Star Wars Darth Vader #1 (2020)

Greg Pak continues his excellent work in the Star Wars universe in this third Darth Vader series from Marvel. He's joined by artist Raffeale Ienco, who seems to be travelling a path somewhere between the photo realistic style used by Salvador Larroca on the first series and the impressionistic Infantinoesque work by Giuseppe Camuncoli on the second. He has a pleasant, scratchy but clean, clear but a little messy line. He's also excellent with his blacks and background. Wherever he came from, he's a winner.


The story is set immediately after The Empire Strikes Back. Vader laments the loss of his wife, his son, his plan, and his future. He's...moody. When you're moody, you go home, right? Where is home for Anakin? Does Vader have that same home? And what is the goal of the visit if there are different answers to those questions?


A couple surprises actually surprise. There's a cool new droid who knows he's not going to survive his travels, and a guest star that would take a miracle for you figure out ahead of time.

Marvel's Star Wars titles have been generally good. Marvel's Darth Vader series have been genuinely superior to those other books. No exception here.