Darth Vader (2020) #22
CRIMSON HAVOC
Darth Vader has revealed to Ochi
of Bestoon and Sabé that he has been aware of Ochi’s traitorous ways and is using him as a pawn in his battle against Crimson Dawn.Now he’s also using Sabé’s status as a member of their ranks to advance his next attack on Crimson Dawn….
Writer: Greg Pak
Inker: Raffaele Ienco
Colourist: Alex Sinclair
Letterer: Vc Joe Caramagna
Penciler: Raffaele Ienco
Editor: Mark Paniccia
Release Date: 13th April 2022
UPC: 75960609601502111
In Darth Vader #22 we see our favourite helmeted menace continue his crusade against the Dawn by using fear and manipulation to turn his enemies against each other. Vader let known his knowledge of Ochi and Sabè’s allegiances last issue and here he uses it to infiltrate a Dawn cell and put them under his command pitting them against his imperial rival General Romodi who, through a little scheming of Ochi’s, believes Vader to have joined Crimson Dawn.
The issue starts with Vader taking Ochi and Sabè back to the corpse of the Sando Aqua Monster he despatched the first time Sabè tried to kill him. There Vader casts them out among the scavengers, seemingly to their doom, to teach them a lesson. As the pair fight for their lives Vader watches on and questions their motivations, again revealing his weakness for Sabè by trying to excuse her scheming and subsequently finding out that she has more in common with himself and less with Padmè than he thought. The lesson he imparts informs the rest of the issue; “make the monsters eat each other“. It’s an interesting scene, consistent with the Vader we have seen in the previous two Marvel Vader runs, particularly in his relationship with Doctor Aphra. Vader has a weakness for women that’s obviously due to his love and loss of Padmè and it colours all of his actions. How Ochi survives passed this is anyone’s guess!
The rest of the issue is a confusing jumble of scenes that I had a hard time following. We are working from a plan of Vader’s design and as he is not the most forthcoming Sith Lord the reader is taken along blindly. It’s worked in the past because the reader has always had an avatar to ask the questions for them, whether it be Aphra or ZED-6-7 but with Ochi and Sabè also on the backfoot we aren’t getting the context we need. It’s an issue I’ve had with this run since War of the Bounty Hunters and I strongly believe this title has suffered the most from the crossover events. Where Bounty Hunters has used this a springboard to reinvent itself, Darth Vader has lost sight of what made the first two arcs so strong and compelling, Vader facing his past demons and coming to terms with his confrontation with Luke at Cloud City and what that means to his future with the Emperor.
Sabè remains a strong character and after the popularity of her appearances here and the Queen’s trilogy I believe she could head her own mini-series. She’s absolutely the best thing about this series and her quest to uncover the truth about Padmè’s life and death is captivating. The last page feeds into this and got me a little more excited for the next issue than I expected.
Star Wars: Darth Vader #23 @ ForbiddenPlanet.com
