‘Darth Vader’ #48 Reviewed: The Promise Of An Ending Bests Lackluster Storytelling

Between the release of the previous issue and this one, it was announced that both this series and the “main” Star Wars book would be ending with their respective 50th issues. While this feels somewhat abrupt just based on the numbers (both series published their 48th issue after the announcement, meaning there was only three issues of each before they end), this book is in much better shape to weather its cancellation than Star Wars.

Because the news came out while Darth Vader is in the middle of a storyline (vs. Star Wars, which kicks off a brand new plot in its 48th issue), it can take advantage of the flow of multi-part stories to create a sensation of culmination. That’s exactly what Darth Vader #48 does: by pairing the rising conflict occurring naturally in the “Razing of Exegol” storyline with the news of the upcoming conclusion, the issue benefits from the sense that plot threads are coming together, building into a crescendo that will conclude not only the storyline, but the series. 

The issue opens with Luke Skywalker meeting his mom’s doppelganger, Sabé, face-to-face. This series has explored, on the margins, the relationship between Vader and Luke off and on throughout its run. Luke’s presence in this storyline is its most overt action in that department yet. While the pair remain physically separated by most of a galaxy, each is tuned into the other’s thoughts through the Force, and by the end of the issue, are on a path towards (physical) confrontation.

Whether or not that confrontation actually occurs remains to be seen, but once again, the looming end of the series creates a sense of finality that makes these motions feel like a bigger deal than when writer Greg Pak flirted in this direction before. Again and again throughout the series, Vader’s relationship with Luke and the Emperor was bent, teasing some kind of ultimate break that would recontextualize the events of Return of the Jedi. Each time, Pak backed off as the specific storyline drew to a close. If it’s ever going to happen, now is the time, and that injects the Vader/Luke/Sabé dynamic with an extra crackle of energy in this issue. 

Similarly, the marriage of convenience between Vader and the Schism Imperial seems to have come to a close. With Vader refusing to kill Luke, Administrator Moore and Governor Tautanza make their move. Co-opting Vader using the purloined droid control tech from the “Dark Droids” crossover, they confiscate his Kyber weapons as Moore declares her intent to replace Vader as Palpatine’s apprentice (effectively making the Schism Imperial the Empire). That this ultimately blows up in their face doesn’t change the fact that Vader and the Schism are now at cross purposes regarding Luke, a plot development that could have felt like just another beat of the plot, but now feels more momentous with the end of the series looming. 

Less effective in Darth Vader #48 is the art. Raffaele Ienco has been a welcome and steadying hand on this book for much of its run thanks to his detailed linework and penchant for poster-worthy splash pages. But he’s always struggled a bit with action storytelling, particularly smaller scale person-on-person action. That limitation is on full display here, both in the Luke/Sabé/Warba fights and the Vader/Moore/Tauntaza fights. Too often the panel to panel flow of action is muddied, requiring dialogue or narrative captions to carry too much of the storytelling load. If the plot developments feel bigger for feeling more final, the confusing visual storytelling has the opposite effect, the action being more confusing than epic. 

Similarly, the issue-ending cliffhanger, of Vader facing off against the exceedingly comic book-y M.A.R Corps of Rebel cyborgs over which Vader had previously held sway, doesn’t land as hard as it’s meant to. The characters haven’t been developed into anything more than an assortment of unique visuals, with nothing to suggest they’ll pose anything more than a cursory threat to Vader. It makes for a deflating end to an issue which — some shaky visual storytelling aside— feels energized by the looming climax of the series.