Marvel's latest Han Solo comic breaks down a popular Star Wars paradox

Han Solo and Luke Skywalker in the comics (Image via Marvel)
Han Solo and Luke Skywalker in the comics (Image via Marvel)

Although Solo: A Star Wars Story was a rocky production that saw Ron Howard come in for Phil Lord and Christopher Miller midway through filming, it arrived in cinemas with 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 excellent, the action sequences were seemingly simple, and the film's expansion of mythology felt like a Star Wars prequel done well. While the gloomy lighting may make the film appear murky, and the script doesn't capitalize on the cast's magnetism, the movie could be rewatched without a doubt.

Charles Soule's latest War of the Bounty Hunters crossover tale manages to reintroduce Qi'ra into the picture. Soule's most recent novel, Crimson Reign, serves to flesh out the colorful antihero; she's presently planning to bring down the Empire, though we all know how that eventually ends. Due to Lucasfilm's pro-Solo position, Marc Guggenheim and David Messina's new book Han Solo & Chewbacca becomes an eager read, which begins on Wednesday with the duo committing a robbery and being rogue. Based on the first issue, Guggenheim and Messina's comic might be the Solo sequel that fans have failed to get — wrapped with prequel elements they might not even require.


The breakdown of the Star Wars paradox

The plot that leads to the reveal:

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The first few pages of Han Solo & Chewbacca accomplish what any Star Wars comic should do: immerse readers into an action scenario and reveal some new characters. With the franchise's history being entwined, it's always exciting to see creators have a chance to introduce new characters. In the first issue, it's Khel Tanna, a smuggler who has little tolerance for Han Solo's nonsense (or his broken Millennium Falcon), and Buck Vancto, a masked marshal who was hot on Han and Chewie's heels during their recent theft.

Han Solo & Chewbacca moves at a breakneck pace and pulls out all the cliche stops. Longtime Star Wars enthusiasts will enjoy delving into the time when Han truly worked for Jabba and found himself in circumstances like these.

Han Solo in the comics (Image via Marvel Comics)
Han Solo in the comics (Image via Marvel Comics)

All of the Solo thoughts come together for fans at the end of Han Solo & Chewbacca #1. Throughout the comic, Guggenheim returns to events from Han's new-canon origin narrative. His major operation even transports him back to Corellia, where flashbacks of life on the outside rush back, being an excellent usage of Solo. The comic then takes a chance on the less-than-ideal aspects of Solo, and it'll be interesting to see where it leads.

Han runs across an old-time Corellian while sitting at a pub, pondering how he'll get into the galaxy's most intricate vault system. They begin a discussion about the shipbuilding industry. While the are reminiscing, the elderly guy, Ovan, realizes that the entire time he was in conversation with his son: Han.


Does this paradoxical storyline benefit Han Solo's character?

Han Solo's father was Jonash Solo, a Corellian royal, according to the now-defunct "Legends" canon. Solo: A Star Wars Story improved on that, but it didn't spend time tracking Kid Solo's ancestors. For some, this created a huge gaping void in a universe where everything is supposed to be related. Who Han's father is was a mystery by current franchise standards, but wasn't one that needed to be solved considering Solo's major achievement is moving Han ahead, with no need to look back.

It's uncertain how important Ovan will be in Han's bigger comic storyline and current theft. However, Han Solo & Chewbacca has opened the can of exogorths, daring to prequelize even while they unfold a plot that is detached from the majority of the known Star Wars history. Will the Marvel team be able to pull it off? Attempting is the type of risk that Han, the high-flying aviator, could admire.

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Edited by Gunjan
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