The Schism Imperial rises as Vader deals with the fallout of “Dark Droids” in Darth Vader #42, written by Greg Pak, drawn by Adam Gorham, colored by Federico Blee and lettered by Joe Caramanga.
With “Dark Droids” behind us and the title character past the weird “my Force powers are broken so I’m going to blast you with this shield” status quo, Darth Vader #42 kicks off a new storyline, one which has the potential to circle back to a bit of character development it’s teased – and seemingly abandoned – before.
“Rise of the Schism Imperial” features a faction of Imperials opposed not to the Empire itself — like the Rebels — but merely Palpatine’s leadership of it. Introduced in the closing pages of the previous issue, the Schism Imperial is led by Sub Administrator Moore, whose frustrations and struggles with the Emperor and Vader despite her relatively lofty position have been previously chronicled in the series (something this issue — or at least Emperor Palpatine — seems to forget sometimes). Centering her as our POV character into the group is smart, because the rest of the group, shown in the previous issue, land somewhere between “delightfully comic book-y” and “frankly ridiculous” (Governor Tauntaza is wearing her enormous suit of Hulkbuster armor, Captain Corleque has a Movie Bane mask covering the lower third of his head). But their efforts, led by Moore, to try and recruit Vader to their cause callback the series’ earlier flirtations with establishing an actual break between Vader and the Emperor by the time of Return of the Jedi.
Now as then, it remains a captivating idea, a chance for writer Greg Pak to use the narrow confines of the series’ setting to do some legitimate character work with Darth Vader and recontextualize his actions at the climax of the Original Trilogy. Could the Vader of Return of the Jedi be more than the dutiful lapdog he appears to be (at least until he chucks his master down a reactor shaft)? Someone actively (if secretively) working to undermine the Emperor, having finally had enough of being jerked around by the monster who effectively ruined his life and wants to replace him with his son? Or was there some specific event which so thoroughly beat him down, rendering him the seemingly dutiful apprentice willing to stand by while his master goads his son into replacing him, even after offering to overthrow the Emperor with Luke’s help in the previous film?
The Schism Imperial offers a way back into that arc for Vader (the character and the series), one built on Vader’s dedication to order, as established in the series’ earlier Sabé arcs. Not only would this be interesting in terms of adding a new layer to Return of the Jedi, but it would help firm up the character arc of the series, underscoring what matters to Vader and firmly entrenching it as a story where Vader is the protagonist and the Emperor is the antagonist. Is that where Pak is headed with all this? After getting burned on this already, I am out of the prognosticating business. I still think it would be an interesting direction for the series, but it’s entirely possible he’s got other things in mind.
Unfortunately, the rest of Darth Vader #42 — which overall has very little to do with the Schism Imperial — is a ho-hum affair. The best thing about it is the artwork from Adam Gorham, fresh from the Ms. Marvel “Fall of X” series, who brings a rougher, more traditionally comic book vibe to the look in contrast to Rafael Ienco’s usual smooth & occasionally stiff work. It’s a good fit for a story that introduces a team of cybernetic Rebel agents (who definitely do fall on the wrong side of the delightful/ridiculous divide). There’s a double page spread of Vader against a backdrop of smaller panels, each filled with a different action beat, each of which is telling its own little story while also contributing to the larger Vader vs. cyborg Rebels fight.
We need more art like that to enliven up what is, unfortunately, an overly-familiar plot, as Vader goes about using his newfound abilities from the “Dark Droids” crossover to try to co-opt the Rebel cyborgs before being approached by Moore and pitched on the idea of the Schism Imperial. Not only is this another issue focused on someone trying to take control of people/droids after several months of that across the line, it’s the second or third (or maybe fourth) attempt specifically by Vader in the series to co-opt other forces in an attempt to give himself an army/underlings. That repetition, alongside the memory of those other, seemingly forgotten efforts (remember when Vader had that whole team of bounty hunters & freedom fighters led by Valance under his command?) makes it hard to get too excited by Darth Vader #42, even as it also offers hope that Pak is once again preparing to probe the larger arc of the character.
Force Facts
- Also of note this issue: Richard E. Grant’s General Pryde from Rise of Skywalker makes his comic book debut as a younger Imperial Lieutenant in this issue who is used by the cyborg Rebels to lure Vader into a trap. How much you care about this likely depends on your feelings about Rise of Skywalker.
- One of the cyborg Rebels appears to be a Gigoran, which seem of late to have supplanted Wookiees as the go-to “large animalistic but still humanoid alien” member of these sorts of groups.
Elsewhere in a Galaxy Far, Far Away
Dark Droids #5 by Charles Soule and Luke Ross
“Dark Droids” is the second annual crossover of the current Star Wars line, following “War of the Bounty Hunters”. While it provided an atmospheric horror-tinged vibe in the course of its story that was a fun departure from the tonal norm (and it was fun to see Artoo as an Alpha Hero for a change), it ultimately fizzled out, ending the threat of the Scourge in a perfunctory and anti-climatic manner. Whereas “War of the Bounty Hunters” had implicit connections to the events of both The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, and ushered in a new faction in the Galactic Civil War for the comic series of this era to play around with, it doesn’t look like “Dark Droids” will ultimately have contributed much to the greater Star Wars legacy.
Star Wars: Revelations #1 by a large assortment of writers and artists from across the line
This is the second annual “Revelations” issue, designed to showcase the upcoming plots of the various Star Wars series via a series of short stories. The title — Revelations — has twice now tricked me into thinking this will be something more momentous than it is, that it will be establishing (or at least teasing) some kind of larger narrative or thematic arc for each series to explore in their own way. Instead, it’s basically a glorified Previews listing, a few pages of perfunctory story per series that concludes with, “check out [SERIES NAME] [ISSUE NUMBER] for more!”. Which is fine for what it is, so long as you know that going into it.
This Day in Star Wars History
On Jan. 9, 1987, Star Tours opened in Disneyland.
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
