Star Wars: Darth Vader #1

Charles Soule and Guiseppe Camuncoli present one of the strongest Star Wars books to date in Darth Vader #1. Read Full Review

A solid start to the Sith Lord's second series. Answers what Vader did after he first assumed the armor, and it wasn't pretty. Recommended reading for all Star Wars fans. And can Chris Eliopoulos get his own Star Wars one-shot already? Read Full Review

Yeah, I'm hooked. You should be too. Go and buy this. Read Full Review

The use of flashbacks to Vader's past, and inputs of his own thoughts, make him seem like there is still a human left in there somewhere. I applaud the writers and artists of this comic. It sucks you in and leaves you wanting more. Read Full Review

A comic like this only works if the whole team is working as a single unit, and that's what readers get to see with Darth Vader #1. This series kicks off with a bang and wastes no time diving into the rage, pain and hurt that are Darth Vader's first days. I'm all in for more of this, bring it on! Read Full Review

Darth Vader #1 allows readers to explore the mysteries of Sith lore and philosophy, while leaving a trail ofForce chokes and ominous breathing in its wake. Read Full Review

While Kieron Gillen's epic 25-issue run gave us the methodical Sith Lord we loved from The Empire Strikes Back, Soule's Darth Vader #1 sets the stage for a series that will likely embody the savagery of Rogue One's closing moments, making this introductory issue perfect for those left salivating after Vader's last on-screen appearance. Read Full Review

To begin, the dialogue here was brilliant. The comics conveyed a banter that far surpassed any of the screenwriting for the Revenge of the Sith film. Read Full Review

I really enjoyed what the other Darth Vader series did in a post-ANH period but I'm far, far, more excited for what Soule and the team can do here in a post -ROTS period as the galaxy is undergoing so many changes. Read Full Review

Darth Vader is, in my opinion, a well loved, timeless character. Just a man who suffered the death of his mother and the only woman he's ever loved. Truly a Greek tragedy among the stars as Anakin's humanity burned away and was forged to become a weapon for the dark side. I thoroughly enjoyed Marvel's Star Wars: Darth Vader series #1 and you will too. Read Full Review

One more Vader issue one is one more chance for Vader a title to excel over all the other Star wars titles. It must be lonely at the top for Darth Vader. This issue was well crafted and effective, but it also manages to pull off the one thing any first issue needs to do to succeed. It creates mystery and interest and a desire for the next issue to be released. Read Full Review

This story seems to be steeped in Force lore, what it means to be a true Sith, and how Darth Vader became even more terrifying than the Emperor himself. All worries that this was a cash-grab are gone " bring one issue #2. Read Full Review

Now, Darth Vader is on a new path to find the secret of Luke's origin. In this first installment, Greg Pak laid the groundwork for a story arc that is the most intriguing yet by making it Vader's most challenging mission. Read Full Review

What may be the main sticking point for Darth Vader, at this point, is just whether or not you buy into its core premise - if you want action, you’re gonna get it in spades, but if you an ambitious, character-driven Vader version of "Batman: Year One," this isn’t the book for you (at least, not yet). But ultimately, part of Darth Vader’s long-lasting appeal has been his transgressiveness, his lack of restraint as he Force-chokes a subordinate or cuts through a horde of Rebels with his blood-red lightsaber. He’s a man with literally nothing to live for, fueled by only misery and shame - and his prodigiousness at sharing that pain with others. If it’s a fight you’re looking for, it’s a fight you’re going to get with this new iteration of Darth Vader. Read Full Review

Darth Vader #1 gets Marvel‘s latest Star Wars series off to a terrific start. Giving us an intriguing narrative set after the events of Revenge of the Sith, the creative team do an amazing job of grabbing our excitement, even if the developments felt a little sparse in comparison to the $4.99 cover price. Read Full Review

Final Verdict: 8.0 " With a feeling of looming dread, Charles Soule and Giuseppe Camuncoli provide an interesting view into the life of a newly corrupted Sith apprentice, giving a look at Darth Vader that the audience seldom is afforded. Read Full Review

While at first, it didn't seem necessary for Marvel to roll out another line of Darth Vader comics, the potential of this story is strong and I am interested to see where it leads us down the line. Read Full Review

Thankfully Giuseppe Camuncolis art stays away from the photo referencing that has plagued these Star Wars books in the past. His Emperor may look a little strange, but outside of that, it is a gorgeous looking book. The Star Wars comics look best when you have high-quality cartooning that is not attempting to simply recreate actors faces. By default, when Darth Vader is your main character you avoid that issue without much effort. We are finally finding out how Darth Vader became Darth Vader. The only questionis if that is a story worth telling. Read Full Review

Darth Vader #1 is a good start to another solo series for the dark lord. Read Full Review

While not a perfect read though,this new volume ofDarth Vaderis nonetheless a decent enough one that has plenty of room to improve over time. With a gap of 17 years there's plenty for Soule to work with and, given time, he will hopefully achieve greatness. Read Full Review

Overall, Darth Vader #1 introduces the concept of a rookie Vader well, but it misses the mark on exploring his inner turmoil upon learning he killed Padme. Soule still writes the characters well, though, and the art is up to par. It may just be the fact that we were spoiled with the last volume of Darth Vader and this team just has a lot to live up to, but hopefully the later issues can dive deeper into Vader's true psychological and physical transformation. Read Full Review

Darth Vader #1 may not have gotten off to the best of starts, the involvement of Giuseppe Camuncoli on artistic duties really makes this issue worth a read. Read Full Review

The previous series was able to keep my interest for most of its run. A younger Vader out to prove himself does allow the comic to tackle different types of storylines. While not sold on all the choices writer Charles Soule makes here, Darth Vader #1 does offer enough to make me come back for at least one more issue. For fans. Read Full Review

samizrozami

May 05, 2025

Finally a mainline sw title locked in

The Villain

Jun 07, 2017

Great kick off issue with some really solid art. Charles Soule shows us some scenes that we were never able to witness in the films. I always enjoy seeing lots of Palpatine in these comics and this may be the most attention he gets. Vader's trial to truly become a Sith lord looks like it could be one of the best Star Wars comics so far.

JAC8285

Jun 07, 2017

Time to take another walk on the dark side!

daspidaboy

Dec 03, 2024

This was really good and more easier to understand compared to Kieron Gillan. But they're both good. This run takes place between Episode 3 and 4, while Kieron Gillan takes place between Episode 4 and 5. Just want people to be aware of this.

CesarCastanha

Jun 08, 2017

As it shows for the first time such a crucial moment in Star Wars mythology, I found this comic really disappointing. The writing is cheesy and obvious. As the first Darth Vader was by far the best Star Wars/Marvel series, I really do hope this new one gets better. The presence of both Vader and Palpatine here is far from reaching the terrifying grip that came with the characters at the first series.

Spock's Brain

Jun 21, 2017

Keiran Gillen's "Darth Vader" was so good, this series has a lot to live up to. It makes itself its own thing by exploring rookie Vader, but....I didn't really care too much for this. I mean, it wasn't bad, but it didn't have the coolness or badassedness of its former iteration. I also thought Camuncoli's pencils would work better than they did. I'll try issue #2, but I'm not really sold here.

Triseult

Jun 16, 2017

Big meh. Sure, the previous series was a hard act to follow, but this is definitely NOT on par with Kieron Gillen's stuff. While Gillen's Darth Vader felt like the real deal, this one here just feels like a fanfic copy. What Gillen did brilliantly was constantly let us guess at Vader's mindset before defying moments of redemption by showing Vader's acceptance of his darker nature. This issue did none of that.

The worse offender was definitely the writing, which was constantly on the nose and over the top. I mean, gosh, the Emperor calls Vader his "friend" twice. But the art doesn't help: it's cartoony instead of near-realistic, which really doesn't help the comic's tone.

So a pass for me. I'll stick to Doctor Aphra for my dose of morally-ambiguous Star Wars rogues. more

READ RUMBLE

Jun 14, 2017

Wow - what a f****** rip off. This book was $4.99?!?! There was multiple pages of NO dialogue and it ended so abruptly. This comic is worth no more than $2.99 at best. It was good and a story I believe is worth telling, but man...compare this to a $2.99 issue of Paper Girls and you will see just how much of a rip off this is. Marvel is crap. They have zero respect for their own fans. They want the most amount for a book at the lowest amount of story. I haven''t bought a Marvel book for over a year prior to this issue and it will be a long time before I buy another one. Oh, art was good, but the depiction of the Emperor was terrible. Didn't even look like him. He looked odd to me with how he was depicted.