Darth Vader has perhaps been the stand out success of the new era of comics under Marvel. Written by Britain’s Kieron Gillen, the series which began in February 2015 has reached a climactic conclusion. Gillen who’s first movie was The Empire Strikes Back, and whom credits the video game Knights of the Old Republic as having re-ignited his love for Star Wars – immersed us as readers in the world of Darth Vader.
It was a series I questioned at launch as to whether he could make it work, Vader the quentesential baddy, yet someone so few have been able to convey in literature – and argubly never in a comic before. There was something I was always considered with Vader, he is a baddy who didn’t need to say much to steal a scene – but in a comic, could remaining silent work?
Gillen made it work, and then some. Paired with artist Salvador Larocca – the team have delivered one of the most enticing, exciting, and captivating comics in Star Wars history and on 12th October it all comes to an end with issue #25. But did deliver a suiting finale to this epic series?
Complete and detailed spoilers and analysis of the comic are contained in the review beyond this point.
Plot Summary:
The finale is short and swift to wrap up loose plot threads. Darth Vader defeats the traitorous scientist, Cylo and his soldiers, forcing Cylo’s ship into a sun, eliminating any potential for Cylo to return in a new body. A definitive, swift and dramatic end, laden with irony as Cylo taunts Vader for being in a broken form, whilst he “is immortal.”
Aphra has revealed to The Emperor, all of Vader’s secrets, but rather than being angry with Vader, applauds his deceipt. Going as far as to tell Vader he is proud of him. Vader however is angry at Aphra’s betrayal, and calmly forces her out of the ships airlock, and presumably to her death.
The Emperor demotes Grand Admiral Tagge for his failings, passing control of the Executor to Vader himself. Vader hands down his own punishment, a good old fashioned Force choke, in front of one witness, our friend Admiral Ozzel!
The issue ends with Vader staring out from the Executor’s bridge, thinking about Luke Skywalker.
However, it is not the end. In a strange twist we get a “post credits scene.” After a page crediting the creative team from the entire Darth Vader line, we turn over the page to a shock twist.
The body of Aphra is recoved from space, by the droids Triple 0 and BT-1, and the Wookiee bounty hunter, Krrsantan. Aphra has survived….
Can we thus deduce that these four characters will be the main figures in the next Star Wars ongoing, the yet to be revealed Kieron Gillen title currently listed as “Star Wars: Classified?” We will find out that answer perhaps today, 12th October 2016….
Also bundled with this comic was the short tale “Coda,” a tale of Vader butchering Tusken Raiders on Tatooine. A silent, violent and visually stunning short.
Opinion:
Vader has stood head and shoulders above every other comic series from Marvel since they took back the license from Dark Horse Comics. With a slow, paced issue twenty four, and a sharp paced ending to this issue you could argue that the two issues could have been combined to give us a fast paced, action packed finale. Instead we had a relativly slow paced end to the series. These doubts are added to with the filler short “Coda.”
That aside, issue twenty five gives a fitting tribute to the series. Every character gets a moment to see their part in the series wrapped, capturing elements of those characters we have grown to love. We see great dialogie from Cylo, Palpatine, and Aphra. We get those fantastic silent moments from Vader that somehow steal the page. Each character gets a fitting conclusion, something that you often feel is missing when a series wraps. We also see Aphra cut loose from Vader, teeing her up to return elsewhere in a Marvel comic without being shackled to Vader’s storyline. Perhaps that will come in the Classified series, that is on the cusp of being announced.
The art as always is superb, from the dramatic moment of Cylo enetering the sun, to the haunting scene of Aphra’s body drifting into space, to the classic Imperial designs surrounding Vader and Palpatine. Larocca embraces us in Star Wars gold.
Gillen delivers a fitting finale, and perhaps the “post-credit scene” says so much about the Vader series. It is not frightened to take risks, to challenge the reader, to engage the reader, and deliver a twist that feels just right and not a twist for effect.
At this point I would perhaps bemoan the fact that we were losing Gillen to Star Wars for an extended period of time, however with the publication delays to the end of the series, and the upcoming new ongoing from him, we will only be devoid of his work for two months. I can’t wait to see what Gillen delivers next, and IF we get an original ongoing featuring his original characters he should be able to cut loose and deliver some scintiliating comics.
Vader #25 is a fitting end to a wonderful series, and we should all extend our thanks to the creative team for having entertained us over the last 20 months.
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