Star Wars: Vader – Dark Visions returns for its second issue. This time, the story is all about how one interaction with Vader can have a lasting impact.
Dennis “Hopeless” Hallum understands the impact that Darth Vader has had on everyone he comes in contact with. In Dark Visions No. 2, he tells a story that doesn’t even need Vader to be present for the majority of it in order to get the point across. In fact, it works well as a way to show just how terrifying the character is.
The art by Brian Level lets you know exactly how Commander Tylux is feeling at any given moment. As soon as he learns that Vader will be showing up, he starts to panic. We get what we need out of a quick flashback, which is the first we see of Vader in the issue. By the end, he only appears again in the final page.
Since each issue is a standalone tale of how Vader has made an impact throughout his long reign of terror, it’s interesting to see the different takes on how he’s perceived. In the previous issue, he was looked up to by some. In this one, Commander Tylux is scarred by his first encounter and it causes him to make horrible choices later just to try to prove himself.
Tylux ends up doing the exact opposite, which leads to a massive loss for the Empire. He’s reckless and doesn’t think any of his decisions through just because he’s scared. All Vader told him was to not disappoint the Empire and he ends up doing just that.
I’m looking forward to what the three remaining stories in this series entail. There are so many different kinds of encounters you can have when it comes to Vader, even if most of them will be unpleasant. Will we see some major characters come into play? That would be exciting. That said, this was a solid issue that captures the essence of Vader without overloading you with his presence.