Comic Review: Dark Droids #4 (of 5)

The penultimate issue of this incredible crossover event, one of the best we have seen in Star Wars. I don’t want it to end! But in the words of the great Neil Young, ‘is it better to burn up than to fade away?’. Although this story is so intricate, although I would happily read it for another year, the pacing, the flow, the intensity, it’s all part of what has made this series so great. Charles Soule knows what he is doing, you only have to look at his other projects to know that. It may be over by Christmas (or at least soon after), but I imagine he’s going to have a few surprises left for us. Along with artist Luke Ross, the pair have produced jaw-dropping issue after jaw-dropping issue and there’s no reason to think that this extremely high standard is going to change for the latter half of the series. So, let’s let the darkness in again and find out where we are with the Scourge.

Every time I read Dark Droids, I always love the overdub of the Scourge, that voice wanting more. In this issue, it changes with the beginning of the issue overdubbed by Mas Amedda. We see him warning his council of the issues – minor issues- that are affecting the droids. I love that Amedda doesn’t make more of droid problem, that it is only minor, that somehow, something on this scale isn’t an issue for the Empire. Yet, even from this small matter, the trust between Empire and droid has broken down. We see how the regular infantry of the Empire respond. Fear starts to infect everywhere, so much so that even normal droids that have been unaffected, get destroyed. It’s not worth taking the risk. It’s an interesting take that we have seen happen in human history, where a small militant group create fear amongst others, leading a whole country to be attacked and deemed dangerous. It is this fear that you feel coming from the pages, that has been there since Dark Droids #1. Soule writes this so well and always has done. It’s what really makes this series, this whole event, shine brighter than others have before.

My favourite part of this issue though, is when we return to the Scourge, to the overdub of their voice, explaining the delicate nature of what they are doing.  Soule does it so well, to show us the Empire with their council, to then the Scourge with their council. It’s a direct comparison of the two, how very similar the Empire and the Scourge are. Both started small, with an individual, who then built up their cause to a vast Empire, both always seeking more, both wanting ultimate control over the galaxy. It makes a mockery of the Empire’s council, that allow many to speak but it is only one voice that truly matters. The Scourge, setting up their own ‘council’ but it is all once voice, that of the leader, just like the Emperor himself. Neither want opposing voices, both want to hear just themselves and rule through a dictatorship. They both create the illusion that there are more voices to be heard, but it is just that, an illusion. For me, Soule captures this so beautifully on the page, showing us just how alike they are, up until the very last few moments. It is here that we see the only difference between the Emperor and the Scourge. The Scourge has doubt, much like Vader. They see what they have become, and they begin to regret, begin to think they have gone too far, begin to think of themselves as the monster. They begin to hate themselves? It’s more Vader in this way than the Emperor. Is this because of what we see in Darth Vader? Has the Scourge assimilated the ‘conflict’ in Vader? It’s so interesting and it runs through many deep themes, Soule should be very proud of this part of the story (and the questions it forces us, as the reader, to ask).