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_luke_'s review against another edition
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
jakewritesbooks's review against another edition
3.0
(3.5) I didn't like this one nearly as much as the first one. Too much of the action happens around Vader and not because of him. But it's still good. I'm enjoying the interplay between him and Doctor Aphra.
verkisto's review against another edition
2.0
On the one hand, it's intriguing to see a version of Darth Vader where he's not just a patsy for Sidious. After the prequel movies, I wondered why Vader would boy down so easily to his master, when it was clear to everyone (and should have been clear to Vader) that he had been manipulated into his position. Sure, the whole Rule of Two could explain it -- stay quiet until he was powerful enough to kill his master and assume power -- but that came late, and the disconnect between Vader in the original trilogy and the Vader who would be presented in new context based on the prequel trilogy was too great. So seeing a Vader who's connecting the dots and realizing Sidious cannot be trusted is a welcome turn of events.
On the other hand, it still doesn't put his position in the original trilogy into any further context. We can suspect that Vader is making plans to kill Sidious, based on The Empire Strikes Back, but the way he so easily delivers Luke to Sidious in Return of the Jedi doesn't jive with that interpretation. Is he expecting Luke to be the one to murder Sidious so the two of them can rule the galaxy together? If so, what's with all the "I sense good in him" stuff that Luke keeps spouting through the movie? Or are we supposed to take the long view and decide Vader saw that Luke would kill Sidious and let it happen to redeem himself? If so, why was there that extended scene of Vader looking back and forth between Sidious and Luke when Luke's getting electrocuted?
As much as I like Star Wars, these have been my sticking points about the story for a long time. I delved into the Expanded Universe in the hopes of getting more detail about the gaps Lucas left throughout the series (because there are a lot), and I still haven't had these questions answered sufficiently. I hoped that the Darth Vader series would provide some answers, especially with it being new canon, but it just muddles through a fairly boring story without making much progress between the movies. Vader is still on his own mission, trying to determine who it was that blew up the Death Star, and that involves him getting involved not just with bounty hunters and a thinly-veiled, gender-twisted, evil caricature of Indiana Jones, but also with petty thieves. Vader has to have the money to fund this search, so a couple of the chapters in this book involve the heist. Oh, and the murder droids. I forgot to mention them in my review of the first book, but come on. IG-88 is one thing; bringing in more assassin droids, especially ones who strongly resemble C-3PO and R2-D2, is a bit ridiculous.
The artwork continues to be troublesome, as it doesn't convey any sense of action. It shows action, yes, but there's no feeling of movement from one panel to the next. They appear to be static images of action in progress, which is surprising, since the artwork is otherwise clear. I had some issues with the way the artist showed Aphra, the archeologist. It's not quite cheesecake artwork, but it's clear he's using her as a means to titillate the reader. There's a lot of unnecessary focus on her crotch, hips, and chest. Considering her character is flat and uninteresting, it feels like she's only in there for the younger male readers.
The story here is marginally better than Vader, but only because it shows some of the complexity of Vader's character. The story just isn't that interesting. It's not so good that I want to buy the rest of the books in the series, but it does encourage me to read this series through to the end. They're quick reads, and I've come this far with it already. Maybe I can find them at the library.
On the other hand, it still doesn't put his position in the original trilogy into any further context. We can suspect that Vader is making plans to kill Sidious, based on The Empire Strikes Back, but the way he so easily delivers Luke to Sidious in Return of the Jedi doesn't jive with that interpretation. Is he expecting Luke to be the one to murder Sidious so the two of them can rule the galaxy together? If so, what's with all the "I sense good in him" stuff that Luke keeps spouting through the movie? Or are we supposed to take the long view and decide Vader saw that Luke would kill Sidious and let it happen to redeem himself? If so, why was there that extended scene of Vader looking back and forth between Sidious and Luke when Luke's getting electrocuted?
As much as I like Star Wars, these have been my sticking points about the story for a long time. I delved into the Expanded Universe in the hopes of getting more detail about the gaps Lucas left throughout the series (because there are a lot), and I still haven't had these questions answered sufficiently. I hoped that the Darth Vader series would provide some answers, especially with it being new canon, but it just muddles through a fairly boring story without making much progress between the movies. Vader is still on his own mission, trying to determine who it was that blew up the Death Star, and that involves him getting involved not just with bounty hunters and a thinly-veiled, gender-twisted, evil caricature of Indiana Jones, but also with petty thieves. Vader has to have the money to fund this search, so a couple of the chapters in this book involve the heist. Oh, and the murder droids. I forgot to mention them in my review of the first book, but come on. IG-88 is one thing; bringing in more assassin droids, especially ones who strongly resemble C-3PO and R2-D2, is a bit ridiculous.
The artwork continues to be troublesome, as it doesn't convey any sense of action. It shows action, yes, but there's no feeling of movement from one panel to the next. They appear to be static images of action in progress, which is surprising, since the artwork is otherwise clear. I had some issues with the way the artist showed Aphra, the archeologist. It's not quite cheesecake artwork, but it's clear he's using her as a means to titillate the reader. There's a lot of unnecessary focus on her crotch, hips, and chest. Considering her character is flat and uninteresting, it feels like she's only in there for the younger male readers.
The story here is marginally better than Vader, but only because it shows some of the complexity of Vader's character. The story just isn't that interesting. It's not so good that I want to buy the rest of the books in the series, but it does encourage me to read this series through to the end. They're quick reads, and I've come this far with it already. Maybe I can find them at the library.
alassea's review against another edition
4.0
I love the drawings, and it is interesting to see more behind the scenes stuff from IV-VI.
I found Vader's predicament interesting, though I'm enjoying Aphra's balancing act far more. I'm looking forward to the next installment.
I found Vader's predicament interesting, though I'm enjoying Aphra's balancing act far more. I'm looking forward to the next installment.
lujisa's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Torture, Violence, Vomit, Kidnapping, Murder, and War
bahnree's review against another edition
4.0
I liked this one way more than the first!!! The story is really interesting- I like watching Vader try to sabotage everyone else while accomplishing his own plans. Aphra was more interesting and likeable here, too.
quirkycatsfatstacks's review against another edition
4.0
My expectations for volume two were thankfully met, and it ended up being just as interesting as volume one. Though I’ll admit in part that it’s probably because there’s a lot of Aphra in this volume, and she is quickly becoming my favorite character.
Vader shows the proper way to run a double play in this volume. His orders directly countermand his personal goals nearly every step of the way, and yet he continues onward like nothing is happening. One the one hand, he has Aphra and crew steal a load of credits, on the other, he’s tracking down a bunch of criminals that stole credits. The irony is not lost of me here, and it probably wasn’t for anyone else involved.
While watching Vader run circles around everyone else was pretty funny, I found myself really enjoying watching Aphra work (one part because of the task she was given, and one part because of how she went about said task). Points in her favor: she’s creative, willing to pay high prices for fast information from discreet people, and she’s willing to go as far as necessary to get the information she needs. The downside? She’ll stop exactly where she thinks it’s over - in this case telling Triple-Zero to kill the man he’s interrogating, as opposed to letting him continue. Had she allowed Triple-Zero to continue (as horrible as that may have been) they would have gotten more than just the information about Luke. Since they didn’t continue, and asked very specific questions, he left out Leia and her location. Which is fantastic for Leia, but less so for Aphra (presumably Vader won’t be happy when he finds out they lost an opportunity for that information).
Even knowing how everything goes in the end, I still find myself curious to see how we get from here to there. I think that’s the reason I’m enjoying the series as much as I am (well that and I’m greedy for any Star Wars information). I’m looking forward to volume three, which luckily for me is also on Marvel Unlimited (yay for binge reading without going broke!).
For more reviews, check out Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks
Vader shows the proper way to run a double play in this volume. His orders directly countermand his personal goals nearly every step of the way, and yet he continues onward like nothing is happening. One the one hand, he has Aphra and crew steal a load of credits, on the other, he’s tracking down a bunch of criminals that stole credits. The irony is not lost of me here, and it probably wasn’t for anyone else involved.
While watching Vader run circles around everyone else was pretty funny, I found myself really enjoying watching Aphra work (one part because of the task she was given, and one part because of how she went about said task). Points in her favor: she’s creative, willing to pay high prices for fast information from discreet people, and she’s willing to go as far as necessary to get the information she needs. The downside? She’ll stop exactly where she thinks it’s over - in this case telling Triple-Zero to kill the man he’s interrogating, as opposed to letting him continue. Had she allowed Triple-Zero to continue (as horrible as that may have been) they would have gotten more than just the information about Luke. Since they didn’t continue, and asked very specific questions, he left out Leia and her location. Which is fantastic for Leia, but less so for Aphra (presumably Vader won’t be happy when he finds out they lost an opportunity for that information).
Even knowing how everything goes in the end, I still find myself curious to see how we get from here to there. I think that’s the reason I’m enjoying the series as much as I am (well that and I’m greedy for any Star Wars information). I’m looking forward to volume three, which luckily for me is also on Marvel Unlimited (yay for binge reading without going broke!).
For more reviews, check out Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks
calistareads's review against another edition
4.0
I read the omnibus edition and I didn't realize this would be a duplicate. I am enjoying this new series.
Psychopathic robots in Triple zero and BeeTee are the comic relief. I mean, if they were real, they would be horrifying, but listening to them go on about the joys of torture is some dark humor.
Luke has blown up the Death Star and he is being hunted by many people in the galaxy including Vader. He wants the truth about is this his son or not. I enjoy the new characters and this would make a great TV show.
Great art, good action and it's fun.
Psychopathic robots in Triple zero and BeeTee are the comic relief. I mean, if they were real, they would be horrifying, but listening to them go on about the joys of torture is some dark humor.
Luke has blown up the Death Star and he is being hunted by many people in the galaxy including Vader. He wants the truth about is this his son or not. I enjoy the new characters and this would make a great TV show.
Great art, good action and it's fun.
frankydclc's review against another edition
5.0
Another solid entry into the Disney canon. I think I love this series.
kevinhendricks's review against another edition
2.0
Volume two in the post-Episode IV, re-imagined Star Wars comic universe. There was a scene when Vader visits the burned out home of Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru that had potential, but otherwise it's not super intriguing. He throws his lightsaber to take out a Y-Wing—that was kind of cool.