In the latest issue of IDW’s Star Wars Adventures Anakin Skywalker dons a all too familiar mask.
Did Anakin Skywalker get the idea for his Vader mask from a theatrical costume? We all know the answer is no, but that doesn’t mean IDW staffers Elsa Charretier and Pierrick Colinet can’t have a little fun with the thought.
In the second part of their story, Intermission, Anakin Skywalker is tasked with tracking down a well known performer, Madame Synata, who’s spreading separatist propaganda. Anakin chases her onto the stage, but not before donning the mask and cape of Madame Synata’s co-star.
And as you can guess, it bears a striking resemblance to the mask Anakin would be confined to for years to come.
Star Wars Adventures # 13/Elsa Charretier, IDW Publishing.
Charretier and Colinet craft quite the quaint story, yet one with quite a lot of significance. Perhaps a commentary on how celebrities often times use their statues to influence politics. Even more so it could also be a commentary on how a hero like Anakin Skywalker in fact becomes a villain when stifling free speech.
The mask and cape could be a foreshadowing of the fascist enforcer he’ll eventually become. Or perhaps we’re just reading a little too much into this.
Star Wars Adventures # 13/Elsa Charretier, IDW Publishing.
Inspiration or just coincidence?
Although it’s unlikely the theatrical mask is a direct influence on Vader’s mask/helmet it was a great way for Charretier and Colinet to foreshadow Anakin’s future existence. It’s also a fun look into how despite the vastness of the Star Wars galaxy, the look and feel of many things often repeat themselves.
Star Wars Adventures # 13/Elsa Charretier, IDW Publishing.
Either way the panels are certainly thought provoking, and not just because of a possible link to Darth Vader’s mask. The story itself shows how Anakin goes from trying to stop propaganda to sniffing out the challenging voices of the Republic. It certainly falls in with Anakin’s thought process in Attack of the Clones, the one in which he declares he’d force the people to see it the “right way.”
The story is pretty well crafted and provides just a bit of a call back to the films. Was Anakin inspired by the dramatic mask he once dawned? Is the story an allegory for modern day politics? The beauty of it all is that it’s open to interpretation.