I’ve been worn out on “Star Wars” comics for a while now. They have to work within the canon and around the events in the movies. Characters can only develop so much without contradicting the films. It’s basically filler, each issue feel unnecessary. I think the Star Wars franchise as a whole works best when every new release feels like a significant event. Special. You know, a television series here, a mini-series there. The important thing is to not overdo it and it feels like Marvel’s been overdoing it a bit. Maybe we don’t need to know everything that happened a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. We don’t need every character’s life story…with one exception. Lando Calrissian. We always need more Lando.
Written by Greg Pak
Illustrated by Matteo Buffagni
Lettered by VC’s Travis Lanham
Colored by Tamra Bonvillain
CLOUD CITY BLUES! Former smuggler LANDO CALRISSIAN has a beautiful dream: a life of leisure and luxury as the totally legitimate BARON ADMINISTRATOR of CLOUD CITY. All he needs to do is take care of his money troubles with one last, big scam. But what will get in his way the most — his bad luck or this annoying sense of ethics he seems to be developing? Co-starring LOBOT!
Is that hypocritical of me? Probably, but I can live with that. Lando’s gotten the short end of the stick in the movies, which is a shame because he’s awesome. Everyone is under Empire’s thumb, just trying to survive while our boy Lando is trying to thrive. He’s always hustling, always working on getting his piece of the pie. On some level, you’ve got to respect that. At the very least, respect the man’s style. Us mere mortals could never look that good in a cape. That old smoothie…
“Star Wars: Age Of Rebellion – Lando Calrissian” #1 shows readers some more of Lando’s time as Baron Administrator of Bespin as the scoundrel seeks out a big score to solve Cloud City’s money problems. This was a pretty enjoyable issue, I’ve got to say. It’s a nice surprise given how I feel about the other Star Wars comics. It feels like it adds something of worth to the canon instead of being a filler issue. It isn’t completely without its problems though.
“Lando Calrissian” #1 is noticeably light on the action. Not to say that reading Lando manage Bespin isn’t fascinating in its own way but if you’re expecting a starfighter dog fight or blaster shootout, you won’t find it.
Another problem is that the bulk of the issue is built on a pretty shaky premise. About four pages are devoted to explaining why Roz Fantanine needs Lando specifically for the job. While the reason Roz himself can’t act makes sense, the reason Lando has to does not. Lando’s confrontation with Roz’s nephew didn’t really require ‘finesse’ like Roz claimed. The issue might have been stronger if Lando used his charm and guile to achieve his objective but he doesn’t. From what we see here, he just knocks two aliens out. Any old goon could have done that. Probably would have been cheaper too.
Matteo Buffagni does a solid job on the artwork of this issue. It’s always fun seeing new aliens introduced into the canon. The Fantanines that appear here have an interesting look to them. You could compare them to giant crickets with multiple eyes and insectoid feeler things on either side of their faces. The enslaved aliens are also unique. This species kind of looks like a triceratops without horns or some other form of reptile. His Lando looks great too. His expressions perfectly convey his feelings, be it complete satisfaction or utter frustration. Over on the main “Star Wars” title, the art is often photo-realistic to a fault. It tries to make Luke look exactly like Mark Hamill, for example. A lot of the time it just ends up being off-putting. Here, Buffagni draws in his own unique style and it still looks like Billy Dee without a doubt. Lando’s smile is absolutely perfect.
This issue offers a perfect take on Lando himself. It’s a very good showcase for his character. He’s smooth and charming, a constant smile on his face. He hustles, wheels and deals. At the same time, writer Greg Pak highlights that every step of the way, Lando’s looking out for people. Specifically, the people of Bespin he’s responsible for. Nothing he does this issue is for his own gain.
Here we see how seriously Lando takes that responsibility, giving away all of his own credits and putting them before himself. He doesn’t even know the people that Roz is trading but he gives up billions without a second thought. Sure he goes searching for a big score, he’s a scoundrel at heart. It’s all for Cloud City though, he wants what is best for his people. He’s just helping them the way he knows best. Pak does a good job of conveying Lando’s deep love and appreciation for Bespin in the quieter moments of this issue. One quote in particular sticks out. Roz says that Lando is “trying to bring a little beauty into an ugly world”. That’s a pretty good summation of the character right there.
Final Verdict: 7.5 – Can’t knock the hustle.
