Darth Vader comic #10: The Dying Light, Part IV by Charles Soule
"Darth Vader #10: The Dying Light, Part IV" written by Charles Soule, illustrated by Giuseppe Camuncoli, Daniele Orlandini, and David Curiel
A great issue with some surprising twists. Anakin really comes out in this issue through the Darth Vader façade. His desire to be the most powerful and the sole man on top plays into his unexpected actions.
Once again, I'm confused by a comic book cover as Jocasta doesn't have a holocron she's guarding while she's fighting Vader. I really wish the cover artists would stick with the actual story and not make things up...
Jocasta Nu attacks Vader full force with her lightsaber/gun contraption, but then it wears out and her lightsaber is left completely melted! The weapon must have been ancient, barely able to hold together as it blows up and punches a hole in the outer wall of the Temple...making an escape route for Jocasta!
While fighting Vader, Jocasta makes sure Vader knows that she knows who he is due to the vault guardian's ID. "I see it all now--the things unsaid in Master Obi-Wan's final message to the survivor's of the Emperor's Purge. Palpatine was the Sith Lord we could not find. You, our great hope for the Force, were his target. He took you, made you his. Twisted you into this new form, submerged in the Dark Side." She then goes for the jugular, "You are his tool. Little better than a droid." Well, damn, girl. You're really cruising for a bruising going there! I love though how she makes the connection to the Prequels through her knowledge of who Anakin really is--canon connections!
As Jocasta steps forward through the hole in the wall, the clone troopers below spot her and open a maelstrom of fire. She leaps down to defend herself in close combat. Then Vader appears in the hole and the clone troopers simply see another Jedi (going only by his holding a lightsaber), opening fire on him as well. Once again, the Empire is so new that not everybody in the military yet knows who Darth Vader is and what position he holds. So cool to witness this develop!
A lieutenant is finally called in who knows Vader, and his oversight in not letting the other troops in on their new leader gets him, well...Vader-justice.
Jocasta's role for the Emperor is most likely to hand over her list of Force-sensitive children. Vader sees the list--by inserting the memory crystal into his belt and displaying it across his helmet's lenses. It was really neat to get a view into how he sees through his suit. What will he do with the list?
Jocasta continues to badger Vader, "Palpatine ordered you to keep me alive. [...] And you don't even know why, you poor, deluded boy. I suspect it was that list. [...] He wants to make more of you. Which begs the question...what do you want, boy?" She again just really verbally jabs into him, at this point not caring if she dies. Her calling him boy is physically cringe worthy.
Then all hell breaks loose as Jocasta reveals to the clone troopers that Vader is really Anakin. An intense ending for an intense story arc. Will Vader keep the list? Will he give it to the Emperor? Will he keep Jocasta alive as ordered? You'll have to read to find out.
I will say there's a side-story bit at the end showing the man who was helping Jocasta set up her school blowing up the entrance and himself in the process. Cob-webs appear on the rocks in the next few panels and then we see someone who can only be Luke entering the cave. So cool!! I really hope in a future issue of the Star Wars comic series they show Luke digging through Jocasta's hidden archives.
I definitely look forward to seeing where this series goes from here. I've truly been enjoying it's view into the early Empire and Vader's beginnings.
Once again, I'm confused by a comic book cover as Jocasta doesn't have a holocron she's guarding while she's fighting Vader. I really wish the cover artists would stick with the actual story and not make things up...
Jocasta Nu attacks Vader full force with her lightsaber/gun contraption, but then it wears out and her lightsaber is left completely melted! The weapon must have been ancient, barely able to hold together as it blows up and punches a hole in the outer wall of the Temple...making an escape route for Jocasta!
While fighting Vader, Jocasta makes sure Vader knows that she knows who he is due to the vault guardian's ID. "I see it all now--the things unsaid in Master Obi-Wan's final message to the survivor's of the Emperor's Purge. Palpatine was the Sith Lord we could not find. You, our great hope for the Force, were his target. He took you, made you his. Twisted you into this new form, submerged in the Dark Side." She then goes for the jugular, "You are his tool. Little better than a droid." Well, damn, girl. You're really cruising for a bruising going there! I love though how she makes the connection to the Prequels through her knowledge of who Anakin really is--canon connections!
As Jocasta steps forward through the hole in the wall, the clone troopers below spot her and open a maelstrom of fire. She leaps down to defend herself in close combat. Then Vader appears in the hole and the clone troopers simply see another Jedi (going only by his holding a lightsaber), opening fire on him as well. Once again, the Empire is so new that not everybody in the military yet knows who Darth Vader is and what position he holds. So cool to witness this develop!
A lieutenant is finally called in who knows Vader, and his oversight in not letting the other troops in on their new leader gets him, well...Vader-justice.
Jocasta's role for the Emperor is most likely to hand over her list of Force-sensitive children. Vader sees the list--by inserting the memory crystal into his belt and displaying it across his helmet's lenses. It was really neat to get a view into how he sees through his suit. What will he do with the list?
Jocasta continues to badger Vader, "Palpatine ordered you to keep me alive. [...] And you don't even know why, you poor, deluded boy. I suspect it was that list. [...] He wants to make more of you. Which begs the question...what do you want, boy?" She again just really verbally jabs into him, at this point not caring if she dies. Her calling him boy is physically cringe worthy.
Then all hell breaks loose as Jocasta reveals to the clone troopers that Vader is really Anakin. An intense ending for an intense story arc. Will Vader keep the list? Will he give it to the Emperor? Will he keep Jocasta alive as ordered? You'll have to read to find out.
I will say there's a side-story bit at the end showing the man who was helping Jocasta set up her school blowing up the entrance and himself in the process. Cob-webs appear on the rocks in the next few panels and then we see someone who can only be Luke entering the cave. So cool!! I really hope in a future issue of the Star Wars comic series they show Luke digging through Jocasta's hidden archives.
I definitely look forward to seeing where this series goes from here. I've truly been enjoying it's view into the early Empire and Vader's beginnings.
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