It’s time for the “Star Wars: Darth Vader” Annual, which like other “Star Wars” annuals we’ve reviewed, appears in a publication order that doesn’t make sense. But what it does do well is set up the next story arc of the series.
Written by Kieron Gillen
Penciled by Leinil Yu
Inked by Gerry Alanguilan
Colored by Jason Keith
Lettered by VC’s Joe CaramangaThe planet Shu-Torin has gone against the will of the Empire. It’s time for Vader to bring them in line. A great, evil jumping-on point for fans of the Dark Lord!
When I looked at the annuals that were a part of last year’s Summer Comics Binge of “Star Wars: Doctor Aphra” I defined the annual as such:
By definition, a comic book annual has a larger page count than its monthly or biweekly brethren, which in turn allows room for multiple stories or longer stories that wouldn’t fit in the traditional page count. Whether or not they tie in to the ongoing series, and to what degree, is a creative decision left up to the writer.
The genesis of the annual was to fill a hole in the publication schedule, that occasional fifth release day in a month. Think of them as bonus content, the third paycheck in a month when you’re paid on a biweekly schedule. Now do any of these definitions apply to this “Star Wars: Darth Vader” annual? Well, it does have a longer page count (32 versus the standard 24 pages). But the publication schedule is odd: it was released on December 16, 2015, right in the middle of the ‘Vader Down’ crossover event. And from the sound of the solicit, this annual has nothing to do with ‘Vader Down,’ but rather, appears to be setting up the next story arc of the series. If you were around for that Summer Comics Binge last year, you’ll also recall that the first Doctor Aphra annual also had some odd positioning in the schedule when considered in the context of the story it was telling.
All this is confusing, and a potential turn off to the reader. It’s clear in both these cases, though, that Marvel editorial was thinking ahead to trade collections, where they could easily group things together regardless of their single issue debuts. And this was the last issue of 2015, so it makes some sense to end the year here and set the stage for what’s to come in the new year. Now we can wax chapter and verse on these sorts of editorial decisions, but that’s not the purpose of this review. So let’s take a look at this story.
We meet the planet Shu-Torun, a rebel planet of sorts that needs to be brought in line. Naturally, the Empire has just the man for the job. He may have some disdain for the courtly traditions of the local culture (Darth Vader doing the waltz in a ballroom? There’s a picture you would want to see.) but he knows the necessity of the networking. We’ve seen the violent side of Vader in the first half of this series, now we get to see him at his craftiest, playing politics. But that isn’t the state of affairs for long, as the rebel faction of Shu-Torun crashes the ball and it’s time for Vader to exchange the dance card for a lightsaber.
Hardly any of the existing “Star Wars: Darth Vader” characters appear in this annual, save for Triple Zero and Beetee. The protégé role normally played by Aphra is filled by one Princess Trios, youngest daughter of the Shu-Torun king. Prophetically, the story opens with father telling his youngest daughter that her birthright will serve her kingdom in other ways, which comes true at the end of the annual: with father dead at the hands of Vader, she’s now queen of the planet, and appearing to be in Lord Vader’s debt. All this does a fine job of setting up what’s to come for the series, but there’s little hints as to how this will all tie in to what’s come before. How does Shu-Torun figure into Darth Vader’s plans for finding his son Luke? And how does Aphra’s story progress to the point that she leaves Vader’s employ and goes rogue herself? We only have ten issues of the series left after this, and I won’t lie: for all the faith I have in Kieron Gillen as a writer, I am concerned about how this all fits together.
Continued belowArt duties fall to Leinil Yu, Gerry Alanguilan, and Jason Keith. Yu is in the process of coming on board to the main “Star Wars” series (he starts with issue #16, which dropped about six weeks after this Annual). Alanguilan, known for his graphic novel “Elmer,” has worked with Marvel and Yu before, though not on Star Wars books. Jason Keith joined the art team as colorist for the ‘Vader Down’ crossover event. These three are all quite new to Star Wars comics, and have the added challenge of visually building a world to carry the next story arc. They all rise to the occasion beautifully, making Shu-Torun and its inhabitants unique and delivering fluid action. They know when to embrace rich detail, and when to pull it back. They know how to use panel layout to set the right tone of a scene, and when to ignore the conventions of panel layout. They know how to use line – – or even the absence of line – – to set up action and danger. They know just the right times to pull back into a wider shot and when to embrace the closeup. You’ll see a master class in the former near the end of the annual as Vader and Trios witness the aftermath of the attack. In the midst of a burnt out temple, the king’s throne, in all its rich and ornate detail, remains, centered in a full page splash shot but only taking up about 1/4 of the page, the remainder being the burnt out building around them. Combined with Jason Keith’s colors, it’s a stunning contrast of past and present, viewed by what will be the future of Shu-Torun.
This Annual takes a left turn in the main “Star Wars: Darth Vader” series, and while it is an enjoyable and well-executed one, one also cannot help but wonder why we took that left turn in the first place.
Next week we start our look at ‘Shu-Torun War’ with issues #16-17.
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!
