★★★★★ 4
An origins story of sorts
Format: Paperback
Darth Vader is an angry man. Recently Anakin Skywalker, hero of the Republic, the Chosen One in the eyes of some of the Jedi, he is now a literally broken man, as much machine as human, as result of losing a battle with his former master—and ‘brother’—and left to die along the lava rivers of Mustafar. Worse, he is bereft of his great love, Padme Amidala, and is at least the proximate, if not the direct, cause of her death.
So yeah, he has a few things to work out.
This first volume of the second DV run from Marvel focuses on how Vader becomes Vader, the Dark Lord of the Sith that strikes fear in the hearts of friend and foe alike.
The plot here across the six collected issues is fairly minimal. Having lost his lightsaber to Obi-Wan in the Mustafar fight, he needs a new one, and it needs to a Sith saber, which can only be gotten by taking a saber from a foe and “bleeding” it, by infusing its crystal with all the hate and anger that drives the Sith. In the process, this will turn the crystal’s light red (thus explaining why Sith sabers are the color they are). So, the first three issues are about him acquiring and crafting said saber. The other issues are his rocky introduction to and training of the Inquisitorious, the Emperor’s new Jedi hunters.
So, with six issues of not a whole lot of story, does this collection work? To my surprise, yes it does. This is all about emotion, and if there is a standout star, it’s Vader’s rage. His former life gone, crushed and burned in the fires of Mustafar, Vader’s going to forge a new one in the very flames of his anger. Writer Charles Soule has done a fine job in depicting this inner turmoil and translating it into the foundations of the Dark Lord’s new life.
Also nicer is artist Giuseppe Camuncoli’s work. The artwork is dynamic—Vader is agile, fluid and skillful —and interesting. It’s good stuff and does a fine job giving us insight to Vader’s state of mind.
As I’ve said, there’s not a whole lot of story here, but there is a fine character study of damaged man rebuilding himself into a powerful and formidable individual.
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Reviewed in the United States on April 3, 2023
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