Thursday, October 8, 2015

Star Wars Lando Comic #5 Review/Recap (Spoilers!): Leaves the Door Open for more Books


Well, I may have predicted the bounty hunter, Chanath, was a women, but I was completely wrong about who she was in love with. I thought she would be a former lover of Lando, but instead she was an important fling for Lobot. I thought the sith artifacts would be what Lando would sell and use to become the leader of Cloud City, but the ship blew up. This also shot a hole in my theory that Lando held onto one of the artifacts and it effected Kylo Ren (who I think is a Skywalker/Solo).  I still think this could be the case if Lando pocketed a few on his way off the ship, but probably not. The series still showed us that sith artifacts do have an effect on individuals around them, which could play a major role in the new movies. This five issue run of Lando comics have been my favorite of all the Star Wars comics, and the last issue leaves room for countless other stories to be told.
What I liked most about the Lando comics is how they captured and expanded on the character of Lando. He’s a smooth charming leader who can rally a team around him, but it seems his plans always fall apart. Lando at the start of this issue is still trying to figure out a way to salvage some of the score off of the Imperial ship. Chanath coolly points out that if any of the artifacts are sold the Emperor will know she failed in her job and Darth Vader will soon be sent after her and him. Lando then drops the nugget that her old flame Lobot is on the ship and hurt. This really shocked me since I was sure Chanath was an old flame of Lando.  
Along with trying to save Lobot they have to deal with the two cat warriors who have been infected by the sith artifacts. Chanath takes on one, and Lando in a smooth move takes out another. I loved this scene with Lando. He’s got an image that he’s a lover not a fighter, but that’s because those who have seen him fight have never lived to tell the tale. It’s very James Bondish. Lando is a grifter James Bond in space, that’s a piece of who he is this first run of comics. He’s also something more, as he rushes to save Lobot and makes sure he’s not left behind.
Lobot in the end saved Lando and Chanath by reactivating the escape pods on the ship. In doing this he let his computer implants take over his mind, and he loses his humanity. Lando at the end of the comics wants to try and find a cure for Lobot. This prompts a message from Lobot pleading with Lando to find a better path. Lobot sees the good man in Lando and wants him to become more than just a schemer and conman. I think it is assumed Lando never did find a cure for Lobot, since he did not have a line in Empire Strikes Back, but he seems to have taken his friends advice by becoming the leader of Cloud City.
How did he become the leader of Cloud City? How did Lobot and Chanath meet? How did Lando pay off his debt that caused him to go on this crazy mission to begin with? Each of these questions could be a new run of comics, and I hope they decide to continue the line. The writer captured Lando’s character so well, it would be a shame not to get more adventures with him as the writer. I’m not much of an art critic, but I liked most of the art in the comics. It doesn’t stand out like the story does, but it’s still well done.
I didn’t have any problems with the last issue. The Cat people are a little odd, but I never had a big issue with them. They just seemed a necessary part of the team Lando assembled for the mission. It was a fitting conclusion to the first run of books, leaving the possibility open for new Lando stories to be told.

What did you think of the final issue of the run? Do you hope they will continue with more Lando comics? Thanks for reading and comment and let me know. 

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