The issues greatest strength is the insane skill of Guiu Vilanova's epic, art and the coloring by Dean White and Giada Marchisio. They play with light and dark in creative new ways and use color to differentiate the layered flashbacks. Vilanova is definitely an artist to watch, the kind of artist you want to follow no matter what series they're involved with. Hopefully it includes a whole lot more art on this series and in the galaxy of Star Wars. Read Full Review

There's a lot going on in this book and I'm continuing to enjoy the way Greg Pak employs the flashbacks. Vader is not a talkative character and these internal pieces are key to showing us the way he's processing so much going on and the various emotions that power a Sith like him. The book also shows some great reaction shots to his being brought back to Coruscant that left me delighted, such as Palpatine's Vizier and all, but Palpatine himself delights in the chaos he brings. Ochi himself even gets a few neat little moments throughout. The flashback with Han worked well even if it felt like a forced element ahead of the Bounty Hunter storyline but was still one that made sense. Here's hoping the series can navigate this sprawling crossover and come out stronger. Read Full Review

We don't quite know how Vader will factor into the "War of the Bounty Hunters" event, but our curiosity is surely piqued. Read Full Review

Star Wars: Darth Vader #12 is what it says it is – a cool-down issue and prelude for the War of the Bounty Hunters crossover event. It shows the aftermath of the previous story arc and where everyone is at. But more importantly, it does its job to set up Darth Vader's motives for his involvement in the crossover. Read Full Review

While not a must-read, this is still good back story for the characters and a good lead up to the events of the War of the Bounty Hunters. Read Full Review