Poe Dameron #8 Review

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Poe looks for a traitor while Terex looks for a lost piece of his past in Poe Dameron #8.

Warning: this article contains spoilers for Poe Dameron #8.

Poe Dameron #8

Writer: Charles Soule | Artist & Cover: Phil Noto | Letterer: VC’s Joe Caramagna | Assistant Editor: Heather Antos | Editor: Jordan D. White

Summary

Acting as a leader in the resistance is no easy thing. The task becomes more difficult when there is a spy in your midst. That is precisely the position in which Poe finds himself in Poe Dameron #8. On the other side of conflict, Poe’s archrival, Agent Terex, aching over his defeat at Poe’s hands in issue six, begins a search for something he lost. Along the way, Terrex’s backstory surfaces.

A Spy in the Ranks

Trust is a key component of unit cohesion. Groups functions at their best when they can trust one another. This is especially true of a combat unit. Unfortunately, Poe finds himself doubting the loyalty of his unit. More specifically, he suspects his unit includes a spy for the First Order. He and General Organa concluded this because Terrex has easily caught up to Poe and Black Squadron all along Poe’s search for Lor San Tekka.

As issue eight commences, Poe takes his frustrations out on a punching bag while BB-8 looks on. The possibility of a traitor in his midst vexes him. For one, his unit is like family. He has known L’ulo since he was a kid. Second, he served with many of his squad mates for years. General Organa recruited Poe and Kare Kun at the same time. A loyalty exists between the members of the squad. Third, he fails to see who is lying. Snap Wexley becomes an accomplished liar if he is the culprit. He questioned how Terex kept up with them all along. Fourth, a spy means somebody actively sabotages their missions. Could Jessika Pava be holding them back?

Poe is angry to say the least. He holds someone responsible for his anger. That someone is Agent Terex. If Terex indeed planted a traitor to put Poe off balance, it is a brilliant move. Terex not only has a spy, but a distraction as well. Furthermore, this serves to expand the rivalry between the two.

Terex’s Past

Meanwhile, Agent Terex licks his wounds. As he does so, he contemplates his past. Terex’s relevant history begins with the Battle of Jakku. Terex was one of many stormtroopers in the battle. When the last of the Empire’s Stardestroyers crashed to the surface, Terex briefly found himself without direction. He was TK-603. TK-605 was his squad mate. Rather than die fighting, TK-605, also known as Corlac, shoots their squad leader. In response, TK-603 realizes survival requires abandoning the Empire temporarily.

However, Corlac appears ready to leave the Empire for good. Corlac views the Empire as dead. In contrast, Terex believes the Empire defeated but not gone. In Terex’s eyes, the Empire needs them more now than ever. The writing for these sections of the book stands out. Corlac and Terex don’t openly quarrel over this subject. They primarily focus on getting off Jakku. Their future comes later. Despite the shared immediate goal, a dispute seems to simmer under the surface.

Speaking of getting off Jakku, Terex manages to put together a starship for that very purpose. It might possibly be the ugliest starship ever seen. The wings are salvaged from a TIE interceptor. The engines belonged to an X-wing. As for the cockpit, it doesn’t come from a starship at all. No, Terex repurposed the “head” of an AT-AT for that function. It is ugly but oddly endearing at the same time.

A New Mission for Poe

C-3PO (“Threepio”) arrives to interrupt Poe’s ruminations regarding the spy situation and work on his X-wing. Threepio acts as General Organa’s emissary. After pulling Poe aside, Threepio outlines a vital mission. An operative in Threepio’s network transmitted that he had important information on the whereabouts of Supreme Leader Snoke. Poe’s response of “woah” said it all. Unfortunately, the transmission was terminated before the agent revealed Snoke’s intel. Poe must travel to the planet Kaddak to find the operative and retrieve any information it has.

In essence, this issue presents readers with another McGuffin. Of course, the first is Poe’s search for Lor San Tekka. Why is he looking for Lor San Tekka? Because Lor San Tekka might know where Luke Skywalker is. Why is Poe going to Kaddak? Because an operative might know where Supreme Leader Snoke is. It is a little early to decide whether this is an interesting coincidence or annoying similarity. One would hope that the best pilot in the galaxy might get more missions where he can actually use those skills.

One last detail concerning this mission: Poe needs to take one other pilot from Black Squadron as a backup. He can’t take the entire squadron lest he bring undue attention to the mission. Of course, he has trust issues with the other pilots right now. Therefore, he elects to take Oddy, the Abednedo technician with pilot skills, with him.

Droids Are Not Spies

When Threepio presents his intel to Poe, he explains that it came from his network. In response, Poe attempts to correct him that he means his droid spies. However, Threepio corrects Poe in return. His droids aren’t spies. The word “spy” implies “skullduggery” and “false pretenses.” His droids engage in no such actions. Droids are everywhere; and therefore, “[they] don’t have to sneak.” Their very existence is taken for granted. It grants them access to sensitive information and locations. The droids simply pass it along.

Interestingly, C-3PO is not offended by this notion. Droids are not afforded the same class as sentient beings. C-3PO and his counterparts simply do their jobs. It is their lot in life, so to speak.

As a side note, C-3PO has his red arm. Therefore, if readers wondered when the C-3PO one shot took place, it was before the events of the Poe Dameron series.

An Impending Conflict

Poe is not the only one headed to Kaddak. Once Terex and Corlac escaped from Jakku, they flew to Kaddak themselves. Terex started his hunt for remained of the Empire there. Now, having lost something during his recent defeats at the hands of Poe Dameron, he returns to Kaddak to find whatever it is. Undoubtedly, Poe and Terex are destined for a conflict there. His new quest comes at the expense of his duty to the First Order. He shoots a transmitter rather than report to Captain Phasma.

Conclusion

Poe Dameron #8 features two stories that converge. The first story details Poe’s anger and mistrust issues as he measures his squad mates looking for the spy in his midst. The second story features Terex’s attempt to recapture his drive and the qualities that made him ruthless and effective. It seems inevitable that these stories will collide on Kaddak. Soule did well in building intrigue this issue. The traitor plot line only has a few viable suspects given the events of The Force Awakens, but the answer is not necessarily cut and dried. Also, the mystery of Terex’s visit to Kaddak is still left open. This story arc promises to be a good one.

Favorite Panel of Poe Dameron #8.

 Phil Noto returned to this issue after taking a break for issue seven. As usual, his art is consistently good. This always makes it difficult when picking a favorite panel. However, the choice is easy for this issue only because I’m smitten with the starship Terex and Corlac clobbered together on Jakku. It’s premier panel is this issue’s favorite.