Fan Fest News

News for Fans, By Fans!

Review – ‘Darth Vader’ #3

Spoilers ahead for Darth Vader #3.

Review - 'Darth Vader' #3

Master Infil’a may not have been an active member of the Jedi Order when it fell, but he is clearly a Jedi, for better or worse. He is confident in his path, believing that the Force has led Darth Vader to him so Infil’a can be the one to kill this “monster”. I did love how he continually referred to Vader as a creature instead of acknowledging him as a person.

 

This issue moves very quickly. We are given a brief introduction to Infil’a and his droid companion, Arex, that gives us a glimpse at just how powerful he is. After Vader arrives, Infil’a immediately throws him to the elements. The mountain he has sequestered himself on is apparently filled with traps, and for a while, I thought he would do the smart thing and just let the mountain take care of Vader for him. It’s not exactly an honorable thing to do, but as he says: Vader is a monster in his eyes, responsible for so much suffering and death. But as I mentioned above, Infil’a is a Jedi for better or worse. Of course, he chooses the honorable path and allows Vader to reach the top of the mountain by having Arex deactivate the traps.

 

Although I do give the issue credit for subverting my expectations after that. While it’s clear that Vader must succeed in the end, the battle with Infil’a is not so straightforward. In fact, it’s kind of embarrassing for Vader to fail so spectacularly. I loved it.

Overall, Darth Vader #3 continues to impress with both its presentation and exploration of what happened to Anakin Skywalker after Order 66. Even though Vader only says a few words in this issue, the observations made by Infil’a say a lot about what’s going on inside the young Sith Lord’s mind.

Review - 'Darth Vader' #3

Eventually, Darth Vader will become one of the most powerful villains in the galaxy, defeating countless enemies without breaking a sweat, but for the moment he’s still struggling to adjust to his new body. He lost a lot of his power when he lost his limbs and was up against an immensely powerful Jedi. I believe it will be a lot more interesting to watch him crawl his way back up to defeat Infil’a using his strategic mind than it would have been had he overpowered the Jedi Master with brute strength alone.

 

*Images taken from Marvel’s Darth Vader #3.