Siedell, Tim
AVERAGE REVIEW SCORE:
3 out of 5
(2 books)
TOP PICK:
Star Wars: Darth Vader And The Cry Of Shadows
Star Wars: Darth Vader And The Cry Of Shadows
(Art by Gabriel Guzman)
19 BBY. A Clone Trooper, Hock Malsuum, stranded in a desert for two years discovers that the Republic has been replaced by the Empire and sets out to excel in the service of the Emperor's enforcer Darth Vader. However, Hock rapidly discovers that the war he is now fighting is not as straightforward as he would hope and his respect for Vader may have been misplaced.
The interesting thing about this book is how it explores the way the Clone Troopers, who are still thinking, feeling Human beings, come to display such loyalty to Darth Vader, seeing him as the pinnacle of warriors. However, we also see that exposure to the galaxy teaches some of those clones to see the horror inherant in the Empire's policies and the actions of its enforcer.
Sadly, aside from an interesting new perspective on the clones and, to a slightly lesser extent, Vader, there's not much to write home about with this book. Plus, to my mind, the title is awful; nonsense masquerading as complexity.
3 out of 5
Star Wars: Darth Vader And The Ninth Assassin
(Art by Stephen Thompson, Ivan Fernandez, Mark Irwin, Denis Freitas, Drew Geraci & Jason Gorder)
19 BBY. A few months after 'Revenge of the Sith', an assassin is hired to hunt down Darth Vader by a businessman a for murdering his son. Meanwhile, Vader himself embarks on a mission to root out an ancient cult which threatens the rule of Emperor Palpatine.
Truth be told, this is a pretty unremarkable Star Wars graphic novel. For every good thing about it, there is an equal and opposite thing holding it back. For example; the titular assassin is a cool character but his actual confrontation with Vader is over so quickly that it hardly seems worth all the build-up. Similarly, the idea of Vader confronting this mysterious cult on a hostile world is an exciting one, but the version of Vader we're presented with here is one whose physical presence and dialogue have far too much Anakin Skywalker in them.
Overall, just okay.
3 out of 5
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