INTO THE SAND!
• We all know about Anakin Skywalker's aversion to finely ground particulate matter.
• But what does sand mean to the Dark Lord of the Sith?
• When Sabé, Vader's unlikely new ally, goes missing, Vader must confront his own dark heart in the maelstrom of a terrible sandstorm - while tapping into one of his earliest skills in a wildly unexpected way!
RATED T
A lot of this issue can be viewed as recap of parts of the prequel trilogy but it does play out in a good way to highlight the loss that Vader has faced over the course of his life and why he's suddenly finding himself unable to keep it all sealed away considering how Sabe looks so much like Padme. The book looks good with Ienco really capturing some of the element of the film right for this particular style and intent while Pak's script keeps things largely clean and accurate. It's just that I keep feeling like it's going too far into that interconnected nature in some ways that it defies belief. I know, I know, it's just how Star Wars is to some degree. But this is just a degree too far for me, even though it works and I can enjoy it. Dealing with adult Kitster just feels wrong. Read Full Review
It's yet to be seen if this arc will have any substantial reveals to Vader's overall arc, but the story's future could see this installment retroactively prove to be a more pertinent step in the character's overall journey, though for the moment, it feels like it's treading water. Read Full Review
Though this takes place between Empire and Jedi where Vader eventually turns back to the light, this story's focus of him remembering the good in him to save Sabe is a bit much and would take away from his ultimate sacrifice to save his son Luke.
This is the first of Marvel's Darth Vader comics to reach a 26th issue, and this is the series that deserved it the least. About half the pages are flashbacks to the movies so very little actually happens in this issue. Throughout this series there's been quite a few issues plagued with excessive flashbacks, and I'm not sure if it's because Pak thinks we've never seen the Star Wars movies or if it's because the story is so shallow he needs to pad it with filler. Either way, a disappointing issue that contributes very little.
This was a waste of an issue. If I wanted to see episode one again, I would have watched it. I don't need Greg Pak stealing scenes from it and sticking it into a comic. And not just one page, but smattered throughout the entire issue for no reason. The only things that happen are that Vader saves Sabe from the storm and the Emporer's interjection at the end. Otherwise, I didn't need to read this issue at all.