Review: Agent of the Empire – Hard Targets #5

Script: John Ostrander
Pencils: Davide Fabbri
Inks: Christian Dalla Vecchia & Davide Fabbri
Colors: Wes Dzioba
Lettering: Michael Heisler
Cover Art: Stephane Roux

The struggle for the leadership of Serenno and the fate of Count Dooku has built to this.  Agent Jahan Cross has to deal with back stabbing politicians, security forces with questionable loyalty, and his own Imperial leaders who are playing him.  As if that wasn’t enough he now has to deal with Boba Fett.

This issue doesn’t hold anything back, immediately jumping into a fight with Boba Fett and Cross.  The same fight that we got teased with back in the beginning of Issue #1.  It’s non stop action from the first page all the way through to the end.  The body count quickly grows as the action escalates.

Agent of the Empire – Hard Targets #5

The final issue of this arc really shows that this is not just an exciting action packed story but it’s also a very dark story once it is all played out.  At the end, no one is safe.  Even the supposed happy ending is still a bittersweet one.  Any story that involves Alderaan will never really have a true happy ending.

I really enjoyed this book, but they did need 5 pages of epilogue in a 22 page book to explain the plot.  It makes me think the plot is too complicated.  Of course all the twists and turns come with the spy genre that inspired this book.  Looking at all 5 books together as a whole this ending reads much different than just looking at the individual issue.

Agent Cross is a bad man, but he is very good at what he does.  However what he does is not very nice.  When he is around no one is safe, but we the reader know that we are in for a great ride.  John Ostrander has really created his own unique corner of the GFFA, and I can’t wait for the next Jahan Cross story.

4/5 Kath Hounds

Advanced Review Copy (ARC) courtesy of Dark Horse. All staff members can be contacted at staff@eucantina.net.