Plundering the past before the future is wiped away.
Creative Staff:
Story: Kieron Gillen
Art: Salvador Larroca
What They Say:
Revenge of the Battle Droids? Vader returns to Geonosis to build his army! The Dark Lord’s ascension continues!
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
Damn this book for being this good.
The first three installments of Darth Vader have been strong from start to finish and seeing that I wasn’t the only one gushing over Aphra after reading the previous issue was definitely fun to see. The book has built up an interesting cast to work with as Vader lightly surrounds himself with pawns to use while in his quest to get what he needs to deal with the problem at hand with his position with the Emperor. Aphra and her bringing on board Triple-Zero and BT does provide for some echoes to the original group in a way, with the twisted aspects of course, but it’s not a one for one kind of thing and the kind of twisted nature that we get for the droids is becoming its own thing, even if you do hear the voices of the main characters saying all the things they do. But what we get overall with this initial core group of four that I hope stick around for awhile is something unlike what we’ve had in past adventures and that makes it exciting.
With Aphra and the droids working with him, the past becomes key here as they head to Geonosis in order to get what’s needed for his army. While the planet was sterilized at some point after the war, there resides one queen there still that’s unable to breed. But what she’s done is really interesting as she continues to make droids in the factory that remains and she does them in her peoples images, making them children of sorts that can’t communicate. The queen is a bit off in some ways, and there’s some nice Aliens echoes made here, but a lot of it is just seeing how this group operates to deal with the droids that attack and to secure the factory itself to be taken elsewhere. Aphra and the droids work well here, though they need Vader at a key point which reinforces that he can do almost anything, and it succeeds quickly but realistically within the Star Wars framework to advance things.
What I really liked is that they give us the nods to the past and remind the potential to tell the story of the prequels in a better form here with more character and depth. While having Vader go through the tunnels, remembering his time here years prior with Padme definitely provides the right touches and shows what’s going on inside of him to some degree. I also really, really like that as they go about moving the factory, they reveal that Vader’s secret ship is the same one he used back in the early days when rescued by Qui-Gonn and Obi-Wan. Those nods to the past are wonderfully done and helps to provide some good bridging material without being blunt about it.
The back half of the book is a whole lot of fun in a different way as it really plays to the characters well. Aphra understands her position with Vader all too well and her basic approach with him really is compelling because he has such a reputation and makes it clear what he expects out of her. She’s really won me over with her kind of crazy side, but with a real understanding of how the galaxy works. At the same time, we get to see the droids engage in some serious interrogation, off-panel of course, when one of the bounty hunters returns with a prisoner that’s working for the Emperor. This makes it a little clearer what the Emperor is secretly up to in trying to replace Vader, and that sets him into motion in a clear cut way that really does define that character. While he has plans and will move them as needed, which we’ve seen before, his decisive side is a wonder to behold.
In Summary:
If I had to drop all my ongoing series except for one, Darth Vader would survive all the cuts, no questions asked. With four issues in the bank so far, this has been one of the most engaging, compelling and enjoyable series I’ve read in an age and it’s one that’s revitalized my interest in a property that I love, but have been wary of in terms of being done right within the comics world again. There’s some good connections to the past here that’s bonded with new characters and a growing sense of purpose. The bits to the past are spot on and really do enhance the story rather than detract and I’m still loving the way the new trio of characters operates and how Vader really does simply stand aloof and above it in a great way. Add in that we now know what his real mission is going to be, potentially, and it’s off to the races to see where it’s going to go next and what the Emperor is truly up to. Great stuff and very high recommended across the board as a beautiful package from the first page to the end.
Grade: A
Age Rating: 12+
Released By: Marvel Comics via ComiXology
Release Date: April 8th, 2015
MSRP: $3.99
