Published: October 19, 2022
Rating: T
Writer: Greg Pak
Penciler: Raffaele Ienco
Colourist: Carlos Lopez
Letterer: VC’s Joe Caramagna
Cover Artist: Rahzzah
The synopsis;
THE SHADOW IN THE FIRE!
• For decades, Sabé, Handmaiden of Padmé, schemed to assassinate Darth Vader, whom she believed murdered her queen.
• But Sabé has learned Vader’s greatest secret, and now she fights at his side, believing that someday, she may prove there is still good in him.
• What happens when the Handmaiden finally comes face-to-face with the Emperor, who knows all of her secrets?
• The Queen’s Shadow enters the crucible! Will Vader let her burn?
The Review;
Hugging her arms around herself as if she’s cold or frightened, Sabé looks reconciled to her fate on Rahzzah’s direct cover. Meanwhile the Emperor looms behind, creepily holding onto her shoulder, his eyes glowing within the darkness of his hood. Reis’s fantastic variant is a bold composition featuring Vader and Sabé together, lines of Force lightning crackling around them from Palpatine like puppet strings. Finally, Land’s anniversary variant is a more classic style of Vader leading a squad of stormtroopers.
After his battle with corrupt Imperial Governor Tauntaza, Darth Vader has been left injured and must return to his flagship, the Executor, to heal. In the meantime, Sabé has linked the technology that threatened the Sith Lord back to a plot on Coruscant…and right back to the Emperor. Encouraging him to confront this plot the two demand an audience, but can a former handmaiden to Queen Amidala bow to the Emperor?
Darth Vader #28 really looks at Sabé’s morality. And a bit of her mortality too. She was a handmaiden to Padmé, often doubling for the Queen, so she’s used to some lying and deception. However, Sabé’s always had the argument of democracy and serving the greater good. Now she has lost that, and Pak is reflecting on what remains. Does Sabé still have a moral conscience? Can light exist in a person who’s willing to stand beside the darkness of Lord Vader? It’s a profound topic for a comic and this story handles it well.
A pattern that’s starting to develop in Pak’s run for Darth Vader is that everything leads back to the Emperor. Every obstacle that threatens Vader’s power is a carefully laid plan by his master. It makes sense because the two have always been in a power play, and Pak is suggesting that while Vader can act freely on his own authority, as he does a lot in Soule’s run, he’s still shackled to the Emperor. Of course, what’s different about this interaction is Sabé.
She’s gone from the throne room of a Queen to that of the Emperor. Last issue she reconciled her saving of Vader by believing in Padmé’s words that there was still good inside, that Anakin could be found again, but she doesn’t have that comfort with Palpatine. He stands for everything she hates and the chaos in the galaxy lies at his feet. Palpatine sees this as an opportunity to test the two, which is very in character for the villain, and instructs Sabé to prove her ruthlessness.
What’s exciting about this is that the Royal Guards do something! They do something other than just stand there, actually fighting Sabé! It’s a treat from Pak to include this moment in the story, and Ienco masterfully draws their robes and armour in action. Sabé chooses to win the test in order to save her life, temporarily gaining the Emperor’s favour and being granted the chance as an Imperial Advisor. There are some great callbacks to Episode I in this interaction and Queen’s Shadow by E. K. Johnston.
Vader also gets a subtle, possibly unintentional, tie-in to the Sequels too. During his healing aboard the Executor, he shatters the bacta tank as he lets his anger get the better of him in a similar style to his grandson, Kylo Ren. There’s also a moment where he throws an Imperial into a wall, just like The Last Jedi.
Darth Vader #28 has put Sabé into yet another new position, and she’s now grappling once again with her conflicting views about serving the Empire. Is this all part of some long game she’s playing? Vader seemingly trusts her for now, but who knows what he’s really thinking behind his mask. New players are entering the game too, all of them wondering if Sabé is still willing to call checkmate. Pak’s letting the handmaidens shine next to the darkest characters of them all and Darth Vader #29 can’t come soon enough!
Availability;
Star Wars: Darth Vader (2020) is an ongoing series published by Marvel Comics. This issue retails at $3.99 and is available via The Marvel App, ComiXology and from all good comic book stores.
