Star Wars: Darth Vader: Dark Lord of the Sith Volume 1-Imperial Machine collects issues 1-6 of Darth Vader: Dark Lord of the Sith written by Charles Soule with art by Giuseppe Camuncoli. It was released on December 5, 2017.
Synopsis
The Darth Vader rises.
The Republic is ashes. The Jedi Order is destroyed, all but a handful killed by those they thought they could trust. The Sith have taken their revenge. Darth Vader takes his first awkward steps into this new world; filled with pain at the death of his beloved wife, he is given a choice by his new master: will he use his pain and live, or die? Vader chooses life, and his first task is to acquire a new lightsaber to replace the one he lost on Mustafar. While there are plenty of lightsabers on hand, confiscated from the now defeated Jedi, “the saber of a sith is not given, it is taken”. Vader acquires a new ship and sets off for a Jedi outpost in the MId-rim. After killing a group of clones who are there to catalog the outpost’s contents; he has his droid access information on Jedi who have taken the Barash Vow and sequestered themselves from the rest of the order. He locates Jedi Master Kirak Infil’a on Al’doleem. Infil’a was renowned for this combat skills and began his sabbatical before Anakin Skywalker entered the Jedi Temple. Arriving on Al’doleem, Vader is confronted by Kirak and his sparring droid Arex. Having sensed the “death of almost every Jedi”, Infil’a is unafraid of Vader. He senses that Vader is merely the apprentice and swears to destroy him, then find his master so that he might rid the galaxy of this evil and restore the Jedi. Vader is nearly defeated by the Jedi, but after repairing himself with parts from Arex, he confronts Kirak again and defeats him by putting innocents in danger and forcing the Jedi to focus on protecting them. With Infi’a dead, and his lightsaber in Vader’s hands, Palpatine instructs him to travel to Mustafar. In a cave, Vader pours his pain into the crystal in an attempt to corrupt and bleed it. Vader is tempted by the crystal to return to the light, but he resists and succeeds in gaining a crimson crystal, at this point still housed in Master Kirak’s hilt. Vader returns to Coruscant and, after a confrontation with the Grand Inquisitor in the Jedi Temple, he is introduced to the other members of the Inquisitorius. The Emperor tells him he will train and lead them.
Review
Vader's sweet ride.
Darth Vader is a sad individual. I don’t think we fully processed how much before the PT came along and showed us the helpful boy who became the skilled, virile warrior of the Clone Wars, who then plummeted to the farthest depths of the Dark Side. Of course, we get a glimpse at the end of ROTJ when his mask is removed to reveal the all-too human and broken creature underneath; but this revelation is overshadowed by the triumph of his redemption and the defeat of the Emperor. It’s not until details of his backstory are filled in that we come to understand just what it is that’s encased in that armor. Here, Charles Soule gives us Darth Vader in his infancy; as he begins the process of fully shedding the identity of Anakin Skywalker, of putting to rest the hero of the Republic and embracing his role as a Dark Lord of the Sith. The result is a look at a Darth Vader who is not the unstoppable killing machine of the OT and RO. The introduction of Master Kirak Infil’a makes for a worthy challenge to Vader. In a straight on confrontation, Vader is unable to defeat the Jedi, it is only by embracing the Dark Side, by fighting in a way that a Jedi never would when he puts innocents in danger, that Vader succeeds. From the beginning, Infil’a refers to Vader as “creature” and “beast”, emphasizing the Sith’s loss of humanity. When Vader does acquire the crystal and enters the cave on Mustafar, we see an extended sequence of his temptation to return to the light that may well be one of my favorite sequences in a Star Wars comic. It’s genuinely moving; and, somehow, convincingly tense even though we already know Vader’s fate. The same can be said of Vader’s confrontation with Kirak Infil’a, you know he’s not going to kill Vader; but the story is told so well that you become engrossed in the process and forget that you already know how it must end. Some might say that Vader should have confronted a Jedi who was already known from the PT or TCW; but I think it’s important that Infil’a was not someone who was in hiding or on the run as a result of Order 66. The idea of the Barash Vow, and the fact that Kirak had taken it because his only purpose in the Order was to fight and he felt the need to remove himself from galactic affairs, adds another layer here. Did he take the vow because he had foreseen that if he remained active in the Jedi he would be tempted to the Dark Side as the threat of the Sith arose? Did he do it because he knew he must remain apart until a threat specifically meant for him to confront ermerged? The fact that he began his self imposed exile prior to Anakin’s induction is, I think, quite telling.
Kirak Infil'a
As was the case with the previous Darth Vader series, we also get a look at the relationship between Darths Vader and Sidious. After Vader’s “nnnooo!” moment, he lashes out with the Force and Sidious is thrown against the wall. At first the Emperor seems to take it in stride, but then he shocks Vader with Force lightning and tells him that if he ever attacks him again he will kill him. Palpatine’s reaction to Vader’s hurt can never be one of compassion or pity. Never. Pain must be fed with more pain. Anger must be stoked. This story offers some tantalizing and fascinating glimpses into the immediate aftermath of Order 66 and how the Empire seeks to eradicate not only the Jedi themselves but also their legacy. We see Mas Amedda address a group of onlookers as Clone Troopers dump lightsabers into an incinerator and he repeats the lie that they were plotting to overthrow the Republic. He ironically declares it to be the advent of a new “age of freedom”. We see Clones wondering what their new role will be in a galaxy at last done with the Clone Wars. Wisely, the story keeps Darth Vader at its center. This story is about the birth and early growth of Darth Vader. It’s about how he becomes, not just “bad Anakin”, but a radically different creature altogether. The art here is fantastic. The many action scenes rendered with dynamic clarity. Some may take issue with the way Vader’s helmet is drawn; but I think it was important for it to look a little different to serve as a visual cue that this is Vader at a different time in his life than what we saw in the previous comic series.
Notes
Darth Vader gets ready to bleed his new crystal
In addition to the Grand Inquisitor, we see (according to Wookieepedia): 8th Brother, 5th Brother, 9th Sister, 7th Sister, and 6th Brother.
Among the lightsabers being destroyed at the beginning, we see Mas Amedda personally toss Yoda’s into the furnace.
This story, along with the novel Ahsoka by E.K. Johnston, gives us some of the best info we have in the new canon about lightsaber crystals and why Sith’s are red; the “bleeding” concept replacing the old idea that they were synthetic.
This story takes place immediately after Revenge of the Sith.
At the end of this story, we see that Jocasta Nu survived Order 66.
Master Inil’a’s first name is Kirak and his droid was Arex. I’m going to go ahead and call these a couple of Star Trek references (even though the name Kirk adopts in The Paradise Syndrome is spelled “Kirok”). Close enough.
To differentiate this from Kieron Gillen’s series, the full title of the series is Darth Vader: Dark Lord of the Sith, although the full title does not appear on the book.
On November 6, 2018 this story along with the following was collected in a hardcover edition.
Comic Pack Wish List:
Kirak and Arex would absolutely, without question, be at the top of my list. Obviously we need super articulated versions of any and all of the Inquisitors.
Score:
A compelling story with lots of action and feeling: 5 Skulls.
