Since Marvel Comics regained the Star Wars comic book license several years ago, the Star Wars comic franchise has been largely pretty good aside from a few small hiccups along the way. Out of all the Star Wars comics published so far, the multiple Darth Vader series have largely stood out as the best among them. That trend seems to continue with the new Darth Vader series which released on February 5, 2020.
Picking up directly following the events in Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, this comic book series follows events from Darth Vader’s perspective following the iconic battle with Luke Skywalker on Bespin where Darth Vader revealed to Luke that he was, in fact, his father. The story also ends with a major revelation/cliff hanger which I will not spoil in this article.
Marvel.com plugged the series with the following solicit: ““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 Lenco unleash Darth Vader on his dark quest of vengeance and discovery this February! With covers by InHyuk Lee!”
While viewers of Star Wars - The Empire Strikes Back were certainly focused on the injured and traumatized Luke Skywalker following the events of the movie, little has been covered concerning Darth Vader’s reaction to the intense revelation. As we find out in Darth Vader issue 1, the revelation certainly made an impact on him as well.
Some Spoilers From This Point On: Part of the issue focused on the confrontation we all know from Empire Strikes Back. We get a retelling of Luke’s injury and escape from Darth Vader as seen from Vader’s perspective with some thoughts from Darth Vader which were not revealed in the movie. Mostly internal monologue analyzing Luke’s choices and reactions.
Where Darth Vader issue 1 really excels is in the moments following the events of the movie where Darth Vader commenders a droid to accompany him on a mission to discover who has influenced Luke Skywalker up to this point. Essentially, we get a Darth Vader detective story and it is a fascinating exploration of a rarely seen side of Darth Vader.
Some Spoilers Here: Darth Vader’s investigation leads him all the way back to Tatooine where we get inside Vader’s head through flashbacks with lots of contextual memories from the prequels. It’s very nice to see the prequels getting some love in the Marvel Comics series and giving modern context to these often overlooked movies.
These memories of Darth Vader, now standing outside of Luke’s home on Tatooine, are now especially more impactful since the final scene of Star Wars - The Rise of Skywalker. In fact, Darth Vader’s visit to the place where he buried his mother added even more gravity to that scene.
Late in the issue, Darth Vader comes under attack and we get to see Darth Vader do what Darth Vader does best - kick serious ass, so the issue is not without action also. Basically, Darth Vader issue 1 offers nostalgia, intrigue, action, and a confusing yet OH MY GOD moment on the final page that must be seen to be believed. Again, I won’t spoil the cliffhanger for you but you’ll certainly want to know where this story goes next.
Darth Vader issue 1 from Marvel Comics is one of the best comic books I’ve read recently and one of the few that has really gotten me excited for the next issue. A must read.
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