Darth Vader #18 Review

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The Dark Lord is done holding back.

Warning: this article contains spoilers for Darth Vader #18. 

Darth Vader #18

Writer: Kieron Gillen | Artist: Salvador Larroca | Colorist: Edgar Delgado | Letterer: VC’s Joe Caramagna  | Cover Artist: Mark Brooks

The civil war on Shu-Torun rages on. The ore barons rebel against the Empire and Queen Trios, who was recently placed on the throne by Darth Vader himself after he destroyed the ruling family. The Queen’s inexperience has shown throughout her rule and the rebellion has only grown worse. Re-enter Darth Vader. In the first issue of the present story arc, Vader was sent to Shu-Torun after his conflict with the Rebels on Vorgas Vas to restore order and guide the Queen. Against his wishes, Vader was accompanied by Cylo and his minions. The Dark Lord now finds himself not only directing a war on behalf of the Queen, but surrounded by rivals from within the Empire. Traps are set on all sides.

Issue seventeen of Darth Vader ended with Cylo conspiring with the ore barons. Cylo had just finished a conversation with Grand General Tagge in which the Grand General lamented that a success on Shu-Torun would likely be good for Vader, but it would be more beneficial if it appeared to be an Imperial success. Cylo let slip that he knew something about Vader and that Vader had no idea to what degree he was in Cylo’s debt. It appears that Cylo interpreted his conversation with the Grand General as an instruction to remove Vader from the equation, and he commenced a negotiation with the ore barons to eliminate the Sith Lord. Or, Cylo may have his own scheme in mind, but his ultimate goal remains unclear.

This brings the action to the present, so to speak. Under Darth Vader’s command, the Shu-Torun Imperial Loyalist Delving Fleet is commencing an attack on Baron Rubix’s stronghold. After a subtle signal by Cylo, the Delving vessel carrying Vader and the enhanced, Jedi-imitating twins, Aiolinn and Morit, is sabotaged and it veers off course and crashes into bedrock. Surrounding the crash site are scores of the ore barons’ soldiers. Any doubts that Cylo intended to betray Vader at the end of issue seventeen have been erased. Vader quickly takes charge of the situation, and he leads the twins and Stormtroopers into battle. Just when it looks as if the rebels are about to gain the upper hand, Triple Zero unleashes Vader’s droid army to at least momentarily turn the tide of the battle.

Despite the ambush, Vader recognizes a tactical opportunity. With Baron Rubix’s forces attacking him, his citadel is vulnerable. Therefore, all the Queen needs to do is attack. Things aren’t so simple. Cylo contacts the Queen and Chancellor Jooli and informs them they must call off the attack given recent developments. Vader and the Queen are betrayed again. This betrayal calls Cylo’s loyalties into question even more than the betrayal of Vader. The Emperor wanted Shu-Torun brought into line. Cylo seems to be thwarting those plans. If he has a backup plan for subjugating Shu-Torun, it has not yet been revealed. In addition, Vader’s communications are jammed by the rebels. Despite this, he has faith that the Queen will see the opportunity and attack.

Vader proves to be correct, but Cylo is not the only traitor. Chancellor Jooli exercises his traditional advisory veto to countermand the Queen’s decision to press the attack on Rubix’s citadel without the aid of the Imperial forces. The Queen recognizes him for the traitor that he is and draws a blaster on him. Jooli mocks the Queen and throws it in her face that she won’t shoot him. The Queen concedes the point, but surprises Jooli by boldly proclaiming that she is the Queen, and she has people to shoot for her now. Classic moment. Darth Vader has been educating the Queen on ruling an unruly world, and she has learned her lessons. Traitors are to be dealt with swiftly. With Jooli out of the way, the Queen orders the attack on Rubix’s citadel.

Vader and his forces are still surrounded by Rubix’s men. After rejecting an absurd plan by Triple Zero to modify a battlefield engine to run off blood, Vader commands the twins to accompany him through the passages under the battlefield in an attempt to contact Queen Trios. The Stormtrooper commander is left to combat the rebels. This is when the next trap is sprung. The twins comically exclaim that they cannot believe that Vader trusted them and attack Vader in the passages above the lava pools. Vader responds by springing a trap of sorts of his own. He knew they couldn’t be trusted, which is why he brought them with him. Although unsaid, he now has the opportunity to dispose of the twins in the seclusion of the passages much in the same way he defeated Karbin on Vrogas Vas. The issue closes with Vader preparing to battle the twins.

Overall, this was a good issue. For one, the battle scenes actually depicted a battle. Unlike prior attacks on delving stations in past issues, the combatants appear in the panels of the issue. Who is attacking whom is much easier to discern. Second, Vader continues to prove his mettle as a Sith Lord on the rebound. As the attack on Rubix’s stronghold is set to commence, he is fully in command of his fleet. He brokers no disobedience from his crew and forces. He issues orders to Cylo and his minions, and he fully expects them to be obeyed. He senses the trap that has been laid for him and turns it back on his adversaries. If Palpatine’s motivation for subordinating Vader to Tagge and creating rivals in Cylo and his minions was to evolve Vader as a Sith lord, the plan has worked.

The Queen’s story line has also shined. Queen Trios began this arc attempting to do everything herself. She was afraid of making matters worse at the expense of subduing the rebellion on Shu-Torun. Darth Vader has taught her valuable lessons. It is hard to sympathize with the ore barons. They are cunning, ruthless, and not above staging assassinations to get their way. However, they are rebelling against the harsh demands of the Empire. One doesn’t get the sense that the average man on Shu-Torun is being taken into account by either side in this dispute. Attempting to pick between one side or the other is akin to choosing between two evils. Queen Trios has committed herself to bring order back to Shu-Torun, and with that comes making hard choices, which she now appears ready to make.

 

One last aside: did you know droids have a sense of smell? I didn’t until Triple Zero explained how much he enjoyed the smell of burning organics. That is one odd droid.

Favorite Panel:

The art in this issue of Darth Vader is an improvement over the art that appeared in prior issues of the current arc. The Imperial Loyalist Delving Fleet is impressive. Larroca has a talent for drawing vessels. His other talent is drawing Darth Vader. He and Delgado combine to create several stunning panels featuring Vader in this issue. Among the best is a close up of Vader as he leads his forces against attacking rebels after the ambush is sprung. The illustration and color combine to actually create a more menacing Vader. For the most part, the effect is captured in Vader’s eye pieces. A glare has been added that adds malice. It is this issue’s favorite panel.