Oh no, Boba Fett is possibly dead again, maybe...

Pfft...Finally.

Thank you. Someone has finally killed off Boba Fett (via Topless Robot) Sorry, spoilers, I guess, although the comic's title is Boba Fett is Dead, so good luck. If it's any consolation this time he did meet a somewhat better, less hilarious end than his swan-dive into Audrey II from Little Shop of Horrors's mouth twenty minutes in to Return of the Jedi. In the newest issue of Star Wars: Blood Ties he goes out in a fashion one would expect of a Galactic outlaw: multiple blaster hits at point blank range. As I've mentioned before I'm not the biggest Boba Fan. I admit it's an irrational dislike, I mean being a fictional character he's never done anything to me. It's just that for a buffoon with two minutes screen time (in the original trilogy anyway) and a slapstick death scene I think he gets way too much attention.

Did I mention that the Sarlacc burped after swallowing everybody's favorite badass?
See, cause burps are funny. Chalk up another for George Lucas: Master of Subtle Storytelling.

Above: The heartwarming backstory
we never asked for or wanted.

So is it wrong to rejoice in the death of an imaginary space bounty hunter? Possibly. But if it helps I offer the following solace: in Sci-Fi no one stays dead long. Now, I know what you're thinking: 'Say, he sure looks awfully dead in the picture, I mean how could they bring him back?' The answer is: pretty damn easily. The needless backstory established by the prequels revealed that Boba Fett is a clone of Jango Fett and so are all the Clone Troopers (and possibly the Storm Troopers) so it's not like the writers would have to go far for either a new Boba Fett or some cockamamie retcon about how he's not really dead (it was a some other clone pretending to be Boba) I can think of no other character in the Star Wars Universe that would be easier to bring back to life (again).

Besides, Tom Taylor, the writer of Boba's Doom mentions in the interview that he's also involved in another series which brings Darth Maul back to life. Remember him? The only marketable element, I mean decent character from the Phantom Menace? If you recall he was sliced in half and then dropped down the Naboo Royal Palace's warp core. If he can bounce back from that I'm sure Boba's blaster-wound to the chest is no big.

Note Darth Maul's increase in poster prominence between 1999 and 2012.
At least Lucasfilm's marketing department knows what they're doing.

Above: Some moon.

I don't know, I'm not by any means judging Taylor's work here, this series could be excellent. But there is something a little, you know, whorey about killing off recognizable characters in the Expanded Universe. Remember back in 1999 when (further spoilers) R.A. Salvatore dropped a moon on Chewbacca? Yeah, a goddamn moon. It wasn't really Salvatores's fault, as the decision to kill Chewie didn't flow so much from the creative process as it was agreed upon in a meeting. And as we all know, the best writing comes from committees.

Anyway, there it is. Dramatic exit for one of the SW Universe's most beloved and mysterious characters, or hollow corporate decision that will be reversed in six months? You tell me. Like seriously, let me know. I'm not going to be reading it. Like I said, I ever really cared for Boba Fett.

"Sorry buddy, EU novel sales are down this quarter, and well, it's nothing personal..."

-Han Solo, New Alliance Director of Tie-In Merchandise