Main cover art for Age of Rebellion: Darth Vader
Main Cover art for Age of Rebellion: Darth Vader by Terry Dodson

One of the most recognizable villains in all of film is getting a Marvel one-shot called Star Wars: Age of Rebellion – Darth Vader, which is still fresh on the newsstands as you’re reading this. The comic will focus on the early days of Vader prior to the events of A New Hope, and how he fits into the hierarchy of the Grand Moffs. Marvel.com had this to say for the summary of the plot:

“Darth Vader may be the most feared man in the galaxy. But to the proud Grand Moffs of the Empire, he’s just the Emperor’s apprentice – below them in the hierarchy. But what fury burns in the heart of a Sith with such overwhelming rage when a mere Moff dares command him? And at what point does Darth Vader show them his true power?”

Marvel.com

The Creative Team

Giving us a new Vader story is award-winning veteran comic writer Greg Pak. Pak has worked on titles for all the major comic publishers, with the majority being for Marvel on titles such as Doctor Strange, Astonishing X-Men, and Silver Surfer. Pak is best known for his extensive work on The Incredible Hulk and Magneto: Testament, both winning fan-favorite awards.

On pencil duty is Ramon Bachs, veteran DC Comics artist who has worked on Detective Comics, Batman, Azrael, and Batgirl among others. Here’s some panels you’ll find inside Star Wars: Age of Rebellion – Darth Vader.

Age of Rebellion art panel

Darth Vader: Should we read this one?

Anything covering Darth Vader’s history is worth reading, and this story has some promise. In an interview with Newsarama, writer Greg Pak gave two convincing reasons why this issue should be read by the fandom. First, he said this:

“Vader’s our principal character, but he doesn’t actually say that much. So Ramon’s done an incredible job of conveying Vader’s silent menace, of selling the fury behind that mask, and then absolutely cutting loose when the action comes.”

and second:

“You’ll see Vader at a key point in the timeline as he faces challenges from both Imperial bureaucrats and the Emperor himself. And you’ll see him find the solution only Vader would find.”

Greg Pak, writer

When asked about the art and working with Ramon Bachs on this title, Pak had this to say:

“Ramon drew few big splashes of action that are so evocative and effective that I didn’t put any balloons or captions on them. They’re just amazing – if the book goes to a second printing, I’m pretty darn sure one of them will end up as the cover, and you’ll want to blow it up and put it on your wall.”

Age of Rebellion art panel
Story panel from Star Wars: Age of Rebellion – Darth Vader

Age of Rebellion: Darth Vader will have six variant covers, all of which are nicely done. However, “Greatest Moments” Cover F—shown below—is a stunning stand-out.

Variant cover F
Variant cover F, by Gabriele Dell’Otto

Star Wars: Age of Rebellion – Darth Vader is on sale now. I don’t know about you, but I’m definitely in on this one! Let us hear from you! Will you pick this issue up?

Source: Newsarama