In February of 2015, Marvel began publishing its second ongoing series, Darth Vader. It takes place concurrent with the Star Wars series (reviewed HERE) and focuses on the titular character as well as the Empire in general. The first six issues of this series were collected in a trade paperback called Star Wars: Darth Vader Vol. 1: Vader.
Synopsis
For his failure at the Death Star, the Emperor will only allow Vader one Sail Barge. Will it be an opener or remain MIB?
On Coruscant, Vader recounts the Rebel attack on Cymoon. Palpatine, still angry over the loss of the Death Star, tells Vader that he is putting him under the authority of Grand General Tagge. Vader chooses not to tell the Emperor about the Force strong boy who had Anakin Skywalker’s lightsaber. On Tatooine, Vader, having just slaughtered a group of Sand People, meets with Boba Fett and a Wookiee bounty hunter named Black Krrsantan. Fett is tasked with identifying and finding the unknown boy associated with Ben Kenobi, while Black Krrsantan is told to trace a mysterious agent Vader spotted in Palpatine’s office before leaving Coruscant.
Darth Vader, in his TIE and now back with the Imperial fleet and under Tagge’s command, intervenes when an Imperial shuttle comes under attack by an automated pirate ship. Vader and Tagge are investigating an increase in pirate attacks on Imperial supply lines, but they are at odds. Tagge assigns young Lieutenant Oon-ai to be Vader’s “adjutant” and to report back to Tagge on Vader’s activities. The Imperials repair the pirate ship and allow it to return to its base with Vader, Oon-ai, and a contingent of stormtroopers hidden on board. During the ensuing fight at the pirate base, which unfortunately was not a hidden cove on a water world, Vader sends a droid off to upload information into the pirate ship's computer, framing Oon-ai as a traitor who had been leaking info to the pirates. Back at the fleet, Vader deposits the dead lieutenant at Tagge’s feet and suggests he vet his next adjutant more closely.
Introducing: Indiana Jo-, Lara Cr-, Dr. Aphra!
And now we are introduced to rogue archaeologist Dr. Aphra, as she infiltrates a facility on a quarantine world to steal the 0-0-0 personality matrix. Aphra is definitely meant to evoke real life archaeologist Dr. Henry “Indiana” Jones Jr. who appeared in the 1981 documentary Raiders Of The Lost Ark. She wears a brown leather jacket, is chased by a rolling droideka after springing a trap, and dives beneath a descending door barely making it to the other side. Darth Vader arrives and interrupts Aphra’s apprehension by the facility director. How did Vader even find out about her? The aforementioned pirates were using battle droids that had been reactivated by her. Back aboard Aphra’s ship, the Ark Angel (seriously, that’s the name of the ship and that’s how it’s spelled), Vader helps her unlock the 0-0-0 matrix and she installs it in an unassuming looking protocol droid. 0-0-0 is a droid who not only specializes in, but relishes, murder and torture. Aphra quickly informs the droid that she and Vader are his masters to keep him from killing them, she then instructs him to re-activate a salvaged astromech assassin droid (“blastomech”) designated BT-1. BT comes to life and also has to be stopped from killing everyone in the room. This is what Aphra does, she makes a living finding and reactivating weapons like these, and that is why Vader has come to her. Having fallen out of favor with the Emperor, he no longer has unquestioned authority over an army; and he needs one to pursue his own goals independently of Palpatine. Aphra recommends they go to Geonosis.
A great moment between Vader and Aphra
Vader, Aphra, and the droids arrive on Geonosis and we get, from what I can tell, what is the first mention of the sterilization of the planet by the Empire. The Geonosian queen, sterilized but alive, has been manufacturing battle droids and treating them as her offspring. The group manages to steal the droids and escape the planet. Following this there is a scene onboard the ship where Aphra tells Vader she realizes that sooner or later he will kill her. Although she doesn’t want to die, she doesn’t beg him to spare her life, she only requests that he do it quickly with his lightsaber and not kill her by ejecting her into space. He says that as long as she remains useful to him she is safe. The couple of pages over which this scene plays out are very well done; the closeups of Aphra’s face, the panels with both of them where Vader looms over her. It really gives some depth to this new character who could have just as easily been portrayed as a wisecracking sidekick. Aphra’s interactions with Vader are very interesting. She is nervous around him; but it’s more than being afraid of the galaxy’s most dangerous man, she is nervous because she sincerely admires him. After their little heart to heart, Black Krrsantan makes contact and delivers the man whom Vader saw meeting with Palpatine. Thanks to 0-0-0’s enhanced interrogation techniques (which end up killing the man), they learn that he is Dr. Cylo-IV, that he was tasked by the Emperor with providing replacements for Vader, and the location of his base.
BT-1, when you've absolutely, positively got to kill every mother lover in the room, accept no substitute.
And so our favorite band of free-wheelin’, cold-blooded murderers arrive at Cylo’s base of operations, which is a group of cybernetically enhanced space whales. We could also refer to them as a pod, gam, or school of cybernetically enhanced space whales; but let’s not. In fact let’s just move on. After storming the ship, Vader comes upon two people, a young man and woman (they’re twins), wielding lightsabers. The man displays what appear to be Force powers, but Vader does not sense the Force in him. Then appears the man Vader knows as Cylo-IV. He explains that he is Cylo-V, a continuation of Cylo-IV’s personality and memories; part of an immortal system, he was activated when Cylo-IV did not return. Cylo has created a group of five individuals meant to replace Vader. They have special abilities, but not because of an affinity with the Force, because of cybernetic and organic enhancements. Vader condemns this as blasphemous. Cylo counters that Vader himself is more machine than man; that these people are, in some ways, a continuation of what began with him. Vader prepares to strike Cylo down only to be stopped by the Emperor. Palpatine orders Cylo to demonstrate the effectiveness of his creations.
Vader, angry about his would be usurpers, is even angrier he didn't get rocket boots.
One by one,each of Cylo’s projects attack Vader and Vader appears to act only in a defensive manner. Then Cylo orders a free-for-all to the death. Palpatine stops it after one of the participants, a Trandoshan, is killed. Palpatine addresses the group, telling them they will be responsible for striking down all that oppose the Empire, but he reminds them that, in the end, he has need of only one. When the two of them are alone, Palpatine complements Vader on the initiative that he has shown by assembling his own army and acting outside his system. Vader proclaims that these others are abominations and heresy. Palpatine echos Cylos’s point that Vader is more metal than man and reminds Vader that what happened on Mustafar was a tremendous disappointment and failure. Vader remarks that Cylo’s project has been underway for 20 years (which was how long he had been working with the twins), and that Palpatine has considered replacing him for this long. Palpatine, of course, offers no sympathy. The dark side is strength, he says. The strongest will survive. This scene gives some great insight into Vader and Palpatine’s relationship. It is very much the picture of a dysfunctional parent/child relationship. Palpatine is manipulative and controlling, making any approval conditional. Vader, fully aware of who and what Palpatine is, is yet still seemingly hurt and betrayed by these revelations. You are struck by just how lost Darth Vader really is. Palpatine is really the only person he has in the entire galaxy, the closest thing to family or a friend; yet, there is nothing but anger, mistrust, and contempt between the two of them. Later, we revisit the scene from the Star Wars comic where Fett provides Vader with the identity of the Force strong pilot for whom he has been searching: Skywalker. The scene here is embellished, however, as we see Vader flash back to events from Revenge of the Sith. Another lie the Emperor has perpetuated for 20 years. Vader calls Palpatine, but stops short of confronting him with the truth he has learned. He simply tells him: “I will not fail...and I understand us precisely”.
Review
The Emperor reminds Vader just how this Dark Side thing works.
Like the Star Wars series, Darth Vader starts off pretty strongly. In fact, I think it succeeds in some areas where Star Wars falters. This series doesn’t suffer from the same “small universe” problem that the other one does. We don’t see Vader fighting the rebels in any of these issues. It introduces a number of supporting characters who will be fleshed out pretty well in coming issues. Aphra’s introduction is well done and she is portrayed with quite a bit of depth even in these early issues. 0-0-0 and BT1 are wonderful and provide some well done and much needed comic relief. The biggest problem that I have is the end, where Vader seems to believe that Palpatine has been keeping the existence of his son from him from all these years. Are we supposed to believe that too? That ol’ Sheev always knew that “the son of Skywalker” had been born and was alive somewhere in the galaxy? It doesn’t feel right to me. If the Emperor knew about Luke’s existence, it seems to me he would also know where to look for him. The Emperor knows everything there is to know about Anakin Skywalker, surely he would have thought to look on Tatooine. Nevertheless, making Luke known to Vader is a good plot point, especially in the context that I discussed above. It gives Vader something to grab onto; someone or something besides the Emperor for him to use to find meaning in his existence. Granted, at this point Vader still seeks to find that meaning through the dark side by turning his son and overthrowing the Emperor. Overall, the series gets off to a great start. The writing is strong, and the art is strong.
