– Spoiler Review –
If you thought the previous issue was a love-letter to the Prequel Trilogy and the handmaidens, then hold onto your helmets because Darth Vader #4 (Vol. 3) takes it to a whole different level.
Ignoring the warnings of the forensic droid ZED Six Seven, Vader calmly defends himself from not only Sabé, Tonra, and Typho, but also the giant Sando Aqua Monster. In a few appropriately large pages, Vader tangles with the giant beast, eventually bringing it to an end on the shores of Naboo. ZED congratulates Vader on being the first recorded person to ever kill a Sando Aqua, but he also offers the strange and specific statistic this specimen was likely 932 years old and killing it hastens its species’ extinction. At first I laughed, thinking “Typical ZED,” as he’s already been a great source of humor for random observations before, but it also seemed so targeted I began to wonder why writer Greg Pak had the droid even say that to Vader, and thankfully Vader had the exact same question as me, asking the droid why he would share such info. ZED responds he simply puts the info out there, in this case the facts about death, and whatever lesson they want to draw from said words are up to them. ZED says this as Vader sees his reflection in the giant monster’s eye, his dark visage reminding him who he is now, despite all the memories and familiar faces swirling around. As for what Vader might take away from it, I have my thoughts, which I’m about to share, but the up to interpretation aspect to this means you, dear reader, might have taken different connotations from it.
As for what I felt this moment might be trying to say, I believe it informs the rest of what happens this issue, and even begins to prepare Vader for a pivotal moment in Return of the Jedi. After leaving the beach, Vader makes his way to Padmé’s tomb, only to run into Ric Olié (reader, I laughed but loved it regardless) and a giant contingent of Amidalans. He and his Death Troopers make short work of the group, comprised of humans, Gungans, and even Mon Cala, marching onwards to the tomb until he runs into even more handmaidens! The flashbacks hit real hard here, as Vader recalls moments when he interacted with Eirtaé, Rabé, Dormé, and Saché. They press their attack, getting the upper hand in quick and impressive fashion, only for Vader to begin choking them all. It’s the memories, and Padmé’s statue looking on, which causes Vader to let them go and carry on into the tomb.
Up until the sea monster’s death, Vader had seemingly begun getting caught up in the memories, believing he was a knight avenging the love of his life and hurting those who took their child from rightfully being his. Then he saw his reflection, a dark specter invading his own memories and destroying Padmé’s home, killing something special on a planet special to her. The same goes with the handmaidens, he’d have killed them all years ago, but if he’s fighting for her honor now, killing more people special to Padmé and his memories of her would be debasing her honor and ruin her memory. Vader begins to wonder who he’s really doing this for and why, because if this is really for Padmé, for the one he loved, should he just be killing everything that remains to honor her? What does hurting those who stole Luke from him do besides satiate his dark heart (this arc is named “Dark Heart of the Sith” after all)? From this interpretation, I believe this begins to set the stage for the conversation likely going on in Vader’s head in RotJ, as Luke screams in pain for his father’s help: I tried to avenge the one I love, and wanted to hurt those who took Luke from me, and now here I am, watching him die, watching another person take Luke from me, murdering some of the remaining memories of Padmé. At least that’s what I’m taking from all this, which is the beauty of how the issue presents all this, and it might not be what others take from it, as like ZED said, it’s up to you.
Raffaele Ienco (art) and Neeraj Menon (colors), with Joe Caramagna (lettering), continue to impress, as they swing from big action piece opening, with Vader battling the giant sea monster, to all the meditative and revealing flashbacks littered throughout, finding a time and place for both to strike an effective note. In particular, my fixation on Vader in the reflection of the downed beast, and what seeing himself again, amidst all these memories, could remind Vader of easily makes it my favorite panel of the issue. Of course, the flashbacks of the joyous, laughter filled moments between Anakin and Padmé, as each handmaiden strikes him, hits all sorts of feels, especially since Ienco frames them from Anakin/Vader’s POV, not simply Vader looking on, as most of the flashback/memories are framed. I also really loved the display of might and coordination for the handmaidens’ attack on Vader, as the team makes following action scenes very easy.
Here are a few other things:
- For many fans of the handmaidens, this must be a stressful comic to be reading at the moment, as they narrowly avoid death (for now). It’s only heightened by the recent Padmé -centric novels, Queen’s Shadow and Queen’s Peril, which bring the handmaidens forward in greater depth.
- With the style and depth Pak and Ienco are using to dive into Vader’s mind, I almost wouldn’t mind this series taking us through Return of the Jedi, as the flashbacks this team could provide as Vader makes his pivotal choice to save his son, or heck during all their interactions in the film, would likely be very fascinating. It’s something I had hoped George Lucas would’ve added, at the very least voices of the past, instead of the recent “Nnooo” addition (which is mostly harmless).
- As Vader steps into Padmé’s tomb, one can imagine the feels will intensify tenfold. Lucasfilm’s creative art manager Phil Szostak hints it’s only going to get worse “in the best way” from here!
- Speaking of that, the next issue, with its stunning cover, launches September 19.
Darth Vader #4 (Vol. 3) delivers even more than hoped for as Vader dives deeper into remaining prequel lore.
+ Only what you take from it moments
+ The handmaidens being spared
+ Art bringing all the feels with flashbacks/memories
+ What comes next inside the tomb?!?!!?
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 | #5 / Arc Review (by Chris)