Darth Vader #38: Droids, Droids, and Droids! Oh My!

As is the case with both the self-titled “Star Wars” and “Doctor Aphra” series, this one is now more than three years deep in a continuous story. Darth Vader has endured much in that time, especially since that is over three years of stories taking place in only one year timeline-wise. The rebels, crime syndicates, the Emperor himself, and even the Handmaidens of Padme have consistently tested, dogged, and hunted him across the galaxy in that ever important last year of his life after meeting and fighting his son Luke. This issue does a really great job of not only adhering to the idea of the “Dark Droids” multi-series event unfolding for the next remaining four months of the year, but also while still remaining a shinning example of the trajectory of the “Darth Vader” series. In the last story arc, Vader has been flooded by the Dark Side of the Force’s power after the Fermata Cage was opened in the “Crimson Empire” event. He is still very much affected during this “Dark Droids” series. This chapter blends both stories together very well in a way that it should set up readers for a lot more in the future, both short term and long term.

The “Dark Droids” saga is almost simple in its concept. It tells of an infection that affects droids by touch alone. They then become hulking zombie-like extremities of a killer robotic hive-mind. Not only are droves of them hunting all life, but Vader has managed to convert a small band of non-affected droids, all of whom he once dismembered, to his cause in acting as decoys fort him. What plays on the page is droids vs droids, with a large evil-powered cyborg in the middle. There may be a bigger “Dark Droids” climax on the horizon, but this issue offers at least a taste of things to come with a lot of action. In that same vein there is a lot of content in this issue with Admiral Piett, which refocuses the larger narrative to say that this is a story taking place between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi by placing him squarely in the story.

Just like with the current “Doctor Aphra” and “Star Wars” titles lately the art is important and well as are colors, but they are only supporting the story playing out. With Marvel, sometimes the art outweighs the story. However “Star Wars” comics use great art, but the narrative drives the power of each story. This has been the case for the last few months of all series, which creates an almost this as a motif for not only the “Dark Droids” event, but all “Star Wars” comics right now. This was not the case with past multi-series “Sar Wars” events. They often differed in narrative and art style. This series seems much more cohesive. At the same time the issue returns to a past point in the “Darth Vader” series at the Eye of Webbish Bog to further note that this isn’t just a story arc tale, nor a “Dark Droids” story alone, but a smaller piece to a much larger puzzle of not only this series but the saga in general.