Review: Inferno Squad Shines in Marvel’s ‘Star Wars: Bounty Hunters’ #33
Iden Versio and Inferno Squad are done playing around. Star Wars: Bounty Hunters has entered its next big event as our heroes begin their battle against the famed Battlefront II squadron. After a couple of issues of teasing, Iden Versio and her team make their move.
Ethan Sacks continues his hot streak with Bounty Hunters #33, delivering an issue that honors its guest stars and recurring characters. It’s been said that this confrontation with Inferno Squad will change the series forever, but as far as this writer is concerned, Bounty Hunters has long since turned a corner, and I welcome the next phase of this story.
Spoilers ahead…
After Valance and the team are forced to land on the planet Depatar for repairs on the Edgehawk, T’onga checks the perimeter for Imperial presence. If only she knew about Dio.
Iden Versio’s droid eavesdrops, and we jump to Inferno Squad plotting their next move. It felt like a Battlefront II mission briefing through and through. Sacks expertly captures each member of the squadron. Gideon Hask has his usual stern bravado, Del Meeko has his quirky comic relief, and Iden manages all of their egos. The trio bounces off each other well as Iden lectures Hask on why they should respect their prey.
Meanwhile, their targets are busy brawling as tensions finally boil over between Valance and Bossk. Picking things back up where they left off from Bounty Hunters #3, their brawl seems to be the last straw for Tasu Leech after he tries to break it up. The future Kanjiklub leader has been a welcome side character, so I’m curious to see if he will be at the center of some drama in these following few issues.
T’onga steps in and puts a stop to the fight before she and 4-LOM go to the market for a hyperdrive. Dio, still listening in, reports the movement back. Inferno Squad’s plan is now in place as it’s revealed that they commandeered the nearest supply depot they would be going to.
Sacks then takes readers on an essential detour to Corellia and what’s happening with Vukorah. Those who were planning on usurping the Unbroken Clan throne are met with a surprise when Vukorah shockingly relinquishes control of the syndicate. Everyone is then met with a second surprise when IG-88 finally reappears and starts shooting up the joint.
One big question I have as we enter into a post-Hidden Empire galaxy is regarding Cadeliah. She is mentioned several times in this issue, but I have to ask: what is her place in all of this? Why would she even want this life after the events of Hidden Empire? If the girl learned anything from Qi’ra and the final message she received from the Crimson Dawn matriarch, Cadeliah is best served getting as far away as possible.
Sadly we still don’t know if we’re approaching the endgame for this era of comics (even with the announcement of Dark Droids), but the question of how this sect of the Star Wars underworld gets out of this endless cycle of violence still burns bright. In any case, it’s welcome to see this issue’s forward motion on the larger narrative of the series, even with the fan-servicey story playing out elsewhere. Sacks continues to show discipline in weaving his saga when it would be so easy to settle for writing mindless action.
Meantime, T’onga, and 4-LOM are quickly met with resistance the moment they make it into the vicinity of Inferno Squad. The droid is rendered useless, and T’onga is left all alone. What ensues is a fun bout between Iden and T’onga. I liked seeing the respect Iden has for her opponent and how she simultaneously treats it like a game. You won’t find a worse Battlefront II player than me if all you give me is a blaster, but there’s always a part of me that enjoys stalking that one last enemy in a mission, and that’s what this fight hearkened back to.
Eventually, Hask surprises T’onga and knocks her out. When we cut to a wider panel that revealed him, it looked like Hask was dragging 4-LOM’s corpse through the city streets, which seems on brand. The issue closes with Del getting into sniper position, while Iden disguises herself as T’onga and approaches the Edgehawk with a reanimated 4-LOM. The duo avoids suspicion thanks to the hyperdrive that our heroes need to escape. If only Inferno Squad felt kind on this day and would let that happen.
Bounty Hunters #33 is a setup issue, but it puts all the pieces in place very well for the final chapter. Inferno Squad presents the biggest threat to our crew yet, and I will be spending the next month wondering how they get out of this. This issue is immense fun for fans of Battlefront II, and it was great to see this team in its prime once again. I wish there were more than one issue left with them because they just got here to mix things up.
RATING: 8/10
Nate uses his love for Star Wars and movies in general as a way to cope with the pain of being a Minnesota sports fan. When he's not at the theater, you can usually find Nate reading a comic, listening to an audiobook, or playing a Mario video game for the 1,000th time.
