Star Wars #16 Review (Marvel Star Wars)

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Don’t say your prison is secret and safe. That is just asking for trouble.

Warning: This article contains spoilers for Star Wars #16.

Star Wars #16

Writer: Jason Aaron | Penciler: Leinil Yu | Inker: Gerry Alanguilan | Colorist: Sunny Gho | Letterer: Chris Eliopoulus | Cover: Terry Dodson & Rachel Dodson

 The other half, the rebel half, of the aftermath of Vader Down begins with Star Wars issue 16. A new artist, the reintroduction of a character from a past story arc, and questionable motives by the galaxy’s most famous smuggler combine to introduce an interesting tale of what happens when Darth Vader’s secret agents is captured by the Rebel Alliance.

Having overcome her temptation to exact revenge on Darth Vader by sacrificing her allies and friends during the events of Vader Down, Leia managed to capture a consolation prize by taking Dr. Aphra prisoner. However, Dr. Aphra is not easily contained. This issue opens with her having escaped from her fourth set of binders. Dr. Aphra is in a stand-off with Leia and some rebel soldiers. She momentarily gains the upper hand only to be thwarted by Sana Starros (more commonly known as Sana Solo to many readers after the previous Star Wars arc). Leia has retained Sana and her ship, the Volt Cobra, to transport Dr. Aphra to a prison facility, Sunspot Prison, used by the Rebel Alliance.

The prison warden welcomes Dr. Aphra and her captors. Ever defiant, Dr. Aphra declares she won’t be staying long. She is counting on Darth Vader rescuing her. Unknown to her is that Darth Vader placed a bounty on her head (see issue 16 of Darth Vader), and that bounty is to return her dead or alive. Whether she is actually believes Vader has her best interest at heart, or she is exhibiting bravado in the face of the Rebels is unclear. Given her concerns whether Vader would hold her accountable  for the ambush in Vader Down, it is likely she at least suspects that Vader wouldn’t hesitate to have her eliminated as it is risky to leave her in the hands of the Rebellion.

The warden’s response to Aphra’s declarations that she would not be staying long was to point out that nobody knows where the prison is, and therefore, nobody will be able to find her. Of course, in the next panel, a bounty hunter, his minions, and some droids have already found the prison and are preparing to attack.

Beyond the clichéd famous last words of the warden, there are some other interesting world building elements and story building elements revealed by the prison scenes. First, Aphra has been in the Rebellion’s custody for weeks. While in their custody, she has been interrogated by Alliance Intelligence extensively. She didn’t give anything up. She isn’t quite the security risk that Darth Vader believes her to be. Second, in response to disclosure about Aphra’s resistance to interrogation, Sana states her belief the Alliance will lose the war. The Rebels are not as ruthless as the Empire. She wouldn’t have been afraid to resort to torture to get what she needed from Aphra or to terminate her  and be done with her. Finally, Aphra and Sana have a past. Aphra asks Sana to get her out of the prison for “old times sake.” This exchange reinforces the small galaxy feel that has come to resonate in the comics. Before the current run on Star Wars by Marvel, nobody had ever heard of Dr. Aphra or Sana. However, both of these new characters, which were introduced in different books (Darth Vader and Star Wars respectively) and are associated with major characters in the Star Wars universe, know each other and encounter each other here. Han Solo was familiar with Dr. Aphra in the pages of Vader Down and was not excited to hear she was involved. Perhaps he heard of her from Sana or Aphra had some involvement in whatever scam Han Solo ran that so upset Sana.

Elsewhere in the galaxy, Han and Luke are on a mission to buy supplies. Despite Luke’s protests, Han is using the money to gamble. Unfortunately, Han is a little rusty at cheating and is caught doing so. They lose the Alliance’s credits as they make their getaway. This is the weakest part of the issue. The fact that Han would get caught cheating is not terribly surprising. However, in the past, he hasn’t made a slapstick escape. Here, he and Luke flee from the gambling tables while Han yells for Luke to run for his life. This isn’t the same guy that stared down Greedo in the cantina in Mos Eisley. This isn’t the same guy that talked his way out of trouble in the docking bay when Jabba and his minions surrounded the Millennium Falcon. This resolution to getting caught just seemed ridiculous and takes the reader out of the story.

Luke is not pleased that he and Han have let the Rebellion down. Han is more disappointed that his attempts to cheat failed, but is relieved that Chewbacca wasn’t around to see it. Han’s decision to cheat wasn’t without motivation though. He saw an opportunity to turn the credits the Rebellion had given into them into more money with which he could use to get rid of the bounty on his head. When he admonishes Luke for not understanding what that was like, Luke surprises him by stating he too has a bounty on his head. Han takes this as a new reason to bond with Luke, and proposes a way to regain the credits they lost. Someone in the galaxy always needs something smuggled somewhere. Of course, if it was so easy to find profitable smuggling work, one must wonder why Han simply didn’t find some work before now to pay off his bounty.

Han’s actions in these panels seem like a step backwards for this character. Since issue one of Star Wars, he has gradually been integrating himself into the Rebellion. Granted, his mission to Cymoon 1 in the first issue was partially motivated by his desire to secure parts for the Millennium Falcon. Since then, he has openly identified himself as a Rebel after Sana Starros attempted to turn Princess Leia over to the Empire. When he heard Luke was on trouble on Nar Shadda, he didn’t hesitate to head there with Leia to rescue him. His motivations haven’t always been pure, but he hasn’t taken advantage of the Rebellion in this manner before.

The issue concludes with the bounty hunter and his small army assaulting the prison. Once again, just as the Warden comments on the safety and security of the prison, his words are contradicted by the attack. Overall, it is an enjoyable issue. The choice to bring Sana back into the story was curious. Sana does not identify with the Rebels, and as previously discussed, believes they are doomed to lose the war. Leia had to pay her to deliver them to the prison. Why another Rebellion ship couldn’t have completed that task in not explained, but perhaps the reason is that a Rebellion ship would have been recognized and could have been tracked. More than likely, Sana has a larger part to play in the subsequent story. The cover of the next issue is teased at the end of this issue, and it suggests the story will focus on Luke and Han as they complete their smuggling mission to get the Rebellions credits back.

Favorite Panel:

Leinil Yu makes his Star Wars debut as the penciler for the current story arc. While the art is good, the change is jarring. Star Wars has had a very cinematic style through most of its run. Yu’s style does not quite pull the cinematic quality off, but it is well suited for a general comic book. Sunny Gho contributes colors for this arc. His color scheme is more muted than what has preceded it. While the style of the art takes a little getting used to, it does a fine job capturing the likeness of the characters. I particularly like Yu’s rendition of Dr. Aphra, and I have chosen a panel featuring the archaeologist as this issue’s favorite panel.