Darth Vader #1 review
Apart from a brief sequence in Rogue One, Darth Vader’s true power and ferocity are rarely displayed within the movies. Again, his power has rarely been fully shown within the Canon novels either (apart from Lord of the Sith). Disney’s 2017 comic series following the Dark Lord aims to not only solve this problem, but also fill in the gaps between the ending of the Revenge of the Sith the canon novels. The comic series aims to tackle questions like: does Darth Vader still have feelings for Padme? Where did Darth Vader get his lightsaber from? What was the relationship between Vader the the Emperor like?
Charles Soule does a fantastic job of portraying not only Vader’s power, but his insecurities and worries too. The prequels portrayed Anakin as a complex and challenged character, and the comic series continues in this way. This is added to by the brilliant designs of Giuseppe Camuncoli who manages to present both sides of Vader within his depictions of the Dark Lord.
Vader is in the middle of his iconic “noooo” from the ending of Revenge of the Sith when the story begins. His thoughts initially turn to Padme, and pain.
Sadly for Vader, the Emperor is far from sympathetic and seems to enjoy Vader’s pain: believing it will make him stronger. He also punishes Vader for losing his lightsaber and tells Vader he must find a new one, which is the main story within the first few comics in this series.
“Order 66”wiped out the majority of the Jedi, which makes Vader’s mission more challenging. The Emperor reveals that it is not enough for Vader to simply find a lightsaber, he must steal it from a Jedi and make the crystal ‘bleed’, which is what gives the weapon its crimson colour. Once Vader manages to find a surviving Jedi (after an awesome action scene takes place) Vader is dropped off at the planet by the Emperor who abandons Vader and lets him hunt down the Jedi, without a weapon.
Vader’s relationship with the Emperor is strained and difficult. Vader obviously
feels a sense of uncertainty about his decision to become Palpatine’s apprentice. Another interesting insight we get is into how Vader views his new armour. This is also addressed within Lords of the Sith, and Soule’s depiction of Vader struggling with this new armour adds a new layer to the narrative that Palpatine designed Vader’s armour to not only keep Vader alive, but also keep Vader less powerful than himself. When questioned on how Vader finds his new armour, he merely describes it as “acceptable”.
Overall this thrilling, yet short, story provides a great insight into the events that took place after the Revenge of the Sith. Soule’s version of Vader is powerful, yet flawed, which brilliantly adds new layers to the feared villain. Darth Vader #1 certainly keeps the reader hooked and does a great job of leaving us wanting more! We’d highly recommend this comic book series to any Star Wars fan wanting to know more about the story of Darth Vader!