Agent of the Empire: Hard Targets #3

Agent of the Empire: Hard Targets #3 (of 5)

Writer: John Ostrander
Penciller: Davide Fabbri
Inker: Christian Dalla Vecchia, Davide Fabbri
Colorist: Wes Dzioba
Letterer: Michael Heisler
Cover Artist: Stephane Roux

Hard Targets #3 comes in with some serious action. Whether it’s Agent Jahan Cross’ rescue of Count Dooku, or a prison break involving a freelance intelligence operative, the pace is ramped up. With good artwork and a fun story, this issue keeps the arc interesting while setting things up for the next one.

First off, there was a lot of action in this issue. Things left off with a group of pirates attacking Count Dooku’s airship and taking the young Count into captivity. Here, we get to see Cross’ pursuit of the kidnapper and the Count’s quick recovery. But the kidnapper is no typical pirate. In fact Vex turns out to be a freelance operative know for working with the Bothan Spynet which I thought was a fun bone to toss in. It also turns out that Vex and Jahan have a bit of a history. Their peculiar love-hate relationship leads to the next adventure.

Most of the action in the issue comes in with the prison break. Prison breaks are a fun way to spice things up, and in Hard Targets #3, it’s no different. In this case the prison is The Spike, an underground prison built during the Clone Wars to hold Jedi if necessary. The prison break also gives Jahan a chance to talk with Alessi, the Q of the Agent of the Empire series. Alessi tossed in another bone to fans by mentioning a new human replica droid he’s working on named IL-SA. With Alessi’s intel, Jahan is able to infiltrate the facility and rescue Vex, which then leads to a fun, chaotic escape.

Everything comes to a close with Lord Rodas Borgin, and some plot development that put Cross at a crossroads. Will he follow orders, or will Jahan come up with a creative solution to his problems that won’t jeopardize his morals in the process? Either way, we’ll find out in the next issue. With this one done, and with the great story and artwork, I have to give this issue a 5 out of 5 metal bikinis.