Vader takes on the whole Rebellion.
Note: this is a spoiler-free advance review of Star Wars: Vader Down #1, which will be released on Wednesday, November 18.
Marvel’s Star Wars and Darth Vader comics have always boasted a loose sense of inter-connectivity, but the “Vader Down” crossover marks the first point that the two series have a direct crossover. It’s easy to worry that the Star Wars universe will soon become as dominated by events and crossovers as the Marvel Universe. However, the time is certainly ripe for this project, with Star Wars: Battlefront hitting stores this week and The Force Awakens now a mere month away from release. The good news is that this opening issue retains all the fun and excitement of Jason Aaron’s ongoing Star Wars comic, even if the visual quality isn’t up to par.
While this issue builds on some developments from both ongoing series, at its core the story is pretty simple. In the aftermath of Episode IV, Darth Vader’s relentless search for his son has led him right into the clutches of a massive Rebel fleet. Alone and with no hope of reinforcements, the Dark Lord of the Sith is forced to wage a one-man war against hundreds of enemies. And naturally, it’s not nearly as one-sided a fight as it may seem. In that way, the story is surprisingly timely given the nature of Battlefront’s gameplay.
This issue would be enjoyable simply thanks to the appeal of seeing Vader cut a swath through hapless Rebel pilots. Not since the Jedi Starfighter game has a Star Wars project shown how much a skilled pilot can accomplish when using the Force as an offensive weapon. And even as Vader’s situation worsens, there’s a real Rorschach vibe to his character – the whole “I’m not locked in here with you; you’re locked in here with me!” thing.
Luckily, Aaron’s characterization bolsters the script. What this issue might lack in depth or surprising plot twists it makes up for in classic Star Wars feel. Aaron writes a pitch-perfect Han Solo, one who is less than thrilled at being drawn into another conflict with Vader and questioning just how deep his loyalty to the Rebellion truly lays. Aaron also makes the most of his first chance to play with Darth Vader’s supporting cast. The black humor of Triple-Zero and Beetee suits Aaron’s sensibilities rather well. Plus, this issue slowly hints at the mysteries of the planet that will form the setting of the story, promising a conflict deeper than just “Everybody go shoot Vader.”
Aaron reunites with his Original Sin collaborator Mike Deodato, but to less memorable results. Deodato seems to have trouble finding his footing in the Star Wars universe. His heavy reliance on photo-referencing and computer-rendered elements gives the book a stiff, awkward feel. Sure, his character likenesses are usually spot-on, but only because in many cases the facial work is lifted directly from the films. It’s especially weird to see Deodato referencing shots of Biggs Darklighter to portray a completely different Rebel pilot. And while Deodato usually excels at big action scenes, the emphasis on space battles over ground warfare in this issue doesn’t play to his storytelling strengths. Most pages simply cram as many ships and explosions as possible into one panel and leave it at that. There’s no sense of flow to these sequences, just chaos.
Colorist Frank Martin helps salvage the visuals to some extent. His colors lend a surreal vibe to everything, whether it’s the glow of the outer space environments or the sun-drenched environment of the planet Vrogas Vas. The unsettling tone Martin generates doesn’t make up for the issue’s other storytelling flaws, but it certainly helps.
In terms of story, Vader Down #1 offers a solid start to Marvel’s first Star Wars crossover. It’s exciting and crammed full of scenes of Vader laying wastes to his puny foes, while also hinting at bigger things to come for both Skywalkers. Unfortunately, the visuals in this issue generally don’t do justice to the script, suffering from stiff figure work, too much reliance on photo-reference and battle scenes that look cramped rather than epic. In that sense, hopefully things can get back to normal as the crossover extends into the ongoing Star Wars and Darth Vader comics.
