Giuseppe Camuncoli

This is the Darth Vader comic I've been waiting for. Seriously. It is about Vader's rise to power.From Anakin to Sith Lord. It's an action packed, quick read (and a tad tragic) that is full of introspection and aggrandizement. Note: While Soule's writing is great, penciler Camuncoli is the star here: he masterfully displays Vader's conflicted emotions.

Taking place right after the events of Revenge of the Sith, Anakin Skywalker finishes his dark journey to become Sith Lord Darth Vader. Vader embraces the pain and suffering to test, increase, and improve his power. And the Star Wars mythos expands with the history of the Sith light saber being explained, as Vader journeys to the Outer Rim to procure a light saber from one of the last Jedi, who survived Order 66.

What makes this comic so fascinating is that Vader is still struggling to shed his previous identity as Anakin Skywalker and feels the tug of the light side. With Palpatine's guidance, Vader is sent on a journey to track down and eliminate one of the few Jedi who survived the purge and to claim the man's lightsaber crystal for himself. Vader may not be all powerful in this book, but it certainly makes him a bit more interesting to follow. This also sets up the origins of the Sith Inquisition from the Star Wars Rebels show and provides a bit more connective tissue between the Inquisitors and Vader.

All and all, this is an excellent backstory to Vader, that I wish we could see on the silver screen. But, for now, I'll bask in the glory of the comic.… (mere)

I haven't been keeping close track of the Penguin in recent years, but it seems he's been up and down a lot, in and out of control of his Iceberg Lounge in Gotham. This iteration has him ousted and on the skids but determined to claw his empire back out of the clutches of a former henchman called Umbrella Man. Along the way he pulls together some allies who the writer wants to be quirky oddballs, but they just don't have much dimension.

But then the whole story lacks dimension, and if I had to guess it serves only as a prologue to any Penguin series DC will be launching to ride any waves (ripples?) created by the upcoming streaming show on Max.

It's all fairly generic, except for a half-hearted attempt to make Penguin slightly less sexist and self-centered.… (mere)