Comics Commentary: Star Wars #6 & Darth Vader #6

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Marvel’s first Star Wars arc comes to a revelatory conclusion. Dennis has the analysis.

SPOILER WARNING: I normally post a spoiler warning at the beginning of each of my reviews, but I am adding an additional warning here. I try not to tread too heavily on major plot points or huge details in the comics, especially if they are twists. However, Star Wars #6 contains a potentially universe altering development that must be addressed in order to adequately review the issue. Therefore, if you do not want to be spoiled before you read my review, please check out issue six first. However, if you have read the issue, or you simply don’t mind spoilers, then I invite you to read on.

The State of the Star Wars Comic Universe

Star Wars and Darth Vader have been Marvel’s two ongoing series since Marvel re-launched Star Wars titles in January of this year. The mini-series Princess Leia has told a story that appears to be set immediately after the events of the Battle of Yavin. Kanan, the newest of the Star Wars titles, ties in with both the Rebels and Clone Wars television series and is set at the conclusion of the Clone Wars after the Emperor issued Order 66. Star Wars and Darth Vader have been companion stories with events in one series impacting and building on events in the other. The most recent issues of each bring to a close the opening story arcs for both. The conclusion for these stories intersect, and therefore I will discuss them together.

Star Wars #6

Writer: Jason Aaron | Artist: John Cassaday | Colorist: Laura Martin | Letterer: Chris Eliopoulos | Cover Artists: Cassaday & Martin

Star Wars #6 opens with the confrontation between Luke and Boba Fett that was promised at the conclusion of the previous issue. Luke has been blinded by a flash grenade, but still takes the fight to galaxy’s most notorious bounty hunter. This conflict contains some of Cassady’s best work for the series. Despite the quality of the work, at times, as has happened previously in this series, it can be difficult to determine exactly what is happening in an action sequence. For instance, Fett tries the rope trick previously seen in Return of the Jedi to ensnare Luke. Here, as in the movie, Luke uses his lightsaber to cut the rope. Fett is next seen falling backwards, perhaps over the toppled body of R2-D2, but it hard to tell why or how that happened. It appears that perhaps Luke deflected some blaster fire, but it is not entirely clear. Despite this, both Fett and Luke look incredible in this scene. Luke has rarely looked better in this series, and Cassaday seems to have been born to draw Boba Fett.

One other note about the rope trick: while I do not generally mind that certain elements from The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi are essentially previewed or foreshadowed (e.g., Luke’s encounter with Darth Vader in issues one and two), I think care needs to be taken to measure the impact of such scenes and elements. Unless Boba Fett has a poor memory, I cannot imagine why he would try the rope attack again in Return of the Jedi after it failed against Luke here. In fact, Luke counters the attack nearly the exact same way in both instances: he slices the rope with is lightsaber. Perhaps the goal was to utilize every weapon and contraption in Fett’s arsenal, but I would have preferred to see Fett try this on someone else.

The best part of the confrontation between Luke and Fett is that Luke finally starts to realize he does have the potential to be a Jedi. He remembers Ben’s teachings. He lets the Force flow through him, and in doing so, manages to knock Fett out long enough to escape. I’m hoping this means that Luke will begin to trust that he can become a Jedi and the brooding will cease. At the very least, Luke now has the contents of the case Ben left behind for him, but I’ll let you read the book yourself to find out what that is.

Perhaps this confrontation also says a little bit more about Boba Fett in The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. Luke was blinded by the flash grenade, so he would not have been able to recognize Fett when he encountered him in Cloud City when he was attempting to rescue Han and Leia. However, Fett certainly would have recognized Luke as the untrained Jedi sidekick that got away years ago. Did Fett’s ego and desire to catch the one that got away, or a black mark on his reputation if you will, cause him to take a shot at Luke during that encounter? Or, was he simply protecting the bounty he was taking to Jabba? Similarly, was it this encounter that caused Fett to confront Luke at the Pit of Carkoon in Return of the Jedi? Or, was he simply attempting to protect a valuable client? Despite all we have learned about Fett from the Star Wars series, we still don’t know enough about him to make the call.

While Luke and Fett battle it out, Han Solo and Princess Leia flee to an old smuggler’s hideout to lay low from some pursuing Imperials. Solo promises that only he, Chewbacca, and now Leia know of the hideout. But after Han makes clumsy pass at the Princess with a glass of Corellian Wine, Han is proven to be wrong, which leads to the major plot development of this issue.

ADDITIONAL SPOILER WARNING: The mysterious woman that has been stalking Han Solo for the past two issues finally catches up to him and the Princess on the planet that Han is using as a hideout. Turns out that she has reason to know of its existence as well. The reason is actually quite good, and if you do not want to be spoiled, please skip ahead to the next section, or read the issue first. LAST WARNING. As it turns out, the mysterious stalker is revealed to be none other than Sana. That name probably will not sound familiar.

However, her last name is Solo, and Sana is none other than Han Solo’s wife.

This development has sparked quite the reaction in the fan community. Some are outraged that it dramatically changes the Star Wars canon. It is a jarring development as there has been no mention of Han being married in any of the movies, and despite this revelation occurring in a comic set before The Empire Strikes Back, it does not impact the budding romance between Han and Leia as seen in that movie or Return of the Jedi. I’ll take a moment to speculate that Sana Solo may not have had a deep and committed marriage that some suspect this news implies. I can easily envision that this marriage resulted as part of some ploy or the equivalent of a Star Wars weekend in Vegas.

The conclusion of Star Wars #6 coincides with the conclusion of Darth Vader #6. Boba Fett returns to Vader and delivers the news that although he successfully tracked down the Rebel pilot, he was able to give him the slip. Fett is one of the few individuals confident enough to deliver bad news to Vader, and in person no less. Most Imperial officers end up dead after reporting their failures. The impact of this meeting is best told through the conclusion of Darth Vader #6.

Darth Vader #6

Writer: Kieron Gillen | Artist: Salvador Larroca | Colorist: Edgard Delgado | Letterer: VC’s Joe Caramanga | Cover Artist: Adi Granov

The first half of Darth Vader #6 features Vader’s battle against Cylo-V’s enhanced warriors. The Emperor puts an early end to the combat and declares that he may have a use for Cylo-V’s creations. Overall, I found the conclusion to this part of story surprising. I had assumed that Cylo-V was merely a pawn in the Emperor’s game of controlling and educating Darth Vader, and perhaps that may prove to be the case. However, in this issue, the Emperor reveals that Cylo-V has been training the twins, and perhaps the others, for twenty years. Palpatine lectures and reminds Vader that the core of the dark side is strength. More to the point: the way of the Sith is proof through strength. Therefore, the twins and other enhanced warriors weren’t merely pawns for the benefit of Vader’s training. Or were they?

The post-fight interaction between Vader and the Emperor was two of the best pages in all of Marvel’s Star Wars comics. Vader has indeed taken steps to redeem himself in the eyes of the Emperor. Lord Sidious was impressed that Vader assembled his own army and took his own initiative to act outside the Emperor’s system. Such a move was very Sith-like. Of everything the Emperor said, the best was when he outlined their respective duties: as the Apprentice, Vader has a duty to learn what Sidious knows; and as the Master, it is Sidious’s duty to learn what there is to know and to teach. This was some of Gillen’s best writing to date. Ultimately, the Emperor concludes that Vader earned his Sith name years ago on Coruscant, and despite all that has happened, he is confident that Vader will prove himself worthy of the name now.

Having concluded his business with Cylo-V’s minions, Vader rejoins his droids and Dr. Aphra on the J-Type Nubian starship and learns that Boba Fett is set to report on his mission to retrieve the Rebel pilot that destroyed the Death Star, which brings us to the conclusion of Star Wars #6.

The Bounty Hunter and Vader meet later aboard a Death Star, and as in Star Wars 6, Fett informs Vader that the pilot got lucky and Fett lost him. However, Fett has a name for him: Skywalker. Vader’s anger reaches the boiling point as he reflects on the moments portrayed in Revenge of the Sith where Padmé informed Anakin that she was pregnant with their child and the later lie that the Emperor told of Padmé’s death. Larroca’s art coupled with Delgado’s coloring has never been better. Vader’s clinched fist, cracks rippling through the view port, and the quiet destruction of nearby machinery demonstrate a palpable anger from a character that cannot physically exhibit any emotion on his face.

Vader now knows the identity of the Rebel Pilot that destroyed the Death Star. After all the effort the Emperor went to convince Vader that he was responsible for Padmé’s death, and that their unborn child was likely dead with her, Vader now knows the truth. All the anger and hatred that Vader directed towards himself for years is now focused on the Emperor. Vader contacts the Emperor and pledges he will not fail him, and he makes an apparent confession of submission to the Sith Master’s will. However, we get to see just how much of Anakin is left in Vader. Despite his protestations to Luke in Return of the Jedi, something of the tortured, angry, fallen Jedi remains. The beginnings of Vader’s plans to convert Luke and overthrow the Emperor have begun.

The opening story arcs for both Star Wars and Darth Vader have concluded with issue six in each series. In terms of story quality, both started very high in issue one and declined a little in the middle of the arc. Both stories rebounded nicely to provide outstanding conclusions. Luke Skywalker seems poised to invest in his training as a Jedi. Vader now knows Luke’s identity and is on the precipice of setting his own Sith plans in motion to topple the Emperor. Han and Leia have their own adventure and complication to deal with. Overall, the two story arcs are excellent and meshed well together. I would not be surprised to see Boba Fett emerge in this story again, perhaps as the bounty hunter Han Solo alludes to on Hoth when he is explaining to Leia why he has to leave. I also expect Darth Vader to continue to plot against the Emperor, perhaps turning Imperial officers to his will as he pursues Luke Skywalker. I also would not be surprised if Vader hunts down Cylo-V’s minions and destroys them one-by-one with a climactic scene involving the destruction of Cylo-V’s space whale headquarters.

Favorite Panels

With two issues in this review, I bring you two favorite panels.

For Star Wars #6, I was impressed by quite a few of the panels. Cassaday’s work was consistently good throughout. The ship Han’s stalker was piloting was incredible looking. I prefer Larroca’s Darth Vader, but Cassaday draws an excellent Boba Fett. I was very impressed with the Luke vs. Fett encounter, so I’ve chosen the climactic panel from that fight for the Star Wars 6 panel of the month.

For Darth Vader #6, I thought the art consistently good, but no one panel stood out. However, Palpatine’s lesson to Vader on the roles of Sith Master and Apprentice was an outstanding summary of the philosophy of the Sith contained in a single panel, and was my choice for panel of the month.

Upcoming

The next issue of Star Wars will be a one-shot focusing on an Obi-wan Kenobi adventure. It will also feature the work of Simone Bianchi, who has provided the art for such titles as Wolverine and Astonishing X-men among others. Cassaday is departing from the series, and Stuart Immonen takes up the reigns with issue 8. Immonen has worked on DC and Marvel titles in the past on characters and stories including Super Man, Captain America, the Hulk, the Avengers, and Thor.