Alejandro's Reviews > Star Wars: Darth Vader, Vol. 2: Shadows and Secrets

Darth Vader’s secret schemes continue!


I got this storyarc on its single comic book issues but I chose to make the review using this TPB edition to make a better overall review. The story is set after the events of “Star Wars IV: A New Hope” but before the events of “Star Wars V: The Empire Strikes Back”. This TPB edition contains from the title of “Star Wars: Darth Vader” #7-12 in its new Marvel Canonic run.


Creative Team:

Writer: Keiron Gillen

Illustrator: Salvador Larroca


VISIT TATOOINE, ENJOY THE SIGHTING

Darth Vader reluctantly goes to Tatooine, along with his secret squad: Dr. Aphra (rogue arqueologist and droid expert), 0-0-0 (Triple Zero) (a protocol droid who enjoys to torture) and BT-1 (Blastomech with a deceptive look of astromech).

Vader is looking for any clue of the son that he didn’t know that he has. It’s interesting that while it has been much discused about how clumsy was to take Luke to Anakin Skywalker’s native world, but Vader’s comments here left a confirmation that he considered clever that Kenobi taken his son there, since he never thought to return to that abhorred planet.

Vader checked the Lars farm but without finding anything of value for him. Aphra’s comments establishes that indeed Stormtroopers were the responsibles for the attack there but hiding their traces just like the Jawas’ ambush.

Finally, Vader goes to Kenobi’s home, where after an analysis of the marks left of the battle between Luke and Bobba Fett (this happened in Star Wars Vol.1 “Skywalker Strikes”), he is able to deduce that his son is strong in the Force but with very few training.

However, Vader’s trip to Tatooine doesn’t help him to be anywhere closer to his son.


APHRA’S SIX

Darth Vader’s secret plans aren’t any cheap to develop, so he needs to get a proper money supply and after an Imperial confiscation of a crime lord’s funds, an opportunity rises.

Dr. Aphra counts with Triple Zero and BT-1, but a heist against an Imperial light cruiser, specially a heist planned to look like an accident and not a robbery, requires more muscle.

So, Aphra got in her plans four bounty hunters: the known Bossk & IG-90, along with Black Krrsantan (a Wookie of dark fur) and Beebox (that looks just like a Bobba Fett Mini-Me, but with a different color palette in his armor).

While successful, Grand General Tagge (Imperial Starfleet’s Commander-in-Chief) suspects that it wasn’t an accident at all, and he wants the money back, since he already budgeted the confiscated money to finance the construction of yet another Super Star Destroyer (he is convinced (and I agree) that it’s wiser to construct a fleet of Super Star Destroyers than concentrate the Imperial resources into just one battlestation (aka Death Star)).


ENTER: INSPECTOR THANOTH

Amusing enough (while it’s very likely that Vader doesn’t finding any amusing at all!), Vader is ordered to find the culprits of the Imperial ship’s heist, and surely that couldn’t be any cause of stress, but…

…Vader gets a new aide…

…Inspector Thanoth.

An old man, clever and observant (think in a merging of Morgan Freeman and Sherlock Holmes) but most disturbing (at least for Vader’s secret schemes) he is totally loyal to the Empire.

Yep, this will prove to be complicated.