Cylo’s last trick revealed!
Creative Staff:
Story: Kieron Gillen
Art: Salvador Larroca
Colorist: Edgar Delgado
Letters: VC’s Joe Caramagna
What They Say:
Vader vs. Morit on the shell of the Executor! DO YOU NEED MORE THAN THAT??? Fine: Cylo’s secret revealed!
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
With just a few issues left in the run the Darth Vader series is working toward wrapping up a lot of the subplots that exist here. This has, as we mentioned upon learning of the ending of the book, something that makes me wary and fearful for my second favorite character with Aphra. And that’s followed by the droids, characters I was wary of when they were first introduced. The potential for bringing their stories a close is definitely here in a grim and final way and that adds some great tension to the book because you don’t know if they’re going to make it, unlike characters that continue on in the films. And that kind of uncertainty adds its own excitement in all the right ways here as we get Vader going hard and fast at Cylor with that as his final target in this ongoing problem.
Aphra’s role is one that’s definitely fun here as she’s doing her best to survive but also realizing that it’s only going to be temporary as Vader will keep coming after her. Even with the trick used to get the droids back on her side and under her control she understands all of this. Triple-Zero’s disappointment at the lack of killing going on is amusing and his professional jealousy upon realizing that the Executor is being moved and stolen is great, but he’s kind of neutered at the moment while Aphra tries to find a solution. That she would try to make herself useful to Vader is no surprise and that has some fun as she hooks up with a certain Wookie bounty hunter to try and push back against Cylo’s forces in defense of the Emperor, who is supposedly on board. You can see it being something that might work but also go just as badly for her, which is thrilling.
A good chunk of the book is devoted to Vader and Cylo as they’re on opposite ends of the Executor, which Cylo is attempting to take for his own. While the encounter between the two doesn’t hit until the end with a great moment that ties back to Revenge of the Sith, the material in the middle is great as Vader waits for Morit to arrive to bring their arc to a close. It’s predictable to be sure but it’s so beautifully executed with how Larroca brings it to life that it’s impressive. With some great close-up moments, a fantastic two-page spread, and some wonderful background designs that makes this feel like it is in space and part of a small fleet, Larroca delivers a visually powerful series of pages throughout this that complements the tighter and more personal/frantic pieces inside with Aphra and the others. Larroca has made this book something fantastic that I don’t think it would be without him.
In Summary:
Darth Vader has been firing on all cylinders from the start and has been one of the most polished and smoothest books that I’ve seen. I can’t imagine the work that goes into it because the end result is just so fantastic. This installment gets us closer to the end and brings some arcs to a close while beginning to reach back more into the past in a great way that has me eager to see what’s next – even as I’m fearful of the end of the book. Kieron Gillen has definitely captured the right tone and style for this book throughout and Salvador Larroca has been a pitch perfect artist for it. Installments like this just reinforce it and has me excited for some sort of massive full series hardcover omnibus at some point to have as coffee table book.
Grade: B+
Age Rating: 12+
Released By: Marvel Comics via ComiXology
Release Date: July 20th, 2016
MSRP: $3.99
