Star Wars Bounty Hunters #17: Didn’t See That Coming

This is without a doubt one of the best issues of this series so far, that’s not hyperbole on my part, it’s a spoiler. Author Ethan Sacks seems to have some cuffs taken off or something because you can tell he’s beginning to take some real risks with this issue. I mean “things can’t be the same” risks. He’s also very comfortable with all aspects of the characters that star in this book, he uses a lot of different aspects of them in the writing in this issue. He takes advantage of one character’s past to create a brand-new perspective on the events that are currently happening, and also brings some characters from elsewhere to come in and give this series a boost (not that it needs it) in the whole intrigue in this corner of the Star Wars universe. What did impress me most is his handling of a pretty big cast and the balancing that goes with that. You get pretty much perfect amounts of everyone, some a little more, some a little less, and some that leave you desperately counting days until the next issue. I’m not even mentioning that action in this story, which is turned up to eleven. A really good story packed into this issue.

Artist Paolo Villanelli shines even brighter than he normally does in this issue, thanks to Sack’s story. The action is very intense and all over the place here, and introduces some unique elements into a Star Wars book. Ones that you don’t normally get here, it’s more than just a battle of lasers, it’s got some real cliffhanger elements to it. Villanelli excels at portraying characters in constant motion with the backgrounds also in motion, just at a different pace. Everything looks great with this issue and their are some big surprises that are made HUGE by Vallanelli’s art.