“We are the thin, Metallic line!”
Creative Staff:
Story: Kieron Gillen
Art: Salvador Larroca
Colorist: Edgar Delgado
What They Say:
The Shu-Torun War concludes! Will Vader bring the Ore Barons in line? Or will Cylo and his warriors show the Dark Lord how it’s done?
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
As I’ve found throughout the run on this series, there’s a whole lot to like with what Marvel is doing with Darth Vader. A book about a villain is never easy to maintain but we’ve had so many facets of the character over the years through film and TV that there is more than enough nuance to work with. Gillen has done some strong arcs so far all while laying a larger foundation that really does make it feel like it’s all part of something important. I really enjoy the small and self contained arcs, which the Shu-Torun arc is when you get down to it, but even within those there’s more than enough of the big picture material mixed in to give it greater meaning.
With the end of this arc we get to run through a few things that are worth noting. The most amusing is seeing how Triple-Zero, denied his blood sucking devices, still uses them in a sense to utterly crush the morale of the opponents side. With the droid army that he’s in charge of for the moment, we don’t see the battle but damn if it isn’t well executed by what we get – to the point where even Vader questions just how far Triple-Zero has gone. The battle we do see is between Vader and the pairing of Morit and Aiolin and that has its own meaning. The two know they can’t defeat him and Aiolin doesn’t believe they ever can, which is one piece as to why Morit pushes her off the edge and into the molten lava so he can escape. This is an interesting sequence in itself with how Vader rescues her to gain the information he needs, which will fully implicate Cylo, but also because he has such a personal experience with such pain that she’s feeling. He doesn’t empathize or provide comfort in a true sense, but there’s that touch of the man that he once was in what little he says.
The closure aspect of the book is solid with a lot of dialogue and the bringing down of Rubix and all involved there. Vader’s role is more of an overseer at this point as Trios has to further cement her rule as Queen so she can handle what’s to come. It’s well done as she realizes what Vader did with her and how she can use it on someone else to gain an upper hand in what’s to come. The dynamic between her and Vader is really engaging because so much is said with so little, which naturally Triple-Zero wants to explain to her. Giving us all of that plus a little time with Vader communicating with the Emperor, being told that he’s ready to reveal what’s really going on, makes it all the more exciting. Of course, we have to throw in a little wrinkle with Aphra but we know Vader is certainly a master of multitasking.
In Summary:
Darth Vader does a damn fine job with its story and the Sho-Torun arc as a whole will really work well as a standalone read while figuring into the bigger picture. Kieron Gillen is just nailing it issue after issue. This installment also features more lavish and striking artwork from Salvador Larroca and I just can’t get enough of what he does here. The ore baron’s underworld is well captured and I love the costume design and some of the details he brings into it – before shifting to pure Imperial designs toward the end. In particular, I really loved his presentation of Queen Trios throughout and very much so during her time with Vader at the end here with the wrap up. Good stuff all around and just talented folks firing on all cylinders.
Grade: B+
Age Rating: 12+
Released By: Marvel Comics via ComiXology
Release Date: April 13th, 2016
MSRP: $3.99