50 most shocking moments in Star Wars history

40. Darth Vader and the Cry of Shadows (Dark Horse Comics)

Darth Vader and the Cry of Shadows is a five-issue miniseries from Dark Horse Comics. It isn’t considered part of the canon storyline, but it’s one worth checking out. The story revolves around a Clone trooper named Hock who switched sides after the Jedi left him for dead. He becomes fascinated with Darth Vader, but the closer he gets to him, the more his opinion of him changes.

This miniseries tells one of the darkest Darth Vader stories in Star Wars and that’s saying a lot. We’ve seen Anakin do plenty of terrible things both before and after becoming Darth Vader. Hock sees first hand how much damage that Darth Vader can do.

There isn’t just one issue to pluck out of this miniseries because the story as a whole makes all five worth reading. By the time you get to the final issue, you’ll have the full picture of how Hock reacts to what he’s witnessed and how it affects him along the way. Even if it isn’t a canon story, there’s no doubt that Vader is this ruthless and cold. It fits with everything we know about the character. He wields more power than most and it’s a dangerous thing.