– Spoiler Review –
Much like the Darth Vader series’ return after nearly 5 months, now too does the Star Wars series’ relaunch begin again after its own 5 month break. Star Wars #5 picks up a similarly intriguing cliffhanger, as Luke closes in on the mysterious woman in his visions, and the answer turns out to be someone from the Charles Soule-verse!
Luke, still struggling with his newly revealed connection to Vader, has found himself on a journey to find a mysterious stranger who has appeared in visions from the Force. The visions originally seemed to suggest she had caught his family lightsaber after it fell, alongside his hand, into the chasm of Cloud City, but that turned out to be a red herring…though it might mean she has a saber in store for him regardless. At first I thought the visions were coming from the stranger herself, but once Luke tracks her down to Serelia in this issue, it’s very clear she had no hand in it, attempting to escape him immediately. I really enjoyed the water chase, as Luke’s both excited by the adventure but determined to track her down, and it’s great to see him be a bit more positive after the last few issues of understandable dread and confusion. Artoo, ever the trusty companion, assists him of course and their dynamic makes me really excited about all the stories yet to be told of Artoo and Luke’s adventures after Return of the Jedi. There’s some solid humor throughout the issue and I appreciate the tongue-in-cheek one about the Force and caves the most, said since the mysterious woman leads Luke on a chase into one. Her cave is more outright dangerous than the dark side cave on Dagobah, as she has it laden with traps. Luke bumbles his way through, once again enjoying the challenge, but stumbles into one trap he just can’t escape.
And the mysterious woman finally makes her presence known, curious of his intentions, worried he’s hunting her down for less than friendly reasons. Luke assures her otherwise, which she can confirm as the Force allows her to tell when people are truthful, and thus she reveals herself: Verla! Now, there’s likely a portion of you reading this whom reacted much like the infamous meme from the first Guardians of the Galaxy: WHO!? I wish they included a little starred editor’s note, like they have in the past, to point out where Verla originally comes from, but for those who have read previous works from writer Charles Soule likely recognized her. I was very pleased with the reveal, as I’ve been curious as all heck when and if we’d see Verla again, last seen fleeing Mon Cala as the Empire swoops in, as told in the “Burning Seas” arc of Darth Vader – Dark Lord of the Sith (Vol. 2) comic, written by Soule. The Soule-verse (which I highlighted in my 2018 comics year-in-review) is one of my favorite aspects to Soule’s continued involvement in the comics, as he has a great habit of combining stuff from all over canon, as well as continuing tales of characters he’s originated. Verla was one of a few Force-adept peoples who got pulled into a misguided Jedi Knight Ferren Barr’s mission, who believed his Force vision showed him leading the battle which would help the Rebellion to overthrow the Empire, but obviously he was a little too ahead of the game only a year after Revenge of the Sith. Vader and his Inquisitors tracked down his little cell, destroying it save Verla, and subjugating Mon Cala for decades.
Verla has somehow been in hiding and on the run ever since and it seems like she’s not had any luck finding a new Master to pick up where Barr left off. Luke might be able to impart some wisdom, but once she mentions Vader and manages to read his mind after his reaction to the name, she sees the horrible truth: Luke is Vader’s son! So what does she do? Drown him in the trap he’s stuck in, of course! It’s definitely a setback, but Artoo is out there, ready to do what he does best: rescue these bumbling humans!
Elsewhere, the issue opens with “Luke Skywalker” looking for work, but instead finding himself with his final act, as Vader takes the man’s life for impersonating the young Skywalker. There’s a really good line from Vader, ominously framed by a black filled panel, where he claims “Skywalkers die” and oh boy, there’s some great stuff to unpack in that little line I love it. Shmi, for starters, dying in his arms. Himself, even though he’s really still in there. Ugh. Padmé, technically one since they got married. Double ugh. Anyways, it seems Vader hasn’t halted his search for the boy, despite the events of the current Vader comic, which thankfully this issue clarifies where his appearance here takes place in regards to that series: a brief moment before his arrival on Vendaxa towards the end of issue #1. This returns us to how the Vader and SW series functioned back in the early days (2015-2016), where characters hopped between the two since they took place during the same time frame. From the solicitations we have out till October, it doesn’t seem like we’ll see much more of this happening, but it’s still certainly in the cards again after this issue.
The art team of Jesús Saiz (art), with Arif Prianto joined by Dan Brown (colors) has been doing some gritty and exceptional work so far and I want to talk about one of my favorite panels from this issu to start. It’s a small and minor one, but there’s a beautiful simplicity to it. As fake Luke is trying to get a job, with his back to the bar as he talks himself up confidently, the two likely takers have fear ridden all over their faces, while an ominous shadow hangs over fake Luke’s back. It took me a moment to recognize the shape, but once I did, it sent shivers up my spine, as it was Vader’s helmet. It was an awesome, subtle usage of shadows to introduce such a menacing presence, and it only begins to speak to Saiz and team’s work. I also really enjoyed all the visuals from the chase of Verla, from the bright blue sea juxtaposed with the orange skyline, Luke caught in a jumble of fish (that really made me laugh), Artoo carrying Luke around, to the traps in the cave, which all showed the team’s penchant for action pieces as there was clear progression and it was easy to follow.
Here are a few other things:
- The wait for the next issue won’t be as long, as Star Wars #6 should be in our hands September 9. The comics world is getting a little bit back to normal, folks but make sure to stay safe out there if you’re visiting your local comic shops and respect their right to ask you to mask up (as you should)!
Star Wars #5 (Vol. 2) provides an excellent and intriguing answer to its extended cliffhanger, making the wait more than worth it.
+ Luke enjoying the adventure!
+ The return of Verla!
+ Art continues to impress
Ryan is Mynock Manor’s Head Butler. You can follow him on Twitter @BrushYourTeeth. You can follow the website on Twitter @MynockManor and Instagram @mynockmanor.
STAR WARS (Vol. 2)
The Destiny Path: #1 | #2 | #3 | #4 | #6 / Arc Review