With cyborg Bounty hunter Valance’s connection – and debt – to Han Solo explained in Bounty Hunters #12, he and reluctant ally Dengar are attempting to rescue the Corellian smuggler from the clutches of notorious badass, Boba Fett. Seeking information as to his whereabouts on the Smuggler’s Moon, Nar Shadaa, they run into a few of Solo’s very close friends – one of whom is definitely not pleased to see them…

Another action-packed tie-in to War of the Bounty Hunters, this issue does feel a lot more connected to the crossover than the previous one – though it features a few characters and a situation I was completely unfamiliar with. Attempts are made at explaining their part of the story through some clunky expository dialogue, but I still wasn’t entirely sure what the situation was in their scenes.

Having little prior experience of Valance before last issue, I wasn’t sure what to make of him – in issue 12, he just seemed like a cyborg Han Solo substitute, but here he comes across as a bit of a reckless asshole, rather than the badass I think he’s supposed to be. It’s good to see him finally just let Han’s loyal co-pilot know that they’re on the same side, but it feels like this comes late only to service another action scene.

The revelation of a certain crime syndicate’s return isn’t a surprise to those of us who read War of the Bounty Hunters #1, so the cliffhanger has more impact on the characters than the reader here. Still, though this doesn’t feel like an entirely essential part of the crossover, it’s a fast-paced, fun read with some well drawn action scenes, even though they’re somewhat contrived from a writing point of view.