Things Go Right, Until They Go Wrong in Marvel’s Star Wars #46

Written by Kieron Gillen

Art by Salvador Larroca

Mutiny at Mon Cala Part III

The Rebellion continues their mission to liberate Mon Cala! Princess Leia has a nearly impossible plan to unite the planet with the Rebel Alliance, one that counts on the unique skills and cultural know-how belonging to the one-and-only… See-Threepio?!

 

When we left our Rebels in the previous issue, they had broken into the Dex Acquisitions Depot to liberate a member of the Clawdite species whose shape shifting abilities could help them replace the Moff of the Calamari Sector in order to free the Calamari king, Lee-Char, and expand the Rebel Alliance.

 

As this issue opens, we learn that the Clawdite’s name is Tunga Arpagion and that he has quite a reputation (and not just in the underworld).

 

 

Tunga has his reservations about impersonating Moff Tan Hubi for any period of time, because the Rebels do not have the man’s personal files. Leia reassures him that it’s opera opening season on Mon Cala and the dignitaries will only sit and watch the opera – for hours. Once they complete their mission, they would extract Tunga out. She is counting on the fact that Tunga is bored and fame-hungry and she is right.

 

On Mon Cala, the team is preparing to snatch the Moff. They have sent the droids in with the caterers and Luke, disguised as a storm trooper, is preparing to drag him away once he is drugged so that Tunga can steal his face. The Clawdite is surprised with the amount of information the Rebels have, but it is not a surprise for the reader – Queen Trios is in attendance.

 

 

But, these are the Rebels we are talking about, and right off the bat things go haywire. Luke, Han and Chewie are accosted by a female Imperial officer and Han has to do some of his customary ingenious “talking his way out of it”.

 

 

However, the rest of the plan works surprisingly well: the droids deliver the drugged drink and the Rebels are able to kidnap the Moff for Tunga to take his shape and his place. But Princess Leia doesn’t really trust him, so she tasks C-3PO to watch over him and make sure that he isn’t discovered. If that happens, he must buy the Rebels enough time to complete their mission.

 

 

Lee-Char is kept on another water world – Strokill Prime. It’s protected both from space and local atolls. But, with the Resistance already having all the codes and now Tan Hubi’s biosigniture, the team is able to dive right in into the planet’s ocean and – right into danger!

 

As it turns out, the Imperial forces are not Strokill Prime’s only protection. The planet has its own guardians.

 

 

I am greatly enjoying this arc of the titular Star Wars comic, especially its connectivity with the current Darth Vader run. My constant complaint about it, namely Larroca’s art, actually worked quite well in this issue. Whether it was less human characters and more aliens, interiors, and locations, the art didn’t pull me once out of the story and Larroca gave us a couple lovely panels with all our heroes.

 

That being said, this is clearly the middle issue of the arc. In other words, the plot thickens, moving us forward and setting up the following issues. And, while it may lack in earth-shattering events, it is always good to see something going right for our heroes (though you know it won’t last). Additionally, I really like Gillen’s writing. He understands the vibe of the original trilogy and writes it so well: the relationships between the original cast (including the droids) and their personalities, the little throwbacks to the movies. Tunga commenting on Luke’s height in the light of the Imperial regulations, the dynamic between Han and Chewie as well as the bickering between R2 and C-3PO made me smile.

 

This is an excellent arc, but this issue isn’t the right place to jump in. If you want the complete Mon Cala story in this period, start with issue 44 and then go to the last arc of Darth Vader comic. Once both arcs are done, together with the assorted episodes of The Clone Wars, we should have a pretty complete story of Mon Cala in the galaxy far, far away.

 

Will C-3PO hold the fort on Mon Cala? How will our heroes escape the giant devil fish? You will have to wait for…

 

THE NEXT ISSUE:

 

Star Wars #47 – (W) Kieron Gillen; (A) Salvador Larroca

 

 

The Rebellion’s fight to liberate Mon Cala continues! While Han, Luke and Leia undertake a perilous and nigh-impossible rescue, Threepio must keep up his vital mission…of hobnobbing at the opera?!

 

Until then, this issue gets 6.5/10 stars.

 

 

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Staff member, comic and book reviewer. Cheers for the Light Side, but would drink with Grand Admirals.

Jelena Bidin (LadyMusashi)

Staff member, comic and book reviewer. Cheers for the Light Side, but would drink with Grand Admirals.

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