Boba Fett - Twin Engines of Destruction

Reviewed 06/08/97 Story The story opens with a familiar Mandelorean chasing a winged sentient for bounty. After the chase, Dengar arrives and reveals that the bounty hunter isn't Boba Fett, but Jodo Kast. (Jodo Kast is a creation of West End Games who wears the same armour as Fett and sometimes pretends to be him. My take on him was that WEG wanted a role playing character like Fett, but figured he was dead after ROTJ.) Dengar informs Fett of the impostor. A man bandaged from head-to-toe goes to a hunter's guild and hires Kast to capture a bounty. We then see the man's scarred back as he takes the bandages off and puts on Fett's armour. Fett and Dengar discuss Kast and life. Kast goes to Nal Hutta (one of the great locations invented in 'Dark Empire') to collect this new bounty. After a series of Indiana Jones style challenges he catches his bounty, only to discover that it's a hologram and that the real Fett has a gun to his head. A fight ensues, Fett wins and Kast dies (in a scene that reminded me of one from Mad Max). Review To me, more than any other character in the SW universe, Fett belongs in the comics. Aside from being a "bad guy", he's got all the qualities Batman has: the cool costume and gadgets, the physical prowess, the detective skills, the mysterious nature and the cool vehicle. Fett's popularity is visual. He doesn't belong in novels, he belongs on screen and in comics. That said, Mangels has a unique understanding of the character. He's confident, skilled, smart, not "chatty" and not going to take anything from anyone. I enjoyed the way Dengar-Fett interaction. I'd say that the art was about average, but visually I got what I wanted out of a Fett book... Fett in great poses using every bit of arsenal available in his suit to get the job done. Of course, having two characters dressed like Fett only enhanced the visual possibilities. I liked this book because it reminded me of the kind of stories I created time and time again after getting my Boba Fett action figure in 1979. Pure action, pure fun. Those who think Fett is an overrated, flat character won't much care for this one... but then, why would they buy it? Summary A fun read, but unnecessary if you've already got the parts in SWGM. 7.5/10. Recommended.
"EnsViews" are copyright ? 1997-8 by Paul Ens. They are posted to rec.arts.sf.starwars.misc, emailed to Dark Horse Comics and archived on theForce.net. With the exception of Dark Horse Comics Inc, they may not be reprinted without permission. Titles, Cover images, Dark Horse Comics, and the Dark Horse logo are trademarks of Dark Horse Comics Inc. and its respective Licensors.