FORMAT: TRADE PAPERBACK | RELEASE DATE: DECEMBER 26TH

With the recent arrival of the Bounty Hunters ongoing series from Marvel, you could be excused for believing that the focus of the series would be Lucasfilm’s most famous tracker Boba Fett, especially given how far out such projects are planned and in light of his recent return in Season 2 of The Mandalorian. Interesting then that Lucasfilm opted to delve right back into the mists of their pre-EU past and pull out a character from the beginning of the expanded story in Beilert Valance, the cyborg bounty hunter who has enjoyed a strong revival in the pages of the Han Solo spin-off Han Solo – Imperial Cadet, the mini-series Target Vader, and the long-overdue 108th issue of the original Marvel Star Wars run.

Interesting and well-chosen, as Valance has proven to be the perfect character to follow through the first sequence of stories in Bounty Hunters as he cements his reputation in the bounty hunting community and protects a young girl from the warring sights of rival underworld clans. Smartly, the series has ‘guest-starred’ a number of familiar faces and helmets including Bossk and Boba Fett who entered the story explosively.

It’s a hard-edged series for sure, and the action within doesn’t hold back its punches, but there’s a tonal quality to the issues that very much hits the nail on the head, with a ’90s style thump that’s very welcome as we journey into the underworld. Great art by Paolo Villanelli and spot-on scripting by Ethan Sacks makes this a must-have trade.