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Hello there! Padawan J here, the resident Star Wars expert from the ODPH! And this week I’m going to be reviewing the 50th issue of the Darth Vader series from Greg Pak & Marvel!
This issue is the grand finale for the series and I have to say it goes out with a SPECTACULAR bang! It features a main story, wrapping up everything that’s been going on lately. The issue also features 3 sides stories that don’t necessarily tie into the main story, but feature some well known faces. So without further ado, let’s jump into it!
Star Wars: Darth Vader #50 by Greg Pak (writer for all four chapters), Raffaele Ienco (artist for chapter one), Federico Blee (colorist for chapter one), Paul Fry (artist for chapter two), Frank William (colorist for chapter two), Luke Ross (artist for chapter three), Alex Sinclar (colorist for chapter three), Adam Gorham (artist for chapter four), Guru-eFX (colorist for chapter four), VC’s Joe Caramanga (letterer), Lenil Francis Yu & Romulo Fajardo Jr (cover artists) is a great end to an incredible series that will go down as one of the best ones in recent history for Star Wars comics. It’s a fantastic piece of storytelling that is a lot of fun to read.
Chapter One
Chapter one features the conclusion to the main story that has been going on with the schism imperial. It’s Vader vs the schism imperial vs the M.A.R. Corp and Luke, and things are at a breaking point. It’s an incredible story that feels like something out of a movie or an animated series. The build up is intense, the climax is bombastic and the conclusion is an incredible twist. Spoiler free opinion of the ending, don’t mess with Sidious.
Chapter Two
Chapter two is an interesting one, given how chapter one ended. It features Ochi of Bestoon, babysitting (for lack of a better term) Vader. Of course, that’s how he thinks it’s going to work. But as is often the case, not everything is what it seems with Vader.
Chapter Three
Chapter Three might be my favorite of the entire issue. It features Sabe, the former handmaiden of Padme Amidala, meeting with Princess Leia. It’s the first time they’ve met in person, but Sabe is already known at least by reputation to Leia already. It’s a touching moment, because it’s the closest we’ve ever seen Leia come to her mother (besides the birth scene in Revenge of the Sith), and it’s the closest she’ll ever be. It connects the past to the present, but of course Sabe can’t reveal the full truth. That comes later, but for now it’s beautiful and very touching.
Chapter Four
Chapter Four is perhaps the most touching part of the entire issue, and the most unexpected. It features Kitster and Wald, yes…THAT Kitster and Wald from Episode I: The Phantom Menace, doing a little bit of smuggling. They end up making a ton of credits and releasing some VERY familiar friends from slavery on Tatooine. Vader eventually gets word of what happened, but rather than act on it he just let’s it go. You’re not going to want to skip reading this story,
FINAL POINT: Greg Pak has crafted an absolutely AMAZING finale to one of the best Star Wars comics ever done. It lives up to the hype and leaves me wanting more. It’s a must read issue for all Star Wars fans, no matter how big of a fan you are. Greg Pak has certainly cemented his name in the list of the great Star Wars authors. If his name is on something Star Wars related, you are NOT going to want to miss reading it.
Score: 9.0 out of 10
Thanks for checking out my review on Nerd Initiative. For more of my content, check out ODPHpodcast.com, follow me on Twitter, and check out more of my reviews here on Nerd Initiative: https://nerdinitiative.com/author/padawanj/!
