Star Wars: Darth Vader Volume 1 - Vader

by Kieron Gillen

[inlibrisveritas]

Darth Vader Vol. 1 is the graphic novel I had hoped it would be, with plenty of story to add depth to the movies and a lot of moments that reminded me why Darth Vader is one of my favorite Star Wars characters.

Darth Vader from the movies is a masked, villian…who is willing to go drastic means to further the goal of the Emperor…and only in the end do you see that he as actually a person with wants and desires of his own. That was a big flaw for me in those movies, because WHO is Darth Vader? So it’s nice to see the new EU roll out stories like this one. Vader is portrayed as a true danger, who position is in constant flux thanks to the Sith code. He has to rise above and adapt to new obstacles to remain an ally (and by relation, a worthy rivil) to the Emperor, all while battled back his past. There is nothing wrong with a shadowy big bad, but you don’t get true villainy until you understand his mindset. So it’s awesome to see him think about his past with Padme and to get to know his actual frustrations with serving a man who values constant strength and cunning.

The story is really great as well. Vader’s not in the best place when it comes to the Emperor’s graces after the destruction of the first Death Star, and they are at odds when it comes to what should be done. We get to see some more of the Emperor’s plans that he hasn’t disclosed, and Vader’s rather head on way with dealing with the deception. The addition of Triple-Zero, Bee-Tee, and Alphra were really great as well…and bring a bit of slight off humor to the book. Triple-Zero and Bee-tee are basically C-3P0 and R2-D2 gone horribly wrong. They are the perfect anti-thesis to the heroic droids, as they have a taste for murder. Alphra is the answer to Vader’s quiet cold dominance. She’s super talkative, a bit all over the place, and has a little touch of Indiana Jones in her. I liked her, but I do admit it’s a bit weird to see a Vader fangirl with such an out there personality…then again I suppose it’s basically a mirror to real world fangirls (myself included).

The art for the most part is fantastic. It has plenty of details and bright colors, but never loses that dark shadowy feel that seem wholly necessary for the story. There were only a few times where I questioned why they drew a panel a certain way…particularly towards the end.

I can’t wait to read the next volume! It’s definitely off to a great start.