Though fans are waiting for Disney+’s original flagship series The Mandalorian to return for its upcoming third season, Lucasfilm continues its star wars “redemption arc” with Boba Fett’s Book. The show finally brings the beloved legacy character to the fore, reigniting the plot in the franchise’s grimy, gritty underworld-inspired stories.
While the former show was the catalyst for such stories to be front and center in the live action, Boba Fett’s Book offers a somewhat different angle to the western/ronin-inspired approach of The Mandalorian. Thanks to the IP’s massive global appeal in pop culture, its spread in comic books gives fans more options for similar (and Boba Fett-specific) merchandise. star wars tales. However, there are other franchises in the comic book medium that have equally appealing atmospheres and settings that are more than worth looking into.
Star Wars: War of the Bounty Hunters (Marvel Comics)
Marvel got the license to publish canon stories after Disney bought the IP and released some of the best star wars cartoon bows in the process. More recently, Boba Fett starred in Charles Soule’s Bounty Hunter War crossover story arc. This story arc takes place between the events of The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, following Boba Fett’s difficult journey of bringing a carbonite-frozen Han Solo back to Jabba the Hutt’s palace on Tatooine.
This arc was an exciting culmination of Marvel’s various ongoing projects. star wars comic series, including the main book, Doctor Aphra, bounty hunters, and even dark Vador. An exciting development in this story also involved the crime syndicate Crimson Dawn, which was introduced in 2018 Solo: A Star Wars Story live action movie. While the in-between stories in this franchise can feel tired at times, Bounty Hunter War is a great adventure showing Boba Fett in an era that didn’t give him much to do on screen.
Star Wars: Dark Empire II (Dark Horse Comics)
Before Disney came over to revise the star wars franchise, Dark Horse Comics was also known for publishing fan-favorite comics. Although now more strictly labeled as Legends continuity, the dark empire The Tom Veitch, Cam Kennedy, and Jim Baikie trilogy was one of IP’s most memorable comics.
The premise of this trilogy was the return of Emperor Palpatine having transferred his essence into a series of clones – something that was loosely (and sadly) adapted into The Rise of Skywalker. He finally introduced one of Boba Fett’s most iconic star wars comic book appearances Dark Empire II, with the bounty hunter being hired by the Hutts again to claim the price of Solo’s head, as well as getting revenge on Leia Organa for killing Jabba in Return of the Jedi. Fans will finally get to see a showdown between Fett’s Slave I and Solo’s Millennium Falcon.
Sin City (Dark Horse Comics)
The fans of star wars and Boba Fett’s Book want to step into grittier, more modern worlds then Frank Miller city of sin is a good starting point. Miller is best known for his iconic works with Batman and Daredevil, but his original project with Dark Horse has easily become a timeless classic for comic book support.
city of sin is a crime thriller set in an authoritarianly ruled neo-black city in the United States. It has all the trappings of a story about a world stuck in the grip of organized crime, and its main character, Marv, is suitably morally grey. The setting and characters are certainly darker, but it makes for a gripping story in the same vein as the pulpy old serialized crime-noir stories of the early 20th century.
The Witcher (Dark Horse Comics)
Although in a completely different world, the witcher is a compelling and rich dark-fantasy franchise that exudes smaller, gritty tones similar to those of star wars‘ criminal underbelly. Thanks to the games of CD Projekt Red, and in particular The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt being one of the most acclaimed modern fantasy RPGs, author Andrej Sapkowski’s intellectual property has exploded in worldwide popularity over the years. As such, Dark Horse has also been granted the license to expand its work – and more specifically CD Projekt Red’s gaming canon – with a series of comics spanning multiple writers and artists.
The world of The Continent may be vast, but its dense lore and political intrigue are more polished backdrops for character-driven storytelling. Fans of both Boba Fett’s Book and The Mandalorian should feel comfortable with Geralt of Rivia as a contract hunter, his dark and grounded reach, as well as the other mediums the latter has found himself suited to.
Preacher (Vertigo/DC Comics)
DC’s former Vertigo imprint spawned some excellent original artwork for a refreshing change of pace. Fear of heights Preacher The series from writer Garth Ennis and artist Steve Dillon is one of those originals, and it starts with a more rural take on black storytelling. As with the above city of sin, Preacher is a darker, more mature series, and it tackles religious themes mixed with the supernatural.
A cynical preacher from Texas named Jesse Custer becomes possessed by a being known as Genesis – a being both pure good and evil – and sets off on a campaign quest to confront God about why he forsook heaven and Earth. Along the way, Jesse is even stalked by a supernatural bounty hunter by the name of Saint of Killers; a jaded man named William with a tragic past who is forced to return to his life of bounty hunting.
All-Star Western: Guns And Gotham (DC Comics)
At DC Comics, the publisher’s most comparable anti-hero to Boba Fett is arguably Jonah Hex. The western-influenced outlaw brings a new flavor to the comic book behemoth’s typically superhero-filled multiverse. Jonah Hex is also one of DC’s heroes who are darker than their villains, with the bounty hunter having one of the darkest lives and origin stories in comics.
He suffered at the hands of his abusive, alcoholic father, was sold into slavery, and was eventually brutally betrayed by his surrogate brother. All-Star Western: Guns and Gotham is the first volume of DC The new 52 brand-wide reboot, detailing the adventures of Hex working for Amadeus Arkham in a “wild-west” version of the crime city of Gotham. It’s a refreshing way to see an old-time Gotham before Batman arrived, and like Boba Fett, Jonah Hex may come across as cold and cynical, but has a moral compass to follow.
About the Author
