So, in my last review of Darth Vader and the Ninth Assassin, I was a little hesitant to recommend the comic, as it was unclear where it was going. Reading the second issue has cleared up some of my questions, but I’m still less than thrilled with it. What went wrong now? Check it out after the jump.
Despite my uncertainty last time, the comic did shift focus from the assassin to Darth Vader, which I think makes the comic a more compelling read, since the main character isn’t expected to fail anymore. And we see an attempt on the Emperor’s life that lures Darth Vader out into the open, so they’ve at least started the true action of the story. Even the star destroyer that gets attacked, teased on the Dark Horse page for the comic, is pretty spectacular. But as I noted last time, I still have trouble getting really excited about anything from this time period in the canon, particularly in regards to Vader, because we know he lives to see the original trilogy.
I also feel like there are a lot of wasted frames in this comic. The attempt on the Emperor’s life is about two pages too long. The conversation the two of them have at the end could also have been more concise. It felt sort of like the Tim Siedell had a three comic story in mind, but Dark Horse gave him more than that (up to issue #5 can be pre-ordered on Dark Horse already) and he went “Oh, um, okay, I guess I can leave some blank pages for Stephen Thompson to draw on then…” Overall, it just hinders the pacing, and the whole thing feels kind of slow.
As much as I’m complaining, it is not all bad. I still like the art; Thompson does a great job. There is also a bit of mystery to the story, as the assassin is never actually said to be behind either of the attacks, and in fact, the attack on the star destroyer doesn’t even really help his cause much, but seems to be perpetrated by the same people who tried to kill the emperor. Is one of the other eight assassins going to make an appearance? The first comic did say they weren’t all accounted for. Or is the ninth assassin really behind that too? Maybe he has his own agenda. Honestly, it’s my curiosity over these minor matters that are keeping me reading for at least one more comic, not the main plot.
I still can only give a “so-so” recommendation, because I just find it so hard getting drawn into this time period in Star Wars with anything less than an enthralling plot hook. But if you want it, it’s $3.50. I’ll be back in a month with issue 3.
Matthew Bryant, aka Baker Street Holmes, just learned that not only might Jar Jar make a return in Episode VII, Robert Pattinson has expressed interest in lending his voice to the role. Holmes would love to see Binks die a horrible, painful death more than ever. You can follow Holmes on Twitter at @BStreetHolmes or e-mail him at HMCrazySS@gmail.com.
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