Star Wars #14

Star Wars #14: Five Days of Sith, Part 2 of 2

Writer: Brian Wood
Penciller: Facundo Percio
Inker: Dan Parsons
Colorist: Gabe Eltaeb
Letterer: Michael Heisler
Cover Artist: Sean Cooke

From flashbacks of Obi-Wan to the debris field of Aleraan, this issue touches on Vader’s past and vents his rage at all who defy him. It also ties up the loose end of ex-Imperial scientist Tag Rogaren, who Leia left floating alone in the Alderaan Graveyard for others to deal with, and the deserter Birra Seah. With Vader at the forefront, there’s lots of action from the Dark Lord. But at the center of this whole black op to track down Colonel Bircher’s treachery is Ensign Nanda, a lucky Imperial officer who may very well be in over her head. Can she make it out of this mission alive and in Vader’s good graces, or will she suffer the same fate of many of the ambitious officers before her?

As the second and final part of the “Five Days of Sith” storyline, Brian Wood does a good job of not only wrapping up the story, but tying it back into the larger series. I really like how this little two issue Vader focused storyline turned out. It avoided the jumping around issues that sometimes plagues the earlier issues in the series, and provided a nice chunk of story without drawing it out too long. I kinda wish he would’ve done this more often as it would’ve definitely improves the overall story. Regardless, Star Wars #14 does an excellent job of providing an entertaining story, elements of action, and insights into the characters.

Without spoiling too much, this issue ties up a few loose ends as well as providing a few surprises. For starters, it kicks off with Vader reliving his duel with Obi-Wan, but this time focusing on the other person present in the distance: Luke Skywalker. Flashing back to the present, Vader goes after Tag Rogaren in the Alderaan Graveyard. Tag was kind a dangling plot point from earlier in the series that seemed discarded a little abruptly. However bringing him back in this issue was a nice way to clean that up. It also leads to Vader discovering that Princess Leia Organa had passed this way. From there, Vader heads to Chandrila where he discovers Bircher’s connection to Mon Mothma and vents a little rage. The last bit is an offhand mention of Birra Seah’s fate.

Throughout the issue, Facundo Percio does a pretty good job with the artwork. His style varies a little from quick and dirty panels to much more detailed images of the characters and action. A lot of the Vader images don’t just lack film quality accuracy, but details in general. For instance the first panel of Vader is very plain and simple. His appearance is defined more by the black and gray coloring of his armor than by any line work with the art. But in comparison, Facundo’s portrayal of Ensign Nanda really stands out as a well drawn character. Her first two appearance in this issue look really nice.

As a break from the ongoing series, “Five Days of Vader” provides lots of fun Darth Vader action with some compelling character moments and entertaining surprises. Star Wars #14 ends the little interlude with a satisfying conclusion. On top of that, it ties back into the series, wraps up some lose ends, and sets things up for where the series is heading next. With great artwork and great storytelling, I give Star Wars #14 a five out of five metal bikinis.

Reviewed By: Skuldren for Roqoo Depot.