Do Not Pass Poe: Poe Dameron #4 Review


I will admit that I didn’t have high expectations for this issue of Poe Dameron. Up to this point, the series was, frankly, boring.

Fortunately, my fears turned out to be unfounded this time around, as Poe Dameron #4 is actually a pretty fun comic, and seems to be kicking off a decent story arc.

After a few panels teasing what’s to come later in the issue (a kind of unnecessary plot device in this instance), we get an extended scene of Black Squadron enjoying a drink together after the events of the last issue. I’m not quite sure what they’re celebrating, since the Egg Monster Chronicles were pretty much an unqualified disaster.

Regardless, it’s a well written scene that really helps flesh out the various members of Poe’s team, which is something they desperately needed.

BB-8: Droid Detective! Make it happen, Marvel!
The members of BS (they need a new acronym) then head off to Megalox, a privately owned galactic prison that holds Grakkus the Hutt, who may know the whereabouts of Lor San Tekka. Grakkus isn’t a new character; he was introduced in last year’s Star Wars #9 as a powerful crime lord (the Hutt family business) and collector of Jedi related artifacts.

Megalox is less like a prison, and more like Arkham City, an entire town that is run by the criminals, with the wardens just keeping them all in place. Naturally Grakkus is already the kingpin of this place, and Poe and Co. manage to fight their way to his mansion with some degree of difficulty, their guards having been paid to abandon them.

I like the fact that Poe, like the rest of us, has no clue how Star Wars money works
Grakkus reveals that he does indeed know the whereabouts of San Tekka, but he’s also housing Poe’s foe, Agent Terex. He’s promised the information to them both, but now that he’s seen how desperate they both are, he alters the deal: whoever gets the information has to first break him out of prison…

Hutts be trolling
It’s a fun set up for the issues to come, and the dialogue is sparkling with life and energy. I’m still not the biggest fan of the artwork, but it works better for this mostly dialogue based issue, as opposed to last month’s more action packed one. The re-introduction of Grakkus is a nice tie-in to the main Star Wars comic, and really helps with the interconnectivity of all the various series, even if they are set 30 years apart. 

Overall, Poe Dameron #4 is a much needed improvement of the title, and it's also a pretty good jumping on point if you skipped the first three issues. I highly hope this level of quality is maintained as the series progresses.

Aranwe Quirke is a totally real, definitely not made up name. No, you may not see the birth certificate.