Review: ‘Darth Vader’ #35 Is All Setup and No Intrigue as the Story Brings in Doctor Aphra
Seeing Darth Vader and Doctor Aphra always gets me excited. The dynamic between the two has always been a fascinating one as Aphra always seems to put herself in reckless situations around Vader, yet Vader seems to keep her around because he realizes how valuable of an ally she is. And with Darth Vader #35 bringing in the good doctor to team up with Vader again, I was excited to see the dynamic evolve and to see what’s in store for Vader from here on out.
Unfortunately, Darth Vader #35 didn’t do much for me. This installment doesn’t make me excited about what may occur in the next few issues. And the interactions between Aphra and Vader aren’t that great, as there’s very little back and forth between the two. Not to mention that there are a lot of moments that I feel could’ve been cut out, or that simply left me puzzled.
Spoilers ahead …
In this issue, Vader is struggling to manipulate the Force. He can use it, but whenever he does, he can’t control it. This is explained by the Emperor, who states that since the Fermata Cage was cracked open, it sent a “Force wave” throughout the galaxy affecting all Force users. We’ve seen small glimpses of this in the past issues and other series. However, this small recap is pretty threadbare, leaving many questions unanswered. It’s annoying considering how important it is to the issue’s overall plot.
So Darth Vader seeks out the help of Doctor Aphra. He believes she can help him find an artifact that can help him regain control over his Force powers. He employs the help of Ochi, and the two of them track Doctor Aphra down. During this reunion, the story helps recap some of the histories between the two, as readers see Aphra bringing up their past to try and reason for her life with Vader.
Bounty hunters sent by the Emperor come and attack Vader. He quickly vanquishes them without a problem, also demonstrating to Aphra how his powers are out of control. But besides that, it makes me wonder why this “attack” was even included, both from a narrative perspective and from a writer’s perspective.
With the help of Doctor Aphra, the three characters fly to another location that Aphra believes holds an artifact that could help Vader. In transit, Aphra is pulled into Vader’s vision, seeing apparitions of Luke and Sabé.
Once at their destination, Ochi essentially becomes the group’s training dummy as they push him into the pit holding the artifact, setting off any traps that could harm Vader and Aphra. He somehow survives. This too was pretty ridiculous in my mind, but it gets even crazier for Ochi.
The artifact Aphra leads them to is a kyberite shield. Aphra explains that it can’t dampen Vader’s Force abilities, but it can help him redirect them. Vader directs the shield at Aphra, and a large laser beam emits out of the shield, which appears to fry her. By all accounts, she should be dead. The art makes it look like she’s dead. But for some reason, the next panel sees Ochi fly across the room. Aphra explains this is due to a safeguard she installed into the shield. It’s not the most graceful of sequences from Greg Pak and artist Rafaelle Ienco, but it’s representative of this issue’s shortcomings.
Darth Vader #35 sets the next issue up for more Aphra-Vader team-ups. But after reading this issue, I have no desire to continue reading on. The comic didn’t do all that much with Vader and Aphra, adding very little to their relationship. There are some goofy and nonsensical story elements that I’m not sure why they were included. And the only saving grace of the issue is that the art is solid, as Vader looks awesome, and Aphra’s expressions are on point. Maybe if you’re a die-hard Aphra fan, you may enjoy this issue, but if not, I don’t find it worth it.
Score: 3/10
Born and raised in Hawaii, Jay Goodearl runs the YouTube Gaming channel “Good Games, Dude” His channel aims to open up video games to beginners and immediate players and help them understand what makes games the art form that it is.
