– Spoiler Review –
Darth Vader #49 (Vol. 3), the series’ penultimate issue, sees Sly Moore make her play for control, but since it involves Luke Skywalker, does she stand a chance once a certain Sith Lord learns of her plans?
Some of the most important names in the Imperial Schism’s plans have plot armor we’re all familiar with, but the many other players the Darth Vader series has introduced have question marks over their heads, though at this point in the story, I wish I could be interested enough to care either way what happens to them. I do want to know what happens next to Sabé and Warba, and maybe ZED-6-7 too, but the way this series has ground out this story, building up to something and not hitting the lofty promises at the same time, has really made these final dozen issues feel like a delaying tactic (and I’ve made no secret how I’ve felt about this series overall these past few years). I was glad to see some resolution happen in the penultimate series issue, as Sly Moore finally steps into the spotlight and tries to take what she wants while it seems like the Imperial Schism business is finally over in the process, but the time it took to get here shrouds the moment with a shrug of inevitability the series was never able to overcome. The M.A.R. corps finally gets their introduction, but it’s so late and so overdue, and the fact their little scheme to turn Vader’s droid brains against him immediately turns them back into pawns again serves only to reiterate their uselessness so far…if they simply hadn’t shown up this issue, nothing would’ve really changed, even if the idea the Rebellion and Vader team up to save Luke is an interesting one on paper. In fact, the issue’s ending really made all this build up to Exegol and the quickness it was all resolved feel completely unnecessary, as if we could’ve reached this exact moment without it all
Vader saving Luke was a neat little moment, but I sort of question what it means for Luke and Vader by the time of Return of the Jedi, as instead of what always seemed like Luke going off a feeling in the Force about his father having good inside of him, it seemingly might come from this moment where Vader is the one to save him. Actions speak louder than words, of course, but it leaves little to the imagination for Luke now to assume there’s good in Vader, whereas maybe to me it felt like a more interesting concept if he had to intuit it, not experience it directly like this. Either way, the finale is next month and we’re headed towards a series staple: Palpatine putting Vader in his place, setting up his complacent tone when Luke and Vader next meet, but it’s felt long overdue so we’ll see how the series attempts its landing in the super-sized 50-page finale.* Greg Pak’s run was very promising at the start, and has had its moments, especially with Sabé, over the years, but the biggest problem facing it overall seems to be having to stretch its story to reach 50 issues alongside Charles Soule’s Star Wars (Vol. 2), because as I’ve litigated before on this site, less is more with someone like Vader and saturation has sapped this story of its strengths along way.
The shining star throughout a good portion of the run has been Raffaele Ienco’s art, joined by Federico Blee on colors and Joe Caramagna for lettering. Towards the end of the issue, Sly tries to force Luke’s hand by threatening to use Tauntaza’s World Devastator machine on the planet if he doesn’t show himself, and I really liked the little yellow-winged butterflies he interacts with during the sequence which follows. They aren’t anything special, which is the point, most people would overlook them and yet Luke’s noticing them, smiling at them, a sense of surety washing over him as he watches a group of them flutter away, which pass by Sly as he turns the same question around on her, if she’s okay with these things she can sense dying. I like how little they are next to her excessive power suit with the kyber weapons, while the following panel, a close-up on her face with a pained expression as she says she’ll do what she must to see her goals through, really sells her commitment to her current course. The way Luke walks out into the open, Blee’s fading on his legs from the snow and calm, peaceful look the remaining hues around him project, combined with Ienco’s choice to have the trees form an arch through which he’s walked, give it an almost biblical tone to the moment.
Here are a few other things:
- *In the finale issue out September 18, it was revealed a special back-up story, from Pak with art by Luke Ross, will be included, which dives into an alternative universe idea where Leia joins her father as a Sith! Honestly, the potential of this alternative storyline is rather exciting and certainly feels like something maybe this series should’ve shifted towards long ago.
- Marvel is keeping a lid on what comes next in the comics for the most part, as while it announced the 12-issue maxiseries The Battle of Jakku, which will release essentially weekly starting in October, there’s no official word on what’s after that. I’m sure we’ll get an announcement in the coming months, but let’s hope they finally let Vader comics rest.
Darth Vader #49 (Vol. 3) doesn’t avoid feeling inevitable when reaching the inevitable.
+ Butterfly art scene and Sly taking charge
– Really shows how thinly this was all stretched
Ryan is Mynock Manor’s Head Butler. You can follow him on Twitter @BrushYourTeeth. You can follow the website on Bluesky, 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 | #40 | #41 — Schism Imperial: #42 | #43 | #44 | #45 —The Razing of Exegol: #46 | #47 — Phantoms: #48