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Marvel's Star Wars Vader Down #1

Discussion in 'Star Wars: Books & Comics + Legends' started by Hard Case, Nov 19, 2015.

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  1. Hard Case

    Hard Case Porg Whisperer
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    [​IMG]

    (Kyle) Pardon my language but...holy blast! What a comic! This series, from a story by writers Jason Aaron (Star Wars and is the writer of this issue) and Kieron Gillen (Vader), with art Mike Deodato and Frank Martin Jr., will be hard to top. These folks have set the bar very high for the subsequent issues of Vader Down. Part 1 will keep you clasping your book, nervously turning your pages, worried for the next poor soul who crosses paths with the Sith Lord.

    (Hard Case) Wow, I agree, Kyle...this may just be my favorite issue in Marvel's run to date. I loved everything about this comic. The action was gripping. The feels were intense. Vader, as expected was an unstoppable force of...well...the Force. Don't let the title of this crossover event fool you...Vader doesn't go down easily.

    [​IMG]

    (K) Even though this review will contain some minor spoilers, we'll try to be a little sparse on the details here - because ultimately, you are going to want to experience this issue for yourself. This is the best and worst of Vader, and there is no more fooling around for him. He's not looking over his shoulder to see what Imperial Officer may be scheming to throw him under the bus and gain good graces with the Emperor. Hell, I doubt Vader even gave his master, Darth Sidious, a second thought as he pursues his target. Vader is determined, never desperate, to find his son - and in this issue, his search leads him to a planet called Vrogas Vas.

    [​IMG]

    (K) We have seen a somewhat, for lack of a better expression, neutered Vader. Forget that Vader. This Vader has come to Vrogas Vas looking for a fight, and who better to meet him there then a fleet of Rebel fighters. There is nothing about a single TIE Fighter taking on multiple enemy ships that bothers Vader. If Luke is there, Vader will push through anything. Frames of this dogfight are plentiful and the artwork here is so phenomenal. The synergy between story and medium in which it's told is something to behold here, friends.

    [​IMG]

    (K) It would not be Vader Down without the eventual crash. Nothing is being given away by this frame other than it is father and son, diametrically opposed, crashing to the surface. The fight has moved to a ground battle. Vader does not mind.

    (HC) I thought it was really amazing to see Vader's skills as a pilot really brought out in this issue and what Luke had to do just to stop his unending rampage of vessel destruction was unexpected and surprisingly satisfying. How deadly is Vader in his TIE? Just take a look at the frame below...it doesn't get more chilling than that, and it puts Vader right back where he belongs, at the top of the frickin' food chain.

    [​IMG]

    (K) Of course, Luke's friends get wind of the situation and are not about to leave their friend alone to take on Vader. Han Solo is one foot out the door until he hears about Luke's dire situation. It was touching to see this side of Han. It often seems he gets the short end of the stick, in terms of characters we see evolve. Han really does have a good person trying to get out and show himself to the galaxy. It should be pretty cool to see what these folks add to the arc.

    [​IMG]

    (K) Meanwhile, Vader is still kicking ass on the planet. This is Darth Vader, in all his glory. Take it in folks. It does not get much better than this. If you do not feel the inner nerd inside of you jumping up and down with excitement as you turn each page with Vader taking on every....wait, we agreed, we are not going to spoil this for you.

    [​IMG]

    (K) Oh yeah...I guess we know what Luke was doing on the planet. The ruins of a Jedi Temple. Best guess is the next issue we see a lot more of this place.

    [​IMG]

    (HC) I thought seeing the glimpse of the temple was really cool, and I'm hoping we see more of it in a future issue. But there's no time for training when Vader is just over the hill decimating your fellow soldiers. I absolutely loved that line he gave to the rebel troops after they had him completely surrounded: "All I am surrounded by is fear...and dead men." That line was frickin' epic.

    [​IMG]

    (K) Again, if the above frame doesn't get you down to your local comic shop to throw money at the clerk and get this book into your hands...

    Anyways, enough said. This is the first part of six issues that will crossover the already excellent Vader and Star Wars series. This is Star Wars at it's finest. I can't think of a better way to pass the time and build up your excitement for The Force Awakens.

    (HC) I just have one question...what the heck is Nicolas Cage doing in Star Wars?

    [​IMG]


    [​IMG]
     
    #1 Hard Case, Nov 19, 2015
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  2. Thutar

    Thutar Clone Commander

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    LOL! As one of Hollywood's hardest working actors he's even made it to the cover of a TFA Coloring book :p Capture.PNG
     
    #2 Thutar, Nov 19, 2015
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  3. Use the Falchion

    Use the Falchion Jedi Contrarian

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    @Hard Case and @Kyle great review! Yeah this issue had it all, and it was a great opening issue to what I can only hope is a great crossover event. Those ending shots were beautiful (Vader vs a butt-tonne of soldiers - challenge accepted!). I loved this issue and I can't wait for more!
     
    #3 Use the Falchion, Nov 19, 2015
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  4. Kuroth Wain

    Kuroth Wain Rebel General

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    Loved the issue! Loved the double review! Thanks @Hard Case and @Kyle!
    I think my two favorite moments were the "coming out of hyperspace now..." - Oh F***! and the "I have a bad feeling about this" line being cut short (to me it showed that they get that they do not have to constantly be referencing the movie quotes... I hope?)
     
    #4 Kuroth Wain, Nov 19, 2015
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  5. LadyMusashi

    LadyMusashi Archwizard Woo-Woo-in-Chief
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    O.K. So much badass in this issue. Vader as a pilot. Dogfights. Luke ramming X-Wing into Vader's ship. Vader surrounded by the entire company and looking overpowering nonetheless.

    I liked a little touches of humor (Han: "Something stupid. Something very, very stupid." and Aphra's droids) in overall action-packed issue. Great beginning of a crossover.

    What do you think Vader will do to Korbin when he gets away from Vrogas Vas? :D

    Great review, guys. I cannot wait for more!
     
    #5 LadyMusashi, Nov 19, 2015
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  6. Addi Ras

    Addi Ras MASTER TEA MAKER
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    This is the comic I have been looking for defiantly getting both the individual ones to keep & the collection when it comes out
     
    #6 Addi Ras, Nov 19, 2015
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  7. NienNunbsFace

    NienNunbsFace Clone Trooper

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    Well said @Kyle

    I loved this book! This is exactly the display of power I've been looking for from Vader.

    Lol. This is the first thing I thought when I saw this panel. He's in everything!!

    I can't wait to read the rest of this series!
     
    #7 NienNunbsFace, Nov 19, 2015
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  8. Lord of the Rens

    Lord of the Rens Gatekeeper & Avatar Maker

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    THIS was the Darth Vader of my childhood.
     
    #8 Lord of the Rens, Nov 19, 2015
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  9. Chairman Kaga

    Chairman Kaga Rebel Official

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    This was so great.
    So.
    Great.
    maxresdefault.jpg
     
    #9 Chairman Kaga, Nov 19, 2015
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  10. JeffG.

    JeffG. Ewok Hunter
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    A great issue overall with the art and story. A couple of unbelievable scenarios but hey, it's Star Wars.
    Question: I was always under the impression that the Tie Fighters didn't have any shielding nor did they have hyperdrive. Was it always the case that none of the other fighters were capable and it just applied to Vader? I don't remember.
     
    #10 JeffG., Nov 19, 2015
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  11. Thutar

    Thutar Clone Commander

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    That is correct, according to the Imperial Handbook (finally I can justify my purchase :D)
    "Most TIEs do not have shields or hyperdrives. Because these features add cost, adding them would reduce the Empire's ability to deploy TIEs in overwhelming numbers. TIE pilots are uniquely trained to avoid getting hit."
    Love that bit of Imperial hubris at the tail end!
    Vader's prototype TIE Advanced has or rather, er, had reinforced hull, shield generator and a hyperdrive.
     
    #11 Thutar, Nov 20, 2015
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  12. Addi Ras

    Addi Ras MASTER TEA MAKER
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    that bit at the end about training not to get hit was priceless considering that this is the same empire that trains it`s stormtroopers to be expert shots
     
    #12 Addi Ras, Nov 20, 2015
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  13. Lord of the Rens

    Lord of the Rens Gatekeeper & Avatar Maker

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    So over the top & yet, so perfect.... the dude reverses the trajectory of torpedoes, flings massive boulders better than Maul could dream of force-flicking debris at a hangar-door control panel.



    "We don't know the power...."     Indeed.
     
    #13 Lord of the Rens, Nov 23, 2015
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  14. Mark Y Moon

    Mark Y Moon Rebelscum

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    This issue fkn kicked - truly got me excited to be a fan. Best feels since Shattered Empire, and definitely better action. Comparable to issue 4 of Shattered Empire's depiction of Luke carving up stormtoopers (I refuse to call them bucketheads soz), but over and above. Really impressed by this, hopefully the whole arc keeps up this combo of pace, artistic creativity and depth of story.

    My only beef is that Star Wars 12 didn't lead into this crossover as well as the Darth Vader series did.
    And that link at the end... dead men - so damn good, an instant classic. Plus Nick Cage!
    --- Double Post Merged, Nov 23, 2015, Original Post Date: Nov 23, 2015 ---
    Vader's power kinda reminded me of that opening of Force Unleashed where you play as him just Maclunkey blast up.
     
    #14 Mark Y Moon, Nov 23, 2015
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  15. Lord of the Rens

    Lord of the Rens Gatekeeper & Avatar Maker

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    I agree that the F.U. intro with Vader was fun, but the opening over/on Vrogas Vas is a thousand times more awesome than thrashing two-hundred & seventy-four Wookiees and a washed up ex-Jedi like Kento Marek.
    Vader_home_wrecker.jpg
     
    #15 Lord of the Rens, Nov 24, 2015
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  16. Mark Y Moon

    Mark Y Moon Rebelscum

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    Haha, I guess it's reminiscent yet way more ultimately badass. Flinging those rocks at the Y-wings... and "dead men" - shivers and goosebumps dude, shivers and goosebumps.
     
    #16 Mark Y Moon, Nov 26, 2015
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  17. ZebroGodilla

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    Gotta say, that frame with Vader and the dead men felt like the perfect blend of PT hatred and OT sophistication from Vader. It just feel so awesome and yet also so RIGHT! Loved the issue and especially the art, I can't wait to read the next issue in the other series'.
     
    #17 ZebroGodilla, Nov 27, 2015
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  18. Darby

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    The artwork alone was worth every penny. Wow!
     
    #18 Darby, Nov 27, 2015
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  19. Ben_Kenobi

    Ben_Kenobi Rebel General

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    I've worked over 10 years in a local comic shop in NY, and a casual comic reader. I've seen so much artistic/narrative versatility the medium can offer and "Darth Vader" isn't doing it for me at all (even after finishing the last week's Darth Vader 13)

    Am I alone in thinking the book is getting more and more bland with every issue? The art work is a predictable fare for a mainstream comic audience, the artists seem to play it safe under strict guidelines from the publisher, at least in my eye. I'm frankly getting tired of all the cheap photoshop coloring techniques and in Vader #13 it even feels like the artist is tracing over H.Ford, C.Fisher random photographs to get their likenesses, and failing miserably.

    The story came to a grinding halt. It's about, nothing really. Vader is tangled in random mess which neither has aspects of grand adventure, heroic myth, or even an adequate detective genre. And Luke's escapades are even more out of character with everything that's transpired. Luke vs Boba, really? Am I expected to root at this as some sort of "bad-ass encounter".

    I feel being treated like a 10 year old.

    Really disappointed this book is devoid of any spirit of adventure.

    So far, Kanan seems to be the only book that's doing SW justice.
     
    #19 Ben_Kenobi, Dec 1, 2015
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