Published: February 8, 2023
Rated: T
Writer: Charles Soule
Artist: Steve Cummings
Inker: Victor Olazaba
Colourist: GURU-eFX
Letterer: VC’s Travis Lanham
Cover Artist: Paulo Siqueira, Rachelle Rosenberg
The synopsis;
• All of Lady Qi’ra’s plans to destroy the Sith hang in the balance, but she is not alone in her desire to destroy the Dark Lords.
• Witness a battle decades in the making, as Darth Vader faces off against an adversary who has spent her entire life training for this one, final shot at revenge.
The review;
This series, this trilogy, has gone from strength to strength. Charles Soule has done an incredible job of mapping everything out and executing it with perfection. For such an event, it needed it to be so. The incredible writing, wonderful art and twists and turns that keep us guessing really have cemented this as a series that fans will return to again and again. With the unfortunate news that Emilia Clarke doesn’t want to return to the character of Qi’ra, this is probably the best we’ll ever get for this character. Although that said, this trilogy really has showcased just how much of a threat she is and the potential that was there with the Solo movie. Well, no point hanging around, let’s dive in!
We start, as so many issues have, with the Archivist talking to two unknown people. The mystery of this has kept me fascinated and the little clues that Soule seems to be dropping point towards Luke and Leia. The way in this issue they comment on Vader’s “own young,” I mean, it can’t be anyone else, can it? One of the things Soule is so good at doing is misdirection, and this seems too obvious for him. Which then still raises the question, who is listening? And where will it lead to? somewhere beyond the mandate of this series perhaps?
The star of the issue has to be Darth Vader. This is where Vader is supposed to have his skills put to the test and it sure seems like that, but Soule shows just how powerful and dangerous Vader is in both terms of his physical skill and his emotional manipulation. With some fight scenes with the Dark Lord, there is too much of Vader, he works best in small chunks to really create that haunting, fearful atmosphere. We see it in The Empire Strikes Back, where Luke faces Vader three times in different locations, rather than one grand, expanded battle. Soule replicates this here, by allowing breaks with the fight, increasing the fear factor. His physical skill and that with the force is unquestionable. To see him move the ship with the force, disregarding the distance; force pushing the whole Orphan team on the beach or just his simple resilience to everything thrown at him, this is the Vader we’ve always heard about and seen.
All of this creates such beautiful imagery, and you can’t help but sense the enjoyment that Steven Cummings has had with this comic. The panels, the movement, the action, it all looks fantastic. The scene that really grabbed my attention was when Vader is about to rise from the water. Cummings really knows how to manipulate the panels to give a sense of timing. You know Vader is going to break the surface, you know he’s coming back. Cummings plays with that anticipation until we finally see the top of Vader’s helmet and he continues to rise. It is such a glorious moment that Cummings captures, I’m still getting a shiver up my spine thinking about it!
While we have always known of Vader’s physical presence, it is his emotional manipulation that really impresses here. We have only really seen him talk to Luke and that entire exchange is something very different, a father communicating with his son (whether the son knows it or not). Here, the gloves are off and Vader doesn’t hold back. he lets Chanath Cha know that just the thought of him has prevented her from doing so much in her life, yet his life, the focus of her anger, has had no negative impact because of it. The way Soule explains this is simply incredible. It really shows just how much power even the name of Vader has at the galaxy at large. More than that, it shows how little Vader cares! It’s a great moment for the Sith Lord. That is what there are throughout this issue, great Vader moments, memorable and not seeing too much of Vader at any one point.
Chanath Cha and the Orphans are an interesting bunch of individuals. Fuelled by a simple drive to destroy Vader, they seem to do well but have a very bad case of overconfident. There’s enough intrigue to make them interesting for this issue. Their skills, their tactics and, well, a droid that finds home with humans, it’s all enough to make a reader pause and go, hmmm. But let’s be honest, they’re a distraction from the main character, Vader. Soule knows this and we see their fate sealed before the issue even begins.
Although this series is focusing on Qi’ra, we only see the final part with her in. Much like the Emperor, she is the puppet master, moving pieces at her command for the overall strategy that will see her dethrone the Emperor. Soule slips her in to remind us why we’re here, what is at stake. What I really enjoyed was Qi’ra explaining the misunderstanding Chanath Cha made, that she wasn’t in her own story, but a chapter in Qi’ra’s. Qi’ra believes she is writing her own story, but as readers, we know that she is but a chapter (or two) in the Empire’s story. I’ve said before how much Qi’ra is like the Emperor: They are both overconfident, believe their way is correct and think that they deserve to be at the top of the food chain. It’s interesting how Qi’ra can see this flaw in others but not herself. She’s such an interesting character who I’m really hoping we get to see a bit more of as the final issues appear.
As always Soule delivers an issue worthy of this trilogy. It is a lot more action driven than other issues, but it doesn’t give the reader any less depth. This is Darth Vader done properly, attacking on multiple fronts and not been seen too much. There is an evil there that provides a wonderful fearful atmosphere to the whole preceding and sets an incredible tone for the issue. It speaks a lot of this character, that with even all the doubts Luke has arisen in him, he is still intent on doing what he does best: destruction. Add in Cummings’ artwork and you have the making of an issue that is both well written and a joy to look at. This isn’t just an issue for fans following the storyline, this is a great comic for any Vader fans who want to see the Dark Lord in action. What else could you possibly want from a Star Wars comic?
Availability;
Hidden Empire is a 5-part mini series published by Marvel comics. This issue retails at $4.99 and is available via the Marvel App, ComiXology and all good comic book stores.
