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Darth Vader, Darth Vader #10 review, Darth Vader 10, Greg Pak, Into the Fire, Marvel Comics, Mustafa, Ochi, Raffaele Ienco, Star Wars, Star Wars Darth Vader 10
Darth Vader #10
Review by Paul Bowler.
Having endured the Emperor’s wrath and survived the test of the Eye of Webbish, the Dark Lord of the Sith’s ordeal continues in Star Wars: Darth Vader #10 with a terrifying confrontation with the Red Horror in the depths of space! As Imperial forces close in, the greatest predator in the galaxy is now the only thing standing in the way of Vader’s quest to uncover the Emperor’s greatest secrets!
The action and drama are almost palpable in Marvel Comics Star Wars: Darth Vader #10 (2020-), as writer Greg Pak steers the Dark Lord’s journey into the realms of action-packed star-fighter combat and dark psychedelic horror. Vader has already survived his brutal punishment for defying the Emperor, then being stranded on Mustafar where he rebuilt his cybernetic shattered body, before fighting the assassin Ochi, waves of droid mercenaries, and tackling the bizarre trial within the Eye of Webbish Bog. Now, having taken his old star-fighter and Ochi along for the ride, Vader set course for the planet Exegol – where the Emperor’s darkest and most insidious secrets are waiting to be discovered.
Trouble is the only route to Exegol is through the Red Nebula, forcing Vader to navigate his way past a trio of Imperial Star Destroyers commandeered by administrator Umbaran and the monstrous Summa-Verminoth that lurks within the nebular. Pak’s scripting and characterisation is bang on point, with the Imperial’s cold and calculating facade wavering in the face of Vader’s relentless determination, while Ochi’s snarky quips punctuate the tension with plenty of wry humour as Vader and his unwitting prisoner continue to make a surprisingly efficient — if rather fraught — double-act.
The art by Raffaele Ienco is gloriously detailed and almost feels cinematic in its rendering of the huge scope and scale of events in this issue. Vader’s iconic look is now very different with his limbs and cybernetics rebuilt from the junk found on Mustufar – giving the Dark Lord a more gritty appearance. The space combat with the TIE fighters is also impressive and puts you right in the heart of the action. However, it is the Lovecraftian appearance of the grotesque leviathan Summa-Verminoth itself, whose attacks are both physical and psychological, and Vader’s dream-like journey through classic scenes of the Star Wars saga past, present, and possible future where Vader confronts his worst nightmare that are truly mind-blowing. Ienco’s artwork is also beautifully enriched by colourist Neeraj Menon’s exquisite use of tone and shade throughout, and the cover by Arron Kuder and Richard Isanove presents a hauntingly bleak snapshot into this most mesmerising aspect of Vader’s journey so far during this Into The Fire story-arc.
One of the caveats the Emperor decreed at the start Vader’s fall from grace, was that Vader was prohibited from using the Force to help him during these trials, and that doing so would mean his death. It is this pivotal limiting factor for the Dark Lord of the Sith that now crucially plays a key factor in the climatic scenes of Darth Vader #10, where immovable force finally quite literally meets immovable object as the quasi-nihilistic rhetoric of the Dark Side ultimately tips the scales for the victor.
Into The Fire Part V: The Red Horror reaches a major turning point in this compelling storyline, and the creative team on this book continue to impress on every level. Star Wars: Darth Vader #10 transcends the conventional perceptions of Darth Vader’s legacy with a skilful reframing of reality, one that juxtaposes Vader’s destiny with that of his son, and brings the Emperor’s darkest secrets within striking distance at last!
Publisher Marvel Comics
Writer Greg Pak / Artist Raffaele Ienco
Colorist Neeraj Menon / Letterer VC’s Joe Caramagna
Cover Arron Kuder & Richard Isanove
About The Author
Hi, I’m Paul Bowler, blogger and reviewer of films, TV shows, and comic books. I’m a Sci-Fi geek, a big fan of Doctor Who, Star Trek, movies, Sci-Fi, Horror, Comic Books, and all things PS4.You can follow me on Twitter @paul_bowler,or at my website, Sci-Fi Jubilee, and on YouTube and Facebook
Good review Paul!
Thank you! Always fun to write about Star Wars, especially Darth Vader!
First off, awesome cover. it’s intense, yet simple.
Second, at what point in continuity does this series take place? Because I’m kind of tempted to read it.
I thought the cover for this issue of Darth Vader looked awesome as well. This comic series, which started in 2020, is set directly after the Empire Strikes Back. Would certainly recommend this issue and the series as whole. There’s been some great stories as Vader has gone on his journey and the art for this series is also very impressive. There is one trade paperback collection out Vol 1 Hearth of the Sith which collects issue 1-5. as well.
Got to admit I’m a bit behind on the Marvel Star Wars titles and yet to start the 2020 volumes of both Star Wars and Darth Vader…hope to catch up eventually (so much good stuff and not enough time to read with work etc). Nice review Paul, glad to hear this series is going well.
Yeah, know what you mean. With all the comic book reboots and relaunches I’ve always got so much to catch up with nowadays. The volumes of Star Wars and Darth Vader are both good, out of the two I preferred the Darth Vader series the best – it brought some fascinating insight into the events after the Empire Strikes Back.
It’ll be interesting to see where Marvel go after they’ve explored the time between Empire and Return of the Jedi as post RotJ seems to have been largely off limits so far. Maybe they might go there now the sequel trilogy is done and dusted.
Marvel have indeed explored many interesting aspects set between Empire and Return of the Jedi, but I’d love to see them do post ROTJ stories now that the Sequel trilogy is over. – and hopefully this era will eventually be the focus of a comic book series from Marvel at some point.
I fell way, way, way behind on Vader. I’ll catch up one day. lol Sounds like it is still a good read.
This Darth Vader comic series has been very good. The storyline has been rich and compelling, and the art is excellent as well.
I didn’t realize Darth Vader had his own series, but of course he should.
I love the intense red of the cover.
This has been a really good Darth Vader comics series. The stories have been exceptionally, and the artwork is also very striking. I really like the cover of this issue as well.