The battle rages on.
Star Wars #14 offers up the penultimate chapter of the “Vader Down” crossover. It’s also a fitting showcase for everything this crossover has done well and failed to accomplish. There’s plenty of fun spectacle to be had as even more parties enter the fray, but it’s also tough to ignore that the storyline is still dancing around the mysteries of Vrogas Vas and its Jedi legacy even this late in the game. This issue leaves the impression that “Vader Down” may not really have that much substance beneath all the noise and frenzy.
Granted, the nonstop carnage is still fun to read. Now that the cybernetic Mon Calamari villain Karbin has entered the fray, Star Wars fans have the closest thing to an answer they’re likely to get regarding the question, “Who would win in a fight between Darth Vader and General Grievous?”. Karbin offers a physical challenge for Vader none of the other characters could manage. He and his troops also significantly shake up the balance of power, to the point where Dr. Aphra and her droids find themselves reluctantly aiding the Rebels instead of trying to kill them. The more chaotic this conflict becomes, the more fun it offers.
Still, there’s little sense that the plot has advanced since Vader first crash-landed on Vrogas Vas. This issue at least offers a faint glimpse of the decaying Jedi Temple and how it’s influence is affecting Luke, but nothing more. What’s the point of introducing this setting if it’s nothing more than a vague backdrop for all the carnage? The cliffhanger only reinforces the glacial pace of the story with the way it mirrors that of the previous chapter.
The good news is that Mike Deodato ends his brief tenure on the series in strong form. Deodato’s work didn’t particularly stand out in previous issues because of his heavy reliance on photo-referenced elements. And that’s still a problem at times. Photo-reference is all fine and well, especially when it comes to a movie-based comic like this. But when you’re lifting iconic shots from the movies and reproducing them on the page (as Deodato does when he recycles Luke’s “Nooooo!!!!” from The Empire Strikes Back for a shot where our hero gets hit in the head), it becomes a distraction.
That being said, Deodato seems much more comfortable with the universe at this point. There’s a dark, textured quality that nicely gels with the dramatic tone of the conflict. Frank Martin’s moody colors further enhance that effect. Deodato’s lightsaber duel between Vader and Karbin recalls the epic battles from the Prequels and the Clone Wars cartoon. His bloody duel between Chewbacca and Black Krrsantan oozes power.
At this point it’s probably too much to expect much story depth or earth-shattering developments from the Vader Down crossover. This issue offers more of the same, for good and for ill. But if all you crave out of a Star Wars comic is epic lightsaber battles and bloody Wookiee brawls, you’ll be right at home.
