- Writer: Haden Blackman
- Penciller: Rick Leonardi
- Inker: Dan Green
- Colorist: Wes Dzioba
- Cover Artist: Michael Kutsch
- Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Synopsis: Still haunted by the death of Anakin Skywalker’s beloved Padmé in Revenge of the Sith, Darth Vader is tasked with a mission to locate a lost Imperial expeditionary force–led by the son of Vader’s rising nemesis, Moff Tarkin. But the perils of Vader’s journey into the unexplored Ghost Nebula are compounded by traitors among his crew and the presence of the system’s religious leader, Lady Saro. Collects the five-issue miniseries.
Taking place 19 years before the Battle of Yavin, Darth Vader and the Lost Command picks up almost immediately after the events of Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith. Darth Vader, raw with emotions of betraying the Jedi and losing Padme, is tormented by visions of what might have been. The book does a lot of things well emotionally. Written by Haden Blackman (The Force Unleashed), DVLC captures a unique moment in the Star Wars Universe where Darth Vader is at his most vulnerable; he is deeply ashamed by the decisions that have led to this point, but is unable to break free of Emperor Palpatine’s thrall. Darth Vader has been one of the most severe and imposing figures in all of sci-fi and it’s interesting to see him in this wayward state; he teeters on the edge of sanity by desperately holding onto the life that is no longer his. This is the last glimmer of Anakin Skywalker that we will see before Empire.
The problem I had with this story is that the greater events are rushed and watered down. Vader is sent on a rescue mission into the Ghost Nebula, an unknown region of Galactic space, but the setting and the people Vader encounters there remain largely unexplored by the writer. There is no narration in the entire book; the meat and potatoes of this story are doled out in conversational scenes and the imagery of the artists, which is powerful but can only do so much as a storytelling tool.
That said, the art of the book is pretty fantastic; Not just from an action standpoint, but as an emotional fulcrum that lends weight to the storytelling; and while the book is one of few words, the words are chosen carefully and tell an emotional story.
I give Star Wars: Darth Vader and the Lost Command Three out of Five Stars.
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