The Synopsis
Set years prior to A New Hope, Enemy of the Empire sees Fett hired by Darth Vader himself. His target is simple: A renegade Imperial officer of an auxiliary battalion has taken a casket for himself, and Vader requires what lurks within it. Yet as Fett closes in on his target, it becomes increasingly clear just why Vader wants it for himself, and that he will let no one with knowledge of it walk away alive...
The Good
Let's go with the obvious one here: Boba Fett is written as a cold-blooded bastard. He's a bounty hunter first and foremost, and the comic's writers do not forget that. While there are hints of an honour code and moral compass, he's ultimately in it for the money and isn't afraid to use every underhanded trick in his arsenal to emerge victorious. While this could have easily backfired, a number of creative forces (notably Judge Dredd co-creator John Wagner) worked on 2000AD, and had experience writing engaging but morally black figures. This prevents Fett from entering the hero-but-not-really angle which diluted the character, and it makes him much more engaging as a result.
The story is also framed actually as a man hunting a bounty, which is another bonus in its favour. It's often joked by some fans that Fett doesn't hunt so much as turn up and fight people, but this one places a key emphasis on his tracking skills. Almost all of it consists of him following a trail left by his target, piecing together clues or using ingunity, threats and devices to get his answers. It makes it clear that there is a brutal cunning beneath that helmet, and his infamy as a bounty hunter is well earned.
None of this is to say that the story lacks fights, and many of those present show a distinct style for Fett. He is clearly skilled, very talented and not someone you want to fight. However, he will not rely purely on skill to win but will always avoid a direct fight whenever possible. Every engagement in this is something he clearly tries to end as fast as possible, and the fact that this visibly scales with the threats he faces makes this entertaining to read. Even when you know he will win a fight, it's interesting because it leaves you asking yourself how he will win.
The story is one of those which genuinely feels large thanks to frequently shifting locations. It's a rare balance that few tales ever get right, but this one manages to nail the sense of grandeur the setting needs. We see a multitude of stations, worlds and some very colourful places which offsets the possible bleakness the story might have otherwise wallowed in. This allows the artistic team to really have some fun at points, and the visual stylings embraces the sort of bizzarely outlandish qualities that Star Wars sadly so often lacks at the moment. It doesn't clash against the tone of the tale itself, but it serves to offset it somewhat.
Finally, there's the final fight of the comic. This is one of the engagements fans would have wanted to see for years, and it delivers. You can probably guess who it is between from the synopsis, or even just that line. To avoid spoilers, however, all I will say is that the comic is worth buying for that fight alone.
The Bad
What many people will struggle with more than anything else in the comic will likely be the tone. While the type of storytelling is undeniably effective, more than a few elements more typical of 2000AD have edged into here. This includes satirical comedy figures, an excess of characters, and even a few elements which add little to the story beyond a single gag scene. While most do their job to a point, others seem never to play any effective role within the tale besides bulking out the story. The most egregious example is, perhaps, the criminals hired to tail Fett by Vader. While they keep showing up, they never do anything more than repeating certain scenes or relaying information back to Vader himself. It only serves to pad out the story somewhat, and it's difficult to shake the feeling that they could have easily been left on the editing room floor.
Another definite problem with the tale is how much of its resolution goes off in an entirely different direction. After following Fett for such a long period of time, the finale ends up offering him little material. Vader promptly takes centre stage and, while he offers some interesting points, Fett barely plays a part. It robs the character of agency and, as a result, it feels disconnected from the story as a whole. It's only in the final few pages that this is somewhat mitigated, but even then it doesn't quite correct things.
Another definite problem within the story is how it tends to bring up ideas, but never follows them through with any context. This might sound petty, but it's small and quite irritating points such as having Fett recognising a mark and exclaiming as if it's a grand revelation, but never explaining what it relates to. Who it relates to, certainly, but we don't even get a sentence to explain the context behind it. These small moments are evident throughout the story, and they serve to be a point of frustration after a time.
The Verdict
It's unfortunate that Enemy of the Empire had such notable flaws present in its tale, as it is still very engaging and entertaining despite them. However, a tighter script or even a decent supporting cast could have elevated this from "great" to being a true classic of the Star Wars brand. Instead, it ends up being a tale that is worth your time if you want to see Fett done well in a comic and shows the potential behind the character, but falls short of being what some might want.
Verdict: 6.6 out of 10
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