Review: Darth Vader Vol. 3- The Shu-Torun War

Quick Summary

Pros: Darth Vader is as brutal and entertaining as ever. The switch from subterfuge to straightforward war gives the series a nice change of pace. The artwork is consistently beautiful.

Cons: The droids are a little much in this volume.

Overall: This volume is another installment of exciting adventures from Darth Vader himself. Here readers will instantly notice a change of pace, as Vader is more direct with his actions than he was previously. This leads to a narrative that feels more like a real war and gives minor characters plenty of opportunity to shine. If you have been enjoying this series so far, you are sure to enjoy this one as well.

Story

Darth Vader Vol. 3: The Shu-Torun War sees a rather large shakeup in the typical dynamic that has been present in earlier volumes. Instead of detail the protagonist’s use of deceit and subterfuge to accomplish their goals, this volume is more of a straightforward war. Writer Kieron Gillen teams Vader up with the rulers of a mining planet in order to squash any rebellion from their subjects. There are a few missteps along the way, most involving Vader’s overly comical droids, but the volume as a whole is great and another worthy addition to this series.

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The volume begins by establishing the situation on Shu-Torun. Vader is betrayed by the planet’s rulers and, thus, has them all killed. The only member of the royal family he spares is the young Princess Trios, who he appoints as the new Queen. This opening chapter is a quick reminder of the Empire’s brutality and a testament to the ends they will go to in order to obtain what they want.

From here, Vader and Trios team up in order to secure her newly acquired power by stopping the rebellion taking place throughout the planet. Though the straightforward planning and direct attacks seen here differ from the more subtle maneuverings see in previous volumes, they are by no means less entertaining. In fact, seeing Vader go all out and hold nothing back is a bit of a refreshing change of pace, as he is no longer restricted by a random officer hanging around. While previous volumes could be seen as a testament to Vader’s intelligence, this volume works well as a testament to Vader’s strength.

Alongside showing off Vader, Gillen also manages to do a great job in building up the minor characters throughout this volume. This includes a betrayal from one of “the twins”, the death of the other “twin”, and some unexpected treachery from Cylo. However, the best case of character development is Queen Trios herself, who goes from a scared girl to a harsh and exacting ruler. It isn’t exactly wholesome character development but it is still a great progression, especially considering how short a time it happens over.

The Shu-Torun War‘s only major negative comes from Vader’s two maniacally comedic droids. In our review of Volume One, we talked about how these droids push the boundaries on comedy, especially when compared to the otherwise serious nature of this comic. Now, in this volume, it is more noticeable than ever. With Aphra missing, her moderation of the droid’s action is gone and they end up playing a much larger role than ever before. If you were someone who loved them from the get-go, then it is possible this negative may actually be a positive. However, I found them to be a bit too silly and distracting in an otherwise great book.

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Art

Once again, Salvador Larroca is able to deliver another beautiful looking volume of the Darth Vader series. Characters, locations, and vehicles all have a great level of detail and realism to them. The only real downside here is that the book’s plot mostly takes place underground, which does not lend itself well to overly imaginative backgrounds. However, Larroca still manages to make this work and shows a good level of creativity when drawing the various ornate palaces or complex machinery one would find in this underground world. Overall, The Shu-Torun War is another visual success for the Darth Vader series.

Continuity

Darth Vader Vol. 3: The Shu-Torun War continues the story from Star War: Vader Down (Review). Both stories take place between the movies Star Wars: Episode IV- A New Hope and Star Wars: Episode V- The Empire Strikes Back.

The story here continues in Darth Vader Vol. 4: End of Games (Review).

This volume also makes a reference to another work, detailed below:

• Doctor Aphra gets away from the Rebels at the end of Star Wars Vol. 3: Rebel Jail.