’re introduced to two crooked individuals named Turfitch and Zingo Gabnit. They have a close run in with Fett who’s riding on a metal horse, but he leaves them be. It’s an interesting way to start the issue, combining tones of various westerns with a touch of Bravestar ala the metal horse. Regardless, Fett delivers a bounty in town and picks up a new contract – Zingo Gabnit. With a solid lead on where the target is, he heads back out into the desert to get him. Zingo leaves a trail of bodies in his wake, and of course Fett eventually tracks him down and, in this case, kills Zingo and claims his reward. But the issue ends with one final plot thread. A man tries to thank Fett for saving his sister, who Zingo was holding hostage. He wants Fett to help him deal with the Xan Sisters. But Fett notices there’s a bounty for the man, so he turns him in instead. Fett’s only line in the story, and the last line in the comic, is “No…I hunt bounties” when the man in question claims that Fett only hunts bad men, criminals and murderers.

So there’s a question – is Fett a badguy or a murky man in the middle who sometimes does good? He’s certainly not a straight up good guy. For instance, he comes across Turfitch who’s bleeding to death in the desert and who begs Fett for some water. Fett gives him some water, and in turn, Turfitch tells Fett which way Zingo went. You could argue Fett only showed kindness because he figured he could get some intel out of it, but he could have easily just stepped on the guy’s wound and got the intel that way, saving more water for himself. We also see that Fett freed everyone in the village after he takes out Zingo. Everyone was tied up. He didn’t have to do that, and there was no reward for that. There’s also Zingo as an example of how bad a bounty hunter can be, even when working for the Rebellion. He kills a lot of innocent people, some for no reason. Then you have Fett, working for the Empire, but showing kindness when can, but to an extent. If it doesn’t interfere with his work, or a bounty, apparently he’s not above helping someone out. But if there’s a bounty on someone’s head, they’re fair game, and he’s not one to work for free. In a way, the story explores that murky gray line that Fett walks and how he’s a character defined by his actions, not his words.

The artwork in this issue is pretty good. The panels help exude that feel of a western, while also doing a good job at depicting the characters and capturing the detail. It’s pretty easy to follow along with the action, and Marc Laming does a good job balancing skill with the humans, the environments, and the aliens. They all look great.

While the story isn’t ground breaking, it isn’t bad, and the artwork is really good. If you’re a Fett fan, you’ll probably want to check this one-shot out. I give it a four out of five metal bikinis.

Reviewed By: Skuldren for Roqoo Depot.