Scott's Rating:   3.5 out of 4

Boba Fett finally arrives on Tatooine to meet Jabba the Hutt as his father, Jango Fett, instructed him. As Boba takes in the wonders of Mos Espa, his helmet ends up being swiped by a young street thief, Ygabba. Boba learns that Ygabba is part of a group of young street thieves led by a Neimoidian, Gilramos Libkath. Boba recovers his helmet and goes about his business.

When Boba finally meets Jabba, he assigns him his first bounty – to track down Libkath. Fett can hardly believe his luck since he already knows where the Neimoidian is located, but there’s a catch. Jabba has also hired the notorious bounty hunter Dirge to track down Libkath. The thousand year old bounty hunter hates Jedi and Mandalorians alike and immediately swears to kill Boba. Can Boba possibly beat Dirge and win the bounty?

Scott:

    This book is noteworthy for two major events. The first is the introduction of Dirge. This bounty hunter, created by the fine folks at Lucasfilm, was a major player in the Clone Wars cartoon. While this story doesn’t reveal all of his secrets and surprises, it is one of his first appearances. (The cover also presents a nice image of the character.) The second noteworthy event is the first meeting between Jabba the Hutt and Boba Fett, a match made in hell and one that will have impacts throughout the Star Wars films. The two have a strange relationship that develops over the years and we see here that it is almost one of family.

Boba Fett continues to develop as a character as well as a bounty hunter. He starts the beginning of a relationship with one of the cooks in Jabba’s palace. He also starts forming more skills as a warrior. His relationship with the thieves was kind of interesting as well. It was almost a Star Wars version of Oliver Twist with the Nemoidian as Fagin.

This Boba Fett series continues to be one of the best in the Expanded Universe and one well worth checking out.

Scott:

    My only real gripe was that Dirge was kind of dumbed down for this story. In the comic he was like the Terminator. In the cartoon he was like Superman. Here, he’s portrayed like a bumbling goon. For him to get bested by a pre-teen Boba Fett doesn’t fit in with his portrayal in the other stories.

Scott:

    Nothing to add here.