Yesterday saw the release of issue #45 in Volume III of Marvel Comics’ ongoing Star Wars: Darth Vader title, and below are my brief recap and thoughts on this installment.
In the 2019 feature film Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, audiences met a new character named Enric Pryde (portrayed by acclaimed actor Richard E. Grant), who was a steadfast– pun intended, for those in the know– devotee of the First Order. Since that movie was released, Pryde has made a few appearances here and there in ancillary Star Wars materials like the 2022 novel Shadows of the Sith and the 2023 short-story anthology From a Certain Point of View: Return of the Jedi. And now Senior Lieutenant Pryde (as was evidently his rank during the period set after the events of The Empire Strikes Back) has become a semi-regular character in the Darth Vader comic book, in which he has allied himself with the splinter group known as the Schism Imperial, which seeks to weed out perceived corruption in the Galactic Empire. Issue #45 of this comic, written by Greg Pak, zooms in on Pryde and demonstrates his unfailing allegiance to the Empire and, especially, the titular Dark Lord of the Sith.
This issue takes place on the planet Tython, which made its debut in the Star Wars Legends timeline but has appeared in the current canon via the Doctor Aphra comic book, The Mandalorian, and the aforementioned Shadows of the Sith novel. Here we finally get an in-universe explanation of Tython’s varying regional climates (as Star Wars planets tend to only have one) as an Imperial shuttle crash-lands at the bottom of a frozen mountain on one of Tython’s meridional ice caps. During their hike to the top, several members of the Schism Imperial discuss their hatred of Darth Vader, with Pryde being the only exception among the group– he is in genuine awe of the Dark Lord. We hear from Admiral Corleque, Agent Fabarian, and Governor Tauntaza, who each give their respective reasons as to why they hold a vendetta against Vader, all while Pryde remains faithful to the menacing being. When they reach the top of the mountain and rendezvous with Vader, Sub-Administrator Sly Moore, and the forensics droid ZED-6-7.
That’s when Vader sends Pryde out ahead into an ancient cave that once served as a Jedi Temple on the planet, not because he has more faith in the senior lieutenant, but because the man is “dispensable.” Pryde does not take offense to this, however, and forges ahead into potential danger. He deactivates a booby trap left behind by Rebel Alliance forces and calls the rest of the group into the cave. Here both Vader and Sly Moore (the two Force-adepts in the party) begin to see visions of all the Jedi who have given confession in the temple over the centuries. Moore mocks the reasoning behind these Jedi’s resourcefulness, while Vader is distracted by an echo of his son Luke Skywalker, and a moment in which the would-be Jedi admits he briefly considered joining his father. This causes Vader to immediately fly off in his TIE Advanced starfighter, leaving the Schism Imperial to collect the Kyberite minerals remaining in the temple.
The cliffhanger ending here promises readers another meeting between Skywalker father and son, to be followed up on in the upcoming Star Wars / Darth Vader Free Comic Book Day issue. That’s exciting enough as it is, but I was admittedly more interested in getting inside the minds of some of these villainous characters and hearing their thoughts about Darth Vader as a person, which is not something I was expecting from this comic. This issue was a rare treat in that it was a talky, character-driven meditation on what makes bad guys actually fear or hate other bad guys, and I would love to see more like it. A couple minor nitpicks aside (there was a typo with ZED calling the planet “Typhon” instead of “Tython” and the abrupt change in art style partway through– there are two artists listed in the credits– threw me off just a little bit), this is instantly one of my favorite issues of Star Wars: Darth Vader Vol. III. Kudos to Pak and everyone involved, and I’m very excited to see where things go next month.
Star Wars: Darth Vader #45 is available now wherever comic books are sold.