Comic Review: Darth Vader (2020) #27

There’s a cinematic quality to Rahzzah’s direct cover for Darth Vader #27, as the figures of Sabé and Darth Vader weave together in a nod to their respective pasts, and how they now have to work side by side. In a similar fashion Kitster and Wald stand together in the forests of Gabredor III, the branches twisting into Vader’s mask suggesting how the Dark Lord haunts their lives. Finally there’s Sprouse’s Choose Your Destiny variant, which this month is very excitingly Darth Bane, creator of the Sith rule of two and a massive part of the Legends timeline.

Darth Vader is battling against the forces of the treacherous Imperial Governor Tauntaza on the planet of Gabredor III. Using new technology the Governor is draining the very life of the planet. While the threat of the storm it created has now passed, the machinery is still running. With Sabé and Kitster safely reunited amongst the colonists, Vader can now focus on destroying the machine. It’s going to take one plucky droid to do so…

Darth Vader #27 feels like A New Hope, but with Darth Vader as the hero. As impossible as that sounds Pak has taken so many elements of classic Star Wars and made this issue feel very familiar and yet something really unique too. Can Vader ever be the hero? That’s a massive question that hangs over this story, as Ochi, Sabé, and Kitster all question whether the Sith Lord is doing something good, or if his good acts are just byproducts of his more villainous deeds.

Kitster believes that his rescue only came about because he was next to Sabé. That’s probably true, but he doesn’t realise Vader’s identity, and it’s hard to say whether the Sith Lord would have left his former friend for dead considering Kitster’s podracer helped Vader so much in the previous issue. Yet Sabé’s presence is having such an affect on Vader. His focus is to bring down Governor Tauntaza, but rather than just go after the governor he’s technically helping to save the people of the planet at the same time. There’s this duality to Lord Vader that Pak writes so well because it’s always hard to pin-point exactly what motivates Vader – something that only makes the character more interesting.

It’s this part of the comic that feels so like A New Hope. There’s a planet destroying weapon. Even the lasers of a Super Star Destroyer can’t penetrate its shields. The only way to stop it is one fatal design flaw. However, instead of Luke Skywalker there’s Darth Vader. As the weapon is fatal to all organic life-forms, only a droid can save the day, and Vader’s hoping that his armour will allow him to get close enough. It really brings to mind how Vader is ‘more machine now than man’ and in this situation it’s what saves the planet.

Exploiting the deadly technological flaw allows Vader to finally face off against the Governor who’s donned a mech suit. Last issue Ienco went crazy with a souped-up podracer and Darth Vader #27 delivers fantastical mech armour that seems reminiscent of the Dark Troopers from The Mandalorian. It’s a really unexpected moment and adds something completely new to their duel, with Ienco giving it a bit of an anime/manga vibe.

While the weapon may be destroyed, fans know this technology will live on eventually in Starkiller Base. So, Vader has stumbled upon yet another Imperial plot – the last one took him to Exegol and the wrath of the Emperor. It will be exciting to see whether Pak connects this to the Sequel Trilogy in Darth Vader #28 next month!

Star Wars: Darth Vader (2020) #27 was published September 21st 2022 by Marvel Comics. This issue is available via The Marvel App and from all good comic book stores and retails at $3.99.