Hey Mr DJ
Written by: Ben Acker and Ben Blacker
Penciler: Kevin Walker
Inker: Marc Deering
Colors by: Java Tartaglia
Publisher: Marvel
Reviewer: Andrew McAvoy
"You know what I think would be so cool? A one-shot comic featuring DJ from The Last Jedi". Said no-one. Ever. Yes, that's right folks, Star Wars Marvel backs yet another winner with the backstory of the guy who wasn't the master codebreaker, who screwed over Finn and Rose, and who was the focus of the least popular scene in any Star Wars saga film ever. Canto Bight. Wonder what this one will be like?
Well, let me see. It's written by Ben Acker and Ben Blacker. Not only do they have the worst combo name for a writing team in the history of comics, they are also the winning team that brought fans that other classic Star Wars "one shot" Storms of Crait. Remember that one? Awesome wasn't it? Oh, yeah, that's right it sucked. Well this one wasn't as bad as that, but that's like saying breaking my ankle wasn't as bad as breaking my hip. Neither are particularly pleasant.
The plot revolves around the fact that DJ (Don't Join - natch) who is breaking the codes in card games across Canto Bight. He cheats one casino, and then hops to another casino taking shelter from their "protection" as a customer. No-one trusts him, even the cops are breathing down his neck. That's basically it. There's not really that much of a plot, and it appears to leave us off at the point we meet the character in The Last Jedi. A side point is that as charming as Benecio Del Toro's stutter was in the cinema it is crap to read on the page. Another strike in the old the minus column.
Maybe the art will be good though? Well, it isn't as bad as Storms of Crait, but then I probably could have done better than the art in that book by cutting and pasting photos of A New Hope characters onto a stock photo background. This time round I was looking at the art thinking, "I could draw a better DJ than that". God Almighty, did that look nothing like Del Toro. I mean we swung from photo-realism uncanny valley in the Storms of Crait, to "guess the character" in this. I started the book thinking "well, maybe its a younger DJ" but no. It wasn't.
Another little ruse that this Marvel Star Wars crew use regularly - great cover art that doesn't resemble the internal art at all. Buyer beware, caveat emptor and all that jazz - open the goddamned book before you buy it - never judge these books by their cover. The internal art version of DJ, and the cover depiction are like a "what he/she looks like on Tinder vs what he/she actually looks like" gag. He/she's rotten by the way in case you didn't get that analogy.
Bits and Pieces
Star Wars Marvel keeps churning out the garbage, Star Wars fans keep buying the garbage. Having to review this garbage is a fate worse than death. I'd rather be locked in an empty cell in Canto Bight - it might be more interesting.
Score 4 out of 10
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