The Empire’s droids strike back.
The latest chapter of the “Vader Down” crossover delivers more of what made the first two chapters so enjoyable. While Vader singlehandedly decimates the Rebel Alliance, Luke, Han and friends butt heads with Dr. Aphra and her deadly droid duo. This issue does little to truly advance the plot or delve into the mysteries of Vrogas Vas, but it’s a heck of a lot of fun all the same.
Readers who haven’t been following Kieron Gillen and Salvador Larroca’s Darth Vader comic are now finally getting a taste of how delightfully twisted Beetee and Double Zero are. As much trouble as R2-D2 caused in the Prequels, just imagine what an astromech droid designed for all-out war can accomplish, especially with a torture-obsessed protocol droid backing him up. Aaron provides a memorable showcased for these two villains as they clash with our heroes. This is easily the silliest Star Wars comic Marvel has published this year. And for the most part, the approach works. Occasionally Aaron’s script veers a little too far into slapstick comedy territory (particularly a scene involving Aphra and Han meeting face to face), but for the most part it serves as a reminder that Star Wars is supposed to be fun.
Artist Mike Deodato leaves a stronger impression in this issue than he did in the opening chapter of the crossover. Part of that is simply the lack of space battles, where Deodato’s reliance on computer rendered ships and photo-referenced facial work didn’t serve the book well at all. The story here flows more naturally now that the conflict is entirely earthbound. Occasionally Deodato’s figure work is stiff, and there are one or two blatant examples of photo-referenced Star Wars imagery. But Deodato also captures the raw fury of Darth Vader, the goofy menace of Double Zero and the general chaos of battle well.
This issue is certainly entertaining. But with Vader Down now halfway over, the time has come to move to conflict along. The final page in this issue could be just the spark the crossover needs.
There’s no harm in bringing a little extra fun and silliness into the world of Star Wars, as this comic proves. There’s ample entertainment in seeing Luke, Han and Chewbacca locked in battle with Dr. Aphra and her murderous droids. Perhaps this issue is guilty of becoming a little too silly at times, but that’s preferable to a comic that doesn’t take chances and fails to bring anything new to the table.
