Star Wars: Age of Rebellion – Boba Fett #1 Review

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The galaxy’s most notorious bounty hunter lives by his own code in a western styled story as told in Star Wars: Age of Rebellion – Boba Fett #1.

This article contains plot points for Star Wars: Age of Rebellion – Boba Fett #1.

Age of Rebellion: Boba Fett #1

Story: Greg Pak | Art: Mark Laming | Color: Neeraj Menon | Lettering: VC’s Travis Lanham | Cover Artists: Terry and Rachel Dodson | Production Designer: Anthony Gambino | Assistant Editor: Tom Groneman | Editor: Mark Paniccia

Perhaps there is no other character in all of Star Wars that is as mysterious as Boba Fett. Before the prequels, there were multiple attempts in the Legends continuity to define exactly who he was and where he came from. Of course, Star Wars fans came to learn that he was the clone of Jango Fett in Attack of the Clones, but even then, the mystique of Boba Fett never lost his appeal with most of the Star Wars fandom. It is that mystique that is on display as Greg Pak sheds a little light on Boba Fett’s personal code in Age of Rebellion – Boba Fett #1.

The Appeal of Boba Fett

Fett has a lot going for him that attracts fans. First, he is a bounty hunter. He wanders into the corners of society that most would fear to tread to track down his bounty. He brings back his targets dead or alive, but he always gets his man. Second, he has the armor. The Mandalorian armor is revered among Star Wars fans, and it all got its start with Boba Fett. Third, outside of The Clone Wars, Boba fett was a man of few words. Pak combines all of these traits in a Western inspired story in Age of Rebellion – Boba Fett #1.

In it for the Money

Boba Fett #1 has an obvious parallel to Age of Rebellion – Han Solo #1. Each issue explores financial motivation and the willingness to join the cause or “do what is right.” In Solo #1, Han protested to everyone that would listen than he wasn’t part of the Rebellion. As he said in A New Hope, he was in it for the money. However, that proved not to be the case. When Luke needed him for a mission, he complained loudly about it, but he got the mission done. Similarly, when his smuggler friends landed in trouble, he sacrificed all of his profits to bail them out.

Boba Fett is Han’s infamous rival. In Boba Fett #1, nobody is danger from the bounty hunter unless they have a bounty on their head. This statement is made at the very beginning of the issue. When a rival bounty hunter fears that Fett is after him, his companion assures him he has nothing to worry about. He tells his partner, “He ain’t coming for us unless he’s paid.” This proves to be true. Fett was passing by with the body of a bounty strapped on the back of his mount. That same bounty hunter, Zingo, ended up having a bounty on his head. When Fett took the bounty on Zingo, he virtually ignored everyone else along the way unless they were in his way. Han may have told everyone, loudly, that he was just interested in the credits. Actions speak louder than words though. Unlike Solo, Fett proved that it was all about hunting the bounties.

The Western Theme of Boba Fett #1

Fett’s ethics contributed to the western feel of Boba Fett #1. Midway through the issue, Zingo betrays his partner. That partner would then clue Fett in on where Zingo was with his dying breath. It is a classic western moment. Later, Zingo, on the run from Fett, attempts to hold a town hostage after slaughtering many of its citizens. Fett charges right through the town and gets his man. The town misinterprets his actions as benevolent. If there was any other doubt that this issue was inspired by westerns, then they are put to rest by the very fact that Fett essentially rides a horse in the beginning of the issue. Not a literal horse, but a robotic mount that resembles one. Oh, and Boba Fett #1 takes place on a desert planet called Carajam (which could easily be mistaken for Tatooine or Jakku).

The Portrayal of Fett

Boba Fett #1 paints Fett as a man with a code. He hunts bounties. If you have a bounty on you, then you are in danger. This point is nailed home at the end of the issue. A relative of one of the townswomen that Fett freed as a byproduct of his capture of Zingo pleads with Fett for help against the Xan sisters (who, by the way, were mentioned by Val in Solo: A Star Wars Story as a better option to join Beckett’s team than Han and Chewbacca). This man, Stallo, unfortunately had a bounty on his head, which Fett discovers while ignoring his pleas as he enters a cantina. As Stallo appeals to Fett’s sense of justice by extolling Fett’s history of hunting “bad men, murderers, and criminals,” Fett finally responds with the declaration that he hunts bounties.

Fett’s portrayal here is in line with that of Jango and a young Fett from Age of Republic – Jango Fett #1. That issue established that the Fetts were disciplined bounty hunters that carried a code of ethics, which were admittedly dubious considering they hunted sentient beings for money. There was a purpose and a reason for what they did. They weren’t unnecessarily cruel. Contrast this with Fett’s portrayal in Star Wars #5. In that early issue of the main Star Wars title for Marvel, Fett maims, murders, and bullies his way across Tatooine. On the surface, there seems to be a discrepancy between the portrayal of Fett between the two series. Perhaps, these characterizations can be reconciled in that Fett was cruel in Star Wars #5 because that was what was necessary to get his bounty. Regardless, Fett in Boba Fett #1 seems more consistent with the Fett from the rest of the Star Wars universe.

Final Thoughts on Boba Fett #1

Boba Fett #1 might be the best issue of the Age of Rebellion series so far. As mentioned earlier, the story pairs very well with Han Solo #1. The action is beautifully illustrated by Marc Laming. He makes great use of perspective, especially in the final panel when Fett turns on Stallo. This issue, like many of the issues in both Age of Republic and Age of Rebellion prove that one shot issues will work for Star Wars and Marvel. Not everything needs to be a five part story arc. Boba Fett #1 has a lot going for it: art, story, and moral. Greg Pak’s work shines.