Luke Skywalker joins Starlight Squadron for a mission before connecting back up with the âWar of the Bounty Huntersâ in Star Wars #15 written by Charles Soule, art by Ramon Rosanas, colored by Rachelle Rosenberg, and lettered by Clayton Cowles
It would be interesting to know what anyone who doesnât read this series regularly but picked up this issue because itâs part of the âWar of the Bounty Huntersâ crossover thinks of it. Returning to the plot thread setup in the previous issue, in which Luke joined up with Starlight Squadron while Leia and Lando headed out to the crossoverâs âHan auctionâ, this issue mostly backgrounds the crossover in favor of detailing Lukeâs adventure. If anything, the issue has stronger ties to the series larger ongoing arcs than the crossoverâs: Shara Beyâs (increasingly long) absence is what prompts Lukeâs involvement in the mission, while the thematic arc of the issue ties into the seriesâ post-Empire setting of a Rebellion barely hanging on and desperate for some (new) hope.
Along the way, Soule and Rosanas turn in a rollicking done-in-one adventure story, in which Starlight Squadron tracks down the remnants of a Rebel division pinned down by the forces of a characteristically-cocky Imperial admiral (Admiral Kalaxo, whose monocle and fur-lined collar really lean into the Empireâs World War II design inspirations), then executes a tricky maneuver that ultimately saves the day via a fantastic splash page depicting a genuinely exciting fist-pumping moment, all of which provides that much needed boost of hope. Rosanasâ storytelling is straightforward and compelling, making clear the maneuvers of the various ships and their relationship in space to one another, with each vehicle featuring enough detail to feel distinct and appropriately âmechanical-yâ without being distracting. Itâs the kind of story that was common back in the days of the original Marvel Star Wars comic, something connected to a larger arc of the series but still determined to tell a complete & satisfying story in one issue.Â
Of course, this isnât entirely cutoff from âWar of the Bounty Huntersâ: in a sequence deliberately setup to mimic (and then subvert) the climax of A New Hope, Luke is tasked with making a difficult shot that will single handedly wipe out the Imperial Star Destroyer pinning down the rebels. But this time, Luke misses the shot thanks to a vision through the Force he receives when flashing back to that original trench run, of Vader instead destroying the Millennium Falcon and declaring that Han belongs to him, a clear reference to the events of Darth Vader #14 and Vaderâs decision to dive deeper into the crossover and acquire Han for himself as a means to get to Luke. This prompts Luke to break off from Starlight Squadron and rejoin Leia, Lando and company at the Han auction, at which point the issue picks back up with the larger narrative of the crossover.Â
The end result is a reading experience best suited for readers of the entire crossover (or, at least, of this series, War of the Bounty Hunters, and probably Darth Vader, too) which, of course, is what Marvel would like all readers to be. For anyone just reading this book, the smash cut from where Leia and Lando were at the end of the previous issue to their brief appearance in this one is likely jarring; for anyone only picking up this issue because of the crossover (should such a reader exist), the vast majority of the issue has little at all to do with that story. Ultimately though, the best parts of this issue – and, thankfully, the majority of its pages – have little to do with the crossover. Instead, they present a classic tale of martial Star Wars action, a confrontation between Imperial might and a band of overwhelmed but resourceful rebels. Itâs a core and oft-repeated Star Wars premise, but one depicted with aplomb here, and which, all other concerns aside, is well worth the price of admission alone.
Force Facts
- The Imperial/Rebel battle in this issue takes place on the planet Ab Dalis, a world which is said here to have, in the distant past, had something crash into it at lightspeed, cracking its crust and leaving it unstable. This is a reference to The Light of the Jedi, the first novel of the âHigh Republicâ publishing initiative. The central conflict of that book involves a hyperspace disaster in which a ship breaks up while traveling at light speed, causing its various pieces & fragments to emerge throughout the galaxy and crash into different planets and moons; Ab Dalis was one of the worlds impacted by one of those âEmergencesâ.
- As entertaining as Starlight Squadron can be, as an old Expanded Universe fan, it saddens me a bit to see Luke and Wedge Antilles as part of a crack squad of fighter pilots not named Rogue Squadron.
Austin Gorton also reviews older issues of X-Men at the Real Gentlemen of Leisure website, co-hosts the A Very Special episode podcast, and likes Star Wars. He lives outside Minneapolis, where sometimes, it is not cold. Follow him on Twitter @AustinGorton
