First look: Boba Fett in War of the Bounty Hunters comic

Marvel Comics and Lucasfilm have announced that Boba Fett will lead the upcoming Star Wars comic book crossover event, War of the Bounty Hunters.

War of the Bounty Hunters, an epic crossover in the Merry Marvel tradition that will indeed reveal what Fett experienced on his journey to deliver Solo. Running from May through October, it all kicks off with War of the Bounty Hunters Alpha #1 from Soule and artist Steve McNiven (“I think it’s the best work he’s maybe ever done,” Soule says; you can get a first look at the cover and interior art below) on May 5, and will then spin out into Marvel’s entire post-Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back line, including Star Wars, Bounty Hunters, Darth Vader, and Doctor Aphra. The five-issue War of the Bounty Hunters miniseries from Soule and Luke Ross, which will anchor the story, begins in June. From the sound of it, it wasn’t exactly smooth space sailing from Cloud City to Tatooine.

“The main story that we’re dealing with is a Boba Fett-focused crime epic, that involves Boba Fett going up against some of the heaviest hitters in the galaxy. It’s Jabba the Hutt. It’s Black Sun. It’s Darth Vader. And a bunch of others — factions and so on — that I think will be really interesting for the fans. It’s basically Boba Fett, by himself, against all of these people.”

By the time the War of the Bounty Hunters miniseries begins, Boba Fett is no longer in possession of Han Solo. The story seems destined to reveal how Fett reclaims his prize ahead of Return of the Jedi.

“Boba Fett is in possession of Han Solo at the end of Empire Strikes Back, and at the beginning of War of the Bounty Hunters, he is not,” says Soule. “And he is going to do everything he can to get him back, no matter what. No matter who is standing in his way.”

While the inspiration for the story comes from Soule, he’s quick to point out that the overall event is a true collaboration between himself and several of Marvel’s Star Wars creators, including writers Greg Pak (Darth Vader), Alyssa Wong (Doctor Aphra), and Ethan Sacks (Bounty Hunters). “My co-writers on this story, and all of the great artists that we’re working with, it’s a fantastic team. This might’ve come from my brain to a degree, but we’re all adding things to it, and we’re all adding really interesting things to it,” he says. “Everybody’s getting to tell their own story within this over-arching plot of Boba Fett trying to get what’s his.”

War of the Bounty Hunters will be the biggest Star Wars story Marvel has told thus far. And while he can’t say much, Soule promises it will have an impact.

“War of the Bounty Hunters is a story about Boba Fett doing his thing, but it builds into something much bigger, and that’s what the best comic crossovers and big stories do. They tell a great story in and of themselves, but they’re also the start of something, and they open a lot of new doors. And this story will absolutely do that.”