REVIEW: ‘Star Wars: Darth Vader,’ Issue #5

Fear. Hate. Anger. Strength. These are the traits essential to the Sith and Darth Vader has them in abundance in Star Wars: Darth Vader #5. Published by Marvel Comics, writer Greg Pak, artist Raffaele Ienco, colorist Neeraj Menon, letterer Joe Caramagna, and cover artist InHyuk Lee take readers through Darth Vader’s continued journey for vengeance against those kept who Padmé Amidala’s surviving child a secret from him. The Dark Lord now inches closer to discovering the truth and punishing everyone even remotely involved.

Previously in Star Wars: Darth Vader #4, Darth Vader had followed his investigation of Padmé’s death to her home planet of Naboo. There, he was confronted by the Amidalans: a resistances group who knew Padmé in life and now look for justice for her death. The Amidalans were quickly overpowered by the Dark Lord and his squad of death troopers leading to a final stand in front of the former queen of Naboo’s tomb. Darth Vader is then faced with Padmé’s former handmaidens: Sabé, Rabé, Eirtaé, Saché, and Dormé. As he dispatches the spitting images of his wife, he has a plethora of beautifully illustrated flashbacks seeing the women who were by his wife’s side throughout the years.

Star Wars: Darth Vader #5 opens following the Darth Vader’s defeat of the handmaidens who were unable to stop the Sith Lord from entering the tomb. Upon inspection of the tomb by ZED-6-7, the duo discovers a medical implant traceable to a former Rebel base. Sabé overhears this news and instructs all available Amidalans to converge on the coordinates the Imperial forensic droid discovered. In a surprising turn of events, Darth Vader allows the handmaidens and remaining Amidalans to leave inviting them to meet him at Polis Massa.

Polis Massa was the base in the Outer Rim that Obi-Wan Kenobi brought Padmé to following the events on Mustafar in Revenge of the Sith. As he arrives on the rubble of the long destroyed base, he is met yet again by the Amidalan forces. This time, they are equipped with more firepower than on Naboo. Since the Dark Lord started on this quest, he has been set on killing all those who had any association with the secrets surrounding Padmé’s death and Luke being hidden from him. Now is his opportunity to not only discover the answers he has been searching for in the last place his wife was alive but also unleashed his rage on the Amidalans.

Star Wars: Darth Vader #5 flys by fairly quickly. The latter part of the issue is much more action-packed than the start. As the Vader battles the Amidalans, the panels are beautifully violent. Vader continues to have his flashbacks but they don’t quite hit as hard as the previous issue. As he learns more and more about the truth after Mustafar, it is clear that the Sith Lord is having some internal turmoil, but I don’t think Star Wars: Darth Vader #5 has the emotional impact I was expecting after his first encounter with the handmaidens.

Utlimately, I don’t think Star Wars: Darth Vader #5 is done as well as the issue that precedes, but I think that speaks more to how powerful that issue was. The fate of the Amidalans is all but written already and it’s hard to have Darth Vader learn much more than he has at the end of this issue. I am interested to see where Pak takes this arc. The story around Padmé seems to be wrapped up in Star Wars: Darth Vader #5. Despite being slightly let down but still entertained, I am confident in this team’s ability to provide a compelling story that will add more to the ever-growing myth of Darth Vader.

Star Wars: Darth Vader #5 is available wherever comics are sold.