Published: February 9, 2022
Rating: T
Writer: Greg Pak
Penciler: Raffaele Ienco
Colourist: Alex Sinclair
Letterer: VC’s Joe Caramagna
Cover Artist: Ryan Stegman & Richard Isanove
The synopsis;
THE QUEEN’S SHADOW RETURNS!
Darth Vader continues his quest to destroy the agents of Crimson Dawn, abetted by an unlikely crew of heroes and assassins. But every twist in the tale gets thrown into question with the shocking return of SABÉ, handmaiden of Padmé Amidala! Who’s the hero? Who’s the villain? And will they choose chaos or order in the age of Crimson Reign?
The review;
Hand outstretched to use the power of the Force, Darth Vader is caught in a kinetic pose on Stegman and Isanove’s direct cover. Vader has a wonderful retro feel, with the look of his mask in particular seemingly inspired by the movie posters from around the original release of A New Hope. Ienco’s variant has a very similar colour-palette, but Vader isn’t glaring into the soul of the reader, as his gaze tracks an unseen enemy. Finally, Sprouse’s variant is everyone’s favourite, The Mandalorian, with baby Grogu in tow, which is sure to be a popular choice with collectors.
Vader is hunting down the traitors to the Empire, snuffing out anyone aligned with crime syndicate Crimson Dawn. But the infiltration runs deep, and Vader is cutting down a path that leads all the way to the Emperor’s most trusted advisors. However, has the Dark Lord been played? Or are his informants compromised? It seems that someone is playing a dangerous game with the Sith Lord – someone who has close ties to his past.
In his quest to show his restored faith in the Emperor, Darth Vader is determined to bring order to the galaxy. Pak is weaving an ever increasingly complex plot into the Darth Vader storyline, as characters are now returning from the first arc, Valance has remained since the War of the Bounty Hunters crossover, and this series is now tying in with Crimson Reign. It’s all quite complicated, as political machinations should be, but it definitely would be advisable to fans to read these comics as arcs rather than individual issues.
While Vader is sure of his mission, what he’s unsure of is the identities of the agents of chaos. Now fans have a bit more knowledge than Vader, and Pak has revealed some of these double-agents, but for now Vader remains blissfully unaware. What becomes obvious to him though is that the list of names he has is inaccurate and that it was planted.
This is where Sabé cleverly comes back into play. After escaping her last encounter with the Sith Lord a few story arcs ago, she’s posing as a member of Crimson Dawn to try and uncover more about Vader. By planting the list of names, she intends to lead Vader straight into the hands of the handmaiden. It’s a bold move and is sure to provide plenty of story tension as Pak continues the cat-and-mouse in upcoming issues. It would certainly be nice to see the handmaidens again, and return the focus to Vader’s past, as the story is more centred around the workings of the Empire at the moment.
With the story combining so many elements, Ienco’s artwork is an absolutely fieldtrip across the galaxy in Darth Vader (2020) #20. There are the glittering lights of Coruscant and the Emperor’s throne room (which has a brilliant jab at his advisor’s questionable headwear). On Polis Massa, the asteroid where the Skywalker twins were born, Sabé and Z-67 plot with some panels brilliantly in silhouette. Perhaps best of all though is when Vader and his team of assassins is on the rampage against the Crimson Dawn traitors, which are dispatched in many creative ways that are never too gruesome and mainly alluded to via Ienco’s art.
There may be some clues as to what could come next, however, Darth Vader #20 holds a lot of potential storylines. Now that there are so many characters in play, there are plenty of hidden motives that could come as a surprise. Sabé wants to turn Vader from the hunter to the hunted. How many times can she survive against the Dark Lord? And when will Vader realise the traitors that he’s searching for lie in plain sight? It’s a web of lies for him to untangle in Darth Vader (2020) #21!
Availability;
Star Wars: Darth Vader (2020) #20 was published February 9, 2022 by Marvel Comics. This issue retails at $3.99 and is available via The Marvel App and from all good comic book stores.
