Liam takes a space detour to Canto Bight for a rendezvous with a notorious codebreaker and thief in Marvel’s Star Wars comics
In Star Wars: The Last Jedi, fans were introduced to some new dark corners of the Galaxy Far Away…and out of one of those corners scuttled DJ, the mysterious character played by Benecio Del Toro! Who is this mystery man, and what put him in the path of our Resistance heroes? Join Ben Acker & Ben Blacker (Star Wars Join the Resistance, Star Wars: The Last Jedi – The Storms of Crait) and Kev Walker (Star Wars: Doctor Aphra, Darkhawk) as they reveal a day in DJ’s life.
Star Wars: DJ Most Wanted | by Ben Acker, Ben Blacker, Kev Walker and Jeff Dekal
Most Wanted shines the spotlight on DJ, the scoundrel played by Benicio Del Toro in The Last Jedi, exploring what he was up to not long before Rose and Finn find him in a prison cell, in Canto Bight. The comic sees DJ weave his way through different conflicts, putting himself before anyone and sticking to his own set of rules.
It’s an interesting story as it shows how neutral DJ stays at all times, even when the odds aren’t in his favour, as well as holding no grudges to those who cause him harm. I always struggle with the one-shot comics, as I’m greedy and will always want more; for that reason, it would have been good to see more of DJ’s adventures over a 5 issue series in order to see more of how his attitude to life has helped him in the past.
The story isn’t an origin, its main purpose it to showcase his unique perspective of the galaxy. After first seeing Canto Bight in The Last Jedi, and then the book “Canto Bight” being released shortly afterwards, fans have been able to delve in to the world of the casino planet which helped the Most Wanted story; shining a light on the corruption of both the casinos and the Canto Bight police system.
The message gathered from this short story is that there are no good people in the galaxy, so you have to look out for yourself and yourself only. Kev Walker is able to present Canto Bight as a luxurious setting with a sly and potent undercurrent, making it the ideal location for this crime noir tale. The comic book artists for DJ: Most Wanted also worked on the Doctor Aphra series, so the styles are quite similar, providing humour amongst the darker corners.
Final Thoughts:
Overall, DJ: Most Wanted was a fun read, but could have delved deeper into his life and also provided a bit more of a backstory for the character. Maybe this was done to preserve his mystery, but I still feel like there is more to the character that needs to be explored.
Star Wars: DJ Most Wanted | by Ben Acker, Ben Blacker, Kev Walker and Jeff Dekal is published by Marvel Comics and is widely available from all good comic book stores now.
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