Poe Dameron #16 Review

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Black Squadron will complete this mission no matter what.

This article contains plot details for Poe Dameron #16.

Poe Dameron #16

Writer: Charles Soule | Artist: Angel Unzueta | Colorist: Arif Prianto | Letterer: VC’s Joe Caramagna | Cover Artist: Phil Noto | Assistant Editor: Heather Antos | Editor: Jordan D. White

Speed, but in Space

Poe Dameron and Black Squadron will complete this mission no matter what. That is their mantra. After their friend and squad mate L’ulo perished in their previous mission, they are out to win one for him. However, the First Order laid an ambush for them. Under the command of Commander Malarus, the First Order sabotaged a fuel freighter intended for the Resistance. Much like the bus in Speed, if the freighter decelerates, then it will explode. Despite this, Poe and his mates manage to recover the fuel and defeat the First Order. The mission succeeded no matter what in Poe Dameron #16.

Commander Malarus

For this issue, Commander Malarus plays the role of antagonist. She is ruthless and demanding of the soldiers under her command. For instance, when Poe and Black Squadron isolate the First Order’s freighter hauling their fuel away, she demands the crew stay aboard the freighter at all costs. She ignores the danger posed by the Resistance fighters. In addition, she curses them for cowards when they abandon ship considering the hopelessness of their mission.

Striking a balance between ruthlessness and effectiveness is difficult for characters like these. Often, Imperial and First Order officers ape Darth Vader in severely punishing their underlings for failure. In this instance, there was no tactical reason for the First Order soldiers to die. They couldn’t defeat Black Squadron. They only had a turbolaser on their freighter. Malarus’s commands were harsh and cruel.

In addition, Agent Terex, in his “Lobot” mode, serves as Malarus’s advisor. He simply relates facts and calculates odds for the mission. In the early part of this issue, Malarus praises his usefulness. However, once she grows frustrated with Poe Dameron and Black Squadron’s success, she takes out that frustration by smacking Terex. If the goal is to portray Malarus as brutal but shortsighted, then this works. For the moment, she appears like so many other condescending Imperial or First Order officers that believe success is achieved simply by ordering success and a belief in superiority.

Agent Terex

Speaking of Agent Terex, his days as a mindless data source may be coming to an end. In her frustration with the events of the battle, Malarus strikes Terex. He impacts a wall, and there is a hint that the impact damaged his implant. Although there is no conclusive proof, he seems to regain a consciousness.

This is an interesting development for Terex. Assuming he escapes the control of the implant, what kind of future does he have? Can he reclaim a place in the First Order? He failed Phasma and Supreme Leader Snoke one too many times before. That is what landed him in this predicament. Perhaps he bides his time and finds a future elsewhere. Regardless, Soule expertly crafted a new plot line with a few subtle details in a few panels.

Poe Dameron Annual #1 included a big reveal that Poe Dameron learned that Agent Terex survived. Presumably, that issue occurred before this story. However, nothing from this issue indicated that this knowledge impacted Poe’s decisions or the mission in any fashion. Therefore, the impact of Poe Dameron Annual #1 is left for another day.

Conclusion

Poe Dameron #16 might be the best issue of this series yet. Despite the heavy handedness of Malarus, this issue succeeds in establishing Black Squadron as a resourceful squadron of fighter pilots. For instance, one-by-one, each of the pilots ran out of fuel. Just when it seemed Black Squadron ran out of options, Kare realized they could siphon some of the fuel from the Romary for their ships. In retrospect, it seems obvious. As Snap points out, everyone overlooked this including Poe and the First Order. This exchanged demonstrated the camaraderie of the unit as well.

Plus, under the control of the implant and free of his ego, Terex sang the praises of Poe Dameron and his squadron. Reciting the odds of success and defeat was a nice touch. In summary, this issue told the story of an elite unit. They acted like an elite unit, and they performed like an elite unit. Their reputation as “the best” is earned with issues like these.

Favorite Panel of Poe Dameron #16

Elite pilots have elite attitudes and egos. Consider Jess as an example. She loses her droid when the Romary explodes. She laments not only the loss of the droid, but that she has a reputation among astromechs as “The Great Destroyer.” As with the other pilots in the squadron, she runs out of fuel early on in this issue. Unlike the other pilots, she does so before landing in the hanger of the freighter. Jess’s skills and attitude see her through and she skids into the hanger in a controlled crash landing. It isn’t the most beautiful panel you will ever see, but it made me smile. That is the favorite panel for Poe Dameron #16.