Brandon Borzelli's Geek Goggle Reviews
Star Wars: Darth Vader and the Ghost Prison #3 of 5
Dark Horse Comics
Blackman & Alessio
The middle issue of Darth Vader and the Ghost Prison is helping to turn this mini-series into a great one. This issue manages to tie together characters from the original trilogy and characters from the Expanded Universe in a natural and believable way. The possible outcomes from this series really allow for quite a few more characters, from the comics or the cartoon, to make an appearance. I enjoyed this issue very much and found it faithful to the roots from the first Star Wars movie. This is an excellent comic book.
The comic picks up right where the cliffhanger left off from the previous issue. Darth Vader and Lieutenant Tohm are in the Jedi temple and looking at the archives from council meetings where the secret prison was discussed. There are two components that make this scene a great one and an odd one.
The aspect that makes the scene great are we get to see Obi-Wan on the council defending Anakin while Windu takes Anakin down a notch verbally while Yoda rationalizes the entire scenario. It’s perfect use of the characters and helps to push the idea that Anakin felt betrayed by all and to some degree he was.
The part of this that seems silly and only serves the story is the idea that the Jedi would record their meetings, especially about top secret information. A companion to that is that Vader was able to pull up the archives so quickly without any problem. It would lead you to believe that Vader had done this before and if that is the case why is this particular instance the one that solidifies the betrayal of the Jedi?
Eventually, Vader and company get the Emperor to the prison and to its superior medical facilities. The idea that there might be characters like Durge, Ventress or Cad Bane in the prison is one that I hope gets explored. The comic seems to be heading in that direction.
Finally, the book brings in a wild card in the form of Grand Moff Tarkin. The aspect of the movies that never quite added up was how Tarkin sat over Vader, but Vader appears in most other medium as the second banana to the Emperor, not Tarkin. Tarkin’s plot piece in this issue makes that dynamic a little bit more clear and believable. Tarkin, in this book, is characterized to perfection.
I am very particular about how Vader is portrayed artistically. This comic is a bit of departure from what I normally like in how Vader is displayed and I love it. It doesn’t hurt that Tarkin and Yoda look exactly like they did the original trilogy movies either. The book also has some violence, particularly from Trachta and the images really round out the book. This comic book, artistically, is exactly what I am looking for in a Star Wars book.
This comic book is bridging a lot of gaps and I think it’s doing a fantastic job of it. Movies, novels, cartoons and comics are all having a hand in making this story gel together. This is a great book. If you like Darth Vader and the inner workings of the Empire, but like a little Jedi on the side then this is the book for you.
4.5 out of 5 Geek Goggles
