"Darth Vader #19: Dark Order" by Greg Pak

"Darth Vader #19: Dark Order" written by Greg Pak, illustrated by Guiu Vilanova and Alex Sinclair

I did enjoy this issue but it was all pretty darn strange with peoples' motives seeming to morph and change as different things occurred in the story. Even Vader had some benevolent moments which really threw me for a loop! And, it turns out Valance is a main character in this issue...so maybe he'll become a starring player in this series and only briefly show up at times in the "Bounty Hunters" series? Odd move, but I do like that they're making him an important player throughout the story overall.

There's also a great deal of flashbacks as Vader mentally wrestles with how to move forward. I'm always down for flashbacks but I'm not 100% sure on how they fit with the present part of the story... We see Anakin and Padme by the lake on Naboo discussing what the best government would be, and we see Anakin and Shmi both when the young boy leaves her to become a Jedi and when he is carrying his mother's shrouded body to her grave. In the latter part, the emphasis is on not failing again. But in the former part, the emphasis is on the "order" brought about by dictatorship. Perhaps Vader is honing in on his ability to deal with the Crimson Dawn threat, determining that he will not fail in bringing about order? At the end of the opening flashback scene, he thinks, "Order. Through Power. The only thing standing between us...and chaos."

Then we're in the present on Laecor in the Outer Rim where Ochi, the Revengers (all of which now have identified  names!!--the Trandoshan is Tanka, the Weequay is S'ira, and the human is Ankala Sahm), the assassins, Vader, and Valance are all gearing up to deal with a group of stormtroopers who happen to actually be Crimson Dawn operatives. Despite their loyalties being obvious in regard to the situation, the troopers talk as if they are still loyal Imperialists. The problem? A group of aliens on the planet has been slaughtered because they didn't pay their Crimson Dawn tribute (see below)...and the stormtroopers are super nonchalant about the whole thing. 

Vader's response to the above is to mentally conjure up another flashback, this time Padme saying, "Have you ever considered that we may be on the wrong side?' This memory in particular has the potential to stir up so much in Vader: 1) Anakin's reaction to Padme's statement in the movie is angry and rushed, eager to lash out against any naysayer of Palpatine, 2) is he actually considering that being evil is not a good look??, and 3) he's been through the ringer with Palpatine already and he knows the Sith doesn't care about anybody except himself, so maybe he's remembering these realties??

After the stormtroopers go bloodthirsty and begin to blast the remaining alien survivors, Vader steps in with his lightsaber to mow the troopers down (see below)! Not one is left standing and most of the alien survivors from the first round of killing walk away unscathed. 

Then Ochi sets up Valance with the Revengers on a scouting mission to obtain information about a Crimson Dawn secret base on Laecor. The Revengers introduce themselves and share their skills with the former bounty hunter. Tanka--"I can do pretty much everything I look like I can do." S'ira--"Tough and fast, smarter than most."Ankala Sahm--"I'm the leader. So I'm not quite sure what you're doing here." Poor Valance tries to warn the Revengers about Vader and his intentions, but they won't listen to reason. He says, "We're just the bait. You're all Revengers, right? Lost your families to Crimson Dawn? Ochi's got you marked as a bunch of true believers who'll happily blunder out into the field and draw fire...while he sits up on the rise with his assassins and gauges the enemy's strength." Tanka responds in complete denial, "But that--that doesn't add up. Lord Vader...he saved us. And then he saved those villagers. He carries a laser sword, like the old heroes--" It is incredibly bizarre seeing a Trandoshan speak such hopeful words... Once Crimson Dawn soldiers appear and begin attacking the Revengers (see them in what appears to be a protective shield below), Vader picks up Ochi with the Force and tosses him down into the fray where he joins Valance and the Revengers. Valance--"You're working for Vader, Ochi. What'd you expect?" Ochi--"Shut up!" Ochi is such a funny character, so different from his brief yet totally creepy appearance in The Rise of Skywalker. I would love to see this funny Ochi on screen!!

Darth Vader's last words of the issue are as follows, "Crimson Dawn is just a symptom. I will destroy the disease. So be it." How very strange... I honestly have NO idea what he means by the disease...perhaps "chaos"? He did mention chaos as the most dangerous thing that order through power prevents...

So quite an interesting issue overall. Vader's motivations seem to be taking a turn but there's no clear indication of where that turn may take him. I'm definitely invested in seeing where in the world this story goes from here because at this point, the benevolent Vader makes me feel like I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop!! Weird stuff indeed.

I'll leave you with one last image--Ochi aiming like a stormtrooper!! HAHA!

-Marie E. Wilson a.k.a. @AliaMorgaine