Another twist on the larger continuity.
Creative Staff:
Story: Kieron Gillen
Art: Salvador Larroca
What They Say:
The Emperor’s machinations revealed! Everything changes for Vader! The tale of Vader’s transformation from A New Hope to The Empire Strikes Back continues!
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
While the Darth Vader series has been a lot of fun in general, things took a bit of a turn with the previous installment as we got to see what Cylo is really up to for the Emperor. It’s not a bad thing per se, as you know someone like him is always looking for tools that he can use as part of his larger subjugation of the galaxy, but at the same time what we were introduced to felt like it was weakly constructed and not altogether cohesive in a way. Almost a bit rushed in a sense rather than something that feels dangerous or, well, up to snuff for what the Emperor would want. Especially after the issues we had prior with Aphra and the droids, which felt like really solid additions to the larger universe.
This installment mostly pushes us further through this storyline and puts it on a bigger stage. With the Emperor now there to view things with Cylo filling him in on what he’s done, we get a good look at the group he’s put together and for some minor combat testing with Vader himself, though it’s kept light and non-threatening. Which is not how Vader usually plays, so you can see him being kept from going all out as he usually does. When things do start to get serious, it’s played in a way that has him falter, only for some of the others to step in and save him, and you can’t help but to feel that it’s part of a larger motivation on his part to suss out what the Emperor is really up to and what the skill levels are here. But we also get something that almost feels like embarrassment over his performance in how he chides those that saved him, making you question it a bit more.
What becomes interesting though is later where Vader and the Emperor converse a bit and Vader makes it clear that he realizes that Emperor has been looking to replace him for eighteen years now, since he made Vader. That’s not a shock though, because that’s simply the master/student relationship that exists until the student overtakes the master. Making it clearer, and getting Vader to realize it in that it was always in motion, changes his view slightly of his master. What really changes it though is when Fett checks in with him later, having lost his target, but bringing in important information. Revealing the Skywalker name to him, this brings in pieces from the prequels before Vader’s full transformation, and we’re shown how Vader realizes more of the lies his master has told him. That’s not going to turn him good or anything, but it’s going to turn him towards surpassing his master and bringing on his son to take the galaxy together.
In Summary:
This installment is a bit of a mixed bag, mostly because I didn’t care much for Cylo and what he brings to the table. There are some nice ties to it and it’s an interesting working of technology, something that the films themselves did only so much with because of the time they were made, but the whole thing just rubs me the wrong way from top to bottom, even with the positives it has. The other half of the book is what sells me though and keeps me highly intrigued by the book as we see more of the story through his eyes. We’d grown to that idea through the prequels, and carrying that forward here is certainly interesting. I hope we get more of his early years as Vader as well sometime to explore that. But seeing his changes post-ANH and pre-ESB with how he views the Emperor and Luke is definitely intriguing.
Grade: B+
Age Rating: 12+
Released By: Marvel Comics via ComiXology
Release Date: June 3rd, 2015
MSRP: $3.99
