While it didn’t necessarily translate well on the big screen, the tragic love of Padme and Anakin has been used to great effect in the cartoons and comics of the Star Wars universe. It makes sense, a forbidden love that is partially responsible for the rise of the empire is compelling stuff. Yet, Padme largely disappears from the galaxy’s memory, and while we know what happened to Anakin, little is discussed about the legacy of the Jedi knight. As an audience, we know what happened. But the movies make it clear that few people are aware of the man behind the mask. In “Star Wars: Darth Vader” #3, Greg Pak takes characters and setting from the prequels to create a compelling narrative about legacy and memory, and how messy those things can become.
Written by Grek PakCover by InHyuk Lee
Illustrated by Raffaele Ienco
Colored by Neeraj Menon
Lettered by VC’s Joe CaramagnaGHOSTS OF VADER’S PAST! In his quest to destroy everyone who hid the existence of his son, Luke Skywalker, from him, Darth Vader has formed an unlikely partnership with an eerie shadow from his previous life. Now they return to Naboo where a powerful new host of vengeful ghosts awaits them. Delve deeper into Vader’s past than you thought possible with this shocking tale of tragedy and revenge!
“Star Wars: Darth Vader” #3 continues to follow Vader and Sabe, a handmaiden of Padme, as they return to Naboo for answers. Sabe is trying to find out who is responsible for the murder of her queen and get vengeance, Vader similarly is looking for vengeance for those who hid the fact that he has a son. The team is joined by Captain Typho, Padme’s chief of security, and Captain Tonra, a member of the Naboo Royal Security Forces, who are convinced by Sabe that despite Vader’s reputation, he’s willing to help them with their mission. The inclusion of Typho and Tonra gives Pak the opportunity to continue to build the importance of Padme, but also the heroic young Jedi who protected her on multiple occasions, Anakin Skywalker.
Pak does an excellent job of using these prequel characters in “Star Wars: Darth Vader” #3, mainly because it allows for a great building of tension. As the issue progresses, we continue to hear stories of Anakin’s heroism and Padme’s magnanimity. Typho remembers a Jedi who helped to keep his queen and senator safe. As they arrive in the underwater shrine, he even points to the mural of the peace between the Gungans and Naboo, which features a young Anakin. Even as a child, he served the queen. Sabe and Tonra also inform Vader and his forensics droid that the reason they dropped off the map was to try and free Anakin’s mother on Tattoine. Padme never forgot the sacrifice Shmi made to save her son and sent them to free her. It seems as the issue progresses it seems to become a game of cat and mouse. Vader is trying to get more information about Padme, but it seems that Padme’s guard is trying to bait Vader with tidbits of information about his former life and his betrayal of the woman he loved, that at some point they found out the truth about who Vader truly is. That’s what makes the ending of the issue that much more impactful. After arriving at the undersea grotto which contains the security footage needed for the next step, it’s revealed that it was a trap. After doing their research, the team discovered that Mustafar, the planet where Padme died, was the domain of Vader. Vader was the one responsible for killing their queen, but also the Jedi who fought so valiantly for her.
In a way, the ending of “Star Wars: Darth Vader” #3 is an investigation into the legacy of both Anakin and Padme. Putting the majority of the issue on Naboo means that Pak can continue to make force Vader confront his memories of his past, the place where he and Padme fell in love. But it also forces Vader to confront those who he used to call allies and who loved Padme as much as he did. Throughout the series, Pak has been recontextualizing moments from the prequel trilogy as memories haunting Vader, but in this issue, Vader literally has to face the ghosts of his past. Yet, because Vader was not in the suit for such a short period of time, and much of the evidence that Anakin had become Vader was controlled by Jedi, Pak makes it credible that people truly don’t know who the man behind the mask is. That it’s very possible that the memory of Anakin Skywalker, Jedi Knight, is a positive one in the galaxy, even as Vader threatens and destroys them. In the final confrontation, there’s a moment where Sabe demands to know if Vader killed Padme and Anakin, and Vader confirms it. In Vader’s mind, Anakin is truly dead.
Continued belowThe idea of memory and legacy is also presented well in Raffaele Ienco’s art in “Star Wars: Darth Vader” #3. While the settings on Naboo aren’t quite ruins, it suggests that the planet, once a vibrant cultural destination, has lost quite a lot. The Nabierre Lake Retreat, the place where their relationship blossomed, is overgrown and showing it’s age. Similarly, the submarine they use to travel to the grotto is functional but old. Naboo basically disappears after the events of the prequel trilogy, so it’s unclear what is responsible for the loss of the planet’s status, but it helps with the idea of Vader struggling with his past. These places that were so important to him in his youth are lost. There are also some good moments of showing Vader’s strength. This is best showcased in the fight with the Colo Claw. These creatures are incredibly impressive and daunting, effectively tearing apart the old sub, but Ienco draws Vader slicing though the beast with ease, showing his strength. Ienco also does cool things with Vader’s lightsaber, showing how the weapons would react underwater, which seemingly boils the water around it, but also showing the sparks of energy as Vader turns the weapon on and off. The Lightsaber also helps with the lighting and coloring of scenes thanks to Neeraj Menon, creating an ominous red glow off of Vader’s helmet. But one of the strongest art sequences is when they get to the temple, Vader looking at the mural of the peace of Naboo. Overwhelmed with the emotion of seeing Anakin’s legacy, Vader loses his temper and destroys the artifact. Throughout the issue, Vader does a good job of staying calm and collected, so this outburst is jarring, showing the pain of his memories.
It’s interesting to see how the various Vader comics play with elements of the Prequel Trilogy in telling stories of Vader’s solo adventures. While Pak’s story began as a hunt for those who denied Vader the chance to raise his son, it has turned into an interesting investigation of the tragedy of Vader’s relationship. But in “Star Wars: Darth Vader” #3, Pak takes it to the next level with Vader finding out not only is Padme a beloved figure but so too is Anakin, simply because the galaxy doesn’t know who is behind the mask. Legacy is a messy thing.
Final Verdict: 8.0 “Star Wars: Darth Vader” #3 is an exciting look into Vader’s past by bringing in characters from his past to show how the universe not only views him but the man he used to be
