– Spoiler Review –
Focusing his hate on those who keep testing him, Darth Vader #40 (Vol. 3) sees the Sith Lord come to Coruscant to confront his Master, but is his renewed hate enough or does he have to take more drastic measures? Check out our review to find out!
As Vader arrived on the conclusion he hates himself to regain his control of the Force after the Force Wave (which I guess is still a thing, as Sly Moore’s affected by it still) messed with his connection, he also set his sights on someone he hates more: Emperor Palpatine, ol’ Sheev-ster himself. Between his renewed hate for himself and wanting to come after Palpatine, it feels like we’re retreading old thematic ground for the series, and this issue, while a fun showcase of Palpatine’s ways and abilities, doesn’t find a way to avoid doubling down. It feels like we’re back at issue #6, when ol’ Palpy tore down Vader after his time spent with Sabé and the handmaidens, and what transpires here, while has it differences, can’t escape seeming similar to those earlier scenes. After Palpatine has his TIE shot down as he approaches, Vader and Palpatine debate the strength and focus of the Sith Lord’s hate, resulting in Vader’s Death Troopers turning on him and Vader unleashing the Scourge’s vector disk droids, and then the two engage in a lightsaber measuring contest over their hate. There’s some cool visuals, Palpatine’s sustained lightning against Vader, the thousands of laser blasts eradicating the spread of the Scourge in the city as Palpatine stands smiling, and Vader taking out the Scourge reanimated Death Troopers, yet it can’t cover for an overwhelming sense of sameness. What’s Vader’s goal here? Prove himself so he stops being tested? Doing what Sith do and killing his Master, like his Master did before him? The same sort of questions apply to Mas Amedda’s attempts to take out Vader…what was he hoping to gain? Was it just Palpatine’s desire to feed off everyone’s hate, to make himself more powerful, that prompts Amedda to feel like he wants to take out Vader? While Vader’s attempts at least look cool, without some additional clarity, this doesn’t seem to add much to his story ahead of what we all know is coming in Return of the Jedi.
Having Vader decide to give himself over to the Scourge by issue’s end, who seemingly has promised to help him take out Palpatine, is an interesting twist, as everyone else has been unvoluntary drafted into the entity’s collective consciousness so far. Will Vader retain some sense of control or knowledge of what’s happening? What was the extent of the Scourge’s promise to him? Last issue promised we’d see more of Vader’s machinations against Palpatine in #40 and Dark Droids #4, out later this month, but how much will this series’ own issue #41 be allowed to cover and explore on a more personal level than the main miniseries can? I definitely want to see how Vader acts under the Scourge’s control, if it can use the Force through him, so I’m glad we’ll get to see it sooner than later in Dark Droids #4.
Bringing the heat of the Sith battle is artist Raffaele Ienco, colorist Federico Blee, and letterer Joe Caramagna. Ienco’s always done a great job with Force lightning effects, issue #6 being an early showcase, and the crackling power, a steady stream Vader’s barely able to hold at bay this issue, just feels so alive and dangerous, Caramagna’s tangling sound FXs and Blee’s bright blues make them as overwhelming as they seemed like with Luke Skywalker writhing in pain during the climatic Return of the Jedi scene, while the way Ienco stages Vader holding back the attack only adds weight to its might. My favorite part has to be the crisscrossing volleys of blaster fire as it felt like a net around the two of them, keeping them at the focus despite Vader’s actions unleashing the Scourge onto the droids of the city around them, as it also gives the impression of how deadly their squabble is for all those around them. The final page is a really menacing Vader, the purple eyes due to the Scourge’s control an unnerving sight even more so than the Sith Lord’s typical look, like the closeness of the perspective almost gives the impression he could reach out and attack readers, as he’s sort of looking right at us, all making for big dramatic effect.
Here is one other thing:
- What’s next for this series once Dark Droids ends in December? What are the lingering effects of this event? At least for this series, it seems more people will be after the Emperor, not including Vader, as Sly Moore, Amedda, and Enric Pryde present some bureaucratic intrigue, while Vader’s dealing with some especially tricky Rebels per the January solicitations.
Darth Vader #40 (Vol. 3) is dazzling in the might on display, but it doesn’t hide how it feels like we’re retreading old ground.
+ Sith v Sith and the way the art team makes readers feel their power
– Feeling repetitive still
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: #37 | #38 | #39