Star Wars War of the Bounty Hunters 4-Lom & Zuckuss

Star Wars War of the Bounty Hunters: 4-Lom & Zuckuss

Marvel Comics 2021

Written by Daniel José Older

Illustrated by Kei Zama

Coloured by Felipe Sobreiro

Lettered by VC’s Ariana Maher

ZUCKUSS BATTLES 4-LOM! WAR OF THE BOUNTY HUNTERS TIE-IN!

Together, lethal droid 4-LOM and Gand Findsman Zuckuss make an unparalleled bounty hunting team. Yet a brutal battle with Boba Fett has divided them. Lost and alone on the crime-infested streets of Nar Shaddaa, Zuckuss faces down an utterly transformed 4-LOM…but why is his old friend out for blood? The answer may lie in the past, from an early mission that helped forge their formidable partnership. Daniel José Older and Kei Zama’s one-shot is the second of four action-packed “War of the Bounty Hunters” tie-ins about the criminal underworld’s most notorious hunters and scoundrels, all told by the best STAR WARS writers and illustrators in the galaxy.

I started reading the Bounty Hunters title because the premise behind it sounded interesting and now here I am completely and utterly involved in the whole War of the Bounty Hunters. I may not know who a lot of these characters are but that hasn’t stopped me from enjoying these one single bit and while all the tie-ins aren’t required reading this is one of those incredibly rare instances where I highly recommend reading all of them.

I love the way that this is being told. The story & plot development we see through how the sequence of events unfold as well as how the reader learns information is presented exceptionally well. The character development that we see through the dialogue, the character interaction and how they act and react to the situations and circumstances which they encounter really brings these characters some great individual personalities. The pacing is great and as it takes us through the pages revealing the story, the world and the characters we are immersed in this so incredibly well.

I appreciate the way that we see this being structured and how the layers within the story emerge and grow. The layers contain the characterisation, the plot twists and a revelation or two and while they may not all work with the main arc they all add depth, dimension and complexity to the story. The way that we see everything working together to create the story’s ebb & flow as well as how it moves the story forward is perfectly achieved.

I am completely and utterly impressed with the quality of the interiors here. The linework we see is exquisite and how the varying weights and techniques are being utilised to create this level & quality of detail in the work we see is astounding! The one thing I would like to see more of are backgrounds, they enhance and expand the moments and yet how we see the composition within the panels bring out the depth perception, sense of scale and the overall sense of size and scope to the story is marvellous. The utilisation of the page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels show a remarkably talented eye for storytelling. The creativity and imagination is spectacular and these species to be brought to life this way is extraordinary. The colour work is brilliantly rendered as well. The various hues and tones within the colours being utilised to create the shading, highlights and shadow work demonstrate this amazing eye for how colour works.

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This is a delightful story and while it fits into the war nicely it really gives us a chance to really get to know the other characters who may have appeared here and there throughout the franchise. What this does is that it makes me really want to see more. There is a rich tapestry of untapped potential within the Star Wars universe and while we get plenty of the main cast it’s books like this where my interests lie. With some stellar writing and strong characterisation wrapped up in some stunning interiors this is what embodies the Stars Wars universe to me.