Comic Books Every Darth Vader Fan Should Read
As we prepare for the release of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, I thought it would be fitting to recap some of Darth Vader's best moments from Marvel Comics.
Vader Down #1
Coming off the Darth Vader series, fans find their favorite villain off to find his son Luke Skywalker. While soaring through space in his tie fighter, Vader finds himself confronted by hoards of rebel pilots and shreds their ships like cheese. It's one of the best space ship battles in all of comic book history and it truly shows the Darth Vader's skill as a pilot- which had only ever really been hinted at in the prequels.
This book is also rife with great Vader quotes like "All I am is surrounded by fear. And dead men."
Darth Vader #6
The Darth Vader story arc revolves around Vader's attempt to get the name of the pilot that destroyed the Death Star. In Darth Vader #6 Boba Fett finally delivers that name, Skywalker. The surge of emotion is clearly seen in Vader's clench fist as his force powers destroy machinery and crack all the windows in the surrounding areas.
Star Wars #1
Marvels' 1977 release of Star Wars #1 is important because it introduced the world to Darth Vader and the Star Wars universe. Considering the fact that this book was released a few months ahead of A New Hope, this book really laid the groundwork for the character of Darth Vader- who spends the first few issues on a murder spree while he looks for information tapes.
Star Wars #37
Star Wars #37 sees Darth Vader becoming a little less murdering and a little bit more tactical with his plans to catch, or kill, Luke Skywalker. In this issue the two force users find themselves engaged in an epic lightsaber duel in the Crystal Valley- where dangerous crystals shoot out of the earth randomly. Luke and Vader seem evenly matched until it is revealed that the man in the dark cloak is not Vader at all! It is Orman Tagge, a mutual enemy, who has been convinced by Vader to fight in his place. While Vader's ultimate goal was for his enemies to kill one another, his plan does result in Tagge's death.
Star Wars #4
This is the book in which Darth Vader slays Obi Wan Kenobi, his former master, in an epic light saber duel.
Darth Vader #25
Darth Vader #25 is the epic finale to the Darth Vader series and it's one hell of a way to end this list. In this issue Vader finds a way to destroy every iteration of his rival Cylo. Throughout the series Cylo has been pining for Vader's place as the Emperor's assistant- he even bests Vader once. It's truly gratifying to watch Vader destroy Cylo for good.
This book made my list for a different reason, though. That reason is Vader's relationship to Aphra. Aphra has been close to Vader for some time but she has been plotting to betray him and reveal his plans to the Emperor. When Vader finds out he murders her in one of the coldest, most Darth Vader, ways possible.
