Written By: Cavan Scott, Elsa Charretier, Pierrick Colinet
Artist: Derek Charm, Elsa Charretier
Lettering by: Tom B. Long
Colouring by: Sarah Stern
Cover Art: Derek Charm
Published By: IDW Publishing
As you may or may not know, Star Wars Adventures is a continual anthology of stories set across the Star Wars canon. Past issues have told tales ranging from Nien Nunb and Shriv chasing down escaping TIE fighters (See Star Wars Adventures #7), to Finn chasing around an unidentified purple creature on The Finalizer (See Star Wars Adventures #3). Okay, so those two examples are both about chasing, but Star Wars Adventures is full of character-enriching anecdotes and lore which only compliments the feature films and animated TV shows. Star Wars Adventure #10 is no different and, much like previous issues, it contains two exciting adventures from the Star Wars universe. Spoilers ahead, so watch those wrist rockets!
The first adventure offers readers part one of Cavan Scott’s Han Solo story Powered Down. From the first panel, Powered Down throws you right into the action. Han Solo, and of course his trusty co-pilot Chewbacca, are being pursued by ruthless bounty hunters Zuckuss and 4-LOM. With a knocked-out hyperdrive on the Millennium Falcon, Han and Chewie head into the clouds of an unidentified planet, hoping to shake off their pursuers. Unfortunately for them, Zuckuss and 4-LOM are persistent and follow them into the blindingly-thick atmosphere. In the immortal words of Anakin Skywalker, this is where the fun begins.
The Falcon’s systems cut-out mid-chase, to Han and Chewie’s dismay, and the ship plummets into the water. Thankfully, Han’s ‘piece of junk’ (quoting Kylo Ren in The Last Jedi) still has manually-activated floatation pontoons and the two make it to land unscathed. This is where Han Solo’s character is truly complimented by Scott’s writing. Han finds Zuckuss supposedly trapped in the wreckage of his own ship and chooses to help free him, despite his desire to preserve his reputation. This act of kindness, which importantly reinforces Han’s character, is left unrewarded as Zuckuss attempts to use his feigned capture to cuff Han. Thankfully, much like the technology on The Falcon, the cuffs fail and Han leaves Zuckuss in his wreckage to continue his search for answers with Chewie.
Unfortunately for Han and Chewie, but fortunately for us, their jungle search leaves them with more questions than answers when they discover an Energy Projector emitting an Immobilizer Beam! Against Han’s best wishes, the pair attempt to scale the towering Projector and disable it with Zuckuss in pursuit. Like any good adventure, the problems keep coming when the trio discover that the Immobilizer Beam was being used to subdue a swarm of killer robot scorpions!
Throughout, Derek Charm’s artwork continues to add to Scott’s charming portrayal of Han and Chewie (The pun was not intended, but I’ll take it). Personally, I find Charm’s presentation of ‘action panels’ the most captivating. When The Falcon is plummeting, he captures the ship’s iconic silhouette perfectly. When Zuckuss is launching spears at the ascending Han and Chewie, you feel the threat and danger as the spear THUK’s besides the climbing Han. His simple character design and utilization of bright, basic colours compliment the story’s pace; however, they appear to mask the brevity of the final panel which has the robot scorpions wanting to “destroy all organic life in the galaxy”.
With Solo: A Star Wars Story coming to the big screen soon, Powered Down: Part 1 spoils fans of Han Solo with another insight into his exciting adventures!
The second story follows the first part of Lando Calrissian’s exploits on Bespin in Elsa Charretier and Pierrick Colinet’s Family Affair. Told as a recollection by Emil Graf to his droids, Boo and Crater, the story follows Lando as he is reunited with an old friend: Clariah. Using his iconic, and beloved, Alderaanian Azure Cotton, Cantonican Golden Silk Brocade (Or blue and yellow cape to the layman), Clariah recruits Lando into temporary mentorship for her son, Jiandy the aspiring crime lord.
Lando chooses this opportunity dd to show Jiandy the seedier side of business in Cloud City and the two happen across Askroh and his goons letting Tudd know that he can’t sell Alderaanian White Wine behind their back. What Lando hopes is a warning against involving yourself in a life of crime, Jiandy sees as an opportunity to snatch Askroh’s brooch right from his lapel. Naturally this backfires and the issue ends on a cliff-hanger as Lando and Jiandy are caught red-handed!
Elsa Charretier perfectly captures the swagger of Lando Calrissian throughout; furthermore, she replicates this in the aspiring Jiandy excellently. She captures the cheekiness you’d expect him to display when presented with such an opportunity. In addition, the numerous panels which show Lando in a Cloud City bar reflect the atmosphere completely; each of these panels is packed with recognisable alien species (the appearance of an unexpected Kaminoan is my personal favourite!)
This part of the issue is coloured by Sarah Stern and her work incorporating the colour pallets of Bespin’s live-action appearance makes the locale instantly recognisable in the comic. The interior is bright with pale blues and numerous lights, while the exterior is a mix of tan, mauve, and every shade in-between. Her work with Charretier’s art makes this a visual treat, while Charretier and Colinet tell us a tale which shows the more noble side of Lando Calrissian.
The issue’s Dispatches From Wild Space page provides readers with an insight into future adventures. Through a response to a fan letter, Emil states that “next up we have an action-packed adventure featuring Anakin Skywalker and Padmé Amilada!” While this is all very exciting, we can only hope that the second parts to both Powered Down and Family Affair come soon!
Overall: 7/10
