– Spoiler Review –
First it comes for the metal…and then it comes for the rest of Star Wars comics! The Dark Droids crossover event is here and Darth Vader #37 (Vol. 3) finds the Sith Lord still dealing with his out of control connection to the Force as well as a Scourge affecting the droids around him, which someone else is using to their advantage in an issue which has humor, Jedi ideals, and some promise!
Since Charles Soule is writing the main Dark Droids miniseries as part of the crossover, his Star Wars mainline series easily matches up with and diverts its own way, but I was curious how it would propagate across the rest of the series, as these event moments have had some spotty connections in the past. Greg Pak navigates his Vader run into the event with ease, as the droid Scourge might not get a ton of explanation, it’s pretty clear how big of a problem it is thanks to a simple, yet effective series of panels where we see from space the lights of the Executor slowly dim as the affected droids spread through the ship. While it’ll probably be best to read the main miniseries alongside this, readers who might not be inclined for more than Vader won’t have any problems following this series’ story alongside the bigger events, as like the Star Wars (Vol. 2) series, this one is taking a more personal, focused track. Grand Vizier Mas Amedda reaches out to Vader, alerting him the Super Star Destroyer Executor has been compromised and it’s the Emperor’s command for him to cleanse the problem, which is also when we learn it was Amedda who helped organize and send the droid assassins which attacked Vader last issue (though this seems like a weird wrinkle to the story and needs a little more explanation, since Vader had plants inside the group anyways). It turns out Amedda isn’t done with his attempts to take out Vader, which I hope we learn why soon, as he barely waits for the Sith Lord to fulfill the mission before using the scope of the threat as an excuse to unleash part of the Imperial fleet on the Executor and destroy it and everyone onboard. The last time this series delved into plots to kill Vader, things got a little too convoluted, so here’s hoping this one remains as seemingly simple as it does so far.
During this plot, Darth Vader is still dealing with his fractured connection to the Force, as while the Zaly Shield Doctor Chelli Aphra brought to his attention and helped him take is doing a good job directing his uncontrolled explosive use of the Force, finesse is lacking. There’s a chunk of good humor that comes from Vader’s attempts to reassert his total control of the Force, aided by ZED-6-7’s return to the series and his habit of quipping like nobody’s business. Vader’s practicing finesse with the droids around him, now under his control despite trying to kill him, and their complaints and remarks on his efforts brought some guffaws from me as well. When he boards the Executor, Vader and his droid crew don’t have much trouble holding back the infected droids, the Zaly shield living up to its job description, eventually making their way to a droid control center…only it’s been damaged. Arex, the droid formally attending to Jedi Master Kirak Infil’a before Vader killed him, suggests Vader use the Force to patch the control panel together much like he did himself using Arex’s parts all those years ago. To do so the droid reminds him, even after Vader’s earlier displeasure of the droid bringing them up, he needs to remember the teachings of the Jedi, to use the Force without force. Vader remembers words from two Masters, Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi, with Qui-Gon’s words about one’s focus determining their reality and Obi-Wan’s from their flashback scene in the Jedi’s own TV show, on how Jedi have to defend life, not take it. But the other memories around that part of his life invade, like how he only knew Qui-Gon for a short time, the loss of his mother, and everything on Mustafar, causing him to lose any focus and muddle his efforts. Will it really be leaning back on old Jedi teachings, embracing parts of his past he’s tried to bury, that will assist in resolving his Force control problems? Either way, it’s certainly not the best time for a droid Scourge to be happening for Vader, from his Force problems to the fact he is more machine than man, and Pak focusing on these issues and what it could mean for Vader provide promise for where this run will go during the crossover.
I called it out earlier and it still might be my favorite artistic part of the issue: Raffaele Ienco and colorist Federico Blee turn what looks like a little city of lights supported by the massive Destroyer’s frame and slowly turns them off across four panels, Ienco zooming in and displaying different parts of the ship as we focus on the bridge, while Blee removes the flickers of blue-ish light and suffocates them with black as the droids tear across the ship, to the point the remaining light on the bridge mimics the Eye of Sauron in such a way it looks small and powerless. Joe Caramagna contributes a lot to the humor this issue, as his placements are like a comedian’s delivery of a joke is what makes it funny, as I often heard in my head the calls of pain and weariness over Vader’s efforts by the droids in the voice of like the Black Knight from Monty Python and the Holy Grail, all thanks to how at times he sneaks in their word bubbles. There’s such a great juxtaposition of Vader’s might and ability with the Force, as we get glorious panels of him confidently striding down the Executor’s hallways, blasts exploding from the shield (with some big, bold, and powerful looking SFX from Caramagna), his droid minions laying waste to those around them, but when he requires effort beyond just aimless, senseless carnage, Ienco pulls in on Vader, his hand reaching out tentatively, shaking somewhat from the effort it takes to be more than ground zero for Force explosions, while his head is looking down, both to show he’s concentrating but also as if he’s not confident in that moment, that he doesn’t want to see the results.
Here are a few other things:
- The Ahsoka series is almost here, as of this publishing, picking up Anakin’s legacy with his apprentice, but we might be getting more Anakin/Vader content with it, as Hayden Christensen’s voice was heard on a recent TV spot with brand-new dialogue.
- Other Anakin/Vader content? You won’t want to miss Mike Chen’s short in the upcoming From a Certain Point of View: Return of the Jedi!
- A glimpse ahead at the comic solicitations sees the Vader series find its way to Mustafar and is set to likely resolve Vader’s Force control issues. November’s solicits should be out next week.
Darth Vader #37 (Vol. 3) locates its own place in the Dark Droids crossover by focusing on the Sith Lord’s continued attempts to regain control of the Force, often to funny effect despite the overall horror-leanings of the event.
+ Keeping it focused despite the crossover
+ Humor, Scourge’s might, and Vader’s struggle come to light thanks to the art team
– Questions about Amedda’s role in all this
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: #1-5 — Into the Fire: #6-11 — War of the Bounty Hunters: #12-17 — Crimson Reign: #18-22 — The Shadow’s Shadow: #23-27 — Return of the Handmaidens: #28-32 — Unbound Force: #33 | #34 | #35 | #36 — Dark Droids: