"The End" Week: Star Wars: Bounty Hunters #42!

Since I'm not sure where I put Star Wars #50, let's check out another title that ended this year: Star Wars: Bounty Hunters #42, "The Secret Weapon" Written by Ethan Sacks, pencils by Jethro Morales and Paolo Villanelli.

This, the aforementioned main Star Wars title, and the most recent Darth Vader series; were all set between Empire and Return; and all ended recently so new books set after Return could be launched. Bounty Hunters had of course featured the big guns, but had also brought back the cyborg Valance the Hunter from the first Marvel run. Valance challenges Jabba the Hutt, not for the captive Han Solo, but for his "secret droid." Jabba had schemed and weaseled, to get a "Megadroid," a superweapon that could've changed the course of the Clone Wars, had their factory not been blown up. He intends to make an example out of Valance, to show that bounty hunters were obsolete, and that extortion payments to the Hutts were about to go up. But Valance wasn't alone...

Besides 4-LOM and Zuckuss, and new hunters Losha and T'onga, Boba Fett was actually in on this as well: although he had made a show of stopping Valance, he also suggests putting him up against the Megadroid, because he didn't want that thing to upstage him. Valance and his crew defeat the massive droid and escape, which leaves the way open for Luke, Leia, and Chewbacca to rescue Han. (Valance and Han were old friends, possibly from when they were in the Empire.) The crew, and other bounty hunters from the series, go their own ways; with Valance rescuing and maybe rekindling an old flame.

I've only read a few random issues of this, but it was kind of charming? Like, it understands it can play with the toys, but each one could be somebody's favorite, so maybe don't break them? Even Dengar, who might be the butt monkey of the book, doesn't get completely killed. Valance gets a solid glow-up, though: despite being a 'borg, I wanna say he used to look like a 70's tough character actor, but is all handsome now! Well, maybe he had some work done...