Review: "Star Wars: Darth Vader" #20

It's good to see Darth Vader being back in good shape again. After the bland and mediocre "The Shu-Torun War" story line, which both writer Kieron Gillen and artist Salvador Larroca didn't know how to handle or conclude properly, the start of a new adventure for the Dark Lord of the Sith is an opportunity the whole creative team has taken advantage of.

Dealing with the aftermaths of the Shu-Torun War, Cylo's betrayal and Emperor Palpatine's overall scheme, Darth Vader #20 ties up some loose ends from earlier issues while offering a rare glimpse into the Emperor's mind. Gillen does a particularly good job of building tension between Palpatine and Vader, convincingly pointing out how Vader, despite being the Empire's enforcer, is only just a pawn in his master's game. And Vader's later encounter with Thanoth shines with a deep and complex characterization of Vader's old antagonist and a surprising conclusion. 

Larroca's art unfortunately still falters when drawing larger, more swarming panels, but is outstanding on a smaller scale, where his reserved approach is able to deliver drama and excitement like few other can. And the Emperor hasn't looked that good in comics for a long time.

Triple-Zero and Beetee, however, are still some of the worst and most annoying sidekicks in the galaxy, thus making the "Misadventures of Triple-Zero and Beetee" bonus short-comic by Gillen and Mike Norton nothing to fuss about. Going forward, this is a great basis for what will be the last Darth Vader story line before the comic will be end (for now) in August. I'm looking forward.

8/10

Further Links:

Star Wars: Darth Vader #19
Star Wars #18