‘Hyperspace Stories: Codebreaker’ #2 Review – Poe Dameron Attempts a Chaotic First Order Prison Break

The first issue of Hyperspace Stories: Codebreaker reintroduced us to a young hotshot Poe Dameron who was about to be tested on a mission outside his comfort zone, perhaps in a way that would have him learn lessons and mature as a soldier. The twist that he was breaking a young Muun hybroid out of prison rather than retrieving a simple device offered some intriguing possibilities for how the rest of the mission would play out, though you can probably guess what happens from there.

That’s not to say this second issue isn’t fun. Poe’s story is all action from start to finish as the First Order immediately realize there’s an intruder in the base and Poe’s disguise fails the first time he encounters a stormtrooper. Thankfully Poe is good in a shootout and has plenty of luck on his side to counter his abysmal planning skills.

The young Muun Cheka is not in the least impressed that his escape strategy is simply to “wing it” and their dynamic forms the backbone of the issue’s comedy. Cheka constantly berates Poe when his plans fail, with Dameron firing back various quips in self defence. The issue definitely takes its cues from The Rise of Skywalker when it comes to Poe’s sense of humor — most of the jokes are of the same levels as the infamous “they fly now!” line from the film — and while most of the quips are welcome at first when the two of them are running through the First Order base, the relentless gags do start getting a bit tired and one-note by the end of the issue.

It perhaps doesn’t help that the First Order are routinely made to look like buffoons — which is expected given Star Wars‘ tendency to make stormtroopers look bad at their jobs — particularly when some slapstick comedy is introduced. The jokes are all funny in isolation, but they do start to lose their luster a bit by the end.

The action keeps the issue moving at a brisk pace though, so there’s little downtime to really dwell on it. What downtime remains is used well, between check-ins with the comic’s big First Order villain and a Resistance leadership meeting. It’s always interesting seeing the inner workings of the First Order, while the scene with the Resistance teases their struggling efforts to provide Poe with some support.

This issue really focuses on action and comedy and it mostly succeeds in that. It comes at the expense of story, but it’s largely entertaining so it’s difficult to hold that against it. Poe Dameron is always a fun character to spend time with, especially this younger version yet to transition into a responsible Resistance leader. I’m looking forward to seeing how this mission ends in the next installment of Hyperspace Stories: Codebreaker.

Rating: 7/10