– Spoiler Review –
Naboo faces a First Order reckoning while the Resistance is still scattered and broken, so who will come to help save them? You’ll be surprised by the answer in Legacy of Vader #5, which makes for an intriguing entry that hits the series at the right time.
After the end of issue #4, I was both interested to see where writer Charles Soule would go with the Naboo storyline, yet also felt weariness over another storyline of revisiting Vader’s past and Kylo trying to kill it in whatever way he sees fit. I knew the series would change course soon, as I keep up and report on the comic solicitations, but what was there to say Legacy of Vader wouldn’t return to more of the same after some upcoming detours? Issue #5 does a great job of putting those concerns to dust, as Vaneé ends up saying the quiet part out loud regarding Kylo Ren’s warpath to destroy the past, forcing the young man to face the truth of his actions, all while giving him a new goal to aim towards, somewhere in the present and future, not the past. As much as this series was going to change tracks soon, it was inevitably set to remove Kylo’s obsession with killing the past, as we saw in The Rise of Skywalker, I just wasn’t sure how long it would take and I’m glad it seems to be on the path to new and more interesting things for the character and his growth in this year between films.
As the First Order prepares to invade Naboo, a masked assailant takes out the opening salvo squad, though for readers the mask isn’t much to hide who’s behind it: Kylo Ren. This was a nice twist, as while he’s shouting from the Finalizer he’s the King of Naboo, he’s down in the trenches, teaching them how to fight back and not rely on names or family lines, though ironically he’s a family line they’d grovel to at if they knew his history. It’s the series’ most interesting situation yet, as it opens questions into his intentions and what he hopes to achieve personally, while shows how little the First Order matters to him in the long run and is just a great twist on the formula of this series and what we’ve seen from him in the sequel trilogy. The fact he can call General Hux, ask him what they plan to do next, and then tell the Naboo resistance is such a funny arrangement and, while helpful to them, it’s still a shortcut I’m not sure teaches them the independence and resolve he wants to.
As the fight against one of the First Order’s Siege Dreadnoughts seems to be going well, Vaneé confronts Kylo over his actions and offers some hard truths the young man doesn’t like to hear. While he did his best to show Kylo how important Darth Vader’s past was to his power, Vaneé can sense Kylo’s true intentions with Naboo and just where he is in his journey with the dark side: the hating himself stage. What he’s doing with Naboo is attacking himself, essentially, for what he’s done and what he’s become, and attempts to erase the past offer him the hope he can erase who he was to become who he wants to be, or at least thinks he wants to be. Vaneé shoots down these notions, pointing out the past might create us, but it doesn’t define us now, and he refocuses the young man’s hate towards a new goal and purpose. Vaneé reveals he’ll lead Kylo to a vault in Vader’s castle on Mustafar, with all the power the young Solo could ever want, only once he’s worthy of it, and this self-destructive behavior just ain’t it for him, so he asks Kylo again find a target worthy of his hate. After Kylo cuts down the Naboo resistance while calling off the First Order’s invasion, readers left to wonder if Naboo will have learned anything from this encounter, he demands Vaneé find him a worthy target, which the scene setter at the end of the issue teases Order 66, while the final page offers the solicit for issue #6 about Kylo dealing with a survivor of the Purge. So Kylo’s hate is changing, moving from focusing on himself to outward now, maybe, though we’ll have to see how it all shakes out in the next two issues. Either way, I like the change of pace and focus, as this not only brings this section of the series to an interesting end, it promises even more interesting things ahead.
Sticking on art for issue #5 is Stefano Raffaele, though he’ll take a two-issue break and return duties to Luke Ross again, while the usual suspects colorist Nolan Woodard and letterer Joe Caramagna remain. There’s nothing quite like the splash page of the Naboo resistance and their hobbled together Uglies flying towards the imposing Dreadnought, as it’s a trifecta of unique eras all in one image I’d never thought I’d see. On one hand, there’s the lovely cityscape of the city Spinnaker on Naboo, though Woodard ensures its usual opulence and brightness is dimmed from the Dreadnought blocking out the sun. Then there’s the mismatch ships, aka Uglies, rising towards the massive threat, as it includes intact versions of the N-1 starfighters but also ones with TIE striker or X-wing wings, as well as X-wings with a variety of different wings too, and this squadron is such an ugly, in a beautiful way, sight to behold. The Dreadnought itself is just a mass of darkness, Woodard really laying into its dark edges and makeup, and the scale Raffaele provides makes the Uglies seem even more unlikely to succeed in battle. Also, the way Raffaele draws Vaneé, from lurking in the shadows to mad-man inspired close-ups, really adds to the darkness of the path Kylo’s on; look what hate and the dark side can bring you. The first time we see Vaneé, he’s a menacing glob of machine standing deep in the shadows of the sewers where Kylo’s meeting with the resistance and it made sense why they were so unsure of Kylo despite what he did, while later on Vaneé’s lurking nearby after breaking down the young man’s motivations, a mad scientist watching his subject as Kylo, now with his mask off, contemplates what’s all been said and what he’s done. And the close-ups on Vaneé’s globe-filling head? He looks truly deranged and creepy, yet it makes his promises and words seem more impactful, as if he can still manage such advice despite his long-life and situation, maybe there’s some truth to the madness.
Here are a few other things:
- Soule’s newsletter this week’s featured a very personal reveal regarding his long-time collaborator, Ryan Browne, so if you’ve enjoyed either or both of their work, you should go check it out right now. Overall, his newsletters are always a delight to receive in the mailbox and you should subscribe.
- It’s the final week for Pride Month variants and above you can see Rachael Stott’s Sabé cover for this issue!
- Just last week, Soule’s epic novel finale for The High Republic publishing initiative, Trials of the Jedi, hit stores everywhere and it was a damn fine experience that absolutely nailed the ending. Check out our two reviews here!
- As for what the vault in Vader’s castle could be/contain, and if only Vaneé can help find/open it, remains to be revealed. Could it be the Corvax Fortress, as seen in the Vader Immortal VR games, which Soule teased in his Darth Vader: Dark Lord of the Sith run? Or is the vault something to do with the chamber Lord Momim made and Vader used to pierce the veil and search for Padmé? Or is it something new?! Or does it even exist?! We’ll have to keep reading to find out, I guess!
Legacy of Vader #5 had fun little surprises and changed the game of the series for the better, pointing us and its main subject towards something new.
+ Kylo, King and Savior
+ Taking the story in a new direction after Vaneé dissects Kylo
Ryan is Mynock Manor’s Head Butler. You can follow him and the website on Bluesky.
LEGACY OF VADER REVIEWS:
Reign of Kylo Ren: #1 | #2 | #3 | #4