Han Solo’s new Marvel comic solves one of Star Wars’ great mysteries

It is something I enjoy. Solo: A Star WarsEach year brings more. Ron Howard was (despite the turbulent production)WillowChristopher Miller and Phil Lord were replaced by?21 Jump Street) partway through filming, the Star Wars adventure movie made it theaters with a lot of the “right stuff.” The casting of Alden Ehrenreich as Solo, Emilia Clarke as his lost-love-turned-adversary Qi’ra, and Donald Glover as pansexual Lando was top-notch, the set pieces were light on their feet, and the way the movie expanded on mythology felt like a Star Wars prequel done right (minus the whole Solo name origin part). Overly shadowy cinematography makes the movie look muddy, and the script doesn’t indulge in the amount of charisma the cast has to offer, but I am now in the “Solo is totally rewatchable” camp.

And when Marvel’s Star Wars comics brush against the events of SoloThe thing that makes me happy is my tendency to be more positive. I dug Charles Soule’s recent War of the Bounty Hunters crossover saga, which found a way to bring Qi’ra back into the fold. Soule’s current book, Crimson Reign, continues to fill in details on the vivid antihero; she’s currently plotting to take down the Empire, though we know how that inevitably goes. Lucasfilm’s pro-Solo stance had me excited to check out Marc Guggenheim and David Messina’s new book Han Solo & ChewbaccaThe new series begins on Wednesday, with Messina and Guggenheim running a heist as well as acting out in rogue mode. Just based on the first issue, Guggenheim and Messina’s series might be the Solo sequel we’ll never get — complete with prequel details we may not actually need.

The first pages of Han Solo & Chewbacca Do what Star Wars stories should: Take fans on a Star Wars adventure and introduce some new characters. With so much of the franchise tied up tin the past, it’s always refreshing to see creators get a chance to add new faces to the mix. In the opening issue, that’s Khel Tanna, a smuggler with zero patience for Han Solo’s bullshit (or his malfunctioning Millennium Falcon, for that matter), and Buck Vancto, a masked marshal hot on Han and Chewie’s trailer during their latest heist. Han Solo & Chewbacca Has the whip-smart pace that an Ocean’s 11This movie is a heist movie in the Star Wars style. It pulls no punches. Star Wars long-time fans will love digging deep into Han’s past and how he ended up in such situations.

Image: Marc Guggenheim, David Messina/Marvel Comics

The End of Han Solo & Chewbacca#1: This is my place Solo The thoughts of the world collide. Throughout the book, Guggenheim dips back to events established in Han’s new-canon origin story. He even takes Guggenheim back to Corellia on his big mission, where the memories of life in the fringe flood back. It is an excellent use of Solo. The book then gambles with the bad part. Solo — and it’ll be fascinating to see where it goes.

[Ed. note: The rest of this story contains spoilers for Han Solo & Chewbacca #1.]

While sitting at a bar mulling over how he’ll break into the most complicated vault system in the galaxy, Han bumps into a Corellian old-timer. They have a great conversation about shipbuilding. They recall their past. And before too long, the aging man, named Ovan, realizes who he’s talking to: his son, Han.

Image: Marc Guggenheim, David Messina/Marvel Comics

In the now expired “Legends” canon, Han’s father was Jonash Solo, a Corellian royal. Solo: A Star Wars Story scrubbed that for the better, but didn’t waste time tracing Kid Solo’s lineage. This left some feeling that there was something missing in the universe, where everything is connected. Who was Han’s father? was a mystery by modern franchise standards, but not necessarily one in need of an answer — Solo’s great triumph is propelling Han forward, without much need of looking back. (And when his past, Qi’ra, reenters the picture, it’s through a transformation that gives her a key role in Han’s present life.)

It’s unclear how essential Ovan will play in Han’s larger comic arc, and the immediate heist at hand. However Han Solo & Chewbacca The can of exogorths has been opened, and they dare to prequelize while unfurling story that is separated from the majority of Star Wars saga. Is it possible for the Marvel team to pull this off? The risk of trying is one Han would admire.

Han Solo & ChewbaccaThe #1 Comics are currently available wherever comics can be purchased.