The baddest Sith of them all takes center stage in what is (apparently) is first ever ongoing comic series. “Darth Vader” #1 is not epic in the same sense that Aaron and Cassaday’s “Star Wars” is but more than makes up for that with deep characterization and sharp dialogue that gives the original trilogy a run for it’s money.
Written by Kieron Gillen
Illustrated Salvador LarrocaThe original Dark Lord of the Sith stars in his first ongoing series!
Ever since Darth Vader made his first on-screen appearance, he became the one of the most popular villains to ever haunt an audience’s dreams! Now, follow Vader straight from the ending of A NEW HOPE (and the pages of the new STAR WARS comic book) into his own series, showing the Empire’s war with the Rebel Alliance from the other side! Writer Kieron Gillen (Uncanny X-Men, Journey Into Mystery, Iron Man) and artist Salvador Larroca (Invincible Iron Man, X-Men: No More Humans) bring us a peek behind the mask of evil!
I’m not well acquainted with Dark Horse’s expanded Star Wars universe and, because of that, I went into “Darth Vader” #1 with no idea about how the character has been translated into other mediums before. I am, however, very familiar with the movies and consider Darth Vader my favorite movie villain of all time. From the moment he walked through the smoke and made that first deep breath I became hooked to a character who would both scare me and make me pity him.
The issue opens with Darth Vader visiting Jabba the Hutt. He’s there on his own accord a day before he’s due for official Empire business. It works exactly the same way his debut in A New Hope did. Kieron Gillen and Salvador Larroca waste absolutely no time establishing his bad ass status with lines like “You haven’t dealt with a Jedi in a long time. They are gone. The reason stands before you,” and “Mind tricks are not of the dark side. We prefer force.” Gillen gave him the Vader attitude from the very beginning and Larroca gave him the look. Standing stationary he handles the entire room, and gets exactly what he wants from Jabba. Chronologically, the events take place after last week’s issue of “Star Wars,” which takes place soon after the Death Star was destroyed, so Vader is at a low place right now. He’s failed twice and because of this the entire issue focuses on how he’s dealing with his failures and how he plans to fix them.
Despite the fact that I am a big fan of Kieron Gillen, I wasn’t sure he was the right fit for Darth Vader. I am glad to say that I was entirely wrong about this, because he understands this character in ways that should, and will, excite any Star Wars fan. Vader believed he was nothing but a tool of the Jedi, but was turned into a tool of the Sith. He was an angry and impulsive young man, and didn’t realize that Palpatine was using him the same way he felt Obi Wan was. Gillen understands this, and so he adds major scenes in the script that speak to this. Palpatine is angry and puts the blame on Vader, but it’s the way that he actually speaks to him that is important to discuss further. He points out how valuable other men are and even goes so far to call Vader something to be wielded, not someone who wields a weapon. It’s important to drive home the point that Palpatine is in charge and that Vader has always been beneath him in the power scheme. Larroca does a lot of work when it comes to conveying this because of how he places Vader and Palpatine in panels. Vader spends much of the time talking to him kneeling and when he does rise up, his head is down and his posture is more slouched, once again illustrating how Palpatine is above Vader. Take away the dialogue and Larroca’s art tells the story.
What’s so intriguing about the way the relationship is depicted is that it goes back to the prequels. The prequels, more than the original trilogy, told the story of this relationship and what it was. These Marvel series take place within original movies, but it’s clear that nothing in the movie-verse is really off limits and I think it helps legitimize the prequels more. Fans hate those films, but what happened is canon, and I truly believe that most of the actual mythology built helps Vader’s origin. It’s what humanizes him and makes him a better villain. He’s once again facing failure and, as the prequels showed us, he doesn’t handle that well. Gillen and Larroca took something from the prequels and made it important and in a sense laying a Jedi mind trick on fans who hate on the films for sport.
Continued below(Side note: I will defend Episode III till the day I die. Which will probably be in a fight about Episode III)
Larroca, as a whole, does a really nice job artistically. I’ve already mentioned how he nails the body language of Vader and Palpatine’s exchange, but that’s the tip of the iceberg when it comes to what he does in this book. Vader is like something right off the big screen. He has clearly studied how he looks and how he moves. Not once does Vader do something physically crazy. He’s very frozen and inflexible, relying on the force do his work. It makes him appear stronger, and makes him a far scarier opponent. The opening pages in Jabba’s palace are paced fantastically, with each panel actually feeling like a moving film. Larroca does something that is very tough to do: give emotion to Jabba the Hutt. He’s a blob with a brain but Larocca is able to do work with the eyes and the actual wrinkles on his skin to show movement, as well as variation in what he’s feeling. He gives him smugness, instead of what could have turned into constant blank stares. Darth Vader’s characterization is enhanced greatly by Larroca because of the way he positions him in many scenes he’s involved in. Vader is a lonely person. He has no friends or family due to things he caused in the past and, as much as a writer can say it, the artist can do a lot to hammer this home. Vader is often in the center of scenes but surrounded by no one. His mask makes it very tough to get any expression from, but what Larroca does is just as good. The movie realism works for me because it’s what I want to see. I’m a stickler for this sort of thing.
The backgrounds are very good, but at times they feel a little relaxed; this is probably due to the fact that attention must be called to the characters interacting. That’s where Larroca wants our eyes to go, and he definitely gets that, but Palpatine’s office isn’t as grand as I would have liked. We get one scene where we see some of the bigger detailing, but it’s dropped very quickly. The flashbacks to the events of “Star Wars” #2 are a bit off as well. It’s almost like Larroca wanted to evoke John Cassaday but his work is so good on it’s own that it wasn’t a necessary choice.
As a whole, “Darth Vader” #1 was great, but it did feel a little less epic after Vader left Jabba’s palace. The transition wasn’t as smooth and that makes me cautious going forward. The timeline feels a little too close to what’s happening in “Star Wars”. If that gets delayed, how does this story get effected and vice versa? I also worry about there being too many guest stars. Palpatine is vital, I think, in a Darth Vader story but the surprise at the end and Jabba the Hutt are not characters I’d like to see as often going forward. Gillen and Larroca really have something here and if they keep it up this could become a very special chapter in the story of Darth Vader.
Final Verdict: 8.5 – This issue is definitely not as epic as the main Star Wars title but it does set a great pace for what solo series will look like.
