Review: ‘Sana Starros’ #4 – ‘Part Four – Perfect Strangers’ Brings a Long Awaited Family Reunion
Things are coming to a head in Sana Starros’ comic run. As Perfect Strangers‘ cover art suggests, brother Phel gets involved in a big way as the two siblings have their first long-teased confrontation.
Phel gets quite a lot of dialogue in this issue, finally getting to tell his side of the story about why he joined the Empire. From his perspective it’s almost understandable and makes for a sympathetic story, but is undermined slightly by the fact that we’ve never really seen his sister actually discuss her side yet. Sana has been elusive on the subject, reluctant to discuss a topic that hurts her so much, so we wait to hopefully hear her version of events in the final issue.
While everything with Phel makes for interesting reading, Sana’s story treads water for a little bit until the two siblings finally meet. There is an attempt to shed some light on her character through interactions with Deva Lompop, but the promise never pays off and we don’t really get any extra insight as to who Sana is as a person. It’s not bad reading by any means, but I was expecting a bigger moment of emotional catharsis that never came.
By the end of the issue, the story is perfectly set up for an action packed conclusion as Sana, Aryssha and Phel’s stories all begin to come together. Sana Starros continues to be a fun read.
Spoilers ahead…
While Sana, Mevera and Deva Lompop plan to rescue Grammy from the bounty hunter, we waste little time getting to see more of Phel as he comes to speak with Aryssha. He comes off as the textbook smarmy and snooty Imperial officer looking down on the rest of his family, though we soon get his origin story.
From his point of view, when Sana went off to join the University of Bar’Leth, he was left with no support system in her wake. He fell in with a rough crowd and believes his family didn’t care enough to intervene, especially when he got arrested. He then claims that the Imperials actually gave him opportunities he wasn’t afforded with his family, though the comic panel seems to suggest to me that he went through a form of brainwashing. If so, then we are allowed to feel a modicum of empathy for him.
Who knows, maybe the Starroses actually didn’t do enough for him? Perhaps they could have tried harder to support him and stop him from going down this path. Unless Sana offers a compelling counter in the final issue, then maybe this is on them. Unless he wasn’t brainwashed and made the choice by himself, which changes things. He might have had no help, but he’s old enough to make his own choices and he would have no right to put that at their door.
Still, it doesn’t make his self-righteousness any less nauseating. He leaves Aryssha urging her to “grow the next generation of the Empire, and be proud of your husband” which is pretty sickening patriarchal advice.
Back on the family ship, Sana quickly works out that they’re walking into a trap. Not unlike Obi-Wan in Revenge of the Sith, Deva believes the best course of action is to spring the trap. They make a quick pitstop on the planet where they’re meeting the bounty hunter, when Deva goads Sana into a fight, believing that working off some stress might help lighten her load and help her to focus.
It’s a sound idea and I expected to get some emotional declaration from Sana at the end of it, only for her to turn around and tell her that it didn’t work. It’s perfectly fine as character beats go, but I can’t lie that I wasn’t a little disappointed. What was the fight for then, other than an unsubtle attempt to work some more action into the comic?
They spring the trap and unsurprisingly they are ambushed by Imperials, in a plan orchestrated by Phel himself. While stormtroopers barrel Grammy and Mevera into a transport craft, the two siblings go toe to toe with each other. Phel talks big, making it sound as if he has the upper hand, but Sana is clearly winning the fight before he pulls a gun on her. Admittedly, bringing a gun to a fist fight is a good way to get the upper hand, and Sana is only saved when Deva Lompop tackles her out of the way, taking a blaster shot for her honorary family member.
Amusingly, Phel is clearly terrified of “Auntie Deva” and swiftly retreats. While Sana and Deva plan their next move to rescue the rest of the Starroses, Grammy and Mevera are reunited with Aryssha just in time for her water to break. It seems Aryssha will be going through labor while Sana and Deva rescue them next issue, adding an enticing element of chaos to proceedings.
Sana Starros has always been a fun read and this week was no exception. Apart from one noteable weak point, this was another strong issue in a consistently fun series and it was interesting to finally get Phel’s point of view. I await the final issue with great interest.
Rating: 7/10
Josh is a huge Star Wars fan, who has spent far too much time wondering if any Star Wars character could defeat Thanos with all the Infinity Stones.
