Darth Vader – Black, White & Red #3
STAR WARS
DARTH VADER
BLACK, WHITE & RED
When Anakin Skywalker turned to the dark side, he became Darth Vader, one of the most powerful Sith of all time.
In his service to the evil Galactic Empire, he has left a trail of destruction and terror, striking fear into the hearts of millions across the galaxy….
Writers: Jason Aaron, Daniel Warren Johnson, Marc Bernardin
Penciller: Leonard Kirk, Daniel Warren Johnson, Stefano Raffaele
Inker: Leonard Kirk, Daniel Warren Johnson
Letterer: Joe Caramagna
Colorist: Daniel Warren Johnson, Romulo Fajardo Jr.
Cover artist: Mike del Mundo
Editor: Mark Paniccia
Publication date: June 28, 2023
As unstoppable killing machines go, we as viewers know that Darth Vader is pretty much top of the pile, but some of the denizens of the galaxy far, far away and a long time ago weren’t quite so well acquainted with his incredible powers. As we rejoin Darth Vader – Black, White & Red for its third issue this fact is very much at the top of the agenda as we return for the third part of Hard Shutdown as Cyn and his team learn the hard way that Vaders powers have no limts, even when immobilised by his own suit, a suit they intend to turn to scrap and sell for a huge profit. Realising his powers are keeping his men at bay, they take to the skies to strafe their own workshop and end Vader once and for all, but once airbourne, Vader takes control of their vessel, smashing it into the ground and advancing on the defeated team, Cyn realising that his father was correct – Vader and the suit is indeed magnificent.
Next up is Annihilated, written and drawn by Daniel Warren Johnson, a striking story that sees an Imperial fleet chase down Rebels to their stronghold, Vader giving the order not to strike as he plans to deal with them himself. We see him in his X1, hot on the tail of the escaping Rebels as they try to regroup and turn the tables on him, but to no avail as he cuts down the fighters but takes a hit, knocking out his weapons. As we know, the Dark Side of the Force is a pathway to many abilities some consider to be unnatural, and that is shown to full effect as both the pilots are Force choked, steering their X and A-Wings into each other, the GR-75 medium transport also destroyed after Vader lands and disembarks from his TIE Fighter as the transport smashes into the Rebel forces nose first, exploding on impact. We end the story as Vader takes out the final rebel, slicing him in half and reporting back to his Star Destroyer – “It is done”.
We end the issue with the third story, Diplomatic Impunity (what a great title) as we see the Executor orbiting a red-ringed planet. Vader is in need of a pilot, and so young Lieutenant Sulaco is chosen, taking him away from the SSD in a Lambda Class shuttle to hyperspace and the moon of Sarjenn 3, her homeworld. Vader asks what he should expect, and as she explains the planets meagre spaceport and offerings he is shot at by a Rebel hiding in the rocks, a bolt he deflects with his gloved palm. Entering the township and literally levelling buildings with the Force they arrive at her home, he used the Force to left her off her feet, informing her of a Rebel spy aboard the Executor – her. She promises to be a double agent, to feed information to a Rebellion Vader doesn’t wish to destroy but rather prune. Having an enemy to fight was good for Imperial morale, and we end with the reflection of the Executor gleaming from Vaders mask.
Another interesting issue, the title suffers from the same problem that Star Wars Visions does, only offering a small amount of plots for us to consume in each story. Thankfully, the presentation is top notch, and the final story serves as a chilling reminder that while he is undoubtedly a blunt force weapon of the Sith, he can also be cold and calculating. The most enjoyable issue of the run so far.
- Amazon Kindle Edition
- Aaron, Jason (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 33 Pages - 07/26/2023 (Publication Date) - Marvel (Publisher)
