STAR WARS: BOUNTY HUNTERS #5, available from Marvel Comics on September 23, is a chaotic shootout between Lash, Fett, Valance, and the forces of the Mourner’s Wail, with a healthy dose of flashbacks to fill in Lash’s backstory. Heavy on the action and the exposition, Ethan Sacks’ story is a satisfying conclusion to this act in the overall arc.
Cover Art
Lee Bermejo’s cover is a broadcast reminder that Boba Fett still is the most feared bounty hunter in Star Wars. Evoking imagery of figures in carbonite and the orange-yellow lighting from the Empire Strikes Back, Bermejo heavily leans on the nostalgia. It serves as a hint as to who comes out on top in this issue.
Writing
Sacks’ story packs a lot of action and exposition in equal measure in this episode. What’s impressive about the writing is how much information is packed into a small amount of space without slowing down the story or making the info dump too confusing.
When you finish the comic book, you feel like you got a lot of story. Many of the questions asked from previous issues had been answered, and Sacks writes in a healthy helping of action that contributes to the forward progress of the story.
Pencils/Inks
Paolo Villanelli’s art builds on Sacks’ story with a lot of great line work. The character renderings are sharp, and using fine point lines adds clarity to the plethora of fight panels so that the characters stand out from the blurs and action lines cleanly.
Villanelli’s linework here really speaks to the success of the issue. It’s the equivalent of watching a movie in high definition. Sacks’ words fill in the story, but the art keeps you glued to each panel.
Coloring
Arif Prianto’s coloring adds to Villanelli’s fine lines with superbly textured coloring that adds to the cinematic realism. The coloring stands out most in the weathered texture on Fett’s armor, making it look scraped and worn and weathered. The excellence of Prianto’s work is not just in the color selection, but also in the brushes and applications used to make every surface near photo-realistic.
Lettering
VC’s Travis Lanham’s lettering is excellent in this issue. There are so many different sound effects in this issue, from bioenergy disruptors to cybernetic hand cannons to blaster rifles. Lanham takes the time to organically blend the sounds into each panel with great color choices and letters the shape and direct the reader’s eye to make the sounds part of the action. The sound lettering fills in the visuals to give it more depth and make the issue more eye-catching.
Conclusion
STAR WARS: BOUNTY HUNTERS #5, available from Marvel Comics on September 23, gives you a ton of story and a ton of action. The plot is satisfying, and the art is full-on eye candy. I highly recommend this book.
