Target Vader #2

Target Vader #2 (of 6)

Writer: Robbie Thompson
Artist: Stefano Landini
Colorist: Neeraj Menon
Letterer: Joe Caramagna
Cover Artist: Nic Klein

Target Vader #2 pushes the story along, but it’s hard to say if the story is good or not. If you’re a fan of Valance from the old days, maybe, but for those who never read those comics, it sort of tears down Dengar to try and make Valance look good. I’m not sure that it works.

The issue starts with Valance shooting at some TIE’s. At the time, Dengar worries about Valance’s actions as they’re likely to attract unwanted trouble. One of the other bounty hunters tries to rationalize it, but later on we learn this is all part of Valance’s plan to lure Vader in. He attacked the TIE’s in order to draw attention. They arrive on a planet to talk to an arms dealer about getting some weapons, but this is also part of Valance’s grand plan. The weapons dealer turns on them, but before they can shoot anyone, Darth Vader bombards them from orbit with his Star Destroyer. The bounty hunters run off and escape to hyperspace, where Valance reveals the last piece of his master plan. However, the comic reveals there’s an informant among the bounty hunters.

So first off, Valance’s plan is pretty sketchy. He had no idea killing those TIE’s would attract Vader. Nor did he know when Vader would show up and that he would shoot the town from orbit and save their skins. That’s stretching the storytelling pretty far for convenience. Secondly, I don’t like the way Robbie Thompson is writing Dengar. It’s not like there’s a lot on Dengar, but he’s really writing him as a whiny, incompetent individual. I think most Star Wars fans would like to see someone build Dengar up a bit into a cooler character seeing how he showed up in Empire Strikes Back. Alas, Thompson doesn’t go that route and instead tears him down in order to build Valance up. All in all, the story was neat sometimes, and bad at other times.

The art is okay. It excels with landscapes and ships, but struggles a little with the characters, especially the humans. It’s hard to tell how much of that is due to coloring and how much is the linework. The coloring is very muted and some of the coloring is pretty plain. It’s hit and miss with some panels getting extra attention and care, and others being rushed through.

In the end, both the writing and the artwork is touch and go in this issue. Sometimes it’s good, sometimes it’s bad, and the end result is in the middle. It’s not a terrible comic, but it’s not a great comic either. It’s okay. I give it a three out of five metal bikinis.

Reviewed By: Skuldren for Roqoo Depot.