There's not much that isn't done excellently inDarth Vader #5. It's by no means a perfect comic, but it hits all the right beats, and provides a great penultimate issue for this story. It is, by nature, largely setup. As such, we don't get any of the real action here – that's being saved for next issue. In spite of this, the issue still moved along at a brisk pace, so the story didn't lose all the much steam as a result of this issue being set up. So if you like Star Wars, and/or you like comics, this is definitely something you should be checking out. Read Full Review

A good wrap up of all the moves Darth Vader has been making in the first four issues, with some interesting twist and turns. Hopefully the writing and artistic team stay with this book through the next volume, due out in June. Read Full Review

A good wrap up of all the moves Darth Vader has been making in the first four issues, with some interesting twist and turns. Hopefully the writing and artistic team stay with this book through the next volume, due out in June. Read Full Review

Darth Vader #5 continued to give depth to Vader's character without ever going in a direction that makes the character unrecognizable. Seeing Darth Vader's plans to create an army of his be squashed a bit by Emperor Palpatines on private army was well executed. It gave additional layer of tension that Kieron Gillen has been building between the two after the events of the first Death Star's explosion. How these new characters are used moving forward makes for an exciting prospect that just has me itching to get my hands on the next issue of Darth Vader. Read Full Review

Darth Vader #5 is a rock solid comic. There is a lot of Sith-y fun going on here and the relationship between The Emperor and his apprentice is examined well in this issue. Gillen and Larroca are dialed into what makes Vader work and this Star Wars series is a lot of fun each month. Read Full Review

Now that this series has proved it can capture the look and feel of the movies, it's setting about the more difficult task of adding new and different elements to the Star Wars universe. And so far, it's succeeding very well. Read Full Review

While the book doesn't stumble here, it doesn't feel quite as thrilling and exciting as it has been as the reveal of what Cylo is doing doesn't really grab you. It has potential and I'm certainly curious, but it's like a weaker than expected reveal that takes a bit of the wind out of the sails. The little bit we get with Aphra is certainly a saving grace and getting a look at the group Cylo has is definitely intriguing. Gillen does keep the book moving well and the mix of action, seriousness and proper humor is all spot on. Larocca continues to just nail the visual of the book, taking the standard templates and expanding on them, giving us familiar and new at the same time with some twists. I'm curious as to what will happen next and how far it will all really go, but there's an uncertainty that's off-putting and interesting at the same time. Read Full Review

The second reveal at the end of the issue is shocking enough to render the first almost irrelevant, but this is still a solid, great issue featuring some amazing action and even a few chuckles. Unless the ball is entirely dropped next issue, this storyline will have been one of the best, if not the best, in Darth Vaders comic book story history. The combination of character development, power utilization and great new characters have all been building to this issue, and while the payoff is a little uneven, it still feels like the journey has been worth it. Read Full Review

Darth Vader #5 may have been a little too quick of pace at times, with some moments not quite living up to their full potential, but that didn't stop it from astounding. Giving yet more depth to Darth Vader's character, building upon his elaborate characteristics, this issue did a lot to move the story forward, with the closing moments leaving me excited heading into #8. Read Full Review

Darth Vader #5 continues to build on Gillen's success of writing the Dark Lord of the Sith. As this arc draws to a climax, this issue sets Gillen and the entire team up for an explosive confrontation where they can really let their imaginations run wile. Hopefully, they'll take advantage of the narrative they've set up and give us a showdown that'll make even Obi-Wan wince from beyond the grave. Read Full Review

Darth Vader's robot army descends on his would-be replacements in Darth Vader #5, another solid issue filled with Kieron Gillen's trademark wit and Salvador Larroca's meticulous and realistic artwork. Read Full Review

With less than seven months now until the release of The Force Awakens, there is plenty of speculating to be done about what the future holds for the Jedi and the Sith. The ideas brought forth in this issue, even though the story is set between Episodes Four and Five, are certainly an interesting glimpse of what we could have to look forward to. Im certainly looking forward to seeing how it plays out. Read Full Review

Adi Granov's cover for "Darth Vader" #5 has the Sith Lord glaring at the reader, as a green lightsaber crosses a yellow one between the reader and Vader. In my memory, this is the first we've seen a yellow lightsaber in Marvel Comics. The original Luke Skywalker action figure came with a yellow saber, so that hit a nostalgic note for me, which is exactly what Gillen and Larroca do for readers and "Star Wars" fans throughout "Darth Vader" #5. Every issue of the series has given readers adventure and excitement, and this is no different. Read Full Review

The Dark Lord of the Sith continues his badass mission, and we get a peek at a post-Jedi world in Darth Vader #5. It's definitely an interesting comic, but the action settles down a bit from previous issues. Read Full Review

Darth Vader #5 still seems to snap into place towards its end, making a compelling argument to continue reading. So much of the series has relied on style and wit so far, but Gillen may have found a new idea worth mining for an extremely long time. It's an exciting final few pages filled with invention and excitement, and it's the best moment in all of Darth Vader so far. Read Full Review

A book that has all the elements of greatness, but can't quite decide what to do with its main character. Read Full Review

This may be the weakest issue in the series so far. Very little character development is undertaken and the plot twist is bewildering. Read Full Review

"Darth Vader" has so much potential. The comic has a good supporting cast, it has good ideas, but it is failing on the execution in too many spots. Having a consistent characterization of Vader is essential. How he acts, what he says and what he's capable of should be cornerstones across the line. This comic book confuses things instead of following a standard. The book throws some ideas out there that have potential but at the expense of using the characters that have been established in previous issues. This comic book looks cool and might skate by on those merits but if you are looking for a complete read about Darth Vader then this is simply not it. Read Full Review

My favorite issue so far. Looking at the "trainees" was cool.

Writing-A-
Art-C
Story-C+
Total-B-

Darth Vader continues to press on his mission to find some of the Emperor's secrets. It is primarily an action issue with some pretty cool reveals.

I'm having a minor issue with this series: its scale or even relevance to the rest of the Star Wars world seems undermost, so my affection for it doesn't really take root for now. It's still fascinating to finally see the Emperor himself and although the fight is clearly in Vader's favor it's a fair idea. I expect a turn in the story after this plot line is over so that we can move on to some more groundbreaking scenes.