Star Wars: Darth Vader, Vol. 9: Rise of the Schism Imperial

Star Wars: Darth Vader (2020)

by Greg Pak, Leinil Francis Yu (cover_art), Adam Gorham (illustrator)

The saga of Darth Vader continues as the Empire is rocked by treason! In the wake of DARK DROIDS, Vader explores his powers and takes on the most dangerous team of rebel heroes he's ever faced! Meanwhile, the greatest threat to the Emperor's rule is rising - from within the Empire itself! Will the Dark Lord quell this insurrection…or join it? Palpatine's aide and double agent, the Umbaran Sly Moore nurtures her conspirators! Kitster and Wald return - along with the death machinery of Governor Tauntaza! But when a group of betrayers comes together, how long will it be until they turn on one other? Plus: A rebel squad of cyborgs brings chaos - and meet Vader's enforcers! But what treasure or horror lies within the Martyrium of Frozen Tears? Collecting STAR WARS: DARTH VADER (2020) #42-45, STAR WARS: THE PHANTOM MENACE 25TH ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL and material from STAR WARS: REVELATIONS (2023) #1.

Genres: Star Wars, Comics, Graphic Novels, Marvel, Science Fiction, Graphic Novels Comics, Adventure

152 pages, Paperback

Published September 10, 2024

About the author

Greg Pak is an award-winning Korean American comic book writer and filmmaker currently writing "Lawful" for BOOM and "Sam Wilson: Captain America" (with Evan Narcisse) for Marvel. Pak wrote the "Princess Who Saved Herself" children's book and the “Code Monkey Save World” graphic novel based on the songs of Jonathan Coulton and co-wrote (with Fred Van Lente) the acclaimed “Make Comics Like the Pros” how-to book. Pak's other work includes "Planet Hulk," "Darth Vader," "Mech Cadet Yu," "Ronin Island," "Action Comics," and "Magneto Testament."

Reviews

[Khurram · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wanted to give this book 3.5 stars. The last couple of issues/chapters redeemed the book for me and moved it up to 4 stars.

The power struggle between Vader and the Emperor continues. It is hard to keep track of who's side who is on. The people recruited to Vader's side seem to hate him more than the Emperor.

An ok book, but it has a good setup for things to come. I do like how Vader continues to build his power. In true Sith style betrayal is expected.

[Robert · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lots of Sturm und Drang, and I enjoyed seeing the much younger version of Allegiant General Pryde from The Rise of Skywalker but on the whole I felt it was just passing time until the run can come to a (hopefully) satisfying conclusion in volume 10 leading in The Return of the Jedi.


Yeah, I'm impatient to get on with it as well.

[Dakota Morgan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Why do Star Wars comics continually insist on Darth Vader needing some kind of supercorps of advanced troopers when he, himself, is a nigh-invincible killing machine? Rise of the Schism Imperial continues this silly trend by adding to Vader's motley crew not just the Schism Imperial members (some disposable officers and governors, basically) but also a team of (get this) cyborg Rebel super soldiers.

Yeah. Wut.

I get it, this is science fiction, but like, could we at least pretend to understand how the Star Wars universe works? And where the Rebellion is at this point in the timeline? They just barely escaped Hoth and are regrouping - they are not crafting super soldiers!!!

Ranting aside, most of Rise of the Schism Imperial is dumb, typical of Greg Pak's run on this book. Vader is almost a side character as others scheme and discuss him. Only in the final two issues do we get some good stuff as Vader (and his vast team) steal from the Emperor's stash on Exegol and battle a space monster. Maybe these issues are also good because they bring Luke back into Vader's story (and Sabe too).

I think I'm ready for some post-RoTJ Star Wars. Let's leave this interstitial stuff behind.

[Tyler Jenkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

I guess I forgot to review this one, it managed to fly right by me I guess. Unfortunately I don’t remember a whole lot about it, I know I’m liking this Schism Imperial stuff but it all feels kinda pointless because we know it’ll fail in the end. I suppose it’s nice to get some canon Sly Moore content since most of her stuff was erased from canon when Disney moved it all to Legends.

[Adam Fisher · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars.
Throughout this run of Vader, he has been at odds with Palpatine, seemingly wanting to overthrow him and run the Empire with Luke, as hinted at in ESB. This Volume throws in another element to the story, but uses it to wrap it all up and set Vader on his RoTJ path.
Enter the Schism Imperial: a group of disgraced Imperial Officers who failed the Empire but blame Vader for it. Even though they hate him, they believe so strongly that the Emperor gave the orders and Vader is the only one strong enough to overthrow him. While using them (unbeknownst to them), Vader eventually makes his way to Exegol, where he proves his hatred and value to the Sith, which allows Palpatine to finally allow him to pursue Luke. (These Sith have such a weird way of thinking!)
The Volume ends with Luke being drawn into confrontation with Sabe. Will she destroy or take his yellow saber, making him create the green one?

Looking forward to seeing the end of the post-ESB era and move into the post-RoTJ era.
Recommend.

[Ahdom · Rating 4 out of 5]

Get ready for a galactic rollercoaster ride withDarth Vader, Vol. 9: Rise of the Schism Imperial . As the Empire faces internal strife, Darth Vader unleashes his fury like never before. But it's not just rebel heroes he's up against - treachery lurks within the Empire's own ranks. Palpatine's trusted aide, Sly Moore, is busy nurturing dissent, while familiar faces like Kitster and Wald return, ready to wreak havoc. But when betrayal is the name of the game, who can Vader really trust? Brace yourself as rebel cyborgs, enigmatic treasures, and chilling horrors await.

[Jason · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5
I think this has been my favorite Vader "ongoing" series. And there have been a lot of excellent ones.

The series is coming to a close at #50. Leading into Return of the Jedi. Will this mean no more ongoing Vader titles?

[Matthew Ward · Rating 4 out of 5]

Huge displays of Vader’s power here, but what is most enjoyable is his emotions toward gaining more power, reaching his son, and overtaking the Emperor. Vader comics work so beautifully to show us more of who he is beyond one of the biggest bads in all of entertainment history.

[Kenneth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rather appropriate Sith-on-Sith trouble-making, in the tradition of James Luceron's Darth Plagueis

[Bernardo Martinho · Rating 3 out of 5]

While this volume wasn’t my favorite, the second half had some great moments. There were some interesting surprises, a good amount of action, and by now, it’s very clear what kind of journey Pak envisioned for Vader during this period, with the usual exploration of Sith philosophy. The intrigue brought by Sly Moore and the concept of the Imperial Schism were also compelling and fresh, tying in nicely with many of the stories.

However, I couldn’t shake the feeling of some repetitiveness, with only small developments compared to arcs already explored in this run. The artwork was also far from the best we’ve seen. Still, it has built up excitement for the final volume.

[Ian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book 9.
A group of Imperial officers and bureaucrats calling themselves the Schism Imperial enlist Vader in their plot to overthrow the Emperor. To achieve their goals they will have to acquire resources, forces and weapons powerful enough to make them more than a match for the Sith Master.

After the abysmal 'Dark Droids' tie-in, this book wisely drops several tropes which have been negative factors of this series since the beginning. Gone are the pages and pages of flashbacks just rehashing stuff from the movies and gone is the ever-irritating Ochi of Bestoon.
So, on a base level, this book was already and upswing for the series.

The members of the Schism Imperial are an interesting group too, led by Sly Moore and consisting of Imperial loyalists who have run afoul of Vader in the past, plus one fanatic who sees Vader as the saviour of the Empire (Enric Pryde - a younger version of the character played by Richard E. Grant in Episode IX). Their cunning and determination gives you the sense that they have a real shot at challenging Emperor Palpatine.

Unfortunately, the otherwise interesting Schism Imperial is let down by two glaring flaws; it's nothing we haven't seen before and it comes far too late in the series.
Almost every Vader comic since Marvel got the licence back has involved him gathering a team of misfits to challenge the Emperor and, ultimately, failing. Had Pak created the Schism Imperial when he first began his run and built it throughout the series, it would've been great, but instead this is about the third or fourth insurrection against Palpatine that we've seen so far. Whilst this is definitely the best version of it (putting me fondly in mind of the Trachta conspirators from the EU story 'Betrayal'), with the series coming to an end it just feels pointless.

* More reviews here: https://fsfh-book-review2.webnode.page *

[Teresa · Rating 3 out of 5]

~4 ABY

This graphic novel is the eighth collected volume of Star Wars Darth Vader (2020) and contains issues #42-#47 as well as Star Wars Revelations (2023) #1 and Free Comic Book Day 2024: Star Wars. The main story of issues 42-47 follows the wake of the Dark Droids arc, being called the Scourge. In the aftermath, Vader tests his own power, but he is also running his control over any cyborgs among the Rebellion. Palpatine's aid, Sly Moore, plays both sides to whatever fits her needs as she helps build the Schism Imperial!

All in all, this arc wasn't really my favorite. The Revelations issue was so short and droid-centric, there isn't much to say. The best part of this was the Free comic Book Day 2024: Star Wars issue. It ties in so well to the entire Darth Vader (2020) run, that it left more impact than the rest of this story. The Free Comic Book Day 2024 issue follows Sabe as she seeks Warba, someone who encountered Luke and tried to steal his lightsaber in the early days of the Marvel Star Wars (2015) comics. Here Sabe has a plan to test the former thief, but little does she know that Warba is already working for Vader! This leads into the next few issues and sets up for a hopefully more intriguing finish to the Darth Vader (2020) run.

[Chris Lemmerman · Rating 4 out of 5]

The penultimate volume of the latest instalment of Darth Vader sees Vader accumulating allies (read: people to betray) in one final bid to consolidate his power base against the Emperor.

I do enjoy the idea of Vader recruiting what's essentially the Darth Vader Revenge Squad to do his bidding. Some of these characters have appeared across the series, while others are introduced here, but they've all got a bone to pick with Vader in one form or another. It's just typical of him to use everyone around him for his own ends and not really give a shit about his own safety along the way, because he's just that confident. I mean, he's Darth Vader, what do we expect at this point?

Another solid arc, building up to another explosive conclusion as the latest round of Star Wars comics head towards their finale.

[Jordan Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn’t go into Vader vol. 9 with very high hopes. The previous collection, about dark droids and Vader harnessing their power, was so terrible that I just skipped that segment of the story completely. So needless to say, trying to start up the next successive batch of Vader related stories wasn’t something I was super excited about. But since, for whatever reason, I’m a completist and figured I’ve made it this far…might as well keep going. And honestly, I’m glad I did.

“The Schism Imperial” is easily the best Vader storyline in a long time. There’s a lot of head scratching moments that feel super cheesy and actually pretty dumb, but those aren’t even that big of deal because what Pak is doing here is finally starting to make sense…at least in terms of what he’s trying to do with the titular character. The imperials having their own brand of rebels feels realistic and having them team up with Vader in his own battle against Palpatine is a new thing I’m liking. Vader is also back to his own evil, badass ways as, thankfully, he isn’t here sniveling over Padme yet again. Instead he’s putting on his big boy pants and taking the fight back against the emperor with his won team. Palpatine constantly trying to take his won apprentice down is getting old, especially in the context of the entire Star Wars franchise, though here that idea is at least shelved and replaced with Vader’s quest to get back to his fighting form. I also like that Pak finally dumped a lot of the stupid dark droids crossover story (something that is getting increasingly annoying throughout the entire comic industry) and getting this series to be relatively more stand alone.

I don’t know if the 10th volume will continue this upward trajectory but at least this is a bright spot for a while.

[Joey Nardinelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Honestly, I’m not sure what is going on for the last two issues of this volume — is that the same creature from Solo? Why don’t I remember Vader fighting own previously? Why does Pryde look identical to Fabarian, and why does Corleque’s complexion change issue to issue? What is Sabé up to now, and how does it involve Luke? Does any of this still have anything to do with the Dark Droids plot that I’ve already largely forgotten?! How do we get from this Exegol to the Exegol of tRoS? Does any of it matter? The visuals are cool and Vader just seems to a tempest-level force throughout most of this, so it feels fun but I also have no sense of who even survived at the end. I feel like we will continue to see the Schism Imperial (still not sure if the Emperor knows they exist?) and the MAR corps, but like…who really knows? Not me, that’s for sure!

[Jackson · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of the weaker Vader arcs, in my opinion. While there was some great artwork and panels in this, as a whole I was a bit underwhelmed. The Schism Imperial, like the Scourge from Dark Droids, is a cool idea, but the time period the comic is set is not a good fit. A story about a group of imperials trying to overthrow Palpatine fits better in its own comic outside of Vader's already jam-packed year between Empire and Jedi. Sly Moore is interesting, though I am still a bit confused about her motivations. The M. A. R. corps is another cool concept, but none of the members of it have had any development, so it feels like they are just cooly designed canon fodder for Vader.

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This stories in this volume weren't as interesting as in the previous one.
I know that the volumes bring together the chapters, but for some reason this one didn't feel like it flower as well as the previous volume. Storylines end abruptly.
I guess in a way that does highlight how quickly Vader discards things that he no longer has a use for... but like I said, things seem to end abruptly for each story arc.

[Martijn Van · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wont complain about the overkill of stories set between empire strikes back and return of the Jedi anymore. Pak's vader has the strength that everytime i think i'm out it pulls me back in with weird (this time almost lovecraftian) shit and the tension building between Luke and Vaders final confrontation.

[Sarospice · Rating 4 out of 5]

Marvel has done such a great job of filling the gaps of the first three movies. We're getting closer and closer to Return of the Jedi, and Pak has complete understanding of Darth Vader. Allies and enemies and just people running scared have crossed paths with Vader, as he gains more and more power to rival The Emperor, and it's been a fun ride. Star Wars fan or not, it's so good...

[Tom · Rating 2 out of 5]

Another filler story arc. The passion that seemed to be animating the series at the beginning of this run seems to have fully faded. Whereas we once got significant interior details tracking Vader's impending change of heart, we now get a mere description of events as the series spins out its final two volumes. I like the new art style, though, so at least there's that.

[Jonathan Farrell · Rating 5 out of 5]

The ongoing power struggle between Vader and the Emperor is gripping, and the constant shifting of loyalties makes it both chaotic and fascinating to follow. As the threads start to come together, the true nature of the Sith is revealed in all its dark complexity. An excellent installment - I can't wait to see how the series ends!

[Nunya · Rating 3 out of 5]

UUUuugggggghhhhhhhhhhhh

I don't think I have anything else to say about this series. Yeah I guess Vader trying to take down the Emperor is a cool idea, except this might be about the fifth time he's attempted it.
Gee, I wonder how it'll go this time?

[Terry Mcginnis · Rating 1 out of 5]

This series has tanked. The first Vader series that came out a few years ago was fantastic, as was the second. This run, no way. It has become more and more boring with each volume. It's a good thing it has finally come to an end with volume 10, which I can't even find the motivation to read.

[Néstor Vargas · Rating 2 out of 5]

Schism Imperial is just more of the same type of bad guys not being that bad, wanting to overthrow the really bad ones. The highlight is the appearance of Luke and Sabé’s encounter. Luke stating “So I should be perfect?” encapsulates the main problem with Jedi and Sith ideologies.

[Andres Pasten · Rating 3 out of 5]

Espero que al cierre mejore, porque esta vuelta es bastante rebuscada

[Robert · Rating 1 out of 5]

Even if it isn't labeled as part of the crossover, the crossover plot continues so...it still sucks.

[Scott · Rating 3 out of 5]

Anakin Skywalker Can't Lose

[Sam Nicholson · Rating 4 out of 5]

8/10

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐️

[Eric · Rating 3 out of 5]

I feel like this book has sort of lost its plot, with too many things going on and none of them really having much urgency or motivation. Adding in a giant monster also doesn't really help.