Darth Vader (2020) #28
THE SHADOW IN THE FIRE
In his hunt for Governor Tauntaza, a corrupt operative of Crimson Dawn, Darth Vader refused to abandon his agent, Commander Sabé, the former handmaiden Padmé Amidala. Upon rescuing her, Darth Vader bombarded the governor’s fortress.
When blasts from the ”Executor” proved ineffective, Darth Vader singlehandedly breached the fortress and dueled an armorer Tauntaza. Wounded in battle, Vader laid helpless as Tauntaza escaped. Sabé contemplated finishing Darth Vader off, but chose to honor Padmé and rescued her wounded ally.
Though their target escaped, recovered data revealed the architect behind Tauntaza, the Emperor himself….
Writer: Greg Pak
Artist: Raffaele Ienco
Letterer: Joe Caramagna
Colorist: Carlos Lopez
Cover artist: Rahzzah
Editor: Mark Paniccia
Release Date: 19th October 2022
While other titles grab a blaster and dive headlong into the action (take a deep bow Bounty Hunters), others delve behind the visible and get right inside of the heads of the characters, and you could comfortably argue that this current run of Darth Vader steered admirably by writer Greg Pak has done it better than most. Without betraying the strength and threat of this iconic character, this volume continues to merge the tortured soul of Anakin with the implacable visage of Vader, and while few in the galaxy could dare hope for a soul within the armour we the reader know the battles that rage. Issue 28 continues this, as Vader contemplates his latest defeat, Sabé standing over him, easily able to finish him off but opting for mercy and a pledge she made to Padmé years before. As much as some detest evil or tyranny, Vader baulks at the weakness mercy revealed, and that anger is released as he shatters his glass chamber. Restored to his familiar look he meets with Sabé, the handmaiden reiterating her role as advisor and informing him that the recently defeated Tauntaza was operating under the instruction of Emperor Palpatine. Asking for her advice, she suggests he tackle the problem head-on, and so next panel we’re halfway across the galaxy on Coruscant as Vader storms the Emperors chambers, and a genuinely intriguing twist as instead of venting his fury at his master he instead turns on Sabé, lifting her in the air using the Force.
Palpatine then explains the situation; while Sabé may have believed she was getting through to Vader by calling him ‘Anakin‘, the Emperor explains that instead she was reminding him of what it is to be weak, and we flash back in sepia tomes to the past as Vader remembers his Naboo wedding to Padmé, thinks of her lying in state, Sabé stood above him. Palpatine is intrigued, wanting to see what Sabé is made of and calls in two of his Royal guards, who the handmaiden fights until they lose control of the fight, firing as her as she dodges behind the Emperors throne and receiving death by Force lightning for their blunder.
We approach a quandary. Palpatine notes that Sabé is tougher than Padmé, how what she has seen has forged her into a potentially useful asset. She can’t see it, but she has ‘murder in your heart‘, and so orders Vader to mould the ‘Queen’s Shadow‘ even further. As they leave, we learn they are heading to the Techno Union homeworld of Skako Minor, where Jul Tambor grandson of Wat Tambor has enlisted pirates to build a stockpile of of technology. Vader arrives, the air noxious and toxic and cuts through the local wildlife and pirates and poses Sabé a question. No longer the Queen’s Shadow, she is simply shadow, and can she submit to that to find the solution. There’s silent panel of sombre contemplation as Vader sends Sabé off to find Tambor while he deals with everything else, and we wrap the issue on Naboo as a bound Ochi of Bestoon speaks with people in shadow asking about the fate of Sabé. They are confused as much as we are delighted when they step into the light revealing the rest of Padmé’s handmaidens.
What an issue. Genuinely intriguing, gripping and thought-provoking, this reveals so much; Sabé’s motivations, the fascinating power balance between Palpatine and Vader, the reveal of the surviving handmaidens (hey, there’s a way to get Natalie Portman back into Star Wars if ever there was one – and if you’re looking for reasons to do just that, who’s to say with 100% certainty that Anakin fell in love with Padmé and not another handmaiden without even realising it….) all masterfully delivered by Pak, artist Raffaele Ienco and colourist Carlos Lopez who continues to shine with carefully picked colours. Wrap it in another superb Rahzzah cover and you have an issue worth every penny, cent or credit.
With Andor delivering such well-judged, interesting work right now, this title is the comic equivalent. As stated, Bounty Hunters and Han Solo and Chewbacca are raucous adventures, bobbing and weaving around the larger galaxy, The Mandalorian is retelling the story of the first season while The High Republic is embarking on its second phase and Doctor Aphra continues to develop its own corner of the cosmos. The main title is lifting heavy loads to deftly slot into what’s ahead in Return of the Jedi, but Darth Vader has become something deeper, more contemplative and a character study of not only cinemas most infamous tragic villain but a nod-and-smile inducing monthly reveal of what lies behind the mask. Excellent work.
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