Star Wars: Darth Vader and the Ghost Prison #4 Review

Perhaps it’s this issue’s greater focus on action or maybe it’s the exponential increase of badass Darth Vader panels, but whatever the case, Agustin Alessio’s artwork in issue #4 cranks it up to 11. While some of the stilted facial expressions still hurt particular scenes, overall Alessio really opens up his layouts and amps up the chaos, making for a thrilling and detailed opening battle. The script slows things down a bit afterwards, but the impact of those opening pages won’t be lost on you, delivering the long-desired depiction of Vader doing what we’re told he does best but have never really seen on screen – laying s*** to waste.

Once the blaster bolts stop flying and the lightsabers are sheathed, writer Haden Blackman begins to dive into the philosophical elements that have made this series so strikingly different from all of the other Star Wars books that are currently running. Here, Vader commands Tohm to do his bidding while the newly minted officer is confronted with the difference between being a servant of the Empire and being a true leader within it. Tohm’s personal dilemmas are put to further use when he hits it off with a former inmate of the titular ghost prison, forming what could be the start of a romantic relationship, or perhaps, just a kindred spirit. Blackman balances these elements nicely while still delivering the essential ties to the main conflict of the cinematic Star Wars saga.

The only place the script really falters is when it cuts back to Tohm’s former headmaster. Their motivations are somewhat unclear, particularly as they’re not exactly Rebels, more so just a different sect of Imperials that wish to keep the Empire but remove power from Palpatine and Vader. Oddly, this makes their cause less agreeable to us, as they come off as nothing more than new power hungry mongrels.

Still, this is my favorite issue of this series to date, and all but solidifies the fact that this is the best Star Wars comic to come from Dark Horse in quite some time.

Joey is IGN's Comics Editor and a comic book creator himself. Follow Joey on Twitter, or find him on IGN. He loves superhero pets so hard.

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