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I could probably read about Darth Vader killing off Jedi forever. Hell, can we get a movie of this Disney? Even though he’s an evil character who is also scary you somehow have to root for him even when he does bad things. Enter Charles Soule’s latest issue of Darth Vader where the Sith Lord continues to track down and kill every last Jedi.
So what’s it about?
Why does this matter?
New story arc with Darth getting a new mission and Giuseppe Camuncoli drawing? That spells winner to me.
Fine, you have my attention. What’s good about it?
Get up, weakling!
This issue opens with Darth Vader schooling some Inquisitorius soldiers in part to prove they are useless, but also to let out some rage. It’s a great way to start because it creates a sense of conflict between Darth and the leader of these inquisitors and drops a bit of action into the mix. Admittedly there isn’t a lot of action in this issue, but that’s okay because of how well Soule and Camuncoli tell this story. It draws you in with the mission at hand, but also the veiled hint the Emperor drops on Darth Vader and then the introduction of one of the last Jedi left in the universe. The veiled nature of the plotting continues all the way to the very end which not only makes the cliffhanger more compelling but puts Darth Vader in a completely different direction than when the issue started.
Much of this issue is focused on this mysterious Jedi named Jocasta. She’s an old woman who is nearing the end but has much to do. She’s adamant about continuing the Jedi beliefs and is hopeful she can do just that. She’s everything the Emperor and Darth Vader need to smite if they want to beat back the Jedi forever. Soule has crafted an interesting Jedi character here we haven’t seen before, at least not in Marvel/Disney canon. She’s more a librarian than a fighter, but she’s so passionate you know she’ll fight when need be.
Camuncoli draws a hell of an issue. There are some excellent double page layouts for instance, that allow seemingly boring sort of scenes to breathe and be interesting. I particularly dig how he draws the Jedi as her wrinkles are very well done. You get the sense she’s old, but also dignified and once incredibly beautiful. Vader and the Emperor look sharp too and little details like the city outside the Emperor’s window are detailed and realistic looking.
Vader is kinda arrogant isn’t he?
It can’t be perfect can it?
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If not for the great visual storytelling by Camuncoli I’m not sure this would be such an excellent issue. All respect to Soule, the story stands up for sure because of his abilities, but there’s a lack of action and a lot of table setting going on. There are so many explanations from characters really the whole thing could be reduced to talking. It could have used more action or visual purpose.
Is It Good?
This is an excellent start to a new story arc that has Vader chasing down a Jedi with an interesting twist thrown in. Soule has been excellent at infusing Star Wars tidbits and this Jedi will certainly peak your interest.
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