Hero Worship: Darth Vader Still Rules

I’ve got nothing terribly profound to discuss this week, so I wanted to take some time to showcase something that I think has been underserved in the comics community.

Earlier this week, I was pleasantly surprised by the conclusion of Star Wars: Darth Vader and the Ghost Prison, the latest mini-series from Dark Horse Comics to spotlight the beloved Sith Lord in all of his glory. There are tons of Star Wars comics on the market these days, but Ghost Prison is the first in quite some time that captures everything I adore about the franchise. I wouldn’t hesitate to say that the comic did more to push the boundaries of the series than any of the sequels/prequels, save Empire Strikes Back.

Check our reviews for Star Wars: Darth Vader and the Ghost Prison!

Darth Vader and the Ghost Prison is set months after Episode III as the Empire has taken hold of the galaxy and have begun to expand radically, training recruits at a rapid pace. The story centers around an Imperial cadet named Tohm that finds himself in the midst of rebellion and soon, fighting by Vader’s side. The story that ensues is not the typical Star Wars tale of black-and-white morality but instead a complex and tragic exploration of an average man’s loyalty to his leaders.

And though Tohm is in the spotlight, this series serves to underscore the ruthlessness of Darth Vader that we really only ever hear about in the films. By the story’s conclusion, we’re given a new appreciation for the coldness of Vader’s character that, after decades of exposure and perhaps even overuse, we have started to forget.

While I’m a fan of the prequels, they don’t do much in the way of showcasing Vader’s assistance in constructing the Empire. By the time we get to Vader in A New Hope, he’s more or less Tarkin’s lackey. And when Return of the Jedi rolls around, the series has shifted to portray Vader as a far more sympathetic character. Only in Empire do we see Vader as a true villain that transcends his cool look and becomes something terrifying. But most of his horrible past deeds are done off screen.

I’ve never really found myself reading licensed comics for anything other than continuing the adventures of some favorite characters. For the most part, they exist not to progress or expand these characters but rather to simply let them keep on living. In fact, the licensed comics that directly involve characters from the movies or TV shows (as opposed to peripheral characters or new characters set in the same universe) are essentially locked into the established continuity. In some cases where the comics are continuing a story – like the Buffy or Smallville comics – continuity is less restricting because it only needs to adhere to the past.

In the case of Star Wars, Vader’s tales need to adhere to the past and the future, which you’d think would be limiting. Instead, the Ghost Prison mini-series takes full advantage of our knowledge of where Vader’s been and where he’s going, and instead uses it to flesh out this character. Because of this story, I’ll never look at Vader’s relationships with the other Imperials in A New Hope the same ever again.

Alongside things like The Force Unleashed, I have a greater appreciation for the power of Vader’s character than ever before, most notably his power of manipulation. You know when Admiral Motti steps to Vader in that Death Star roundtable scene? The tension is retroactively even greater because I know what Vader is capable of doing to his allies to benefit his own cause.

I guess what I’m saying is, licensed comics should dare to do more with the characters, and those who license them should encourage it. Ghost Prison proves that there is plenty of room for growth and exploration within even the most confined spaces of continuity. In the meantime, I urge you to give this book a try – no matter how jaded about Star Wars you’ve become.

And if you’re jaded, stop. Star Wars still rules.

Joey is IGN's Comics Editor and a comic book creator himself. Follow Joey on Twitter, or find him on IGN. He will love Star Wars until the end of his days.

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Dokuro Coming to PlayStation Vita in October

If you’re looking for something to play on your PlayStation Vita, you may be pleased to learn that Dokuro has been slated for an October release in North America. Its release window in other territories is still unknown.

According to the PlayStation Blog -- and more notably a post from developer Antonio Cara – “With a captivating chalk-drawn setting and adorable fairytale themes, Dokuro provides a unique platform-puzzle experience that will flex your mind and heart!” The game revolves around a character named Dokuro who’s on a quest to save a “beautiful princess” from a foe known only as Dark Lord.

The thing is, this gorgeous princess isn’t too sharp, and “pays no mind to imminent danger… automatically [moving] forward until she reaches an obstacle she cannot cross.” As such, “Dokuro’s main goal is to get the Princess from point A to point B. Naturally, the path is always complicated by traps, pitfalls, and the occasional flying demon. These puzzles will take all the moxie and gumption you can muster as you travel through floors of ever-increasing complexity.”

Keep an eye out on IGN this October for a full review.

Colin Moriarty is an IGN PlayStation editor. You can follow him on Twitter and IGN and learn just how sad the life of a New York Islanders and New York Jets fan can be.

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Uncanny X-Force #31 Review

If last issue felt like it was missing something, then you will enjoy the developments in Uncanny X-Force #31. The villains get fleshed out, the heroes reappear, and we finally get to hear Evan’s inner monologue now that he’s been psychologically tormented by a group of Marvel’s baddest baddies.

It was a surprising twist when Daken was revealed as the head of the new Brotherhood, but Rick Remender has done surprisingly little with the character since then. If anyone feels like they have a game plan and proper motivation, it’s Sabretooth. He spends so much time in the spotlight this issue that it’s not a stretch to wonder if he’s really the one pulling all of the strings.

Funny as it seems, Apocalypse has been a main character of Uncanny X-Force since the beginning. The team went after him on their first mission, Deathlok showed up to prevent the clone from growing up, and now a war wages for his soul. Where other writers might dedicate a single arc to a villain and move on, Remender makes Apocalypse into a fascinating allegory for good and evil, nature versus nurture, and choice against fate. While Apocalypse was not in every issue, the ramifications of dealing with him were always hanging over the team. Most impressive, by keeping Evan around for an extended period and letting him attend the Jean Grey School over in Jason Aaron’s Wolverine and the X-Men series, Remender has crafted him into a truly likable character that I earnestly do not want to see become a monster. Given what he’s done to my other favorites Angel and Fantomex, I don’t like Evan’s chances.

As for the heroes, they have returned and are headed in a direction that mirrors their first mission in more than a few unsettling ways. However, this time the characters have been through a lot of hell and bring with them new resolves on how to handle the situation. Rarely do the Big Two’s superheroes truly change, but here these characters are entirely different people than the ones we met in Uncanny X-Force #1. I was surprised by one character’s brash decision, but looking back, it makes total sense.

Phil Noto’s excellent artwork matches the high quality of the story. He plays up the obscurity of the character’s looks -- Deahtlok’s noseless face, Blob’s disgusting girth -- while keeping them all toned down to the grave level of the story. My single point of contention comes on page two. It seems as though the character ought to look impressively imposing, but there’s a softness to his look that robs him of that. On the other hand, the character has not yet reached that level of power yet, so perhaps it was intentional. Either way, given the rapid escalation of the story, he will get his chance to show off soon.

The Dark Angel saga was a huge event in scope and cast, but Final Execution looks to be the more personal story arc. Everyone has an agenda and a grudge -- even the heroes -- and the story feels as though it could twist into an unexpected direction at any time. Given that Remender’s run on this series will end come December, there’s never a better time for him to tell this violent and transformative tale.

Joshua is a writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter or IGN, but only if you are prepared to hear more about Darth Maul, Green Lantern, and Doop than you would ever care to know.

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