Comic Book / Jango Fett: Open Seasons

"The most dangerous men are always orphans."

— Darth Sidious

Star Wars: Jango Fett - Open Seasons is a 2002 Star Wars Legends limited comic series written by Haden Blackman, released as a tie-in to the then-newly released Attack of the Clones.

The story explores the past of Jango Fett; from how he was adopted by the True Mandalorians following his parents being murdered by the Death Watch, to his mentor being killed during the war between the two Mandalorian factions, to his encounter with the Jedi Knights that led to his services being hired on Kamino.

The comic was a tie-in to the then-upcoming Star Wars: Bounty Hunter video game, both were made to promote Attack of the Clones.

---

Tropes in this series include:

• Action Girl: Jango seems to take his accuracy with a blaster from his mother.
• Affably Evil:
  • By the fourth volume, Jango has compromised most of his morals, but he still has no problem having dinner with Darth Tyranus (who participated in the killing of his crew) or telling him about the last chapter of his life story.
  • Likewise, Dooku/Darth Tyranus has already fallen completely to the dark side by the time he recruits Jango, but he's genuinely remorseful for the massacre at Galidraan, and is quite cordial to Jango and Silas despite the former trying to kill him and torturing the latter.
• Anti-Hero: Jango crosses the line between this and Anti-Villain during his journey with the true Mandalorians, especially after his father figure Jaster's death, since he's stuck fighting both the more overtly virtuous Jedi and the more openly villainous Death Watch. At the end, he renounces any allegiances and starts fighting with only his own interests in mind, though he still gets a clone for a son to serve as "Jaster's Legacy".
• Arch-Enemy: Vizsla to Jaster and later Jango. The feeling is mutual.
• Ascended Extra:
  • Jango's sister, Arla, is later named and expanded on in the Republic Commando Series, taking place during the early years of the Empire.
  • Montross and Komari Vosa serve as antagonists in the Star Wars: Bounty Hunter video game.
• Asshole Victim:
  • In the first volume, a younger Jango kills the sadistic Death Watch member who murdered his parents. Though he doesn't get any immediate satisfaction, everybody tells him that the bastard had it coming.
  • After spending the four volumes being a genocidal maniac, it's incredibly satisfying to see Tor Vizsla being mauled alive by dire-cats after being gutted by Jango.
• A Father to His Men:
  • According to Montross, Jaster has a problem of forgetting that Jango is not his real son.
  • Jango also applies, although due to his age he's more of an older brother figure to them.
• A Lighter Shade of Black: The New Mandalorians are fearless warriors and aren't above killing, but even at their lowest they're a few shades more honorable than the Death Watch. Notably, they rescue orphans instead of trying to kill them (Granted, Jango's father had previously helped Jaster, so it's unclear if they would've rescued him otherwise).
• Benevolent Boss: Jaster Mereel prioritizes the safety of his men over the mission's success, and goes back to save Montross when he's pinned down despite the latter being a Jerkass.
• Big Bad: Tor Vizsla, the head of Death Watch, is the main threat to both Jango and the New Mandalorians. He has Jango's parents killed for aiding Jaster in Issue 1, personally kills Jaster himself in Issue 2, has the remainder of the New Mandalorians massacred in Issue 3, and tries to kill off Jango himself in Issue 4.
• Blood Knight:
  • Tor Vizsla and the Death Watch are a chaotic team of madmen who fight for the thrill of the hunt.
  • Montross starts off as a more subdued example, being the fiercest and most brutal of Jaster's crew, but he eventually becomes just as bad as them after being vanished and giving up the Mandalorian ways.
• Boom, Headshot!: Many throughout the series, starting with a Death Watch enforcer at the hands of Jango's mother.
• Call-Forward: Many for Attack of the Clones.
  • Young Jango looks identical to young Boba, which makes sense since the latter is a clone.
  • One of the Jedi sent to apprehend the Mandalorians on Galidraan is Count Dooku, explaining how Dooku and Jango knew each other.
  • The Jedi killing Jango's teammates also explains his hatred of Jedi, just as his own death at Windu's hands explains his son's hatred for them.
  • Jango's line "You killed them. You killed them all. We're all dead." when the Jedi massacre his people mirrors Anakin's "I. . . I killed them. I killed them all. They're dead. Every single one of them" when he slaughters the Tusken Raiders.
  • Jango's way of killing Vizsla (mortally wounding him before leaving him to be finished off by predators) mirrors how he will go on to end Montross in the Star Wars: Bounty Hunter video game, defeating him in a duel and leaving him to be torn apart by the Bando Gora.
• Character Narrator: Darth Tyranus in Issue 1, Silas in Issue 2, Tyranus again in Issue 3, and Jango himself in Issue 4.
• Canon Immigrant: Star Wars Rebels brings back the Journeyman Protectors as the law enforcement on Concord Dawn and the sworn enemy of Death Watch, and The Mandalorian recanonizes Jango's adoptive father Jaster Mereel through a Freeze-Frame Bonus.
• Cold-Blooded Torture: Tyranus/Dooku has Jango's friend Silas tortured for information on Jango's history. After enduring everything his droids threw at him, he eventually breaks after several injections of a substance called Bavo-9. He eventually kills him painlessly after the information is given.
• Cruel and Unusual Death: During his final duel with Jango, Vizsla is beaten to a pulp, slashed through the abdomen, and then left to be mauled to death by a pack of feral dire-cats, tracking his fresh blood.
• Damsel in Distress: Jango's sister Arla is kidnapped by the Death Watch after her parents are killed. Unlike most examples of this trope, she's never rescued and ends up joining her captors.
• Dark and Troubled Past: Death Watch killed Jango's parents and kidnapped his sister (who he never sees again). Jango managed to run and hide, and was taken in by Jaster Mereel, who later dies during the war. Jango also bears a grudge against the Jedi because they killed his teammates.
• Deceased Parents Are the Best: Jango's parents are killed trying to protect him and his sister, and his adoptive parent Jaster is gunned down during a training mission.
• Dirty Coward:
  • With the attempt to usurp him, Montross flies away during the Korda Six mission and leaves Jaster to be killed by Tor Vizsla.
  • The governor of Galidraan pays Jango to kill his political rivals but it's later revealed that he had been paid himself by Vizsla to get Jango ambushed. In the next issue, he sells Vizsla out too when Jango threatens him into doing so.
  • Silas sees himself as this for ratting Jango out to Tyranus after being tortured by him. In reality, the fallen Jedi is impressed with how much Silas endured.
• The Dragon: The Death Watch enforcer that kills Jango's parents is this to Vizsla.
• External Retcon: Dialogue on Act 1 heavily suggested that Jango's sister was Killed Offscreen by the Death Watch^note "And the girl?" "We don't leave witnesses. Take care of her, then we go celebrate." However, this was changed in the 2008 novel Order 66: A Republic Commando Novel revealed that she was instead abducted and eventually indoctrinated.
• Even Evil Has Loved Ones: The True Mandalorians have very close partnerships in its core ranks, including Jaster and his protégée Jango, Jango and his companion Silas, and later Jango and his Number Two Myles. Same goes for the Death Watch, though it's much less pronounced.
• Even Evil Has Standards:
  • Jango Fett and his New Mandalorians are ruthless killers, but Vizsla soon learns that they aren't in the business of killing innocent people, especially women and children, to the point where he has to frame them to redirect the Jedi's attention towards them.
  • In a larger scale, Jaster Mereel cut Vizsla out of the Mandalorian name due to his sadism.
  • Montross might be a Blood Knight, but he still seems horrified at the Death Watch's murder of Jango's innocent family, and helps the kid escape Concord Down. However, 16 years later, he's become no better than Vizsla himself after being banished from the True Mandalorians.
• Fatal Flaw:
  • Jango's refusal to surrender. Though Jaster praises this aspect of him, and it can be a strength when he's alone or with a small squad of Mandalorians, it fails him horribly when he opens fire on an army of Jedi. Though Jango's skill set allows him to survive, his entire team is killed around him.
  • His lack of investment in his bounties is exploited by Vizsla when he has the Galidraan governor pay him and his squad to kill his rival political activists, attracting the attention of Jedi.
• Faux Affably Evil: When Tor Vizsla first approaches a young Jango, he cordially questions him on Jaster's whereabouts. The moment the young boy lets it slip that his father gave him food, Vizsla quickly becomes a lot meaner.
• Framing Device: The first three issues are told from Dooku to Palpatine about Jango's life.
• Get Out!: Jango finishes Jaster's last order of kicking Montross out of the Mandalorians, now double fold because he intentionally got him killed.
• Good Parents: While a tad strict, Jango's parents were protective and caring, and give their lives protecting him.
  Jaster: You know how to use a blaster, boy?
  Jango: Yes. My... my dad. He taught me how to shoot.
  Jaster: Then he was a good man.
• Guilt by Association: The reason the Fetts are targeted by Death Watch: They gave food to True Mandalorian Jaster Mereel when he was dressed as a beggar.
• Heroic BSoD: Jango has one after the Jedi kill his men.
  "You killed them... you killed them all. We're all dead..."
• It Gets Easier: Zigzagged. After Jango helps the Protectors in a violent ambush against Death Watch, Jaster asks if he feels better that the men who killed his family are dead now. Jango answers that he's not sure, and Jaster merely replies "Good." and welcomes him to the Mandalorians. It makes sense — Jango's uncertainty meant he was still innocent.
  Jango: He's dead.
  Jaster: [while kneeling down and hugging him] Yes. Feel any better?
  Jango: No... I don't know... not yet.
  Jaster: [picks Jango up and carries him away] Good. Welcome to the Mandalorians.
• Jerkass Has a Point: Montross is clearly speaking out of prejudice when he says that Jango will get all the Mandalorians killed if he's chosen leader. Come the next volume, that's exactly what happens. The next time we see Montross, he makes sure to rub this in Jango's face.
• Kick the Dog:
  • A Death Watch member kicks a crippled man during the occupation of Concord Down for being in his way. Said cripple turns out to be a disguised Mandalorian, who kills him on the spot.
  • After torturing Jango's story out of him, Tyranus executes Silas without even listening to his Last Request, which is as simple as not telling Jango that Silas broke under the pain.
    Darth Tyranus: I can't make any promises. Goodbye, Silas.
• Made of Iron: Tor Vizsla has the tank he was driving blown up by Jango, and only gets half of his face scarred permanently. Years later, he's slashed through the stomach and laughs at the idea that such an injury would kill him.
• Mama Bear: Jango's mother snipes a Death Watch member in the face when he has Jango hostage. She's also shown standing protectively over Arla during the skirmish.
• Mauve Shirt: Myles is the only Mandalorian other than Jango who receives any characterization on Issue 3, and his death serves to trigger Jango's Heroic BSoD.
• Mercy Kill: After his tortured prisoner gives him the information he wants to know, Tyranus stops his heart, reassuring him that the rest of his visit will be painless.
• Moral Myopia:
  • Dooku repeatedly expresses remorse for his role in the annihilation of the Mandalorians, yet he has no problem torturing Silas (one of the last remaining Mandalorians) to death while searching for information on Jango's whereabouts. He also blames the Jedi Council for the atrocity, despite having led the assault himself.
  • Jango fully blames the Jedi for wiping out his men, ignoring the fact that he was the one who fired first, ignoring the Jedi's offer to surrender, and goaded his crew into fighting. Granted, the Jedi were there under false pretenses, but the entire ordeal might've turned out less bloody had Jango thought about the consequences of throwing his men into a fight against Jedi.
  • Montross believes that Jaster (and later Jango) will lead the Mandalorians to their deaths due to their flawed leadership. His idea to solve this involves getting several of his crewmates (including Jaster, Jango, and Silas) killed by Tor Vizsla. to then appoint himself as leader.
  • Tor Vizsla considers Jaster his sworn enemy for casting the Death Watch out of the "True Mandalorians", and leaving him for dead in Concord Down. As revenge, Vizsla targets not only Jaster, but all the people whom he crosses paths with. Predictably, this earns him many sworn enemies from the innocent families he kills, with Jango being the one to do him in.
• My God, What Have I Done?: At the end of Issue 3, after the Jedi kill the True Mandalorians and see Jango grieve over their deaths, Dooku remorsefully wonders what they've just done. In the present day, even despite his Face–Heel Turn, Dooku still thinks of it as a failure on the Council's part and how he was complicit in the act.
• No Good Deed Goes Unpunished: Jango's father giving Jaster and the Mandalorians some food gets him and his wife killed by their pursuing rivals, the Death Watch.
• Nice Job Breaking It, Hero:
  • Jaster Mereel accidentally gets Journeyman Protector Fett (Jango's father) killed alongside his wife by asking him for food while disguised as a beggar, not knowing that his psychotic nemesis Vizsla was tailing him, and pillaged the place after finding out of their encounter. While he never told Jango, it's implied he took him under his wing as a way to make amends.
  • When the Jedi appear in Galindraan to arrest the True Mandalorians, Jango encourages them to fight instead of coming quietly. The results are quite predictable: Jango loses everybody and is captured.
  • The Jedi themselves attack the Mandalorians after they're decieved by the governor into viewing them as dangerous terrorists.
• Nice Job Fixing It, Villain: During their confrontation, an injured Tor Vizsla manages to inject Jango with a non-lethal poison. A few instances later, the pair are attacked by a pack of lurking dire-cats smelling their freshsly spilled blood and Vizsla is devoured alive. However, they leave Jango alive due to the poison in his veins, which allows him to be rescued and healed by some farm boys.
• Number Two:
  • Montross for Jaster on Issue 2.
  • Silas for Jango on Issue 2. He's replaced by Myles on Issue 3.
• Parental Substitute: Jaster becomes one for Jango after his parents are killed.
• Pet the Dog:
  • Jaster's rescue and recruitment of the recently orphaned Jango Fett.
  • When Jango boards his ship with the intent to kill, one of the first things Tor Vizsla does after pushing him back is to get his remaining men to evacuate the doomed vehicle.
  • The novel Republic Commando Series revealed that Vizsla didn't go through with killing Arla Fett, instead abducting and eventually recruiting her as an assassin. It might not seem like much but she eventually grew to care about her captors, meaning that their treatment of her might not have been as horrific as it could've been.
• Retcanon: Although the comic is not considered canon in the new Expanded Universe, many aspects of it serve as a basis for many stories in it.
  • The Mandalorian plot in Star Wars: The Clone Wars (and therefore, the rest of the new Expanded Universe) largely uses the events of the comic as backstory, with the Mandalorians recovering from a civil war over ideological differences and Death Watch being a violent splinter group led by a Vizsla.
  • In Star Wars Rebels, it is mentioned that Mandalorian warriors were brought in to train the Clone Troopers (a Broad Strokes of the Cuy'val Dar from the Republic Commando Series), nodding to a connection between Jango and the Mandalorians.
  • The Mandalorian recanonizes Jango as a foundling from Concord Dawn, found and raised by Jaster. At the time, it was kept ambiguous as to what Jango's relationship with the Mandalorians was due to George Lucas insisting he wasn't one and The Clone Wars having Almec (an Unreliable Narrator) claim he was merely a Mandalorian pretender.
• Retcon: Jaster Mereel was the original "real" name for Boba Fett in "The Last One Standing: The Tale of Boba Fett" from Tales of the Bounty Hunters. With Attack of the Clones giving a very different backstory for Boba, this comic was instrumental in reconciling both stories: Now Jaster was the name of Jango Fett's adoptive father, and later material established that the name was used by both Jango and Boba as an alias, in tribute to him.
• The Starscream: Montross for Jaster in the second volume. After growing disillusioned with Jaster's perceived nepotism, he leaves him at Vizsla's mercy (or lack thereof) and then tries to claim leadership of the remaining Mandalorians before Jango and Myles stop him.
• Teeth-Clenched Teamwork: Jango and Montross, especially since Jaster blatantly favors the former. Once Montross gets Jaster killed, the "teamwork" part of their relationship falls apart.
• Token Evil Teammate: Montross is this for the New Mandalorians. He stops being a teammate on Issue 2.
• Took a Level in Badass: Jango goes from scrawny kid who is eloquent with a blaster but flinches at murder to a One-Man Army against any foes he encounters, which is helped by his improved Mandalorian armor.
• Trauma Conga Line: The entire series is one for Jango Fett, beginning with the brutal death of his parents and culminating on being sold to slavery.
• Sole Survivor: Jango is this for the New Mandalorians after Issue 3.
• Start of Darkness:
  • The series is one for Jango Fett, explaining how he went from innocent farmboy to stone-cold killer. It also explores his disdain for Jedi.
  • Also for Montross, who went from loyal Mandalorian enforcer to callous traitor after being angry at Jaster's favotitism for Jango. After he's banished, Star Wars: Bounty Hunter shows that he's become a Blood Knight, just like Vizsla.
  • To a lesser extent, it's one for Dooku and Komari Vosa, who both grew disillusioned with the Jedi ways after the massacre at Galidraan.
• Strong Family Resemblance: Jango strongly resembles his father, with the exception of his father's blue eyes.
• Uncertain Doom:
  • The comic never reveals whether Arla Fett was killed alongside her parents, although Vizsla saying that they Leave No Witnesses makes her survival unlikely. Future material would then show that she was abducted and eventually indoctrinated.
  • The governor of Galindraan rats Jango out in the third issue and later sells him into slavery, and Jango makes it clear that he will not get away with it. The next time they see each other, Jango is fully armored and threatening to tear him apart if he doesn't give away Vizsla's location. Though it makes little sense for Jango to spare him considering their history and the aforementioned vow, we never see the outcome of their encounter, and the governor is never seen again.
• Undying Loyalty: Tragically Subverted with Silas, the only remaining Mandalorian who is loyal to Jango. Though he almost died for him several times, had his back during the confrontation with Montross, and endured a Cold-Blooded Torture at the hands of Dooku's droids for a long time, he eventually breaks and gives away all information regarding Jango. His last request for Dooku is that he never tell Jango of his betrayal.
• Ungrateful Bastard: Though Jaster had saved his life during the attack against the Korda Defense Force, Montross doesn't return the favor when Jaster is struggling against Tor Vizsla's tank, and leaves him to die.
• What Happened to the Mouse?: Silas is Jango's friend and Number Two on Issue 2, but is then inexplicably replaced by the similar Myles for the following issue, where every New Mandalorian save for Jango (him included) is massacred. However, Issue 2 showed that Silas was still alive as of Dooku's fall to the dark side (years after Issue 3), where he's interrogated into giving out information on part of Jango's history, and he apparently knew about how Jango's crew was dissolved, making his absence all the more jarring.
• Would Hurt a Child: The Death Watch interrogate Jango's father by threatening to spill his son's brains unto him.

---