The war on Shu-Torun wraps up, but some of Vader’s chickens are starting to come home to roost. He’s going to get out of this battle just fine, but it’s going to be the return to Imperial management that may be the trickier minefield to manage. The same metaphor can also apply to scripting at this point in the series, as we wrap up this story effectively but now have to deal with finishing up everything else – – and there’s only six issues left.
Cover by Kaare AndrewsWritten by Kieron Gillen
Illustrated by Salvador Larocca
Colored by Edgar Delgado
Lettered by VC’s Joe CaramangaCollects Darth Vader Annual #1, Darth Vader #16-19.
The Dark Lord of the Sith’s unstoppable march continues! The natives of Shu-Torun are revolting, and there’s no way the Empire will stand for that. When Darth Vader is tasked with leading a military assault against the planet, could it be that his rise to glory has begun? But who will follow Vader into war? Would you? Then again, it’s better to fight alongside Vader than against him. That’s a lesson that the ore barons are about to learn.
Even the the smartest strategists find their best laid plans end up running afoul. And that’s where we find Lord Vader when issue #18 opens, heading right into just what Admiral Ackbar warned us against: a trap. Enter our favorite droid with a death wish, Triple Zero, who has just the solution: droids. But another solution may just present itself by accident: some warring factions within Queen Trios’s council. A disorganized council is a weakness practically begging to be exploited, but will Vader take the bait?
In fact, it isn’t Vader who exploits the weakness of the council, but Triple Zero, managing to convince the Shu-Torun troops that they were fighting leech droids that could suck out their blood, an enemy far worse than anything the Empire could throw at them. Like with Aphra’s means of getting information from the Son-Tuul Pride, Vader doesn’t seem too pleased with how Triple Zero handled the situation. But unlike with Aphra, he seems to blow this transgression from his protocol droid under the rug. It’s a small moment that struck me in the double standard at play. Since Triple Zero doesn’t have a defined gender (the Wookiepedia entry for the droid uses the pronoun “it”) we can’t exactly call this double standard sexism. But it’s clear that Vader has one set of moral code for his protocol droid and another for the human members for his team. Although we’re near the end of this series, that’s something I’d love to unpack in future volumes.
On the topic of Doctor Aphra . . . where has she been? Since the end of ‘Vader Down’ she’s been absent and under capture. There’s been hints of a search party to find her, but it doesn’t seem to be a priority for Vader. Her relationship with Vader is something that’s been started then stopped then started again, as if Gillen isn’t sure what exactly to do with this new character. Throughout this series, there’s been this attempt at balancing a linear story that’s meant to fill in the blanks between two iconic films with character study of its title character, and that balance has leaned more towards the latter than the former. This isn’t a bad thing, but the result is that plot threads and other supporting characters end up left unfinished. We only have six issues left of this first volume, and while I know there’s going to be two more volumes of Darth Vader stories, I was expecting a more finite, linear story.
But let’s get back to Aphra, or a lack thereof of her presence. Does this provide the opportunity for her to slip out of his grip and go on her own (albeit undercover, as we discovered when her own series kicked off)? Perhaps. Or perhaps not as Lord Thanoth is the one that found her, and he wants to have a little talk with Vader. There’s a hint that this former asset is on its way to becoming a liability. And when you’re trying to work your way back into your boss’s good graces and keep your own missions flying under that boss’s radar, you can’t slip up. In past installments of this comics binge, we’ve talked a lot about the power of information and the inherent dangers of that power, and that theme carries through in this issue. Triple Zero puts it perfectly: an idea is a powerful thing.
Continued belowIn these two issues, the colors of yellow and gold dominate in the palette, which certainly caught my attention. Normally we associate yellow with concepts of sunshine and warmth, but that’s certainly not something that’s part of this arc. Yellow can also be a color of sensationalism and excess, which does fit Shu-Torun quite well. Remember this is a planet of opulence (recall the ornate palaces we saw in the first two issues) and of courtly ways. Yellow can also be a color of cowardice (remember the expression “yellow bellied coward”), and even treason (those sentenced to die during the Spanish inquisition wore yellow). It’s treason that’s a main theme throughout these last two issues, as we see factions turning against each other, be it Trios’s advisers against their queen, or Vader against the Empire.
But in the final pages of issue #19, the palette changes from yellow to red, often in tandem with black. This combinations makes the red glow with passion and strength, perfect for the final scenes of Shu-Torun when Queen Trios regains full control of her planet. Like purple, red is a color of magic and power, and that’s something Trios has once more, taking the opportunity to remind the military captain Vader leaves in her employ for advice and counsel that he’s might be in charge, but she’s the one who makes the rules of survival. If he can’t dance, there’s no way he will persevere on this planet.
With one war down, Vader’s returning to his bosses to find another war’s brewing – – and it will be his head on the line in this one.
Next week it’s the beginning of the end of this first volume of the series, with the first three issues (#20 – 22) of the appropriately titled ‘End of Games.’
If you want to read along with me this summer, you can pick up the single issues or trades of “Star Wars: Darth Vader” at your local comic shop (be sure to wear your mask and social distance while you’re there!), or digitally on Marvel Unlimited or Comixology Unlimited. All single issues and trades of the series are available on Marvel Unlimited and Comixology Unlimited. If you’re a trade reader, don’t forget to check your local library’s print and digital catalogues for these books!
