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Writer: Matt Kindt

Artist: Marco Castiello

Publisher: Dark Horse Comics

Cover Price: $3.50

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This is it! One of the final Star Wars books to come out of Dark Horse before the license goes over to Marvel is going to put everyone’s favorite character Han Solo in the hands of superstar writer Matt Kindt. Taking place a little bit before Empire Strikes Back, Star Wars: Rebel Heist #1 follows Han as he teams up with a rookie partner for a dangerous mission against the Empire.

I wasn’t being hyperbolic in saying that Han Solo is everyone’s favorite character. He’s a charming sonuvabitch that effortlessly pulls off being cool. The temptation is there to have him be the protagonist of your book but there’s a reason Han isn’t the main character of his own movie. As a supporting character he’s fun but he could easily be a Mary-Sue if he were the lead. Instead, Kindt avoids temptation by putting a new character in the lead that creates a lot of opportunities for the book. This opens up the door for some serious analysis of Han as a person with some valid points being made about his attitudes towards danger.

From beginning to end, this issue is a blast with no clear indication of what direction it is heading in. Usually this would be cause for frustration but it’s absolutely thrilling as readers go on for a ride with the protagonist Jan on his first outing for the Rebellion. And what a ride it is with Marco Castiello handling the pencils. When he isn’t perfectly capturing the looks and charisma of a young Harrison Ford, he’s rendering these seedy alien strip clubs and thrilling chase sequences. Castiello’s storytelling is as clear as it is rapid which is a godsend to this book.

The book has a real humor to itself, too. A lot of this comes from the portrayal of Jan as a major Han Solo fanboy. This creates a nice parallel between the character and the reader that makes it easier for one to come to the same dark conclusion Jan reaches about Han by the end of the issue. But, aside from that, there’s a lot of fun with Jan mistaking a crappy transport for the Millenium Falcon to the point that it actually offends Han.

This is one of those books that makes Dark Horse’s impending loss of the Star Wars license a very bitter pill to swallow. If the next three issues can stick the landing then this is going to be just the right note to go out on. Star Wars: Rebel Heist #1 is a great start to something readers should be picking up.

PREVIEW

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Writer: Greg Rucka

Artist: Toni Fejzula

Publisher: Dark Horse Comics

Cover Price: $3.50

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  A woman is in need. Three men are dead. And no one really seems to know what to do. This issue picks up right from where the last one ended with Veil and Dante fleeing after she mysteriously/magically caused a man seeking to hurt her to gun down his scumbag friends and then himself. Dante doesn’t know what to do and Veil’s still acting like a space case so they do the only logical thing: they go get breakfast.

Those who were frustrated by the slow pace the first issue established are liable to be annoyed with this installment as Greg Rucka more or less continues at the same speed. For those of you that enjoyed that slower pace, you’re going to enjoy how Rucka allows scenes to develop and breath rather than rushing to throw plot at you. This is a horror book and it benefits from that slower pace. There are small hints as to what else Veil is capable of with a supernaturally intelligent and strong rat tailing her. The presence of rats in this issue, much like the previous one, is just gross and unsettling made all the better by Toni Fejzula’s alien artwork.

The biggest development is the introduction of the characters that may be responsible for whatever has happened to Veil. Cormac, one of the newly introduced characters, is an enigmatic presence with hidden motives turning just under the surface. He also brings with him a slightly better understanding of the dark magic and black masses that are turning the wheels of the plot. There’s a thing Cormac does with a vile of red liquid to a bodyguard that is so disgusting that I felt the need to question Fejzula’s ability to stomach drawing it and how bad Rucka must have felt putting it in the script.

I will say there’s a moment at the end involving a corrupt cop that I had some difficulty with. I couldn’t quite believe that a uniformed police officer would act in such a brazen way in the early light of day even with it already having been established that the characters are currently in a bad part of whatever city they’re in. It’s the only moment in the book that rings as false but it still works as a commentary on the victimization of women by male authority figures.

Trade-waiters need not apply, they’ll enjoy reading this excellently paced story better in a single serving, but the Wednesday warriors should be picking this up. Veil #2 is more of the same but that’s a good thing considering how fantastic – not to mention unsettling – the first issue was.

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Veil #1

Writer: Greg Rucka

Artist: Toni Fejzula

Publisher: Dark Horse

Cover Price: $3.50

Buy on DarkHorse.Com

  Veil is the latest project from Greg Rucka and it’s unlike anything you’ve ever read from him before. It’s a horror miniseries coming out of Dark Horse that follows a young woman who mysteriously awakens naked in an old subway station with no memory. When the woman who identifies herself as Veil is victimized, those men meet a grizzly fate.

This book is heavy on atmosphere. There’s a creeping sense of dread that can be found from the very first page and its cryptic clues as to what has occurred. The burned candles and pentagram hint at some sort of twisted black mass but the presence of a gun and money changing hands complicates things. There’s a mystery. Building on that, we have the scene in which Veil awakens, naked but not alone as she is surrounded by a horde of black rats. It’s enough to make your skin crawl and give your heebies a bad case of the jeebies. Rucka’s scripting is very sparse in this opening scene as he hands the reins over to artist Toni Fejzula.

Fejzula has a history working on H.P. Lovecraft properties so he knows how to handle the unearthly, ethereal tone that the book demands. He also does an exceptional job of portraying Veil in her naked state in a tasteful manner. Yes, the reader can see that she is beautiful but it’s never gross or exploitive. The exploitation in this book is left to the men.

When Veil awakens from whatever happened to her, she wanders onto a busy street in what looks like a red light district where nearly every man proceeds to ogle her and, in one case, attempt to sexually assault her. Already we can see that this book is going to take a look at how men treat women when they appear helpless as Veil is when she comes stumbling naked out of the subway and talking like a demented nursery rhyme. A lot of the dialogue in this stretch of the book is disgusting but the context demands it and it always ensures that the people saying these things come off as the monsters they are.

The one thing about this book that I had difficulty with was the lack of a clear, identifiable protagonist. Veil, for as intriguingly mysterious as she is, is mostly a blank slate on which men try to force themselves upon before meeting an untimely end. The only character readers can really identify with is Dante, the one man that isn’t out to exploit Veil and tries to keep her safe. When there’s such a focus on how men victimize women, it may hurt the book a little when our female protagonist isn’t much of a character yet. But there are signs that this won’t be the case much longer.

This is an intriguing entry into what promises to be a miniseries to remember. If you’re into horror that kicks off with a slow burn then this book should definitely be in your stack.

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KING CONAN: THE CONQUEROR #1

Writer: Timothy Truman

Artists: Tomas Giorello and  Jose Villarrubia

Cover Price: $3.50

Buy on DarkHorse.Com

Dark Horse has been frequently relaunching Conan titles, in order to get that all important #1 issue out there on the stands as much as possible.

Last week, we saw the end of Conan the Barbarian with Issue #25- it’s about to relaunch as Conan The Avenger; this week, King Conan returns to issue #1 for the six part Conqueror arc- but it’s actually the fifteenth issue of the King Conan series.  This is probably going to make it a little confusing if you decide to pick things up in trades.

None of that really matters in the grand scheme of things.  You’re going to enjoy this book.  If you ever wanted to read a Conan book drawn by Joe Kubert, this is pretty close.  Giorello’s art, with a mixture of Mike Grell’s work from Warlord thrown in.  These guys are two of my favorite and most respected artists; I do not give this kind of praise out to just anybody, so please don’t take it lightly.

The story is a great jumping on point to a period later in Conan’s life, as the beginning of our tale starts with a recap of things up to that point; while it’s not the most action-packed way to start a story, it does whet your appetite for what is soon to come.

Conan finds himself once again running afoul of the cult of Set; you should know how Conan feels about snake cults by now; they’re his most iconic enemies in other media, from James Earl Jones as Toth Amon  in Conan the Barbarian to Wrath Amon from the Conan the Adventurer animated series.

By the end of the issue, you’ll see Conan do something you don’t quite expect when it comes to dealing with his enemies.

The art adds a kinetic element to a story where a lot doesn’t happen for the first half; this is the first issue of a six issue miniseries, so it’s a lot of necessary setup here; I promise you that if you stick with this issue, you’re going to get a nice battle scene by the end of it.

I look forward to seeing where this goes, but wouldn’t think less of you if you decided to wait for the trade on this one; things are just a little slow out of the gate in this issue.  by the time sorcerers start melting people, it’s already over.

But who doesn’t love to see sorcerers melt people?

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