Review of Quality. Product: "Star Wars Jabba the Hutt The Dynasty Trap" Comic

Unlike literary fictional narrative, whose physicality (binding, pages, even the lettering itself) is submerged the moment the reader becomes engaged with the task of unfolding the abstract in her head [I'm still on the outs with you, men!], a comic book is constantly reminding the reader of its physical constraints. Images and words are constantly being negotiated within the geometric limits of frames, frames which often directly acknowledge their presence as character. In a strictly literary narrative the page rarely reminds us of its swishing flips or fresh cut edges. Conversely, simply reading a comic engenders a direct engagement with the physical. It is this fetishistic self absorption with medium that gives the comic its special flair. Spying through the frames of a comic's page is almost like peering at a secret through the slits of a fence, on the one hand limiting our access to the other side, on the other freeing us from the responsibility of possessing the occult knowledge.

And the occult is definitely the subject matter of "Star Wars: Jabba the Hutt- The Dynasty Trap," published by Dark Horse Comics. Despite a complete absence of any mention of the force, the presence of the titular character is sure to raise a flag in any fan of the Star Wars franchise. Brutally choked to death in a visually sexual sado-masochistic sequence very shortly after being introduced in Return of the Jedi, Jabba is resurrected in this comic series through the necromancy of print and imagination. Like the playwright in Borges' short story "The Secret Miracle," after intense prayer to the Gods of the Star Wars universe (the fans), he is given a temporary reprieve to finish his dark work.

And dark it is. At the end of reading I found myself questioning why Lucasfilm would allow such a direct representation of the type of "evil" only hinted at in the movies. These aren't passing occurrences like Greedo's treachery or playful costume sneering like the Tatooine wild bunch or the assemblage of bounty hunters in Empire Strikes back. This cruelty serves as the fixed object of the comic, every single event organically grows out of it, and the reader can marvel at each representation as at a giddy horror show. In one sequence Jabba is contemplating selling his captives into slavery. He ultimately decides he'd rather watch  their bodies explode in pressure-less space.

Even more troubling is that it isn't even given the moral weight of "the dark side," all of the cruel acts are enacted rather in an amoral vacuum of cut-throat pirate economics. I'm not complaining. Let's see more of this kind of thing. How about a comic solely focused on the sex slaves of Jabba's Palace, showing how the women are slowly beat into submission and numbed with drugs in order to provide Jabba satiation to his every passing whim. There is a reference to sexual slavery in this comic, a pair of tied up women barely visible in the back of a frame, but they're not being gathered for Jabba, but rather his nemesis. Perhaps the writers were aware that in depicting an anti-hero in the Star Wars universe, even some moral limits must not be passed.

I won't spoil the plot for you, because there is none. It's literally a pretense for Jabba to whizz around on his hover scooter and commit murders. The breach in logic of this over-sized space slug engaging in anything so physical makes it all the more appealing. But at their base, isn't this the point of comics? Flimsy contrivances for the readers to explore their darkest desires? If these were bulky written novels we'd definitely have a problem. What kind of sadist would expose herself to 400 pages of senseless murders? If there was a market for that kind of thing social moralists would be in a panic. Instead, 25 pages of tiny images, scant words, a slew of ads, and crossmarket potential for the sale of Jabba the Hutt toys is perfectly acceptable.

As to the actual quality of artistry, the use of framing is logical (although they do go a little bit overboard with sequential development ie the type in the above image). The color palette is very sparse but expressive in its economy.

On a side note, there's definitely some weird sexual politicking going on. The men are always more naked than the women. Guards hulk around the antagonist's palace like Cleopatra's servants, clad in nothing more than loin clothes. One is forced to wonder if the male crime boss commanded this to satisfy his sexual cravings, a homosexual suggestion made all the more palatable when it is revealed that he murdered his former wife. His son proudly juts a sports bra at each frame, while the daughter piles the clothes on like a creeping Autumn. In situations where a woman's form would normally be exploited for erotic impact, the art here subverts. A female servant is shown from behind delivering a drink to Jabba, but the clothing opted for is a one-piece swimsuit, and her body is death-grey and frumpy. Slave women are shown tied up at one point, but it's more to establish ironic continuity than to titillate. They're so far back in the frame that they're unrecognizable as anything more than the nugget of an idea.

All in all... I've never really been into comics because serial fiction makes me barf. But this here comic is a great deal, a self contained bag of Kentucky Fried something even Jabba would be proud of. You can purchase it alone or in the omnibus "Jabba the Hutt: The Art of the Deal."