STAR WARS LEGACY OF VADER #2 – Return to the Past

Star Wars Legacy of Vader #2: “Even after killing Snoke and taking the mantle of Supreme Leader, Kylo Ren still struggles with forging his own path in the shadow of his family’s legacy. His quest to kill the past took Kylo to Fortress Vader on the planet Mustafar, where he was met with guardians defending the dark lord’s former home. Once he made it inside, he was greeted by a mysterious figure from Vader’s past. One who promises to show Kylo the way forward..” -Marvel

Charles Soule (WRITER)

Luke Ross (ARTIST)

Nolan Woodard (COLORS)

VC’s Joe Caramagna (LETTERS)

Derrick Chew (COVER)

*SPOILERS AHEAD*

The Story:

Matt: Charles Soule just understands Star Wars and its deep and never-ending lore. Returning to Tattooine and bringing us back into the past, all while drawing parallels to Kylo’s own story, is just incredible storytelling and has me hooked. I was immediately brought back to my childhood as we stepped into the podracing arena once again and relived Anakin’s victory. This wasteland of a planet is one of the most important in all of Star Wars and Charles does amazing work bringing us back here.

Josh: I didn’t think it was possible for Charles Soule to further cement his legacy as one of the best storytellers in Star Wars right now, but he did with this issue. Taking Kylo Ren and bringing him to Tatooine and exploring the formative years of just who Anakin Skywalker would become is an absolute stroke of brilliance. Seeing familiar locations from The Phantom Menace was such an awesome thing to see on the page. And honestly it’s stuff I’d wondered about since 1999, so to get those questions answered was a bonus.

The Art and Letters:

Matt: There are many great shots in this issue from Luke and Nolan, but none better than the shot of Vader standing with flames reflecting in his lenses. The reflection off of his armor is impressive, and the way they capture that on the pages left me truly in awe. When we are brought back to the pod-racing arena and when we see Vader being born on the table, the duo captured it as though these scenes were ripped straight from the prequels themselves. Joe crafts in his letters, bringing the Hut voice to life in a growling and snake like manner all at the same time. This issue was visually stunning, and it cannot be talked about enough.

Josh: The best part of the artwork in this issue is hands down the panels that take place in the podracing arena. To the best of my knowledge there might’ve been a passing mention of podracing after The Phantom Menace, but nothing definitive as to what it looked like or what became of it. So to see Luke Ross really to get to have some creative freedom on what to do was awesome. Also the flashback sequences were spectacular as well was great, because we still don’t know a whole lot about Kylo’s childhood.

Final Thoughts:

Overall Grade: 9.25/10

Matt: 9.5. This issue brought me back to my childhood with this property and left me both excited and needing so much more of Kylo, all at the same time. There is so much being told in this issue that moves Kylo and Vader’s story forward and builds off of them both that fans will be more than happy with what the team is doing.

Josh: 9, the issue was a fun trip down memory lane as someone who saw The Phantom Menace in theaters in 1999. And seeing what became of some well known locations from that film was an added bonus I didn’t expect at all. This is an issue that every Star Wars fan is going to want to pick up this week.