Canon Comic Review: Darth Vader – Dark Lord of the Sith #24

– Spoiler Review –

Darth Vader – Dark Lord of the Sith #24 is the penultimate issue of both the “Fortress Vader” arc and the series itself, and even though we know Vader’s fate, the issue ends in such a way that I can only begin to theorize what’s to come in its finale, a pleasant and intriguing surprise.

The Mustafarians are storming the castle, Lord Momin is resurrected and loose; what’s a Sith Lord to do? Vader’s a force of nature, almost literally if you consider nature “The Force,” as he wields the dark side in an impressive display of his anger, passion, and purpose, decimating the Mustafarian lava fleas, surviving a lava storm, and literally using the planet to rebuke the Mustafarians all-out attack on the castle. Between “The Burning Seas” arc and this issue, this might be the deadliest comic series in (canon) history, as Vader wipes out the threat to his new home while his entire complement of troops is gone as well, but he’ll not need such a force anymore after his actions here. Weakened by his efforts, Vader must still face the resurrected Lord Momin, who gets a few good licks in, fueled by his perceived importance to the dark side, but even he’s not strong enough to bring Vader down, as the Dark Lord brutally ends Lord Momin’s resurrection. This won’t be the last we’ll see of Momin, as his helmet causes trouble for Lando and his crew when they (unknowingly) steal Palpatine’s yacht, but for now I wonder what review Vader will give Momin when he returns the helmet to his Master.

Before Vader ensures Momin’s resurrection is swiftly over, Momin imparts some intriguing points of view on the dark side, Vader’s role as the chosen one, and how he feels the Sith have lost their way. As we learned from his backstory-centered issue #22, Momin believes the dark side needs to be worshiped, hence why he sets out to make a tribute which costs him his physical form. He expands on that with Vader here, saying the Sith aren’t in control of the dark side, it is in control of them and they shouldn’t fight against it, which sounds suspiciously Jedi-like. To the Jedi, the Force is their ally and they let it flow through them, so in a sense Momin believes practitioners of the dark side should do the same, something he believes has lead to the dark side “loving” him, thus allowing him the ability to survive a millennia or more. Thanks to his resurrection, from a certain point of view he’s right, but Vader being able to end his return would say otherwise, no matter if Momin’s points about Vader’s inability to save Padmé or avoid ending up a burning husk are valid as well. I believe things are ultimately somewhere in between, with the dark side having a larger purpose and individuals being able to control it to their own ends, though results may vary. Momin also feels like the Sith have become too obsessed with the Jedi’s destruction, a thread which has been the focus on the series so far, and lost sight of a larger goal, or at least as far as Vader knows due to an untrusting Master, who has kept his grander plans from his apprentice (though he will reveal more, as seen in Tarkin, about goals beyond FAR beyond Jedi-hunting). And since he’s been in Vader’s head, Momin also uses the evidence of Vader’s failures to laugh at his surprising and continued belief he’s the Chosen One, but I think that belief will come to an end soon. In Return of the Jedi, when Luke surrenders to Vader and they chat on the bridge, Vader sounds both fearful of his Master, even if he intends on defeating him, but also of the dark side itself, believing it’s too late for him to turn, which means whatever comes next could seriously dampen his remaining belief he’s the Chosen One.

Because what comes next has far more questions than answers, even if we know Vader won’t revive Padmé, nor will he die…so what could happen to Vader when he crosses the doorway? Opening up this can of worms and allowing Momin to be resurrected, only to swiftly be killed again, does make one wonder why they introduced this concept of an unnatural doorway in the first place. Is it simply building on what Palpatine said to Anakin in Revenge of the Sith about the dark side being, “…a pathway to many abilities some consider to be unnatural?” As I mentioned before, this doorway feels a lot like the World Between Worlds, as seen in Star Wars Rebels final season, a giant can of worms that opened just as quickly as it closed, which was for the better as it added a new, expansive layer to the Force but would’ve been too much if left in use for too long. Killing Momin shortly after his revival feels similar to Rebels closing off the World Between Worlds in the space of an episode, but now Vader is left alone with the doorway, all to himself. What will he find?

As I said earlier, we know he won’t revive Padmé, but he could still see her, wherever this doorway leads, though I imagine she’d either reject him in some way, calling him a monster maybe like Rey calls Kylo Ren, or tell him she must stay beyond the veil, having served her purpose. Maybe Qui-Gon visits with Vader, trying to talk him out of his dark life, helping to plant a seed of doubt? Or even Vader’s mother, Shmi Skywalker, factors in somehow, either as someone he wants to pull back or is trying to talk him out of his terrible choices. Maybe whatever Vader sees could be like the vision he had from bleeding the kyber in the exact same spot in issue #5, an alternative reality that he cannot physically visit, thus explaining his desire to stay on the planet and meditate, revisiting it from time to time. Or the dark side could show him a vision much like the one he saw on Mortis, but he doesn’t forget this one, and it would likely reinforce his (correct) belief he’s still the chosen one. But my favorite and most prevalent theory involves ol’ Sheev himself: Palpatine hasn’t been seen since issue #21, but there’s no way in Mustafar he gave Vader the helmet of Lord Momin without knowing what could happen, so I imagine he either wanted to let Vader and Momin play, then he swoops in to use the doorway himself, or in the ultimate show of his dominance as a Master, destroying the doorway and telling Vader the only way he can gain more dark side knowledge is from his Master. This series started with Palpatine using a show of power to keep Vader in line, so what better way to end it then another, much more persuasive lesson that lasts until Vader finds someone as powerful as Luke, his son, to stand by his side to defeat Palpatine, in a way setting up for the giant moment in the first Vader series when he learns he has a son. But for now this is all theory and we won’t know what happens until late December when the series’ final issue drops.

Charles Soule not only wrote an awesome, brutal fight in the beginning, his work with Momin has both expanded the character from a wordless helmet and given us some interesting questions in regards to how the Sith use/are used by the Force. If there’s anyone I trust to not dive too far off the deep end with whatever’s coming in issue #25 as Vader steps through that door, it’s Soule; this is his last Star Wars comic for the time being, and whatever he’s working on next, which he definitely is, has yet to be announced but I’m excited to find out what it is. As fantastic as Soule’s writing has been, the art team of Giuseppe Camuncoli (layouts), Daniele Orlandini (finishes), and colors by David Curiel and Dono Sánchez-Almara is nothing short of mesmerizing, as they keep trying to outdo themselves issue after issue in this final arc, doing everything to go out in the most memorable way possible and continuing to hit that mark every issue. Soule can write Vader leading his troops, surviving a lava tsunami, shaking off the fire, and using the Castle to decimate the Mustafarian’s attack, but it’s up to the art team to make it worth seeing and holy seven levels of Mustafarian hell, they knocked it out of the park this issue. I’m really going to be sad to see them go and hope they’ll appear elsewhere soon!

Here are a few other things:

I would absolutely love it if there’s a moment in issue #25 where we flashforward to see Momin’s helmet floating in space, having survived Palpatine’s yacht’s destruction, living to possess another day.
The follow-up miniseries, Shadow of Vader, was quietly cancelled, but it’s a loud and messy saga.
Soule’s notes for DV #24 are up, where he talks about wanting to show Vader as a leader and promises issue #25 is going to be nuts. Can’t wait!

Darth Vader – Dark Lord of the Sith #24 is a penultimate issue only this creative team could deliver. The wait for #25 begins!

+ Vader’s swath of devastation (kudos art team!)
+ Momin’s good points
+ What the hell is going to happen in the doorway?!!?

Ryan is Mynock Manor’s Head Butler. You can follow him on Twitter @BrushYourTeeth. You can follow the website @MynockManor.

Canon Comic Review: Darth Vader – Dark Lord of the Sith #24

+ Vader’s swath of devastation (kudos art team!)

+ Momin’s good points

+ What the hell is going to happen in the doorway?!!?

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