When Disney took over Lucasfilm, one of the major changes made was the return of Marvel as the major comic book licensee. The publishing company was one of the few to release merchandise for Star Wars when the original film hit in 1977, and the success of the film adaptation spurred an ongoing line that spanned over 100 issues.
Taking back the reigns from Dark Horse in 2014, Marvel has produced dozens of new Star Wars series, with the Darth Vader runs being by far the most popular. Following two incredibly successful multi-arc series, the third title for Darth Vader (2020) takes readers into the uncharted period directly following The Empire Strikes Back - and the Dark Lord is forced to face the pain of his past.
NEWS
Darth Vader (2020) brings the Sith Lord face to face with Sabe, Queen Amidala's shadow. As he seeks to punish those who hid his son from him, Vader is confronted by the other handmaidens, alongside Captain Typho, introduced in Attack of the Clones , and Tonra ( Queen's Shadow). While pursuing the tomb of his lost wife, the Dark Lord faces and defeats Ric Olie, the Naboo pilot in The Phantom Menace , leaving the man's fate uncertain.
The Naboo heroes are part of a larger group known as the Amidalans, dedicated to avenging the deaths of Padme Amidala and Anakin Skywalker in the wake of Revenge of the Sith . Below are images gathered from IGN , Reddit , and the official Star Wars website depicting the Prequel heroes within the pages of Darth Vader (2020).
WHAT THIS MEANS
Darth Vader has simultaneously been the most successful and most utilized character in Marvel's comics, making many fans apprehensive of yet another Vader line. For fans of the Prequel Trilogy, the series has been a nostalgic thrill, bringing back many familiar faces in an arc that completes the Queen's Shadow storyline.
This entire arc has been so unexpected in the best of ways. Darth Vader (2015) took the time to show us how Vader discovered he had a son, but we've never gotten inside his head following the reveal to Luke. Vader's reluctance to kill any of the figures from his past show the cracks in the Dark Lord that eventually break when he saves his son, and the heartbreak of seeing those so loyal to him and his wife facing him plays a major factor in the return of Anakin Skywalker.
