– Spoiler Review –
In Legacy of Vader #9, Tava Ren has come for Kylo Ren, yet it doesn’t go as one would think, as the newcomer pushes the self-proclaimed Supreme Leader in ways he’s not quite ready for yet.
By the end of the previous issue, Tava Ren left me curious to see where her story would go, and Legacy of Vader #9 earns a big chunk of the mystery around her despite falling short in some areas. And there’s the added bonus with how things end, as it seems likely Charles Soule and team will return to her and maybe fill in the gaps down the line. What I really liked about Tava Ren this issue is not only the backstory regarding how she became the new leader of the Knights of Ren, but how she manages to hold her own against Kylo, and while he has her in pure physical power, her ability to sense the swirling problems within Kylo heart help offset. As fascinating as her ability to understand him in ways that make him uncomfortable is, the truth of what he wants laid bare and spoken plainly, I really wish issue #9 had spent more time on Tava herself, beyond just the backstory. I know it’s not the series’ focus, but as Kylo points out, we’re missing the why behind Tava’s actions and without it her place in his story feels more like plot than by any choice of her own. Tava does reveal a portion of her motivations, she senses his greatness when connecting through the Force and wants to know what person he wants to be going forward, though what drove her to a life of assassinations and investing in the dark side remains unknown, and I hope Soule gets a chance to revisit the character and fill in more details to better round out her character because for now she’s just a wrecking ball in Kylo’s life without the full context. She’s a fun wrecking ball, don’t get me wrong, and I love how she proves she’s more powerful than at first blink during her escape, while her returning to the Knights means this story isn’t over as Kylo still needs to take over the group at some point before The Rise of Skywalker. Another point of contention with the choices of her story arises when, as she’s revealing how well she knows what Kylo is feeling inside, she leans in and kisses him. Now, I’m not against the idea of Kylo maybe finding other romance along the way in his story or him having a kiss, but Tava, one of only four female (aka marginalized) speaking characters in the series so far and the only one drawn to purposefully seem attractive, is of course involved with a storyline where she’s a seductress to some extent, feels very unnecessary. Given all the great moments in this series so far where Kylo flashes back to his memories of Rey (it happens in the opening duel between Tava and Kylo), showing where his heart and mind often lie, I don’t see why her talking to him couldn’t have led him to think about Rey again (maybe the scene in the hut where they touch hands before Luke Skywalker comes bursting in) and cause him to reject the truths Tava’s slinging his way, no kiss/seducing necessary. Plus, Tava hasn’t seemed like a character who’d even do that up until this moment, so it comes off as a miss with her storyline so far. And while Grandea, the Order 66 survivor who perfected the mind trick (maybe too well), fit well for a two-part encounter, Tava’s story clearly isn’t over so these two issues don’t feel like enough for her yet, but the way Marvel’s been secretive regarding how long a series lasts these days, Tava’s return might have to happen by issue #12 if this doesn’t get to go beyond that (or in a new series down the line) so hopefully we’ll get to see more.
Between Tava and Grandea, Soule’s used them to say more about Kylo: with Grandea, she’s the Master he wants to be, in full control and lacking any doubts; and with Tava, she’s the freedom he aspires to have but won’t let himself, thinking this path he’s on is the only way to be free. There’s another layer to these characters and what they represent, as Grandea could almost be a stand-in for Kylo’s mother, Leia, as she’s more powerful with her words than her might, something he clearly never understood given both how Grandea bests him and also in his petulance and bursts of emotions, while Tava puts Rey in front of him again, the untrained, unexpected nobody who could best or equal him because, unlike him, she’s not letting her past define her, or at least not obsessed with killing it to keep moving forward. The one-two punch of these interactions seems to counteract Vaneé’s teachings to a small extent, especially with Tava striking so close to the truth inside Kylo, and while he rejects her advances and claims this is what he wants, the way he lets her go, to make her own way, and then lets her live, not shooting her down when they have the chance, shows how much he believes what he told her. Why let someone live if they were so wrong about you unless, somewhere inside, Kylo not only knows she’s right, he wants to keep that avenue open if he decides he wants to see where that path will lead; at least that’s what I took from it. Some good stuff here about Kylo and it looks like there’s even more to come in the next few issues as Kylo returns to Mustafar.
To close out Tava’s story, for now, artist Stefano Raffaele remains from last issue, with colorist Nolan Woodard and letterer Joe Caramagna in their usual spots. Given how ungraceful Kylo looked against Luke Skywalker on Crait, I like how compared to Tava in the opening duel, he’s suddenly the graceful one, barely swinging his lightsaber, flipping backwards like he’s performing for an audience, and only in a few moves does he disarm her and hold her between both his and her blade, like Anakin Skywalker did Count Dooku in Revenge of the Sith. The panel where we’re basically in Tava’s POV, looking up at Kylo as he holds the two blades, glaring down at her, is a glaring display of his unchecked anger, simmering inside. Woodard casts the blades’ red light so it covers most of his face, even taking root in his eyes, with good shadow work, while Raffaele’s almost dead, soulless stare for Kylo’s face really makes one wonder how she not only survives, but why she’d even be remotely interested in him given the piercing anger. Tava’s escape sequence is a big highlight, from all the sound FX Caramagna litters in scenes as the stormtroopers coalesce around her or explosions go off, while the panel of her using the Force/shadow to pull the Night Buzzard over to kill the troopers in her way is more spectacular than Kylo’s Force-push of troopers earlier, as the SFX of the ship cracking down on the armored beings is a satisfying crunch. The looks on General Hux and Kylo’s faces as he lets her get away, the former’s surprise and bits of distaste and the latter’s thoughtful, yet angry look reignites our memories to the simmering problems between these two young men and is just another nail in the furthering divide.
Here are a few other things:
- I’m still most intrigued by the tattoo on Tava’s neck, as it’s the same one that was on Ren’s helmet (the leader before Kylo), yet of the three leaders we’ve met…only Kylo doesn’t seem to have it. Is there a reason for that or does it go away once you’re not the direct leader or something else? Or am I overthinking it? We’ll see if it’s something Soule will answer one day.
- While there was no updates on how long any comic series will continue at NYCC’s Lucasfilm Publishing Panel, we did get previews of what’s to come, including a lettered preview of Legacy of Vader #10 (they’re in the gallery in the official site’s coverage). We also learned Luke Skywalker will fulfill his promise to Kylo in The Last Jedi, as he’s set to appear in #10! Can’t wait to see how that goes down!
Legacy of Vader #9 leaves Tava Ren a character fans will want to know more about and see again, though some decisions bring the issue down a peg.
+ Tava being a fun wrecking ball in Kylo’s life and uncovering what’s inside…
+ What Tava, and Grandea, mean for Kylo
– …though the seductress angle should’ve been avoided
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 | #5 | #6 — Vol. 2: #7 | #8