Even the most impassioned of Star Wars fan would be forgiven for not remembering that boring old Jedi librarian who featured briefly in Attack of the Clones, but after reading this latest volume (which collects issues 7 – 12), it will be impossible to dismiss Jocasta Nu ever again. You might even forgive her for being so sniffy to Obi-Wan that time!
Tasked by Emperor Palpatine with tracking down the aforementioned Jedi master in the aftermath of Order 66 (Nu is one of many who evaded the immediate purge), the recently appointed Sith Lord Darth Vader continues to wrestle with his relationship to his new master. What’s so important about this particular Jedi that Palpatine refuses to disclose? What information is she privy to that is so special, even he isn’t deemed important enough to know? Anakin may be ‘dead’ so to speak, but his instincts are still very much alive – especially the poor sod’s paranoia for betrayal and/or abandonment (see: the council shiftily denying him Master status; Padme threatening to cark it; best mate zipping off his bits and leaving him on the side of a lava river… actually that’s the one we can all get behind). In short, Vader may wield incredible power, but he’s also a powerful mess under that ‘ridiculous mask’.
Building on the stellar work Kieron Gillan did with the original Darth Vader run, this new series continues to add depth to one of genre’s greatest villains, each new arc strengthening our understanding of a character that’s been ever-present in our lives – on T-shirts, cereal boxes, bed sheets, toothbrushes – but one whose cinematic arc was broadly drawn at best. As with all the best additions to the Star Wars canon, this series changes the way we view those core movies in exciting ways.
As with Charles Soule’s writing, the artwork by Giuseppe Camuncoli is consistently astonishing, making Dark Lord of the Sith arguably the strongest of all of Marvel’s Star Wars output thus far, and Legacy’s End – with its badass Order 66-dodging Archivist, jaw-dropping Vader villainy (“their blood is on your hands”), and revelations that will likely have substantial narrative implications beyond it – our favourite yet.
If you end up borrowing this trade paperback from your local library though, be sure to return it on time. Turns out librarians don’t take too kindly to people who don’t respect their books. Doesn’t matter if you’re affiliated with the Sith or not.
STAR WARS: DARTH VADER – DARK LORD OF THE SITH – VOL 2. LEGACY’S END / AUTHOR: CHARLES SOULE / ART: GIUSEPPE CAMUNCOLI / RELEASE DATE: AUGUST 5TH
