Darth Vader: Interview with Raffaele Ienco. Artwork by Raffaele Ienco. Marvel/Lucasfilm Ltd.
Books & Comics

Darth Vader: Interview with Raffaele Ienco

Raffaele Ienco shares his experience drawing the Darth Vader comic book series—from prequel flashbacks to character likeness and much more.

Ever since the fall of Anakin Skywalker and the rise of Darth Vader in Revenge of the Sith—the stories around the Dark Lord of the Sith have briefly touched upon the tragedy of the man behind the mask. We’ve read about the ruthlessness of Vader and the inspiring heroism of Anakin Skywalker—but we had yet to really dive deeper into the fallen Jedi’s dark heart and how the past still haunts him. The new Darth Vader ongoing comic book series—written by Greg Pak—explores new ground, focusing on the Dark Lord’s vulnerability through heart-wrenching flashbacks and unexpected reunions. Artist Raffaele “Raff” Ienco is bringing the story to life through character and environment authenticity while masterfully incorporating some of the most unforgettable scenes from the prequels with the series’ events.

Although this is Ienco’s first work in a galaxy far, far away—his fascination to the franchise has been there since childhood. “As a kid, I remember getting a book with iron-on decals so you could transform any t-shirt into a Star Wars themed shirt. A lot of my shirts became Star Wars crested overnight,” Ienco shared in an interview with TatooineTimes.com.

Ienco has been a fan of Star Wars ever since—religiously watching all the movies and keeping up with the comic book runs of the new Marvel era—but when the opportunity to draw Darth Vader came around, he admitted it was a frightening challenge to take on. “I had never drawn anything Star Wars before, not even for fun but Mark [Paniccia] was up for giving me a try,” Ienco said. “Before I got a script I had to do some character head rotations and have them approved by Lucasfilm. Characters and vehicles and locales have to be as precise as possible, and I just happened to have a knack for that—so I got the gig! I’d be drawing Star Wars: Darth Vader for Marvel!”

Apart from Star Wars icons such as the Dark Lord himself, Ienco had the opportunity to design a new character—ZED-6-7, an Imperial forensics droid assisting Vader on his vengeful quest whose logical humor counters the constant dark tone of the story. “I have an affinity for ZED-6-7 since I designed him based off another droid that Lucasfilm recommended,” Ienco said.

ZED-6-7 Concept Art - Artwork by Raffaele Ienco. Lucasfilm Ltd.
ZED-6-7 Concept Art - Artwork by Raffaele Ienco. Lucasfilm Ltd.

Dark Heart of the Sith—the first arc of the series—displayed Vader’s vulnerable side through flashbacks triggered by his reconciliation with objects, locations, and people from the past. “Greg Pak is doing a great job writing and coordinating the history of characters with what they’re doing presently in the series. Generally he tells me where to look for the scene in the movies and suggests what angle would be best to capture the flashback,” Ienco explained.

Darth Vader 2020 (Issue 2, Page 20): Flashbacks - Artwork by Raffaele Ienco. Lucasfilm Ltd.
Darth Vader 2020 (Issue 2, Page 20): Flashbacks - Artwork by Raffaele Ienco. Lucasfilm Ltd.

Without a doubt, Ienco’s mastery of character likeness elevates the authenticity of the story—allowing for a genuine connection between the movies and the comic series. “Maintaining character likeness is a very important aspect of Star Wars comics. Sometimes it’s a back and forth process between artist and editors until the angle and likeness are acceptable,” Ienco said. “For the first and second issue I had to go over the finished inks of every page and adjust the likeness of Sabé. Did I say drawing Star Wars was easy?”

Probably one of the most jaw-dropping revelations in Star Wars canon was Vader’s unexpected reunion with what we all thought was Padmé but turned out to be none other than Sabé, the Queen’s Shadow. Ienco was able to visually and subtly set her apart from Padmé while still making the reader (and Vader) confused about her true identity.

Sabé, the Queen's Shadow - Artwork by Raffaele Ienco. Lucasfilm Ltd.
Sabé, the Queen's Shadow - Artwork by Raffaele Ienco. Lucasfilm Ltd.

“At first, I was drawing Sabé too much like Natalie Portman and was told to skew the character more to match Keira Knightley’s features. I also designed her modern day look, taking bits from Padmé’s clothing and hairstyles. Also keep in mind that the characters are much older nowadays so it was not an easy thing to balance, but we managed it,” Ienco explained.

Ienco shared one of his most rewarding moments from his work so far on Darth Vader. “Probably issue 1, page 5, panel 1, where Darth Vader is walking to his shuttle in the hangar bay while the death troopers stand at alert for him. This was a victory for me, and I let out a breath of relief after it was done thinking I may succeed at pulling this off (drawing the Star Wars galaxy).”

Darth Vader 2020 (Issue 1, Page 5, Panel 1) - Artwork by Raffaele Ienco. Lucasfilm Ltd.
Darth Vader 2020 (Issue 1, Page 5, Panel 1) - Artwork by Raffaele Ienco. Lucasfilm Ltd.

After six issues (two yet to be released) and a positive response from the fans, Raffaele Ienco is officially staying as the penciler for Darth Vader. If you love his art and would like to discover more, make sure to follow Ienco’s social media pages on Twitter, Instagram, and DeviantArt.

Fabio Fiori

Fabio Fiori

Fabio Fiori is the Founder and Creative Director of Tatooine Times. He grew up watching the Prequels and is obsessed with Star Wars behind-the-scenes.