Canon Comic Review: Darth Vader – Dark Lord of the Sith #23

– Spoiler Review –

As Vader’s Castle begins to take shape as Lord Momin perfects his design, a battle bubbling under the surface comes to light, in another excellent issue of the “Fortress Vader” arc, Darth Vader – Dark Lord of the Sith issue #23.

This whole time I’ve been focused on and interested in learning what Vader wants with harnessing the power of the dark side locus on Mustafar, I never stopped to think and ask what Lord Momin could gain from helping Vader with his project. Momin is an ancient Sith Lord who has been hopping bodies for centuries or more, who has his own wants and desires, and his arcane knowledge and abilities are unknown to us and Vader himself. Really, all you need to know he’s a Sith Lord and that should tell you he has his own goals for helping Vader, and this issue doesn’t stay subtle about it for very long. Momin has it figured out that Vader wants to use the power of the locus to see if it can bring Padmé back to life, and by the end of the issue we know it could work, though it’s not the results Vader wants. Due to Vader’s actions of slaying locals and building on their planet, and Momin’s repeated failures that begin to tear at the planet as Vader tries to rip open a hole in space and time with the locus, the local Mustarfarians band together and strike at the Castle, which a dwindling trooper source arises Vader’s need to help them repel the attack. Momin seizes on Vader’s absence, revealing he’s been lying (shock!) about his inability to use the Force, and opens the portal himself, without as much effort as Vader has, reviving what he desires most: his body! That’s right, Lord Momin is able to resurrect his very own body, the same one overwhelmed and dissipated all those years ago in his failed experiment. A showdown between Vader and Momin, as I had guessed last week, is nigh inevitable now, and while it’s obvious Vader will come away the victor, the helmet still remains and the how and why this happens is enticingly intriguing.

Since Momin was able to bring back his body, this opens a whole big can of worms I’m anxious to see spill out. What are the repercussions of Momin’s act? Does it render the locus useless, leaving Vader with a cool Castle and the inability to get what he wants? Is Momin’s resurrected body defective in some way, like it only lasts for so long or can only go so far, tethered to the locus? Is it weaker than it was before being resurrected? These things always have a cost, so I’m curious to learn what it is and what prevents Vader from doing the same for Padmé now that the Castle and Momin’s focusing designs obviously work. I’m a little surprised Vader was as patient as he was with Momin, though he did it in is own evil but somehow funny way, killing Momin’s host bodies for every failure, shown in several great panels with cool alternative Castle designs and Momin’s helmet on a new body, though I believe his desire to revive Padmé blinded him a bit to Momin’s deceit. I can understand this because it is what befell Anakin not long ago, as he was blinded by his desire to save the woman he loved and look what that got him, showing under this new visage of anger and focused rage, he’s still Anakin underneath there, somewhere. Will the locus still allow him to visit a vision of what could’ve been, thus still adding a new angle to all the scenes of Vader meditating in the original trilogy or Krennic’s visit in Rogue One, or will Momin’s actions leave it closed for good? There’s no doubt Sheev knew what he was doing when he gave Vader Momin’s helmet, but I wonder if even he expected things to go this far, and what he gained from pitting the two against one another. As the battle brewing under the surface with Vader, Momin, and the Mustafarian locals comes to a boil this issue, I’m eagerly anticipating seeing what answers we’ll get in regard to the locus, and what happens that leaves Vader with a Castle, the Mustafarians nowhere to be seen, and Momin only a helmet again.

Charles Soule is an excellent writer and only continues to get better with every issue, as it’s easy to see his own grand designs take shape and form in this exceptional arc and I’m eager to be along for the ride and see it through, even if it’ll be this series’ end. I was a little disappointed it is to end with issue #25, but now I’m excited it will because it looks like he’ll take this series out on a memorable high-note we’ll be talking about for quite some time. The art team of Giuseppe Camucoli (layouts), Daniele Orlandini (finishes), and colors with David Curiel plus Dono Sánchez-Almara (who helped previously on issue #20) will also be sorely missed, as Camuncoli is a delightfully great artist, from how he ensures Momin possessing people is both funny and still creepy, the cool Castle designs, to all the fire and brimstone as Vader tears though space and time, while Orlandini and Curiel/Sánchez-Almara really bring it all together, with almost mythic creepiness and darkness combined with expressive colors that breath great life into every panel. This has been a dream team from start to finish and I’m happy their work will go out on top too. Letterer Joe Caramagna looked to be having A LOT of fun expressing the destructive nature of Momin and Vader’s work in issue #23.

Here are a few other things:

There was some other surprising but appreciated bits of humor in the issue, like how the two stormtroopers remark on how the Castle focusing the dark side energies to revive Momin’s body look kind of beautiful, while I’m pretty sure one of the bodies Vader put Momin included one of the Mustafarian lava fleas!
As always, Soule’s notes are a most read, offering great insights to his own designs with the series, as his notes for issue #22 discuss what he feels Momin’s POV is on the dark side and how it is something new, while issue #23’s notes tease not only a complex ending in the upcoming issue #25, but that he has a lot of Star Wars we don’t know about yet that he’s working on. If there’s anyone I want to continue to have future, potential endless, with creating Star Wars content, it’s Charles Soule so that tease is almost more exciting than even learning what the upcoming content is. Can’t wait to find out! UPDATE: Soule was part of a AMA on Reddit with his Curse Words co-creator, Ryan Browne, and Confederalis, a mod there, asked some great Star Wars questions with hype-worthy answers despite their brevity. One thing he asked about, I kind of forgot, but “Fortress Vader” is supposed to contain setup for the upcoming Jedi: Fallen Order video game next year. Even rereading there hasn’t been anything explicit, but once the game comes out it might become more clear.
The Mustafarian attack here seems to be much different than the one in the final issue of IDW’s Tales from Vader’s Castle, so it seems Vader at least wipes them out and scares them off long enough to enjoy some peace and quiet before they attempt to rid his presence from their planet again.
It’s been nearly a month since the last issue and it certainly felt like it’s been a long wait, but next issue arrives later this month and the final issue only a few short weeks after. The end is nigh and near, folks, and I cannot wait!

Darth Vader – Dark Lord of the Sith #23 sets the stage for the final two issues and what a stage it’ll be!

+ Momin’s real goals, and how I didn’t stop to think he might have any
+ So many new questions!
+ The confrontation is coming

Canon Comic Review: Darth Vader – Dark Lord of the Sith #23

+ Momin’s real goals, and how I didn’t stop to think he might have any

+ So many new questions!

+ The confrontation is coming

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