The annual published in Marvel Comics line of Star Wars comic books of course slips in the story of Poe Dameron working in the early days of the Resistance. Oscar Isaac’s character in The Force Awakens (2015). There is a painted cover of Poe in Top Gun pose behind a sun by Rod Reis. The story is by Jody Houser who has written the Rogue One and Thrawn comic book adaptations.
Andrea Broccardo provides the artwork. At the D’Qar Resistance Base, General Leia explains that the Resistance is desperate for credits. Threepio, he of course looks very much like the protocol droid, explains a mission to Poe that he discovered through his droid spy network. There is a trader from the Kudon species, Mek Nu’Tiv, she looks like a Bothan with a furry snout, but has curved horns. She has in her possession a data archive and the container is made of expensive metals.
This shifts to the Fluzi Clan Shipyard, Han and Chewie are smuggling a First Order shuttle. The Fluzi looks like red-skinned humanoids. They are headed to the meeting with Nu’Tiv to pay back debts. Black Squadron, Jessika Pava, Kare Kun, and Snap Wexley are looking over the old model starships. Kare was introduced in the Before the Awakening (2015) novel by Greg Rucka. They are worried about the ships, but Poe says it is the pilots not the ships that make the difference.
He flashes back to flying an X-Wing while his mentor, L’ulo, a Duro pilot who flies an A-Wing. L’ulo first appeared in the Shattered Empire comic book in 2015. Black Squadron flies Clone Wars-era starships including the Z-95 Headhunter that was first introduced in Han Solo at Stars’ End (1979) by Brian Daley. On Nu’Tiv’s cruiser, nice design, very Star Wars-y, she meets with First Order officers. She gets suspicious when she sees a slicer that the First Order would never hire.
The jig is up and Chewie blasts the slicer as Han takes cover. Black Squadron arrives and uses ion blasts to hit the cruiser. The action ramps up and Boccardo handles the likenesses well at this point. Han doesn’t know who is the new party shutting down power. Black Squadron has to take on fighters hidden by Mek Nu’tiv. As they engage with the fighters, Poe slips away to find the data archive.
Han realizes from seeing the data archive that it must be Leia and the Resistance so the duo has to help them without being noticed. This is a great way to bring in Han and Chewie without the team up. Nu’tiv pulls a blaster on Poe and he has to take care of her while fighting the mercenaries to reach the data archive. The MacGuffin, the data archive, has an interesting tie to Leia and this key to the survival of the Resistance. Some good starfighter action, blaster fights, all tied to an important part of a character. Poe is important, Black Squadron slightly less, but it is really Han and Chewie and one other character that drives the story.
Four Lightsabers out of Five!
#PoeDameron, #JodyHouser, #AndreaBroccardo, #BlackSquadron
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