Charles Soule has taken Darth Vader back to the early days of his tenure as lord of the Sith, and through it has giving us a character starting to embrace how evil he can be. While the last issue saw him defeated at the hands of the most badass Jedi exile I’ve ever seen, this chapter brings us round two, and what a round it is.
There will be spoilers ahead, so read on with caution.
Written by Charles Soule
Illustrated by Giuseppe Camuncoli
Colored by David Curiel
Lettered by VC’s Joe CaramagnaVader’s first mission isn’t going well. The dark side is the way of power. But no one said it would be easy.
One thing I never expected to see while reading a “Darth Vader” comic is seeing Vader himself in a beaten, weakened state. After all, this is one of the greatest antagonists in cinema, and showing him vulnerable runs the risk of taking away from the threatening presence, the sheer unbridled power, that he represents.
And yet that is how this comic opens: with Vader lying broken, at least physically. But rather than make Vader appear weak, it stands as a testament to the might of his foe, Jedi Master Kirak Infil’a. Thus, it makes Darth Vader’s revenge all the more impressive, when he picks himself up and comes back with a vengeance.
Of course, this rise is made all the more impressive by Giuseppe Camuncoli’s artwork. There’s some exquisite detail in the moment where Vader raises his hand, broken as it is, to use the force to tear apart the droid that’s taunting him. It’s our first sign that the fight isn’t out of him, and it’s paced so perfectly that we feel the energy and concentration that goes into every act.
The artwork remains very solid throughout the issue, with solid designs for both characters and scenery. Am’balaar City, where Kirak goes after his fight, is designed beautifully. The way it’s built into a dam is a clever design, but the architecture has a distinctly “Star Wars” style to it. The design also provides some nice visual foreshadowing, setting the stage for the environment damage Vader will unleash.
The pacing throughout moves the story along well, properly switching back between Vader and Kirak. As such, we get to know a little more about the Jedi Master, and the people of Am’balaar he interacts with. At the same time, the art provides us a wordless scene of pain as Darth Vader reattaches his own robotic leg (not counting “nyaaargh!” as a word), perfectly illustrating the pain he’s in and the willpower it takes.
When we get to the combat, there’s a fantastically ominous image of Darth Vader calling out Kirak. The dark and red background has him cloaked in shadows, a single eye glowing as he beckons “Come.” This is the deadly Darth Vader we’ve been looking for, and that panel alone sets the tone and threat nicely.
The combat scene that follows is quite good as well, making the most out of Giuseppe Camuncoli’s illustrations and David Curiel’s color work. The clash of red and green from the first page of their battle is iconic in “Star Wars” fights, and the action moves nicely.
The dialogue is scarce in the fight, but every word serves a purpose. It’s chilling when, after Kirak calls Vader a monster, the Sith lord’s only response is “Yes. I am.”
What dialogue we do get is mostly from Kirak, as he prepares to return to the world. We meet a few of the people he’s come to know and care for during his exile, and Charles Soule does a good job giving each of them a distinct voice and personality, so his affection towards them is clear. In just a few pages we learn about who he is, what his noble goals are, and get to know the people who support him – there’s undoubtedly several stories that could be told about each of them, but those stories were doomed to end the moment Darth Vader came into the picture.
In any other comic, Kirak would be the hero, and in his fight to protect the people of Am’balaar, we’d see how they care for him, and cheer as he overcomes the odds and saves them all. But he is not the hero of this story – there is no hero, only the villain protagonist that is Darth Vader. When Vader succeeds, the story progresses, but he leaves death and devastation in his wake. To Vader, that’s fine, but as readers, we are meant to be both impressed and horrified by it.
Continued belowThis is a “villain protagonist” story done right. Darth Vader’s struggles do not make him look weak, or sympathetic, and his victory is hard-fought but terrifying in its conclusion. He is willing to do whatever it takes to succeed, and his ruthless determination both makes him compelling and shows us why he is the iconic villain we all know and love.
Overall, “Darth Vader” #4 continues the story of Vader’s rise nicely, with some excellent artwork, impressive combat, and chilling moments that establish his character well. Just as he’s ready to bleed the kybar crystal in Kirak’s lightsaber red with the dark side, so is his path stained with death, and it’s a great comic for it.
Final Verdict: 8.3 – Soule’s run on “Darth Vader” continues to be impressive, backed up by strong artwork and pacing to help build the character.
