‘Darth Vader’ #44 Review: More Of The Same — In Ways Both Good and Bad

Darth Vader #44 continues the “Schism Imperial” story in much the same way as the previous issue: a focus on the Imperial officers involved in the scheme that more or less relegates Vader to a supporting character in his own book. Yet, a couple of specific elements help keep this issue from being a complete wash.

The focus this issue is Fabarian, an Imperial officer-turned bureaucrat. As detailed via flashback, Fabarian was caught in an Emperor-ordered blast designed to take out the droids — at the cost of innocent civilians — during the uprising that comprised the events of the “Dark Droids” crossover. His outrage and sense of betrayal led to his demotion to a civil service job, and his dismay at the way the power of the Empire was wielded against its own people makes him an easy fit into the Schism Imperial conspiracy and their “we like the Empire, but not the Emperor” ethos.

Fabarian is an intriguing character (with shades of Andor‘s Syril Karn as a put-upon bureaucrat who idolizes the same machinery that is grinding him down), perhaps the most sympathetic Imperial amongst the Schism yet. Not only is he outraged by the Emperor’s attack, his role in the Schism leads him to target a wealthy upper crust baron and arms manufacturer who surrounds his factories with a civilian population to function as human shields. Fabarian’s reaction to the baron’s casual approach to the bystanders’ lives is downright heroic. Yet for all that, Fabarian is still a devoted believer in the principles of the Empire; he is ultimately upset that the Empire isn’t doing more to enforce order.

This is the dichotomy at the heart of the Schism Imperial — they are fighting to topple the Emperor, just like the heroic Rebels, but genuinely believe in the Empire’s fascistic approach to government — which writer Greg Pak hasn’t explored much, but hopefully will before the storyline is over. The tension between Darth Vader being the chief antagonist of this era of the wider Star Wars narrative yet the protagonist in his own series is one that drives this series, and the Schism Imperial offers Pak another way to explore and develop that tension.

Another notable element of Darth Vader #44 — and really, this whole storyline thus far — is the art from Adam Gorham (assisted here by Paul Fry). After the stiffer, more grounded work of previous Darth Vader artists like Salvador Larroca and Rafelle Ienco, Gorham brings a more energetic, traditionally comic book-y look to the series. It calls to mind Cam Kennedy‘s work all the way back on Dark Empire, the first of Dark Horse’s Star Wars books. Under Gorham, Vader himself is a more impressionistic figure, with the angles of his helmet or the folds of his cloak obscuring details of his suit that previous artists rendered. Sub Administrator Moore is wide-eyed, almost feral, a look that puts her at odds with her quiet, scheming nature. 

Layouts-wise, Gorham’s work is fairly straightforward in this issue, with the exception of a full page spread in which he depicts the action perpendicular to the narrative caption as Vader and his co-opted cyborg team assault the baron’s factory, perhaps as a visual representation of the re-ordering the Schism hopes to bring about. But Gorham’s figure work and character designs bring a sensibility that is unique to the series. It is fitting for this story, which features, amongst other things, such comic book friendly elements as Governor Tauntaza’s massive suit of armor or the cyborg M.A.R Corps, and helps elevate what is otherwise a fairly straightforward plot. 

Spoilers ahead

The one big twist in Darth Vader #44 comes at the end, as its revealed that the Emperor is well aware of Vader’s actions — and, presumably, that of the Schism Imperial — and that Sub Administrator Moore is still loyal to the Emperor, helping push Vader so the Emperor can co-opt whatever forces Vader marshals against him. On the one hand, it’s an intriguing wrinkle that complicates what has otherwise been a pretty routine plot. On the other, it risks treading over already well-trod ground.

The bulk of this volume of the series has been, in ways both subtle and overt, focused on the relationship between the Emperor and Vader, and the power plays between them as the latter jockeys for a position of power over and/or independence from the former. Every time Vader seems to have the upper hand, whether from an alliance with Crimson Dawn or the apprenticeship of Sabé or the droid-controlling powers of the Scourge, it turns out to all be part of some twisted scheme of the Emperor’s to build Vader up, break him down, put him in his place, or increase his power. While it helps strengthen Vader’s position as the hero of his own story — the Emperor is essentially his archenemy, constantly dicking him around for his own purposes — it does create a sense of repetition and pointlessness, especially when the endgame of the Vader/Palpatine relationship is already known. Diminishing returns are setting in, and to turn the “Schism Imperial” plotline into yet another spin on the merry-go-round of that relationship does not bode well for it.