GONK catches up on last week’s Free Comic Book Day Star Wars / Serenity double feature.
What’s better than a free Star Wars comic? A comic that combines both Star Wars and Serenity in one issue! (In separate stories, and not some crazy ‘Verses-colliding crossover that would get canon lovers on both sides into a huff.) But wait – there’s a Whedon at the helm on this Star Wars adventure!
Han Solo and Chewbacca in “The Art of the Bad Deal”
In this vignette, Han and Chewie make a late delivery to a shady dealer, Verhandle, who is more interested in the Millennium Falcon than Han likes, and then bargains Solo down to sixty percent of his fee for the goods. Flying off, Solo discovers that he has some secret stowaways – Verhandle’s men, who try to take the smuggling ship at gunpoint. But the bad guys aren’t the only ones that can hide in secret compartments, as the Wookiee emerges from a hatch to turn the tables on their would-be hijackers.
Zack Whedon takes a short story of Han Solo and Chewbacca and gives us a peek into their relationship during the smuggling days. Han in charge of the talking, and Chewbacca in charge of the “public relations”, and who needs the other more. Solo may have once said that nothing beats a blaster at your side, but it’s even better to have a Wookiee watching your back. Whedon puts a little humor in at the end, reminding us that sometimes it’s not wise to upset a walking carpet. David Fabbri gives some soft pencils to the characters, which works great for Chewbacca and the aliens. Drawing Chewbacca is a unique challenge, and Fabbri pulls it off.
Serenity: Firefly Class 03-K64 – It’s Never Easy
Zack Whedon tells another tale of a man with a ship, and what happens when someone else covets it. While Zoe and most of the crew head out to make a delivery, Mal is approached by a stranger who also decides that taking a ship from a single man is easier than trying to buy it. Trying not to get shot by the wild-haired Frosty, Mal tries to talk his way out of danger, but his Wookiee in the smuggling compartment is none other than River, who saves the day.
Whedon’s dialogue is spot on – I can hear Nathan Fillion and Summer Glau and the rest of the cast in my mind saying these lines when I read the story. Fabio Moon provides the pencils and inks, and his slightly more sketch-cartoony style provides that sense that fits in a space western.
It is interesting to have Zack Whedon pen both stories about thwarted ship thefts – while both captains aren’t ready to part with their ships, their different styles lend them to handle the situations differently. Han knows that Chewie’s got his back and has planned for it, while Mal thinks he is alone, and has got to use his wit and swagger.
If you missed it at the store on Free Comic Book Day, Dark Horse Digital has it for free all month!