Vader-Dark Visions showcases the many facets of Anakin Skywalker
It’s safe to say that Darth Vader is one of the greatest villains of all time. He consistently ranks in the top ten in almost every list you can find; more often than not, he’s in the top three. His tragic backstory, his iconic look, that heavy breathing, and the dang ol’ red lightsaber are the foundation for dozens upon dozens of stories featuring the most feared Force-wielder in the galaxy, and while most interpretations focus on his relentless pursuit of the Emperor’s wishes, every now and then a series comes along that delves into his less-seen sides. Vader-Dark Visions appears to be taking a look at how he is viewed by those around him, with insightful writing by Dennis “Hopeless” Hallum, energetic art from Brian Level, vibrant colors from Jordan Boyd, and tip-top lettering from Joe Caramagna. Greg Smallwood produced the epic cover, and Gerardo Sandoval and David Curiel provided the variant cover.
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Perspective is crucial in understanding Vader-Dark Visions
The first issue of this anthology mini-series gave us a look at Vader from the viewpoint of a peaceful denizen of an unimportant planet, who witnesses Vader kill the monster that the locals live in constant fear of, framing Vader as the magical “do-gooder” savior, which might have been a first, as far as “Vader is the good guy” goes.
This issue is about the steps someone will take to avoid incurring Vader’s wrath, and, ironically, how much worse they make it for themselves in the end. Commander Tylux is attempting to apprehend a Rebel ship that just stole schematics to a military facility, and in an attempt to make the failure sound like a win, notifies High Command that the spy was, in fact, captured. When HC replies back that Darth Vader will be personally coming to retrieve the spy, Tylux flashes back years ago, reliving a moment in a room when Vader killed everyone except for Tylux and then tells him “failure is unacceptable.”
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You’re just making things worse for yourself, Tylux
Understandably terrified, Commander Tylux orders his Star Destroyer to track down the tiny Rebel ship, driving it into a dangerous asteroid field. Level has made an interesting use of panel shapes, making certain pages look like a Star Destroyer silhouette, and others appear to be asteroid-damaged.
The Rebel pilot heads down to the closest planet, into super-strong sandstorms, and Tylux sends his TIE fighters after the pilot, knowing that the sand will damage and possibly destroy his ships.
Sure enough, between the expert flying of the Rebel pilot and the sand, Tylux loses every single one of his TIE fighters, and makes the very bad decision to fly at top speeds through the asteroid field in the Star Destroyer, causing serious damage to his vessel. The Rebel even flies into the mouth of a giant space-beast, prompting Tylux to follow, exploding out the back of the creature and harming his ship further.
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Finally withing range, Tylux orders the use of the venerable tractor-beam, which is malfunctioning due to Mynocks covering the hull, ripping electronics apart. It appears to have been a trap, for multiple Rebel cruisers drop out of hyperspace and cripple the Star Destroyer. On the final page of Vader-Dark Visions, Tylux is shown breathing from an emergency mask, as Vader walks up to him in the burning ship, activating his lightsaber and saying “failure is unacceptable.”
Commander Tylux was so scared of making Darth Vader upset that he ended up destroying his big honkin’ Star Destroyer trying to capture a Rebel spy, making a little mistake into the biggest one of his life. It’s entirely likely that Vader would have killed him for losing the schematics in the first place, since Vader isn’t known for his forgiveness, but he undoubtedly made things worse for himself in his attempt to avoid reprisal.
There’s probably an Aesop’s fable that relates the same message, but sometimes the best way to explain a moral is through the deep, penetrating fear of Darth Vader.
8/10, recommended. Let us know what you thought in the comments section below.