Darth Vader #3: Dark Heart of the Sith, Part III by Greg Pak

"Darth Vader #3: Dark Heart of the Sith, Part III" written by Greg Pak, illustrated by Raffaele Ienco and Neeraj Menon

     This was so freaking GOOD!!!! I cannot say enough about how happy this foray into Anakin's past with Padme makes me...I'm just utterly over the moon. This arc has been done so well and with so much reverence for the prequels that my heart is singing! Flashback panels even made an appearance as Vader recalls his time with Padme on Naboo during Attack of the Clones. There's honestly not much to say because this issue went by so quickly, but regardless, it was an epic ride!
     We start off on Naboo at the Naberrie Lake Retreat where Sabe and Vader are looking for a security holorecording. Typho and Tonra show up (see below)!!! Ahhh!!! Btw, Vader looks incredibly out of place surrounded by rolling grass and butterflies (see below). The four humans and Vader's droid make their way into the tunnels beneath the lake retreat to board a bongo submarine (see below!) that will take them to the holorecording. And it wouldn't be an adventure to Naboo without an encounter with at least one of the big underwater baddies--in this case, a Colo Claw Fish!!
     Will our heroes get to the holorecording?? Will they continue working together?? Will Sabe, Typho, and Tonra discover the truth about what happened?? How will all this end!?!

     I have to say that this story absolutely tugged at my heartstrings as Sabe, Typho, and Tonra spoke to the legacy of both Padme and Anakin. They even made clear that they mourned the Jedi's passing as much as the senator's. If only they knew they were standing in the ACTUAL presence of Anakin himself!!! I wonder what they would've thought or done if they had known?!?

     So referencing some of the story points mentioned above, check out the two images below!! One is a tribute painting to the treaty between the Gungans and Naboo and the celebration of it that took place at the end of The Phantom Menace. The other is Typho speaking about his respect of Anakin while Vader...Anakin...takes in the information.

     I CANNOT WAIT to find out what happens next in this arc. My mind is simply blown...