Darth Vader (2020) #23 - Comic Review

Darth Vader is Anakin Skywalker. Or so says Sabé, right hand to Padmé Amidala and part of her royal guard. In Darth Vader (2020) #23 she announces this massive revelation, much to Vader’s dismay. He immediately dismisses the notion, but Sabé follows it up with multiple accounts that prove her point. Along with these accusations, she also claims to have helped save the various slaves from the Hutts on Tatooine, something Anakin was unable to do in his life. This caught Vader’s attention, though he tries to hide it, and Sabé continues by mentioning that an Imperial governor, who is secretly working with Crimson Dawn, is doing her best to hurt a group of these past slaves that are living on a planet she rules over. Sabé’s plan is to use her knowledge of Anakin and Vader to convince him to help her save these people while striking out at Crimson Dawn at the same time!

Writer Greg Pak takes this comic back to its roots with Darth Vader (2020) #23, and focuses mostly on the relationship between Darth Vader and Anakin like Pak did so much with his earlier issues in this run. Starting out with Vader trying to convince Sabé that Anakin is in fact dead and not alive within the Dark Lord’s suit, the issue continues to double down every other page as Pak brings back some deep cuts from Skywalker’s childhood—including his trauma at not being able to free and save his mother along with a few characters from the young boy’s childhood life as a slave of Watto’s, along with a few other characters I never expected to see make an appearance again! Pak’s writing is beautiful, giving intense emotional beats to Vader’s fascinating character on nearly every panel.

The visual artistic team for Darth Vader (2020) #23 consist of artist Raffaele Ienco, colorist Carlos Lopez, and letterer VC’s Joe Caramagna. They do an absolute stellar job at bringing to life the actions portrayed on the page, but the best part is how well Ienco’s translates the deep and dark emotions of the Dark Lord, despite never seeing his face to show off said emotions. Through well crafted stances and body language, Ienco drives home the always deeply troubled and conflicting thoughts that go through Vader’s head every time he is confronted with events and people from his past.

The main cover art for Darth Vader (2020) #23 comes from Paul Renaud. This cover features a great rendition of Sabé and Vader standing together with an assortment of beautiful reds and oranges flowing through the background. The first variant cover is by Takashi Okazaki and Rico Renzi—featuring an epic and intense portrayal of Vader with Valance in the background. Last, but never least, is the newest Lucasfilm 50th Anniversary cover from Chris Sprouse, Karl Story, and Neeraj Menon, this time with a stunning portrayal of the clone squad the Bad Batch!

Darth Vader (2020) #23 continues Greg Pak’s introspective look at Vader’s life, emotions, and troubled past, along with continuing the intense and action packed story of the Empire vs Crimson Dawn. It’s a poignant issue that brings Pak back to his earlier issues that focused primarily on Vader dealing with his conflicting past. So hop in your Imperial Shuttle and fly on down to your local comic shop to pick up an issue today!