Han Solo 2

Han Solo 2 is the second issue of the five-part Marvel comic book miniseries Star Wars: Han Solo. The issue, released on July 6, 2016, was written by Marjorie Liu, with art by Mark Brooks.^[1]

Publisher's summary[]

Han Solo has entered the space race of his dreams—the DRAGON VOID!^[2]
But he's on an undercover mission—to find a traitor within the Rebellion.^[2]
Teamed with Wookiee warrior Chewbacca, will they be able to find the mole before trouble finds them?^[2]

Plot summary[]

HAN SOLO
Part II

It is a period of unrest. In a galaxy oppressed by
the Empire's merciless cruelty, there is little hope
for the future. Nonetheless, rebels have banded
together to fight back against such corruption.

Untrusting by nature, Han Solo has taken a step
back from the rebel cause, returning his focus to
what he does best – smuggling. However, when Princess
Leia approaches him with an offer too good to refuse,
Han finds himself once again working for the
Rebellion alongside his co-pilot, Chewbacca.

His mission is racing the Millennium Falcon in one
of the most notorious races in the galaxy, the
Dragon Void, as a cover to find a mysterious rebel
spy who may have turned traitor. But with the race's
explosive start, Han discovers he may be in for more
than he bargained for....

The mine field[]

From the Dragon's Nest, the announcer gives a rolling account of the first leg of the Dragon Void Run where ships have to outrun rocket-powered probes carrying mines. While Delan Vook flees a probe, the Sotna Reat and Nowk Asil use their starship's pulse to outrun another probe. Meanwhile, the ancient Loo Re Anno switches off her engines and waits out the race. Aboard the Millennium Falcon, Han Solo gets Chewbacca to divert power to their engines, allowing them to evade the space mines.

Delan Vook overtakes the Falcon, using the freighter as a shield before turning back to attack the probes. The Falcon is caught in the resulting firefight. In retaliation, Solo clips Vook's ship, taking him out temporarily. While reflecting on the dangerous nature of the race, Solo realizes that the probes only target moving ships. He gets Chewbacca to switch off the Falcon's engines, causing the pursuing probes to fly off and leave the ship alone.

Having cracked through the first obstacle, Solo and Chewbacca take the Falcon through the static barrier. Loo Re Anno attaches a grappling hook to the Falcon, allowing her ship to ride Solo's ship. Solo's ingenuity is praised by the announcer. Lady Re Anno also thanks Solo but he does not reciprocate, regarding her as a cheater for hitching a ride on the Falcon. As the four surviving ships approach the first planet on their stop, the announcer remarks that he has never seen such a tight race this early in the competition.

The first stop[]

After landing on the first planet on the Dragon Void Run, Solo decides to confront Vook. Chewbacca insists on sticking with the mission but Solo is determined to teach the Pantoran pilot a lesson. He tells Chewbacca to go ahead and promises to catch up. The two are noticed by by a blonde human woman with green hair and a cybernetic implant.

Solo confronts Vook, telling the Pantoran that he could have killed him. Vook counters that he was defending himself against the mines and that the Falcon was in the way. Solo is incensed that Vook deliberately shot him and warns him not to come near his ship again. Overhearing the confrontation, Lady Loo Re Anno reminds Vook that attacking another pilot or tampering with a ship is grounds for disqualification. She lectures Vook that the race is more important than revenge and that the race is pure.

As Solo heads off into the settlement to find Chewbacca, a Dug smuggler warns Solo that he has gotten enemies on his tail. Shortly later, an Imperial Lambda-class shuttle lands in the spaceport. Solo tries to flee down a set of stairs but is detained by a pair of stormtroopers.

Meanwhile, Chewbacca overhears news that the Empire has stepped in to halt the dangerous Dragon Void race. He overhears a Duros named Bot and a Falleen named Grega discussing the Empire's recent decision to arrest pilots in the middle of a race. Chewbacca approaches the pair and flashes a cloth bearing the symbol of the Rebel Alliance. Grega is surprised to meet a Wookiee but recognizes Chewbacca as Solo's co-pilot.

Grega swallows a red object. The rebel spy Bot is distrustful of Chewbacca and insists that it is Grega's job to protect him. Grega responds that he is doing a great job in not bringing attention to himself. She explains that she was asked to deliver Bot to the contact, which she has fulfilled. She reassures him that Chewbacca has a reputation for keeping people safe. Several spacers notice Chewbacca.

As they leave, Bot admits that he is too anxious and frightened to trust Chewbacca. The Wookiee puts a reassuring hand on top of him, convincing Bot to stop talking. The two are accosted by the blonde woman with a cybernetic implant, who fires a warning shot. She tells Chewbacca to walk away. Bot panics and is shot in the shoulder by the woman. As she pursues Chewbacca, she is driven away by the other spacers including Grega, who think that she is a cheater who cannot bear a normal pilot beating them at their own game.

Imperial entanglements[]

As stormtroopers round up the Dragon Void racers, an angry crowd gathers and demands that the Imperials release the pilots. Vood attempts to use his status to intimidate a stormtrooper while Loo Re Anno tells Solo that she did not expect her last race to turn out like that. Sotna tells a stormtroper to let her go.

When Loo Re Anno releases several bright orbs, Solo tells Loo Re Anno to mind her own business and to keep her tech where it belongs. She responds that this is not a piece of technology or a spy but that the orb simply lights her. Vood remonstrates with his stormtroper captor, chastising the Empire for violating their rights. The stormtrooper pistol whips Vood, prompting Solo to come to Vood's aid and attack the stormtrooper. Before further violence can break out, an Imperial officer named Tomine tells them to stop, adding that they don't want to spill blood on camera.

Development[]

Although Lee Bermejo's cover is the main cover for the physical edition of the comic, in digital editions, Marvel uses an alternate version of the Tula Lotay variant cover instead.^[1]