DARTH VADER ANNUAL #1 – MARVEL COMICS – (W) Kieron Gillen (A) Leinil Francis Yu
Straight up Vader glory in this annual, unencumbered by Aphra, or overseers or the mission to find Skywalker, Vader is able to shine on his own and we’re left with a really strong expression of his power and prowess. Vader is sent as an envoy to a mining colony, allied with the Empire but falling behind on their quota. What follows are several over the top attempts on Vader’s life as he casually dispatches wave after wave of attacker. The cold, clinical, effectiveness of his nature really shines, especially towards the end of the book. Unfortunately this is one of those times when I find myself not liking Yu’s art, so that was a bit of a drawback for me, otherwise a really strong and entertaining story. I wouldn’t be unhappy if the ongoing Vader title was laid out a little more like this.
