Warning: spoilers for Star Wars: Bounty Hunters #11!
Bossk is the most savage bounty hunter in the Star Wars universe, taking down many of his targets with his bare hands, and in Star Wars: Bounty Hunters #11, he shows what he is made of when he manages to complete an assassination that outsmarts the Empire itself.
Bossk – who first appeared in The Empire Strikes Back – hails from the planet Trandosha. Fans first meet Bossk alongside many other of the galaxy’s most notorious bounty hunters, including Boba Fett and IG-88. Like the others in the scene, Bossk quickly became iconic, and while he had only a scant amount of screen time in the movie, he has found new life in the Expanded Universe. Portrayed as a fierce hunter who honors his agreements to the letter, Bossk travels the galaxy, mostly alone, taking one job after another, upholding the Bounty Hunter Code every step of the way. But there is more to Bossk than meets the eye, and in the latest issue of Bounty Hunters, he shows why he is the best, risking his life to take down a seemingly untouchable target.
The issue opens with Bossk stranded on the planet Malastare, where he is being forced to act as prey in the Great Hunt, an event where people are hunted for sport. But Bossk is exactly where he wants to be: on the trail of Exum Jermit, a member of the Banking Clan who has sided with another party over Jabba the Hutt, but can’t be touched because he’s protected by Darth Sidious’ Empire. While punishment would usually rain down on anyone who killed Exum, the Great Hunt is an exception, since the hunters waive their existing protections to enjoy the added thrill of their prey fighting back. Jabba put Bossk on the planet knowing that if he could possible survive being hunted, he’d have a chance to take down Exum, and the savage bounty hunter is successful in his mission, tricking the Hunt’s other victims into acting as his cannon fodder.
Bossk demonstrates on several occasions why he is one of the galaxy’s greatest bounty hunters. First, he is willing to do whatever it takes to complete the job, risking his own life to get close to Exum. His treatment of the other prisoners shows he’s ruthless, but he’s also a creature of his word, and keeps his agreement with Jabba the Hutt. And finally, Bossk was smart enough to evade his hunters and execute a plan that allowed him to circumvent the Empire’s protection without putting himself in their crosshairs.
Bossk may not have had much to do in the films, but he has become a favorite of Star Wars fans everywhere. Star Wars: Bounty Hunters #11 – written by Ethan Sacks with art by Paolo Villanelli and colors by Arif Prianto – perfectly demonstrates Bossk’s combo of vicious efficiency and daring competence, offering fans a glimpse of how villains like Jabba the Hutt are able to work around the monolithic, all-powerful Empire with brains, guts, and claws. Now more than ever, it’s clear Bossk earned his place in The Empire Strikes Back‘s gathering of killers.
