Review: Darth Vader #12

The massive War of the Bounty Hunters crossover is the most exciting thing to happen in the history of Star Wars comics. But it also creates some strange problems. For instance Greg Pak is given the unenviable task in Darth Vader #12 of giving us a reason why Vader would want to capture Han Solo for himself just after he gave his Carbonite frozen body to Boba Fett. Pak achieves this while also beginning the process of Vader’s recovery from being thoroughly schooled by Palpatine. Thankfully he is accompanied on this issue by some of the best Star Wars art we’ve seen with Guiu Vilanova creating detailed, astounding work showcasing the past and present moments to stunning effect.

The issue begins with Vader returning with Palpatine from Exegol. Vader had begun to rebel against the Emperor’s control but is now firmly leashed once more out of sheer fear of the Dark Side. Having removed his prior limbs, the Emperor orders Vader’s body to be remade. Both the Administrator and the Grand Vizier are less than enthused about rebuilding Vader, but the Emperor assures them he is no longer a threat. Vader refuses anesthetics during the rebuilding.

As the droids proceed with inflicting massive pain to rebuild him, Vader reaches out to Luke. This leads to him reliving his memories of battling Luke at Yavin. This is where things begin to connect back to Han as Vader recalls the vital role Han played in allowing Luke’s victory in the trench. Vader than recalls snatches of his other meetups with Han and finally the memory of freezing Han in Carbonite.

As he is reborn Vader has a renewed mission to recapture Han as bait to get Luke. He and Ochi of Bestoon arrive at Jabba’s palace to demand Han be handed over to them only to hear that Han’s body has been stolen from Boba. The issue feels a bit forced in the plot although the emotions feel true to the characters involved. In the end we arrive at a place where Vader is back exerting power, out to get Luke and determined to use Luke’s friends to achieve this.

The issues greatest strength is the insane skill of Guiu Vilanova’s epic, art and the coloring by Dean White and Giada Marchisio. They play with light and dark in creative new ways and use color to differentiate the layered flashbacks. Vilanova is definitely an artist to watch, the kind of artist you want to follow no matter what series they’re involved with. Hopefully it includes a whole lot more art on this series and in the galaxy of Star Wars.

Writing: 3.0 of 5 stars
Art: 4.8 of 5 stars
Colors: 4.9 of 5 stars

Overall: 4.2 of 5 stars

Writer: Greg Pak
Art: Guiu Vilanova
Colors: Dean White and Giada Marchisio
Publisher: Marvel Comics

Author Profile

M.R. Jafri

M.R. Jafri was born and raised in Niagara Falls New York and now lives with his family in Detroit Michigan. He's a talkative introvert and argumentative geek. His loves include Star Wars, Star Trek, Superheroes, Ninja Turtles, Power Rangers, Transformers, GI Joe, Films, Comics, TV Shows, Action Figures and Twizzlers.