Posted in: Comics, Review | Tagged: comic book reviews, darth vader, star wars

REVIEW: Star Wars Darth Vader #1 — "Showing Both Vader's Rage And His Unfortunate Impotence"

Published Thu, 06 Feb 2020 16:00:15 -0600

(Marvel Comics, creative team: Greg Pak, Rafaelle Ienco, Neeraj Menon, Joe Caramagna)

In the moments after the conclusion of the greatest sequel ever, one of cinema's most influential villains is not happy. Everyone who hid the idea that there's a son of Anakin Skywalker has to die, and it has to be ugly. This leads Vader back to the one place he never, ever wanted to be and it just gets murderous from there on out. This Greg Pak story does an okay job of showing both Vader's rage and his unfortunate impotence in the face of the situations aligned against him, as there are many, many things to stop him this time, and many of them are a result of his actions. If you don't know much about Star Wars,, this issue does not have much to offer you, heavily enmeshed in unreferenced continuity and flashbacks. If you know Star Wars deeply, this has some value in filling in the gaps of the story but doesn't have any real surprises to it. There's nothing wrong, but this is not the most impressive showing of Vader murdering people (Rogue One and the Sho-Turun War, respectively), it's not an effective emotional moment (like when Boba Fett told Vader the name of the pilot who blew up the first Death Star) … for such an emotional trip, it wasn't much of a big deal. RATING: MEH.

STAR WARS: DARTH VADER #1
GREG PAK (W) • RAFFAELE IENCO (A) • Cover By Inhyuk Lee
"JOIN ME, AND TOGETHER, WE CAN RULE THE GALAXY AS FATHER AND SON!"
THE TRAGEDY OF DARTH VADER CONTINUES!
In the shattering climax of The Empire Strikes Back, Darth Vader infamously reveals his true relationship to Luke Skywalker and invites his son to rule the galaxy at his side. But Luke refuses — plunging into the abyss beneath Cloud City rather than turn to the Dark Side. We all remember Luke's utter horror in this life-altering moment. But what about Vader? In this new epic chapter in the Darth Vader saga, the dark lord grapples with Luke's unthinkable refusal and embarks on a bloody mission of rage-filled revenge against everything and everyone who had a hand in hiding and corrupting his only son. But even as he uncovers the secrets of Luke's origins, Vader must face shocking new challenges from his own dark past.
Writer Greg Pak and artist Raffaele Ienco unleash Darth Vader on his dark quest of vengeance and discovery this February! With covers by InHyuk Lee!
40 PGS./Rated T $4.99