Darth Vader takes a more personal interest in the âWar of the Bounty Huntersâ in Star Wars: Darth Vader #14 written by Greg Pak, art by Raffele Ienco, colored by Jason Keith and lettered by Joe Caramagna.
As the âWar of the Bounty Huntersâ crossover churns on, the series doubles back on itself a bit with this issue. It is split roughly in two, with the first half flashing back to the start of issue #12 (just after Vader, having made up with the Emperor, returned to Coruscant from Exegol) and showing how Administrator Sly Moore passed the information on Vaderâs armor to IG-88, just before their big showdown last issue. The second half begins as the story catches up with the previous issueâs cliffhanger, as Moore meets with her anti-Vader cabal, only to have the group effectively wiped out by Vader. This then leads Moore to pivot to a new approach, one which draws Vader deeper into the crossover.
Whether itâs the effect of the crossover or something else, this series has taken some odd turns lately, and that is emphasized here. Putting aside the major misreading of the resolution to âInto the Fireâ (it is now very clear that Vader emerged from that crucible more committed than ever to the Emperor and more determined than ever to kill Luke, how ever much issue #11 seemed to suggest otherwise), the last three issues have kind of bounced all over the place: in #12, it seemed like the series was paying lip service to the crossover without committing to it, via the flashback to Vaderâs encounter with Han & Chewbacca. Last issue, the crossover served mostly as a vehicle for the IG-88 fight, with Moore and her group being set up as (seemingly) new series antagonists. And yet here, they are nearly all wiped out before it’s ever truly established what they want (or even who, beyond Moore, they are).
Granted, the moment when Vader reveals himself to the cabal and cuts them down is the kind of thing this series does best. It is presented as a triumphant moment – the hero has tracked down the assemblage of evil villains plotting his doom, and gained the upper hand! – despite the fact that, by doing so, it makes Vader that much more likely to achieve his goal of destroying the main character of the entire Star Wars narrative. Objectively, we should be rooting for Moore and her group to succeed, yet the way the story is structured and depicted leads us to root for Vader.
Yet for all that, their abrupt elimination is another odd turn for the series, a seemingly-promising branch of the plot nipped in the bud before it ever really blossomed. Moore survives, of course, and helps put Vader on the path towards acquiring Han Solo for himself, attending the âHan Solo auctionâ, and in general, becoming more directly involved with the larger crossover. But it seems like that same end could have been accomplished without the tease of whatever group this is which she had organized and led (to their doom…).
Again, on a micro level, this remains yet another entertaining and well-crafted issue: in addition to the âheroâ moment, it is fun seeing Moore navigate Imperial politics and recognize the significance of the name âSkywalkerâ while overseeing boring administrative work (given her title is âAdministratorâ, she seems oddly irritated at this assignment; then again, Mas Amedda is kind of a dick about it), and Ochi, despite just a few panels of appearances in this one, remains a delightful sidekick/herald for Vader. But on a macro level, itâs become ever more unclear what twitter Greg Pak is going for, as the series shifts from âmostly ignoring the crossoverâ to âcontinuing an immediate plotline in an issue of another bookâ on an issue-by-issue basis. Whether this is just the result of working the crossover into the series or is part of a larger narrative Pak is developing within the crossover, remains to be seen (and will, hopefully, be more clear by the time âWar of the Bounty Huntersâ ends). For now, this issue – and the series overall – is most enjoyable when zoomed in, focusing on the immediate twists and turns of the issue rather than the overarching narrative of the story and grander ambitions of the series, both of which are in something of a murky state.
Force Facts
- Administrator Moore has been around since the Prequels, so the name Skywalker would almost certainly catch her attention (though I believe the official in-universe public fate of Anakin is that he died during the Jedi âuprisingâ).Â
- Mooreâs ability to seemingly do a Jedi mind trick (to varying degrees of success) is an ability native to some members of her species.
Austin Gorton also reviews older issues of X-Men at the Real Gentlemen of Leisure website, co-hosts the A Very Special episode podcast, and likes Star Wars. He lives outside Minneapolis, where sometimes, it is not cold. Follow him on Twitter @AustinGorton
