Broken Frontier

Imperial agent Jahan Cross keeps running, while his enemies keep gunning.

Cross is a great new character in the expansive Star Wars universe, and Ostrander has created a fair few over the years. A rogue, but also a man of integrity and loyalty, it seems his sense of duty makes him the target of the greedy Stark family, and their many associates.

Last issue saw Cross on the run after a murder at a high class party was wrongly pinned on him. Armed with the desire to find the Iron Eclipse resort, but without his trusty droid IN-GA 44 by his side, Cross hides out with his old friend, Han Solo. We haven’t seen Solo and Chewie since a cameo in the first issue, but there’s real chemistry in their scene together and it never feels like a gratuitous service to Star Wars fans. Cross soon confronts Emesh Nar, his accuser, and we are given a glimpse of Cross’ past, which will surely pay off in the remaining two issues. The second half of this issue takes place in the bustling cityscape that this universe does so well, as Cross continues running, and flying.

New artist Crety has a slightly more rough hewn approach than Stephane Roux, the usual artist for this series (who is thankfully returning for the final, fifth issue). However, it’s not jarring, like such artistic changes often are. Crety manages to evoke the same frenetic sense of adventure as the previous issues, and never lacks detail with environmental rendering or spot-on facial expressions.

With Dark Horse’s handy introductions, it’s not too late to catch up on Iron Eclipse if you haven’t already, although it's well worth buying every issue so far, or the inevitable trade paperback of course.