Disturbing answers may just be at our fingertips.
Creative Staff:
Story: Greg Pak
Art: Raffaele Ienco
Colors: Neeraj Menon
Letterer: VCs Joe Caramagna
What They Say:
PAIN LEADS TO ANGER AND ANGER LEADS TO AN ELEMENT FROM EPISODE IX! As DARTH VADER battered and broken by the EMPEROR as punishment for his rebellion, drags himself across the blasted surface of MUSTAFAR with vengeance on his mind! But can he survive the onslaught of a certain mysterious SITH ASSASSIN? And how will his world change when he learns his enemy’s GREATEST SECRET?!!
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
Vader’s path in a post-ESB world is definitely ripe for exploration and we’ve seen it go in interesting directions under Greg Pak’s hand so far. The exploration of what really happened with Padme definitely has merit while also showing the break/wall that Vader places within in order to exist and to keep Anakin dead within him. But seeing the small bits coming through in various ways is definitely engaging. A lot of what’s really working for me here continues to be Raffael Ienco’s artwork. I really love the way his Vader has the right kind of movement and mechanical flow about him but also a kind of classic grace that comes from being the dark lord of the sith. It all blends together very well.
Palpatine is certainly playing to the hits as he has Vader dropped off on Mustafar at the location where Anakin himself died. Limbless once again and unable to use the Force, we get flashbacks as he pulls himself to the old facility where he killed the Trade Federation types and begins to rework mouse droids to bring him parts in order to fashion some legs and an arm. He knows he’s not alone as the Emperor wants him challenged and seeing Ochi the Assassin “of” the Sith” is exactly what will push him to move hard and fast like he is. The mix of past and present is definitely engaging to watch as they deal with the facility initially, and as Ochi in his mask basically eggs him on, but it all turns quick into splashing in the liquid heat of the world itself.
It’s a solid installment of action as the two go back and forth at this and with some dialogue that has Vader trying to provoke him just a bit more. But we also get a small and unexpected twist here in that Vader begins to hear a voice from a cavern that’s questioning all the yelling out there. This leads to him escaping into it as it all collapses and sets us up for what’s to come. It’s an interesting moment of introducing the Webbish Bogg, a creature that was created for Rise of Skywalker as a kind of guardian/waypoint character. It wasn’t used in the film but had things built for it and became a focal point to find a way to use in-continuity somewhere. Since it’s tied to Mustafar, this makes a lot of sense here as a way to repurpose Vader and show him potentially other paths that his life can take.
In Summary:
While we don’t get a lot of forward progress here, Pak brings in some interesting new characters for the continuity to deal with and I’m curious about both. Ochi’s one that you can see being dealt with and cast aside by the end of it if not sooner while Bogg has more potential down the line that can be drawn upon in interesting ways. I like what Ienco brings to the book with some really good action while also tying some spot on flashback moments in the same black and red way that really hits a sweet spot. The nature of Vader is being explored well even while he’s still the least talkative of characters in general.
Grade: B+
Age Rating: 13+
Released By: Marvel Comics via ComiXology | Amazon Kindle
Release Date: November 11th, 2020
MSRP: $3.99
