– Spoiler Review –
Darth Vader #11 (Vol. 3) brings the arc “Into the Fire” to an end, and while its issues had their ups and downs, this at least ends it on a strong, higher note as it finally offers some vital points for Vader going forward.
In my review of issue #10, Vader’s vision from the monster of the Red Nebula/Space seemed poised to tackle the why behind the Dark Lord’s seemingly changed and reserved mind by Return of the Jedi. Sure, the rejection by his son, Luke Skywalker, in joining him and defeating the Empire could be a blow big enough to bring a more subservient Vader to mind by RotJ, but it didn’t seem to be the whole answer, as why was he suddenly unwilling to even defy or go against the Empire, until it really, truly mattered, Luke writhing on the floor, calling out for his father? Whatever this third volume of Darth Vader comics was going to show us, in no way did I ever imagine they’d want to change such a vital and important plot/character point. I thought as much in my previous review, mentioning how his vision seemed to only strengthen the moment, “…as he’s not only turning to the light out of love for his son, but he’s realizing fate is what he makes it, not what it determines for him; his last mistaken moment trusting a vision cost him everything, including most of his soul, and now he’s not going to make the same mistake.” So with Vader knowing his death is inevitable at the hands of his son, not the Emperor before him, it makes sense he’d ride a giant space monster and try to defeat his Master, show him and the visions they are wrong and he can’t be stopped. So what does the Emperor bring to the table to make sure Vader understands his place again and sees that yes, the vision before him again seems unavoidable, his Master unstoppable?
At first, Ol’ Palpy throws the expected his way, more obstacles for him to swing his lightsaber at or use the Force to demolish, which he does and does well, first slicing up a group of half creature/half robot hybrid looking things and secondly with the Force, using dozens of Sith Eternal worshipers’ knives against them to take them all out. Then the Emperor shows off his Final Order fleet (I feel like the name was subject to change considering there wasn’t even a First Order quite yet), the one we see rise out of the crust of Exegol with their planet killing dongles cannons, to which Vader replies to all the above: more machines and more monsters, really? It’s something I’ve felt about this entire arc as well, and was beginning to worry about would only be the focus in this final issue of the story, as it seemed up to this point like Palpatine only had more of the same to offer that we’ve seen Vader beat time and time again. But throughout Vader’s latest slaughter-fest, the Emperor taunts him, reminding him of what it means to be a Sith, talking again and again about pain, where a true Sith and the path to unlimited power begins, while something seems to call out in the Force, in pain itself, one so searing Vader visibly and audibly reacts to his throes in the Force. What could it be, buried deep down inside Exegol, that is in so much pain and yet so vital to what Ol’ Palpy has in store for the galaxy, that he could use to show Vader his place in things again? A mountain of kyber crystal. But how and why is it in pain?
In the Ahsoka novel, we first learned about the canon process of making kyber burn red for Sith/dark side users’ lightsabers: bleeding. In Charles Soule’s Darth Vader: Dark Lord of the Sith comic, we actually get to see the process play out, with Vader himself bleeding a crystal to begin building his first Sith lightsaber just after the events of Revenge of the Sith. It’s been clear for awhile, especially in canon, that kyber is “alive” so to speak, from how they call out to specific Padawans when the Jedi Order visited Ilum (before it became Starkiller Base) or how it tried to change Vader’s mind with a vision of what could be if he’d stop, turn around, and return to the light. The process of bleeding looked painful in a big way, even for a small crystal, so imagine an entire mountain’s worth, constantly subjected to pain to serve Palpatine’s will and help build the planet killing dongles cannons on his new Star Destroyers? It’s what Vader keeps sensing throughout his journey into the depths of Exegol, and right when he and Ochi get to this tortured mountainous scrap of kyber, it erupts, finally bled to the dark side. Ochi’s eyes are burnt, hence his more haunted looking in his very brief The Rise of Skywalker scene, and Vader experiences its pain ten-fold, not just physically, but mentally from its screams in the Force. This is when Palpatine returns, talking to Vader about how this unlimited power is all in his hands, he can claim and control it, though without Ol’ Palpy, Vader will never have the power, but he can at least share it if he stands at his Master’s side. The pain, the pain Vader tries to avoid or circumvent, like he does when he lets Padmé’s handmaidens go as an attempt to make himself feel better or wallowing in grief instead of pain since losing her hits him again when Luke rejects him, the Emperor assures him will always be there, and that he must always embrace it, if he’s to share in the power with him. We get one last inverse memory/vision from Vader before he makes his choice, with Luke and his places’ reversed on Cloud City, Luke holding out his hand and telling Vader the Emperor has foreseen Vader’s destiny is to destroy him. But Vader has seen otherwise, and if he has any hope of harnessing the raw power of a mountain of kyber crystals exudes, like his Master can, then he must join him and be an apprentice once more.
I’m glad the way Palpatine reasserts his power isn’t just a show of might, as this issue seemed to suggest it was going with the whole kaiju battle stuff, but rather through manipulation, pain, and the always Faustian promise of power. Palpatine never needs to show his pure strength, just that he can wield power in the Force Vader can only hope to achieve, and this whole display with the kyber mountain bleeding is a pretty solid way to get Vader from rebellious, almost getting his son to join him and destroy his Master, to cowed and bowed to Ol’ Palpy, promising his son when he turns himself in that the Emperor can not be beaten, that he will surely be Luke’s Master when all is said and done. The vision he had last issue plays into that assumption on Vader’s part, as does his history of visions coming true for him, and now seeing the raw power Palpatine can wield only adds to the weight of overwhelming powerlessness in the face of his Master. It also helps maintain his redemptive moment in Return of the Jedi, as I mentioned earlier, as it’s clear he no longer thinks killing his master is the answer, especially with the power he can have if he lets the old man live, while we now see more of the physiological steps Vader must overcome, that his love of his son must overcome, for him to finally see the right path isn’t pain (though there will be when he attacks Palpatine), but rather sacrifice, that power isn’t as important as Palpatine keeps making him think it is, and that these visions and destiny’s aren’t exactly as he’s been told. I wasn’t so sure with where this arc was planning on going, but the end result writer Greg Pak offers, despite its stumbles the last few issues, was a worthy one to the concept of Vader’s turn back to acquiescence to his Master, despite all his actions since and including asking Luke to join him.
The art team has always been stellar but this week’s issue was basically letterer Joe Caramagna’s time to shine. He goes ALL out throughout Darth Vader #11, from the screams of the kyber to the clashes and swishes of Vader’s battles, it’s an enormous display of his options as a letterer. My favorite had to be the “EEEEEE” for the kyber mountain, as they are scrunched and small when Vader is far away, but as he gets closer, and then when the kyber bleeds, they expand and explode in size themselves, overwhelming panels with their size and frequency, giving us just a glimpse of what torturous sound it must be to hear. Otherwise, Raffaele Ienco (art) and Neeraj Menon (colors) work their usual magic, from the brief but brutal kaiju battle, working within the size and scale of the panels while still doing the size and scale of the combatants justice and keeping the action easy to follow. From his distressed cape and overall suit to his slightly bowed posture, they did a good job of showing how weary Vader was the further he got, which only adds to the immeasurable pain coming from the kyber crystal later in the issue. And they way they framed Palpatine, a shadow in the red, unlimited power mist of the bled kyber crystal, hands splayed out like from Christian mythology and Jesus on the cross, gives Ol’ Palpy a look of immense power as he floats peacefully among such pain, especially as the rays of red don’t block his face, whereas they overwhelm and block Vader’s.
Here are a few other things:
- While it was interesting to see how much Vader knew about Palpatine’s Exegol plans, though it’s clear it didn’t include the whole consciousness transfer thing, I’m very curious to understand why Anakin Skywalker Force Ghost might not mention this at all to Luke? Or is that why Luke was even looking for/researching Exegol? Or did he find out about it from those books? The more Vader knows of this stuff, the more these questions pop into mind and I hope we’ll get to see/learn a bit more about Luke’s interactions with his Force Ghost mentors post-Return of the Jedi.
- I’m also very curious about that hand in a jar on Exegol…is that supposed to be Luke’s?!?
- If you have a Oculus Quest 2 or PlayStation VR, there’s some pretty good VR content with the Vader Immortal series: Besides the story, which has its moments, overall gameplay is solid and the lightsaber dojos are fun challenges!
- This is the final issue of the Vader series before it joins the rest of the Marvel line getting caught up in the War of the Bounty Hunters‘ mega-crossover story, which begins Revenge of the Fifth aka May 5, 2021!
Darth Vader #11 (Vol. 3) is a good ending to an overlong arc, offering some interesting things to consider regarding the power struggle between Sith Master and Apprentice, while digging into how Vader could be so subservient by Return of the Jedi.
+ Vader understanding his place
+ Palpatine’s arresting show of unlimited power
+ Art team, especially letterer, bring the issue’s themes and feelings alive
– Felt like it took a little too long to get here
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.
DARTH VADER (VOL. 3)
Dark Heart of the Sith: #1 | #2 | #3 | #4 | #5 / Arc Review — Into the Fire: #6 | #7 | #8 | #9 | #10