Star Wars: Darth Vader Volume 1 - Vader (Star Wars (Marvel))

I thought this was such an interesting story (especially if you've read Skywalker strikes comic) all the characters are really well established and it's very emotional and very deep for a comic. It does vader justice gives a good insight into the events after a new hope. I haven't read the next book in the series but plan to. I love the artwork in this comic it's some of the best I've seen but in places the comic can feel a bit slow and I'd you haven't seen the film's of star wars or read any other novels I'm not sure you'll like this. So I would recommend this to Darth Vader fans and general fans of star wars if you are into comic but if your not into reading you can probably give this a miss.

This book is a great read and picks up on the fallout of the destruction of the Death Star. So many consequences happened because of the Death Star and we see them here. I love the path Vader is put upon here. So much doubt surrounds Vader and his ability to aide the Emperor, Vader is in a position much similar to when he was Obi Wan's padawan. His views aren't conventionally Sith and it's up to Vader to prove that he is a worthy apprentice. From start to finish I asked myself will Vader prove himself or will be become something far greater than the Emperor? It starts to tease what we already know to happen by the end of the Original Trilogy and throws some memorable characters such as Boba into the mix also. Combine the Great storytelling with an evil version of our favourite pair of droids (Artoo and Threepio) and you can't go wrong! 5*

Good solid start to this series, to a degree it's involved in setting the scene/setting things in motion, which will hopefully pay off in future volumes. So (given that it's the first of several volumes) it does feel like the first act of a larger story, but it's well done so you'll want to keep reading. I'm a fan of Kieron Gillen's writing and Salvador Larroca's art from their other work. If you're coming to this from a Star Wars background and aren't as familiar with this writer and artist, I'll say that Kieron Gillen is an excellent writer, he handles action well but is also a great observer of character. Salvador Larroca's art is very slick, it feels very well suited to space-age settings and starships. The characters from the films look like the actors (which helps both with recognizing who they are and also means you're not brought out of the narrative by thinking a character doesn't look like the film actor). Salvador Larroca is also well known as being a fast artist. From a comics point of view, this is a good thing in terms of consistency. Slower artists can slip behind schedule and sometimes (to keep the monthly issues of the comic on schedule) another artist might be used for an issue or two. When the individual issues of the comic are collected into a trade paperback like this, if there have been fill-in artists it can be a bit jarring if their styles are different and change back and forth partway through a storyline. However, Salvador Larroca does the art for all of this volume, so the style is consistent. Edgar Delgado's colouring in this volume complements the artwork well. Shading and "lighting" are well done and the result is some great-looking art. There are several characters who are created for the comic, particularly some "sidekicks" for Darth Vader who are interesting in their own right (and have been popular enough that there's a "Dr Aphra" spin-off comic for them). Darth Vader himself is well written, his character feels in line with the film version. Not being the most talkative of chaps, we see his emotions as much from his body language as from his words (this is where a good artist is important, as seeing a fist clenching can show a character's rage just as effectively as some angry dialogue). We also get to see some of what Vader is thinking about, with flashbacks to events in his past. It's a good way to give insight into what he's thinking without having him ramble on about what's on his mind. I enjoyed the story and it drew me in well; I've ordered the second volume to continue reading. I enjoyed the writing, particularly the characterisation, and the artwork was easy to follow (I was never unsure of what was happening) as well as looking great. The plot kept me interested, and I was as invested in the new characters as in the film characters. I imagine it's not an easy thing to fit a creative and interesting tale into an existing universe and timeline- we know Vader's ultimate fate, and what happens in the films. The film characters will all have to be returned to their respective places in the narrative. It's testament to Kieron Gillen's writing, then, that he's able to craft an engaging drama within these very specific boundaries, without it ever feeling contrived or like "filler". All in all I found this very enjoyable and would happily recommend it.

Really good nice artwork and Darth Vader is just so cool and great for 2015 artwork is better than a lot of new star wars comic books

Disney hasn’t done the Star Wars saga a lot of justice since they bought it from George Lucas however, these Vader comics are probably the best thing to come from Disney within this franchise. The art style is beautiful and the references to the movies are so well done it’s as if they had it planned from the beginning. Vader is a very interesting character with a lot of history that is very over looked. These comics do his story justice in ways that the movies never could while keeping the story fresh. Granted some comics are better then others but on the whole these stories let us see deeper into the Star Wars universe and what Vader did during the original trilogy. This comic is not the first one of the series, so if you’re looking to start from the very beginning start with Imperial Machine which takes place right after episode three if I’m correct. But yes this is a must have for any Vader or Star Wars fans, the ending hits hard.

A must for all true Star Wars aficionados. The missing links to Lord Vader’s story. Why can’t we have Star Wars movies like this? Why can’t we have graphic novels & movies depicting the origin, rise & fall of the Sith?

The Comic itself is amazing, definitely worth getting, but as for the condition it arrived in, not aweful, but there was creasing on the cover and some pages at the bottom, I thought amazon would be better at storing things in a good condition, but it's not majorly damaged, just a little annoying, it's why I'd prefer to buy these comics in a shop, because that way I can see what condition it is physically in. But again, the content itself is great, the story and writing is on point, and the artwork is spectacular, a must get for a star wars fan :)

Stupendo in tutti i disegni. Art book molto curato . Edizione molto bella da collezione. Oltre a leggerlo mi aiuta per crearmi i costumi da cosplay . Consigliato a tutti gli amanti dei fumetti art book di Star Wars.

Ya que Disney no da una en las películas y series al menos los comícs nos recuerdan que hay cosas buenísimas de Star Wars.

Ótima história e ilustrações maravilhosas. Expande bem o universo de Star Wars acompanhando período do Darth Vader após o episódio IV.

It’s strange how one can be a Star Wars fan and never explore this huge fandom but that’s what I was. If you asked me to name my favourite films of all times, Star Wars would always be amongst them (and yes, that includes the much hated prequels because I’ve just rewatched them after wasting years of hating them and guess what… they’re not really all that bad after all) and yet, I’ve always been content with just the films and my own vivid imagination. But then The Force Awakens happened and all of a sudden I got sucked into the fandom with my fangirling flame burning brighter than ever and YESSS I’ve started reading, nay: devouring one book after the other but only those telling stories of the Dark Side because… Sith. Cool. Evil. Scary. VADER. (“Lords of the Sith” by Paul S. Kemp, anyone? Love it!!!!) Then I found out there’s a whole comic book series about the Dark Lord himself and I found myself in a dilemma. A comic book? Little pictures? Speech bubbles? ZOOM and WHACK and CRASH? Wouldn’t that be awfully ridiculous and so not Vader at all? See, I’ve never been a fan of comic books – I’ve always found “real”books more interesting. If I want to see pictures, I watch a film. And yet. And yet. How could I resist, incurable Vader fangirl that I am? And so it came to pass that at an age of, well, old enough to have seen the original trilogy at the cinema, I bought my first comic book and lo and behold, I’ve fallen utterly in love. This is just… amazing! It has nothing whatsoever to do with the cartoonesque comic books I remember from childhood. This is real art! No skimming through the pages on account of there being so little text – it’s all in the pictures. There’s just so many intricate details, so much is told in just one frame. To skim those would be a mortal sin indeed. I was stunned to find myself losing myself in the comic as I would in a “real” book. Amazing! There’s a real story, too, and one that makes perfect sense for me. One must not forget that for all of his evilness, Darth Sidious aka the Emperor aka Chancellor Palpatine has always been and still is a cunning politician and cunning politicians know their business. That includes – apart from manipulating and lying – knowing the hard facts, i.e. being aware of the budget at hand. So, if your right-hand man is (partly) responsible for blowing up one of your biggest assets, well, there will have to be consequences and Palpatine wouldn’t be Palpatine if he didn’t know how to crack the whip and snap the reins. And as there is neither love nor sympathy lost between a Sith lord and his apprentice, Vader grudgingly tolerates his demotion but starts brewing his own plans, and that includes striking up a bargain with Jabba the Hutt (although he’s not “used to haggling”) and teaming up with a female version of Indiana Jones and James Moriarty rolled into one who just so happens to have the evil twins of C3PO and R2 D2 at her hand. Now, this could very easily have become a laughing matter but it somehow works really well. In fact, I’ve become rather fond of Dr Aphra and Triple Zero and BT –there’s really nothing about killer droids that should evoke feelings of fondness but please, Triple Zero is so very polite about everything and you find yourself smiling although he’s about to do something really horrible but he says it so very nicely. And Aphra may be the most unlikely of sidekicks but that somehow makes her perfect for that role. I also very much like how subtly Vader’s memories are woven into the whole story. There’s never an embarrassing waste of words or an unseemly display of emotions – it’s shown in one single frame (Anakin and Padme kissing on Geonosis) or in a very short sequence (Padme telling Anakin she’s pregnant) and that makes it even more heartbreaking because you realise that although Vader has chosen to live on hatred and anger, he has not deleted all of his memories, not even the happy ones. I understand from other reviewers that they feel somewhat betrayed by this insight because Vader is EVIL incarnate, right? There can be no happy memories in this sinister brain of his! I respectfully disagree because I think this adds to Vader’s appeal. He wasn’t born the iconic villain we’ve all come to love and fear; he got there step by step, layer by layer, and his past has made him what he is now. I think these brief flashbacks were brilliantly put into the story and made it all the more believable. Ah, I’m rambling. I’m sorry. It’s just that I’m so very overwhelmed. I honestly did not expect to be so superbly entertained by a book that has colourful images and speech bubbles instead of “proper text”, and I can’t wait to sink my teeth into volumes 2 + 3 (yes, they’re on their way into my greedy little hands). So: if you want to find out more about Vader and his personality, read this and you will not regret it. If you’d rather stick to the villainous aspects he so wonderfully displays in the original trilogy, you might want to stay away. As for me, I’m glad I’ve ventured into the world of comic books and I’m thankful to Marvel that they’ve given Darth Vader the platform he deserves. Featuring one of the bad guys (although he is THE bad guy) as the hero of an entire series is rather risky, so thank you, Marvel, thank you so much.

I love the art I love the story the presentation it's all just wonderful! Thanks Marvel I can't wait to read more.