The Good
This issue of DARTH VADER fully crosses us into some very Mass Effect-y territory, and it works amazingly. This isn’t terribly shocking since the latter is clearly influenced and inspired by the former, but Vader and Aphra’s solution to a bad case of “lacking an unstoppable army” is a novel, bizarre and extraordinarily dark one that ties all the way back to the prequels. Aphra’s new droids also prove their mettle and prove to be quite the pair to be reckoned with, and it’s here that Kieron Gillen does some great work in making the droid duo feel like they’re doing something different. The similarities between them and the fan-favorite HK-47 were much more apparent last issue (it felt like if they were combined, HK would pop out) but this issue gives us a much better look at 000’s personality and temperment, as well as the fascinating reason he was shut down, and zeroing in on BT-1. Gillen still has an incredible knack for writing Vader as clipped, kurt, and straight to the point while still making him someone that feels like the kind of person one would follow through the gates of Hell, whether he cared or not. There’s a dark charisma that Gillen infuses him with, making him feel like all that he does is effortless, even when it’s clear he’s struggling. Aphra also gets to shine here, showing herself to be far more than a motor-mouthed comic relief character and having a couple of truly genuine moments of pathos while still showing that the dark side comes in many shades.
Salvador Larroca changes gears somewhat in this as he shows a lot more implied violence and fighting than in previous issues, without feeling like he’s cheating the reader. He’s already shown Vader to be more than capable of dealing with most any threat that crosses his path, and while he’s also been great about having the dark lord struggle, by this point it should be clear that Vader isn’t going to be stopped by some bizarre droid-mutants. Larroca keeps the pace brisk too, not just in the fights but as the characters go from place to place. He gives the feeling that Vader is constantly walking quickly at full stride and depending on everyone else to keep up. It’s a small, subtle touch that makes the character not only feel more real, but more fleshed out without needing to say or do anything else. Edgar Delgado’s colors take a turn for the dark and dreary in this, but it fits the tone of the issue to a tee. Not that the other issues were exactly rays of sunshine, but this one feels downright oppressive and claustrophobic. It makes the inclusion of Doctor Aphra all the more necessary as she can feel and react to things similarly to how the reader would, while Vader retains his stoicism.
The Bad
Without giving anything away, there’s a part in this issue near the middle, when Vader is in combat, where it becomes difficult to discern exactly what’s going on and what the plan is. It only lasts a couple of pages, but it’s jarring considering how well the rest of the issue is paced and blocked.
The Verdict
This issue feels like it picks up the pace of the series perfectly, finally calcifying Vader’s main plan while checking in with one or two of the loose threads that had been left in the form of the bounty hunters. This feels like a clinic on how to write a great villain book: Vader’s obviously not a GOOD person, but Gillen and Larroca make him a COMPELLING one. He often traded on pure cool-factor, but this series seems intent on making him an actual, thinking, complex person.
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