Star Wars: Lando #1

Charles Soule has proven to be a talented writer for the modern Marvel Star Wars line of comics.  His work has prompted Lucasfilm to promote him to Creative Consultant in recent years.  He wrote his first story with the Star Wars: Lando 5-issue mini-series that began in July 2015.

Star Wars: Lando #1a - Marvel Comics, U.S. (July 2015)

Star Wars: Lando #1 begins with Lando Calrissian staring at an artifact in the bedroom of Governor Ssaria on the Imperial colony world Castell.  Lando confesses to Ssaria that he was going to steal the artifact and disappear in the middle of the night, but he changed his mind due to his feelings for her.  Of course, this is all a ruse as he later tells Lobot that Ssaria gave him the item and they do not need to worry about the Governor coming for it.  Lando meets with the criminal Toren on Castell, believing the artifact will suffice as payment for a debt he owes.  Toren instead agrees the object will cover ten percent of Lando's debt, but Toren has another score for him that will repay the debt in full.  Lando updates Lobot on the deal and they hire a pair of aliens, Aleksin and Pavol, to act as muscle for their heist.  Lando and Lobot then meet with the female Ugnaught Korin Pers, an antiquity scholar, who agrees to help the pair with their heist after she reviews a list of artifacts Lando hands her.  It turns out the heist involves stealing a rich Imperial's pleasure craft that contains the rare artifacts from a Sienar Fleet Systems orbital shipyard.  The heist is successful and as the issue concludes, we find out the theft has attracted the attention of Emperor Palpatine himself.

The issue is one of the better comics Marvel published in its first year with the newly acquired license.  The story leaks just enough information concerning the heist to keep the reader engaged.  The reveal at the end is shocking and invites the reader back for subsequent issues to find out what happens. I like all the background details scattered throughout including one interesting and revealing exchange between Lando and Lobot:

Lando Calrissian: You want to fight?  Brother, please.

You had the Imperials put those things in your head so you could get paid to run battlefield calculations, all nice and safe back at a base.

Doesn't sound like something a fighter would do.  And me ...?

It is nice getting information on the implants that Lobot has in his head.  It is also clear from the dialogue in this issue that Lando and Lobot are more than just business partners, they are friends.

Initially a total of 14 different covers were published for Lando #1.

Star Wars: Lando #1b - Marvel Comics, U.S. (July 2015)
action figure variant

Star Wars: Lando #1c - Marvel Comics, U.S. (July 2015)
Skottie Young variant

Star Wars: Lando #1d - Marvel Comics, U.S. (July 2015)
blank variant

Star Wars: Lando #1e - Marvel Comics, U.S. (July 2015)
movie photo variant

Star Wars: Lando #1f - Marvel Comics, U.S. (July 2015)
Greg Land variant

Star Wars: Lando #1g - Marvel Comics, U.S. (July 2015)
John Cassaday variant

Star Wars: Lando #1h - Marvel Comics, U.S. (July 2015)
Leinil Francis Yu variant

Star Wars: Lando #1i - Marvel Comics, U.S. (July 2015)
Alex Ross variant

Star Wars: Lando #1j - Marvel Comics, U.S. (July 2015)
Alex Ross sketch variant

Star Wars: Lando #1k - Marvel Comics, U.S. (July 2015)
Previews Exclusive San Diego Comic Con 2015 exclusive

Star Wars: Lando #1l - Marvel Comics, U.S. (July 2015)
Convention exclusive

Star Wars: Lando #1m - Marvel Comics, U.S. (July 2015)
Topps variant

Star Wars: Lando #1n - Marvel Comics, U.S. (July 2015)
Newbury Comics exclusive

The issue also had a 2nd print.

Star Wars: Lando #1o - Marvel Comics, U.S. (July 2015)
2nd print