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Star Wars: Jango Fett - Open Seasons #1-4

Star Wars: Jango Fett - Open Seasons

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He was born a poor farm boy on a forgotten planet in the galaxy's Outer Rim. Taken under the wing of a wise mentor after the violent death of his family, he would rise up to lead a band of fighters struggling for survival against a dark force that threatens to wipe them out completely. His name would become known throughout the systems, and his legacy would change the galaxy forever. But his name isn't Skywalker…It's Jango Fett! The Sith have begun the final maneuvering in their quest to take over the galaxy and are looking for the perfect specimen to take part in their secret experiments. Lord Tyranus may have just found a prime candidate in Jango. Recounting Jango's story from his early days on the Fett farm, through the annihilation of the once proud Mandalorian warriors, to his transformation into the galaxy's most feared bounty hunter, Open Seasons offers an in-depth look at the most exciting new character from Attack of the Clones, and details the beginning of the infamous Fett legacy and one that would come back to plague the Rebellion a generation later.

Collects Star Wars: Jango Fett - Open Seasons #1-4.

96 pages, Paperback

First published January 29, 2003

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About the author

W. Haden Blackman

259 books49 followers
W. Haden Blackman is a writer who has long worked in the Star Wars universe. He is also the project lead on the MMO Star Wars: Galaxies and the video game Star Wars: The Force Unleashed.

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5 stars
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129 (25%)
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24 (4%)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 45 reviews
Profile Image for Artemy.
1,045 reviews964 followers
December 19, 2018
This is a story about count Dooku searching for a perfect source for his clone army, and how he ends up using Jango Fett. By extension, this is the origin of Jango and a bit of a backstory for the mandalorians. It's pretty good, though this book is broken into four distinct episodes and doesn't really read like one cohesive story. The art by Ramon Bachs and Raúl Fernández is good, though looks a bit dated nowadays. No doubt parts of this story will be reworked in the upcoming Disney TV show, The Mandalorian, and I'm interested to see how that works out.
Profile Image for CS.
1,214 reviews
August 31, 2014
There was something about Boba Fett that attracted audiences as far back as his first introduction into the (reportedly) terrible Star Wars Holiday Special in 1978. That carried on into his movie debut in Empire Strikes Back. Ever since, Boba Fett has been a highly regarded character. It makes sense that his father--or better, clone source--would be as well.
Count Dooku is on the search for the perfect clone source. So he begins investigating the last of the Mandalorians: Jango Fett. Here we learn Jango Fett began his life on Concord Dawn until a splinter group form of the Mandalorians and led by Vizsla murder his family. He is taken into the shelter of the Mandalorians and raised to become the best.
I loved the art in this graphic novel. It is, without a doubt, gorgeous. Count Dooku, Jango Fett in all stages of life, and the Mandalorians are realistically drawn. Moreover, the style was perfect for the highly action packed novel.
I enjoyed the glimpses of Jango Fett's life, his father-son relation to Jaster Mereel, Count Dooku's search for the clone material, and the demise of the Mandalorians.
I felt the story was a little choppy. It seemed to strain at the edges of believability in some places (how Vizsla continued to be behind so many of the events in Jango's life--Jaster's death, Jango's parents' deaths, and the Mandalorians' deaths). It was still a great story, interesting snippets into Jango's life. A good read and solid 4 stars.
Profile Image for Jared.
407 reviews17 followers
June 20, 2016
Star Wars Legends Project #71

Background: Jango Fett: Open Seasons was released in 4 issues from May to September 2002. The trade paperback was released in January of 2003. It was written by W. Haden Blackman and drawn by Ramón F. Bachs. Blackman has written a few dozen other Star Wars comics, including several tie-ins with video games (like this one). As a longtime employee at LucasArts, he was also involved in the development of quite a few Star Wars video games, as well, most notably as the project lead on the MMO Star Wars Galaxies and The Force Unleashed. Bachs has done the artwork for a smattering of random Star Wars titles, including Jedi vs. Sith (my review).

The framing story of Jango Fett: Open Seasons is set shortly after the events of The Phantom Menace, 10 years before the Battle of Geonosis and 32 years before the Battle of Yavin. However, most of the comic consists of flashbacks ranging from 26 to 10 years earlier (58 to 42 BBY). Obviously the story heavily features the Mandalorians, most notably Jango Fett and Jaster Mereel (whose name will become a well-known alias for both Jango and Boba Fett). Count Dooku aka Darth Tyranus plays an important role as well, with a few brief appearances by Darth Sidious.

Summary: Having recently left the Jedi order to join Darth Sidious, one of Count Dooku's first tasks is to select the perfect candidate as a prototype for Republic's clone army. One man quickly rises to the top of the list: the mysterious Mandalorian, Jango Fett. But who is he, and how did he become such a great warrior? Dooku, who has a history with Fett, delves into the details Jango's background and his life-long feud with the rival Mandalorian faction known as the "Death Watch," hoping to ensure that he really is the best choice.

Review: This is pretty much exactly what I want out of a story starring Jango Fett as the leader of a mercenary army of Mandalorians. Vibrant, awesome-looking artwork . . . Lots of ridiculous action . . . A halfway decent plot with a few solid twists . . . It doesn't take much doing to get this right, and this succeeds from page 1. I really liked the framing device of Dooku investigating Jango's background to tell his life story. I liked the way they worked in Jaster Mereel (a long-time loose thread from Boba Fett's backstory). I liked how each issue focused on a different, self-contained episode in Jango's life while still building a larger arc.

What did I not like . . .? I guess the one thing I'd point to is that it felt way too short and still left me with questions I wanted answered at the end. I would have loved to see this story given novel-length treatment . . . Which I suppose could still happen in the rebooted expanded universe. Of course, if it was novel-length, I wouldn't have had the amazing visuals to revel in. I was not a big fan of Jedi vs. Sith, but one of the really great things about it was the artwork. Here, I could enjoy Bachs art all the more when it was in service of a story I really liked. And he did a fantastic job differentiating the two Mandalorian factions and even the individual important characters within each faction, despite the similarities in all of the armor.

In the end, it's really good . . . and feels really short. There's not a lot more to say about it. Definitely worth checking out.

B+
Profile Image for Zuzana.
1,028 reviews
June 22, 2025
Jango Fett: Open Seasons serves as a compelling origin story for one of the galaxy’s most infamous bounty hunters. It's interesting to see how Disney later repurposed parts of Jango’s backstory (his childhood trauma, being a Mandalorian foundling, the Death Watch’s brutality) and wove them into Din Djarin’s narrative in The Mandalorian.

The comic traces Jango’s journey

The story is framed by Count Dooku’s search for the perfect clone template a decade before the Clone Wars, culminating in Jango’s agreement to provide his DNA on one condition: an unaltered clone to raise as a son and successor.

While not groundbreaking, it’s a solid read with some satisfying lore and a good balance of action and character development. Fans of Mandalorian history or the prequel era will likely enjoy it.
Profile Image for Emi-Wan Kenobi.
82 reviews3 followers
April 27, 2021
Actual rating: 3.5

I wanted Jango’s backstory and I got some of it, which is good. I would have liked *more*, but I’ll take what I can get. I’d also have liked more about Jaster Mereel, but again, I’ll take what I can get.

Gotta admit though, Jango willingly working with one of the Jedi who slaughtered all that was left of his friends? Strange. But I suppose maybe between all the loss and the trauma it can be explained.

Anyway, the art was frankly kind of ugly. Or very ugly. And Jango was suspiciously white.

But I got what I wanted from it so I’m pretty pleased overall!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Albert Nguyen.
17 reviews9 followers
September 20, 2015
Open Seasons consists of four episodes in the form of flashbacks that detail the four major events of the bounty hunter Jango Fett's life: joining the Mandalorians, the birth of his rivalry with Mandalorian renegade Tor Vizsla, the battle of Galidraan, and the resolution of his rivalry. Each are cleverly named after the four seasons (Summer, Fall, Winter, and Spring) and perfectly match the tone of each episode. For example in Summer we see a young, innocent Jango who lives a calm and happy life not unlike one's experience in the Summer. Unfortunately the metaphorical Summer ends and makes way for Fall as Jango must grow up after witnessing the horrific events in the first story. In Winter on the other hand we see Fett at his lowest after he has lost nearly everything in his life and is left betrayed and alone. There is also a lot of death in this episode which is commonly associated with the winter season.

Additionally, three of the flashbacks are not told from Jango's perspective and instead are being retold by characters that fought alongside him (Silas) or against him (Dooku) which works well to establish his title as the greatest Mandalorian and bounty hunter who ever lived (well, maybe before Boba came along). The guy is in effect a living legend and having characters tell these stories to each other instead of Fett telling them directly works wonders to cement his fame. This is augmented by the fact that the entire story in itself is structured similar to a fable, the kind of thing you would tell around a campfire. The major details of his life are left out such as how Fett was trained, what relationships he had with the supporting characters, etc. leaving only the major events which is how many myths and fables are often told.

Overall there is a surprising amount of depth and subtlety to this book. We get to learn a lot about how Jango Fett became the man who he was and what Count Dooku saw in him when he recruited him to be the template for the Clone Army. Furthermore the very structure of the stories works alongside his reputation in the Star Wars universe adding depth to his character. Admittedly this book is no biography leaving out many of the details of Jango's life, but does it have to be? Both Fetts have always been portrayed as mysterious individuals and while this book serves to open the curtain behind their pasts, that mystery is still kept keeping their portrayals consistent with what we'ves seen in the movies. My only complaint is the lack of definitive resolution as the end of the book directly leads into the beginning of Attack of the Clones. I definitely recommend this to all bounty hunter fans!
Profile Image for Lenny.
509 reviews38 followers
April 18, 2022
Star Wars has a tendency of filling in every spare moment before, between, and after each film, and Open Seasons is no different, giving Jango Fett his origin story as Count Dooku selects him as the prime clone. This arc is best for Star Wars fans who appreciate these filled gaps and have an affinity for the Fetts, the Mandalorian episodes on Star: Wars Clone Wars and of course the Mando & Fett shows on Disney+, even though this arc plays no direct role in them. Blackman is a longtime Star Wars writer, so he knows his stuff, but if you're a casual fan or don't hold much investment in Jango, this may not be for you.

These four episodes of Jango's life were disappointing. I didn't learn anything about Jango that made me more interested or invested in his character. Aside from the tragic childhood (done before, but better, with Jyn Erso), he remained a one-note, stoic soldier throughout. "Perfect soldier" is all Dooku ever sees in Jango, but I wish the reader could see more - Jango's future may be predetermined, but there's a lot of room for character depth that was sorely missing. Even after four issues, and losing several father figures in his life, there's no clear reason why Jango wants a clone son.

Just for fun, I looked up Jango's entry on Wookiepedia, and there's no mention of this graphic novel, nor does it seem to line up at all with the events chronicled there. I'm not sure how what is considered outside of canon, but it was definitely confusing. If the entry is correct, there was also a missed opportunity for other fun bounty hunters and smugglers to make an appearance, like Cad Bane and Ohnaka, but Fett remains tied up in Mandalorians vs Death Watch for most of the book.

And I would have preferred no women in the story at all than the few who existed to be objects (either killed or taken as spoils of war); Bo-Katan would have been a welcome sight, but considering how the rest of the women were treated, probably for the best.

Ramon Bachs and Raúl Fernández's art is fine, as straightfoward and unsurprising as the story, but unfortunately shows its age. It's not my favorite look.
Profile Image for Luis.
335 reviews18 followers
December 28, 2012
El cómic profundiza en el pasado de Jango, y devela los motivos por el cual este se alía con el lado oscuro en posteriores episodios.
La historia es clara y muy concisa, a pesar de los constantes flashbacks, conserva el ritmo e incluso deja algunas frases para el recuerdo.
La importancia del susodicho personaje es tal, que cuando decidieron crear un ejercito de clones para fulminar a los jedis, lo utilizaron a este como prototipo de soldado, es decir, cada soldadito seria clonado en base a sus genes, como única exigencia; Jango exige la creación de un clon “ inalterado“ para continuar el legado del hombre que lo rescato cuando asesinaron a toda su familia.

Profile Image for Shawn.
151 reviews2 followers
April 14, 2017
Good for fans.

Nothing really mind blowing but for Star Wars fans it's good. It is a solid read but not reaching the level of a classic that might appeal to casual fans. Good, not great. Art is great, story is good. I bet 99% of the people reading this review will enjoy the book.
Profile Image for Joaquin.
112 reviews14 followers
January 18, 2016
Nos cuenta la historia de Jango Fett.

Por fin un comic de SW bueno, pensé que todos eran basura, pero este está realmente bien.
Profile Image for Cat.
22 reviews1 follower
April 15, 2021
Lo único que lamento de este cómic es que ya no es canon :c
Profile Image for Ben.
128 reviews10 followers
May 4, 2022
It's not Star Wars day without some classic old EU.
Profile Image for Rizzie.
558 reviews6 followers
February 2, 2020
It's alright. Not Blackman's best work. It's pretty by-the-numbers continuity filler, for those who just can't live without a Jango Fett backstory, but I didn't find it to be anything particularly revelatory. In fact, considering how many Mandalorians appear in the story, I was rather disappointed by the lack of any real integration of Mandalorian culture and lore. On top of that, this story directly contradicts a lot of what is known about Mandalorians during the prequel era, so I'm left wondering where this fits.

Regardless, it's not bad at all, but I can't recommend it for anyone but the hardcore fans. If you want better Fett reading, I recommend Blood Ties. If you're interested in the evolution of Mandalorian culture, check out the KotOR games, the Clone Wars cartoon, the Rebels cartoon, and The Mandalorian (in that order).
Profile Image for Steven Shinder.
Author 5 books20 followers
January 10, 2019
After reading Age of Republic: Jango Fett, I decided to read the Legends version of how Jango met Dooku. And while I still really like that AOR comic, how the meeting plays out here is better for the most part. The only thing I didn't quite like was Jango wanting Boba to be Jaster Mereel's legacy moreso than a son. But Jango's backstory is compelling to watch in the flashbacks, and I like that there is a little bit of a history between him and Dooku. I was also surprised that names like Vizsla and Death Watch were around this early in the Star Wars franchise, pre-dating The Clone Wars episodes featuring the Mandalorians. Weird seeing them as a mercenary group here rather than a big culture like they've become in canon.
Profile Image for Liv.
67 reviews
January 30, 2021
emblematic of star wars as a franchise really. does none of the legwork, but its enough to string you along with the promise of more as you descend into madness over unintended subtext. the art is SO bad i don't even want to talk about it. whitewashing off the charts. and yet gOD does it have some knockout lines.
"you killed them... you killed them all. we're all dead" there's just. there's so much to unpack here. my god
Profile Image for Logan Harrington.
503 reviews3 followers
August 9, 2023
4/10:
This story has some interesting aspects, but I really wasn’t invested in the story until the fourth issue in this 4-issue run. The meeting of Jango Fett and Count Dooku could have easily served as the backdrop for this entire story and added a lot more flair to the story. I really like how Jango’s armor came to be the iconic silver and blue, but it feels so impersonal, it’s really a double-edged sword.
Profile Image for Rob.
381 reviews20 followers
December 14, 2020
After seeing a recent chapter of The Mandalorian, I became interested in learning about Boba Fett’s past. This book, from the now non-canon Legends, tells the back story of Jango Fett prior to Episode II: Attack of the Clones. Despite being ousted from the canon with the acquisition of Lucasfilm by Disney, certain elements of this story have been codified in the new official storyline.

Worth reading if you want to know more of the history of the Fetts.
Profile Image for Stephen Theaker.
Author 92 books63 followers
May 5, 2021
A four-issue prequel to the prequels shows us Jango Fett's past (which is quite similar to the Mandalorian's), how he came to be the source DNA for the clone troopers, and how he got his very own mini-me, little Boba Fett. It was okay, but didn't really feel essential.
Profile Image for Dimitris Papastergiou.
2,526 reviews85 followers
July 30, 2023
Set in 32BBY

This one I liked!

Great story about Jango Fett, and how he came to be, how he got to be the clone etc. A story that's filling lots of holes and it reads real fine with some great artwork to go along the way.

Recommended!
Profile Image for Mariana Krasteva.
75 reviews8 followers
August 17, 2023
Jango Fett is very famous character from the star wars. For years I've never thought about his story before I saw this graphic novel. It is very well written. His life have always been full of violence.
Profile Image for Josh Taylor.
34 reviews17 followers
December 24, 2020
For any fans to f Star Wars or particularly The Mandalorian, this is essential reading.

So much more for this "simple man trying to make his way in the universe"
Profile Image for Andrew Briggs.
74 reviews3 followers
July 25, 2021
The only downside to this is that it felt too fast. Maybe 3-6 more pages per issues would’ve solidified this all.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 45 reviews

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