Star Wars: Darth Vader #3 - A Review

Darth Vader is not accustomed to things being kept secret from him nor is he used to being kept on a tight leash. Nominally under the command of Grand General Tagge, Vader has his own agenda to pursue. Chief among his goals are tracking down the Force-strong Rebel pilot who destroyed the Death Star. But even one so mighty needs followers to do one's bidding - a fact that leads Vader to seek out the rogue archaeologist and robotics expert Dr. Aphra.


Unfortunately, this issue falls flat compared to the first two. There are some good moments but these are few and far between.  The biggest problem is that there is very little of Lord Vader in this issue, with most of the action focused on our introduction to Dr. Aphra.


The nod to Indiana Jones is mildly amusing but does little to distinguish Dr. Aphra as a unique character. Thus far she comes off as a more talkative Lara Croft or River Song. This lack of originality extends to the other two characters introduced in this issue, who might as well be called Evil Threepio and Evil Artoo for all that it matters.


At least the artwork remains enjoyable, even if the script for this issue is weak. Salvador Larroca and Edgar Delgado perfectly capture the look of the Star Wars universe. Unfortunately the cover by Adi Granov is the worst sort of gratuitous cheesecake, with Dr. Aphra looking far too young to be a doctor and posed in a stance that leaves her legs spread wide as she gropes her thighs.

Star Wars: Darth Vader #2 - A Review

In the wake of the Rebel Alliance's destruction of The Death Star, Darth Vader's own star within the Empire has fallen. Placed under the command of Grand General Tagge, the Sith Lord bristles at having his power mocked.  The added insult of being assigned a Lieutenant to watch over his every move proves to be the final straw and Vader will soon show that he is far more than a simple weapon to be wielded.


Kieron Gillen's script for this issue is a marked improvement. The awkward dialogue that plagued the first issue has vanished, though Darth Vader's sense of drama remains intact. And those who feared that we would not see Vader the warrior after the early emphasis on office politics in The Emperor's palace will be relieved to know that this issue features Lord Vader at his most treacherous.


As before, the artwork by Salvador Larroca and Edgar Delgado is good. The characters are well depicted, the inks are perfectly applied and the colors are wonderfully chosen. To borrow a line from Darth Vader himself, it is "most impressive."

Star Wars: Darth Vader #1

It is a time of great turmoil for The Galactic Empire. Attacking from a remote moon of the Yavin system, rebel scum have destroyed The Death Star. Darth Vader somehow survived the disaster but will he survive the wrath of his master, The Emperor Palpatine, when there is no one else left alive to take the blame?


The dialogue in this book is awkward to put it mildly.  There are a number of odd word choices throughout, with the Death Star being described in the opening scrawl as "The Empire's ultimate peacekeeping force" rather than "ultimate weapon" and Vader describing a Rebel attack by saying "They had... a certain success." rather than "They were successful." among others.  My colleague Roy Buckingham of  the Cult Film Fanatics podcast said it best - this entire comic reads like it was written by Tommy Wiseau of The Room.


At least the book looks good.  Artist Salvador Larroca does a fine job capturing the appearances of the characters from the movies and in depicting the backgrounds of the various worlds well.  And color artist Edgar Delgado manages some truly impressive lighting effects with the coloration.