Brandon Borzelli's Geek Goggle Reviews
Star Wars: Darth Vader #5
Marvel Comics
Gillen, Larroca & Delgado
"Darth Vader" takes a step back this issue. The book delivers action and some excitement and an intriguing ending but is very light on characterizations and on fitting in with what has come before. If you like eye-candy and some cool moments then you will probably love this issue. If you want some character development and plot development that makes sense you will find this issue to be fairly below average. I expect a lot more from this comic book.
Vader and Aphra track down the bad guys. Vader leads his army into action. Vader soon learns there are some interesting villains here. They have lightsabers and have Force-like capabilities, but are not Force users. There is some fighting and then some information dumped from their leader and the issue throws another surprise character in the end to mix things up a little bit.
The read is riddled with problems. Vader has been portrayed in the Marvel comics as a bad-ass. He cuts everything up with his saber. In the films, he's clunky and slow, but in these comics he's a warrior that can't be stopped. In this issue he can't take down two non-Force users that have lightsabers and are kids. This doesn't make any sense with how he's portrayed in the movies or in the Marvel comics. Though, the action looks cool.
The surprise guest at the end is baffling. This is a character that doesn't show his face randomly, especially alone and in the shadows. What is the purpose of infusing this character into this plot? This doesn't add up at all. Does it make for a cool moment? Yes. It feels like it was added just to make for a moment though.
The book does nothing for the characters. Aphra, the evil droids and Vader are all paper thin in this issue and have dialogue that barely brings their personalities to the surface. The book opened with a promising interaction between Vader and Aphra but that was very short lived. This was extremely disappointing.
The artwork works in this issue. There are a number of panels that are breathtaking and scream out "Star Wars." The comic book provides some great action sequences that the artwork presents in a lively way. From the ship's attack, to the lightsaber duel to the entrance of the surprise character. This comic book is a visual delight.
"Darth Vader" has so much potential. The comic has a good supporting cast, it has good ideas, but it is failing on the execution in too many spots. Having a consistent characterization of Vader is essential. How he acts, what he says and what he's capable of should be cornerstones across the line. This comic book confuses things instead of following a standard. The book throws some ideas out there that have potential but at the expense of using the characters that have been established in previous issues. This comic book looks cool and might skate by on those merits but if you are looking for a complete read about Darth Vader then this is simply not it.
2 out of 5 Geek Goggles
