As a big Star Wars fan I find it sometimes hard to really get into the Star Wars comics. They usually come out okay but there hasn't been too many that have managed to actually knock me off my feet. That may be changing. With this one-shot, we're seeing a young Darth Vader (shortly after Episode III) out in the field doing what he does best.
The Good:
It's Darth Vader. We all know he was the real star of all six Star Wars movies. This is a more raw Vader. He'll get in there and get his hands dirty rather than just sit back and use his force powers. We're seeing Vader still determined to wipe out all the Jedi. We're seeing a Vader that will jump into a situation without really thinking things all the way through. What it comes down to is we get to see Vader being the badass he's supposed to be.
I enjoyed Haden Blackman's story and was blown away by Chris Scalf's art. My complaint with sci-fi comics is usually that the colors are usually too bright. The painted nature here is just amazing. I would love to see all Star Wars comics done this way.
The Bad:
It's a one-shot. It would be nice to see more of Vader during this point of his "career." Also the fact that we know how things will end takes a little away from the story, but not much.
The Verdict:
Bottom line, I loved this comic. Whether it was seeing Darth Vader kicking butt or that we haven't seen too many stories that take place in between Episodes III and IV, this was a pleasure to read. It may not have huge repercussions in the overall grand scheme of the Star Wars Universe but it shows us that just because Anakin put on the armor, he still has his fighting skills. The combination of the writing and art is something I would love to see more often in Star Wars comics. This is easily a 5 out of 5.
