Revenge is one hell of a motivator.
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):
With the previous arc involving Cylo and what he’s doing for the Emperor mostly closed for the moment, the series has been on a generally solid swing with some great issues and some good issues. With this installment, things begin to feel like they’re moving forward again and we get to see more varied sides of our title character as he goes about his business while also seeing a new caper being put into motion that will cross paths with him. Expanding the scope of the Star Wars universe in the post-A New Hope phase is something that can be done easily, but with some difficulty depending on the characters you want to use. With Vader being more accessible in a sense, and a solid new cast built around him, it feels like it’s more connected because of it.
Getting Vader out of the Cylo storyline works to the books advantage this time around as he’s now focusing a bit on one of his important missions of figuring out what went on with Luke all this time. That has him returning to Tatooine, where he comments on the smartness of Kenobi’s setting up there to hide his son because he would never come back to this world. The first stop at the Lars residence showcases some amusing commentary from Aphra about how the Empire basically pushed Luke into what he ended up becoming, noting they’d have a Death Star otherwise. She continues to push her luck in fun ways with what she says. We also see him heading to Kenobi’s residence and I’ll admit I wished there was something more there to it rather than looking at the battle between Luke and Fett. I can’t imagine Kenobi keeping much overall considering how Revenge of the Sith played out, but it feels like there should have been more there that could have made an impact. That said, seeing Vader moving through these locales after the fact has a great sense about it.
With things on hold in that area after all of that, Vader moves to his next mission, a delicate one, that involves providing something for Jabba that was requested. Vader’s smart enough to do it in a way where it serves the Empire’s interest, and makes it clear to the Hutt named Sutha that it really isn’t for Jabba, but the result is the same. In the Outer Rim territories, there’s a usefulness in working with the gangsters of the galaxy when you can’t control it yourself just yet. So taking down a Rodian smuggler that opens up a new market for Jabba also means dealing with a large criminal that needed to be dealt with. And acquiring his goods and wealth is a sweet spot on top of it. But it’s acquiring and transporting that booty that’s becoming the focus, as a group of bounty hunters are looking at acquiring it themselves, which brings a new ragtag group into the spotlight – including Bossk!
In Summary:
Darth Vader continues to be the favorite of the four Star Wars series that are out there at the moment as it hits just about every note right. The expansion of the story works well here in what we see happening in the Outer Rim and Vader’s involvement in it. Setting up for a new heist story may not be a long term arc, but it could be a fun event that showcases another side of the character. But what really gets me is the mostly smart ways that Gillen works towards inserting Vader into events from the first film in a new light after the fact. His visit to Tatooine is a spot on kind of move that has him doing some basic investigation into who Luke is and what he might learn from it. This issue works as a transitional piece, tying into various elements while setting up what’s to come next all while not overplaying its hand. It’s well written and very well illustrated, making for a great and engaging read.
Grade: B+
Age Rating: 12+
Released By: Marvel Comics via ComiXology
Release Date: July 1st, 2015
MSRP: $3.99