In the issue #3 of Marvel’s Star Wars Darth Vader Black White and Red, it’s all Darth Vader, to be sure. He’s here in all his rugged raspiness. A force to be reckoned with, or just plain ‘to be wrecked by’!
Jason Aaron starts things off with “Hard Shutdown Part 3”, with Leonard Kirk on art, Romulo Fajardo Jr. on colours. Aaron recaps things quickly for us first-time readers, which is always really appreciated: to put it simply, Delta team is attacking Vader’s building, in order to raid it and resell its components. Vader is being held prisoner. But who is the prisoner, and who is the guard?
I really enjoy Leonard Kirk’s art, his way of abbreviating and dramatizing poses and story. Fajardo Jr. gives us strong red tones (the book is printed in only three colours; black, white, and red) and powerful mid-tints of red mixed with black.
“Annihilated” is written, drawn, and lettered by Daniel Warren Johnson, and offers a quirky, ‘indie comic’ feel to the Vader saga. Woe to those who choose to battle Lord Vader, of course, and that’s where all the fun is for us; Johnson’s heavy shadows, his heavily textured fighting ships, the powerfully kinetic panel construction. It’s a blast, a real kick in the phase shifters, this one. Johnson’s word balloons and dialogue appear to be hand drawn, slowing down the reading experience, but once you get accustomed to the experience, the story works as a whole.
Wrapping up the issue is “Diplomatic Immunity”, written by Marc Bernardin, with art by Stefano Raffaele, colours by Andres Mossa. In contrast to the previous story, this artwork in this one is incredibly detailed and immaculately realized. It’s ‘outer space’ clean and savage, with Bernardin showing us the devious plotting of Vader as he pulls a surprise visit on a world, supposedly on a diplomatic mission. Raffaele gives us plenty of vistas and hardware, and Mossa keeps their colours minimal and impactful.
All in all, a nicely packaged, savagely enacted issue, with plenty of action and drama!
Editor is Mark Paniccia.
Marvel Comics, Star Wars Darth Vader Black White and Red #3, $4.99 for 32 pages of content.
Newsdesk