WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Star Wars: War of the Bounty Hunters Alpha by Charles Soule, Steve McNiven, Laura Martin and VC's Tarvis Lanham, on sale now.
Boba Fett's distinctive green, red and yellow color scheme is one of the most recognizable looks in all of Star Wars. But in the first salvo of the War of the Bounty Hunters crossover event however, Boba Fett borrows the look of another Star Wars icon -- Darth Vader.
The issue opens with a complication in Boba Fett's delivery of a frozen Han Solo to Jabba the Hutt. Fett takes the carbonite-encased Captain Solo to Doc Ragon on Nar Shaddaa to figure out what's wrong. The Doc tells Fett the carbonite matrix is unstable, if not fixed then Solo will soon turn into goo. Instead of accepting traditional credits as payment, Doc Ragon asks Fett to kill a local fighting pit warrior -- Wyrmen Lictor. Though normally guarded because she's valuable to the local Kanji Hutts, Ragon tells Fett he can kill her without repercussion if he does it in the arena.
Fett explains that even if he were to do so, his distinctive armor carries a reputation. Even if he does kill Lictor in the arena, the Kanji will still know to come after him. However, Ragon has a solution to that problem too. He lends Fett some nano-spray paint he uses for surgery, that way Fett can make his armor look however he wants and the spray will evaporate after a few days, returning Fett to his iconic colors.
The color Fett chooses has an undeniable comparison to Vader's armor, with every inch of Fett's armor a sleek black like Vader's. Not only are the Beskar elements of his outfit a sleek black, but the fabric jumpsuit beneath it too, as is the cape, mimicking that all-black look of Vader's. This is essentially the opposite of the original Ralph McQuarrie prototype Boba Fett armor, which was all white. However, even the all-white prototype armor had a black visor, silver highlights and the occasional hint of red. The all-black look seen here on the other hand blends in with the black of the visor. The lack of any silver or red highlights here though at least sets it apart from the silver and red visible on Vader's costume.
When Boba enters the competition he gives his name as "Jango", using his father's name to honor the legacy of his armor whilst also keeping his identity from the Kanji Hutts. As the arena's announcer calls out for the "Beskar Brawler," Boba remembers how his father died in an arena much like this one and how he held his father's head in his hands.
Whilst every other fight Fett faces is won with ease, the fight against his target, Lictor, is far from it. With the arena set up to her advantage, she's able to get a number of good hits on Fett, even piercing through his shoulder. Taking away Fett's jetpack turned out to be a mistake, however, as Fett blowing it up finishes her -- winning the fight and completing the job.
The fight organizers threaten to withhold Fett's prize money if he doesn't compete again, to make up for the bets they lost. However, Fett is only interested in Solo and walks away without any of his winnings, his temporary all-black look allowing him to leave without any of them knowing who cheated them out of their money.
By the end of the issue the paint has worn off and Boba Fett is back to his old iconic colors, but with a new problem in the form of a dead Doc Ragon and, more importantly, a missing Han Solo. As he hunts down whoever took his bounty now, they'll know exactly who's coming for them.