Star Wars: Darth Vader, Vol. 10: Phantoms

Star Wars: Darth Vader (2020)

by Greg Pak, Raffaele Ienco (Illustrator), Paul Fry (Illustrator)

Ultimate power lies within Darth Vader’s grasp as a major turning point approaches, bringing the Sith Lord ever closer to RETURN OF THE JEDI!

Darth Vader has his sights on a massive source of kyber located right in the Emperor’s secret base! But in stealing one of the galaxy’s most powerful and dangerous materials from right under the nose of his ruthless master, has the Dark Lord of the Sith bitten off more than he can chew? Meanwhile, Sabé is on the hunt for Luke Skywalker…but, knowing that the Emperor himself has the same target, will she reach the conclusion that the young Jedi is even more dangerous than Vader? Plus, the Schism Imperial reveal their shocking endgame — and the ramifications could hand Darth Vader everything he ever wanted!

COLLECTING: Star Wars: Darth Vader (2020) 46-50, Free Comic Book Day 2024: Star Wars 1 (Darth Vader story)

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

136 pages, Paperback

First published December 31, 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 5 out of 5]

"The circle is complete."

This is a great conclusion to this Darth Vader series. I wanted to give this book 4.5 stars, but I think it deserved a round up. Roles will be revealed (in some cases even to the people who unknowingly played them).

The silent power struggle between the Emperor and Vader (and all the people involved) comes to an end. All roads lead to the Skywalkers. How will they react to their tests?

A good conclusion to the main story. I did enjoy all the mini stories of the dude characters from Vader/Anakin's past. I even enjoyed the Phantom Menace special, a summary, and a couple of bonus stories of dreams and destiny. The book finishes with a varient covers gallery.

[Bernardo Martinho · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s been a long journey, and I really appreciated the message delivered in its conclusion, especially the way it helps justify Vader's mental state in Return of the Jedi by exploring his inner "phantoms."

That said, I couldn’t shake the feeling that we kept circling the same core idea repeatedly.

Still, compared to other runs of Vader, this one presents the most compelling character study, and does an amazing job at connecting all the trilogies eras (also the most bizarre one as well). The art, while not my favorite style, was good.

But for me the award goes to the Phantom Menace 25th anniversary issue. It offers a retelling of the movie from Anakin's perspective, and I really liked how it added some small scenes and dialogues that enrich the story so well. It gave me a deeper understanding of how Anakin feels throughout the various events. Bonus points for the artwork, that was stunning.

[Dakota Morgan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Greg Pak finishes his Darth Vader run in typical fashion: too many characters, too bombastic, too confusing. Ultimately, the table is reset sufficiently for Return of the Jedi. Vader is cowed by the Emperor's (surprisingly brief) wrath after he goes all out to defeat the Sith Lord. "All out" in this case meaning plugging himself into a world-killer machine to suck up the life force of all the murdered creatures.

I get that this is science fiction, but it's also not a superhero comic, y'know? This shit's crazy. Remember when the Darth Vader series was about Vader reckoning with his inner Anakin? Some grounding would help here.

Meanwhile, Vader's numerous friends and foes all switch sides, then switch back. Luke runs around the outside of this story, a useless hero amidst all the villains. The art is decent enough. The whole package feels like a swing for the fences that entirely whiffs, much like most of this Darth Vader run.

[Jason · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5
This was one of the better Vader series. Great to have a single vision, a single writer on the single title for so long.

Marvel has allowed this for their Star Wars line more than any other.

I hope that continues.

What's next for a Vader title? Vader, one of the most iconic characters in Star Wars and anywhere. Smart to give him his own book for going on 20 years now.

But we know there story after this. And there's...not much of it left.

Star Wars needs to keep telling Vader stories. It'd be like if Marvel decided Spider-Man's story has ended. The character will die some day, right? But he been in his 20s for, what, 60 years? And we eat it up.

Don't bench Vader. Keep Vader as an ongoing character.

My 2 cents.

I feel the same about Luke. He is way under under utilized.

Anyway, a good end to a great run.

The Battle of Jakku stuff coming up looks pretty exciting to me.

Onward.

[Declan O'Keeffe · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't know how I feel about this one. Honestly probably my least favourite ongoing star wars comic so far.

This is the one that ends it off leading into ROTJ. And I've not been overly invested in this one at all, and the ending didn't do much to convince me about it. I love vader, and i love his previous ongoings, this one had promise but it just didnt do it for me. Probably not one I'll reread any time soon.

[Tyler Jenkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of backstabbings and back peddling but this final issue was fantastic. A lot of great callbacks and an amazing culmination of all of the fleshing out the comics have done for Vader and his internal struggle between being Vader and still being Anakin. Great to see some of the beginning of Exogol. Excited to see what they do with some of these characters next, particularly Sabé, she is such a fascinating character to me and I have to know where her story goes.

[Jordan Anderson · Rating 3 out of 5]

And thus ends Greg Pak’s run at the titular character of Darth Vader.

This final collection of the last 5 issues was pretty much how I expected it to go, meaning a pretty pedestrian ending to a series that started out decent and had a lot of potential exploring Vader’s character, only to end up being incredibly repetitive, tell some truly bizarre stories, and, in the end, really solve nothing as, after 4 years and 50 issues, we are basically right back at the beginning.

At the close of this series, Vader is still Palpatine’s lap dog and the anger Anakin felt towards him, as well as the series of abuses he went through, do absolutely nothing. The schism imperial are still somehow involved, but there’s not much to tell there since issue 50 ends with Vader back in the service of Palpatine and everyone else just kinds of fades away, despite the many things they did for him.

The action is at least good, and the entire 5 issue collection of “Phantoms” reads really quick, is at least cohesive, and has relatively decent artwork. And towards the end of the final issue, there’s a fun throwback to some characters from the prequel trilogy so I guess there a few things that make this one a step ahead of other Star Wars related comics.

Still though, I can’t say I’m happy with how this run of Vader ended, especially considering how strong it started, both with this iteration and other author’s takes in previous entries.

[Sam Bakos · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's good it just wastes a lot of time retelling stories from the movies that we are all well aware of.

[Ian · Rating 3 out of 5]

The tenth and final book of the series, set between Episodes V and VI.
Whilst Sabe confronts Luke to test whether he might follow Anakin to the dark side, Vader himself is betrayed by the Schism Imperial.
Also included here is 'The Phantom Menace 25th Anniversary Special', offering a new perspective on the events of Episode I.

I was surprised how much I was enjoying this book to begin with. I've not been overly impressed with Pak's Vader series but the elements making up the first half of this book fit together really well.
First off, I enjoyed seeing how the treacherous Warba and the recently-enthralled-to-Vader Sabe are both turned around by Luke being Luke. One of the things I've always loved about Luke as a character is how his sense of empathy and decency are so simple as to be almost naieve but are exactly the things that make him the only person who could defeat the Sith. This carries on into a scene where his instinct to protect anyone in danger actually co-opts one of the Schism Imperial themselves.
At the same time, it was great seeing Vader matching wits and powers with the Schism in a way that clearly shows why he's the Sith Lord and they're just lackeys.

Unfortunately, right around the time Luke exits, the book falls into boring old routines.
Once again, for what feels like the fiftieth time, Vader confronts the Emperor, is humbled and everything returns to the status quo. This scene is made worse by being so badly scripted that I didn't understand HOW any of it was happening. Suddenly a bunch of Sith cultists appear out of thin air and then the Emperor is there, despite being clearly shown elsewhere just a page earlier. I would've maybe assumed that the Emperor was only appearing as a vision to Vader, but Sabe talks and reacts as if she can see him too. It's nonsensical and, ultimately, a very boring repetition of things we've seen before.

We then get a few short vignettes tying-up a few of the loose threads from the series, such as what happens to Ochi, what happens to Kitster and Wald, as well as what happens when Sabe meets Leia. They're fine, I guess, but they don't really feel like they're concluding the series so much as just filling some pages because they didn't have enough main story to get to #50.

The Episode I anniversary special is fine too. It doesn't really give us much that we haven't seen before but there were a few nice new details of context around Anakin's story in TPM that are worth seeing.
I did like finally getting to see what Anakin's dream of him becoming a Jedi and freeing the slaves looked like in his nine-year-old mind though.

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

[Nunya · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't like this series. I'm sure I've made that quite obvious.
Its problem is two-fold, restriction and a lack of creativity.
First off, Vader is a very difficult character, in terms of personality and in the challenge of writing him, not even George Lucas ever made him a particularly compelling character, frankly I find it hard to consider him one. Vader is incredibly simple, the growth he exhibits is incredibly shallow as far as the 6 films he appears in go, he is a spiteful cunt in the prequels, and then a depressed asshole in the originals, THAT'S ALL THE GROWTH HE EVER HAS. So how do you write a comic about him? The only growth you can give him is in the 19 year gap between ANH and ROTS, as we see in Soule's run with Vader turning from a vengeance fueled hate machine to a subservient mongrel in Palpatine's palm. So now years later, Vader can hardly change if we're supposed to maintain consistency with the movies, unlike Luke and Lando, he exhibits no change between Episodes V and VI, and therefore Pak's choices were problematically limited.
So then what?
No new Vader comic?
Not necessarily. Vader can have a comic run without character growth, the writer just needs to be particularly creative, he could follow an anti-arc or the focus could be placed on the situations he's placed in rather than his personality, it ought to be a shorter run, like the previous two, but frankly 25 issues is more than enough to tell this story. So little actually happened, I find it difficult to comprehend how they thought 50 issues of this was a good idea. But Pak is not creative, and thus we are treated to Vader pursuing the same loop in every arc.
Vader hates everything, but especially Palpatine, so he gathers a group of people to fight against him, they betray him/he betrays them, they fight, he lets them live, Palpatine laughs and pretends everything is fine. This is repeated over all 50 issues, and Vader has the exact same arc multiple times, with him learning that Palpatine is just too powerful to be beaten. Trust me, do yourself a favor and stop reading after the first two arcs, by that point you've seen all there is to see.
I don't know how to finish this review, so I'm going to end it with a TL;DR of the entire series.
I PRESENT:

DARTH VADER: Dark Heart of Dark Evil Sith Power
Sabe: "Vader, I know there's still good in you, I've seen Return of the Jedi."
Vader: "Anakin Skywalker is dead and now you're also going to be dead."
VADER PROCEEDS TO LIGHTLY SLAP SABE AND THEN WALK AWAY.
Vader: "I'm evil. I hate everyone."
Vader Glazer #89: "Damn right you are, stupid Sabe, Vader would never be good, he's evil and he'll always be evil."
Some Guy: "Vader, what if we killed Palpatine?"
Vader: "Yes, I would like to do that, and I'm sure you'll never betray me."
Some Guy: "Alright now we can kill Palpatine."
SOME FUCKING BULLSHIT HAPPENS.
Some Guy: "Oh no, now we can't kill Palpatine."
Vader: "Well now I want to kill you."
Sabe: "No Vader, don't kill him, Padme wouldn't want you to."
Vader: "I'm evil. Grrrrrr."
Vader Glazer #33: "Omg you are evil, you're so cool."
Palpatine: "Ha ha, this was all part of my plan. Now Vader knows he can never beat me."
Vader: "I did learn that. Anakin Skywalker is dead."
Sabe: "Nooo. But what about Padme."
Vader: "Anakin Skywalker used to like cheeseburgers."

[Teresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 ABY; The Phantom Menace Special 32 BBY

This graphic novel is the final installment to the Darth Vader (2020) run and contains issues #48-#5 as well as Star Wars: The Phantom Menace 20th Anniversary Special. This final arc follows the Schism Imperial as they continue their schemes for their own power over the Empire. Meanwhile, Sabe and Luke are at odds, though there are hints to his parentage from her. He can feel it's almost time to confront Vader again, knowing Vader wants him to turn Dark Side. Vader, meanwhile, knows Luke aways, but has the Schism to deal with. The last issue, #50 "Terminus," offers a various set of concluding arcs leading into Episode VI: Return of the Jedi. Readers will get to see what happens with Ochi of Bestoon, Leia and Sabe, and even get a little glimpse at what Anakin's friends from Tatooine are up to these days.

Star Wars: The Phantom Menace 25th Anniversary Special was a nice little reminder of Vader's origins. It does a brief recap of the whole film, but takes time to add some extra parts regarding Anakin and his mother, focusing on his core beliefs about being a good person, but also that the worry for his mother is what will ultimately lead his to darkness. The aspects we get offer interesting characterization and a side of Shmi that the movie doesn't provide, sharing a snippet of what she is up to after her son is gone.

The collection has great artwork, as per usual with the Vader comics, and I found the multiple endings being offered to the reader to be wholesome and well-rounded. I really loved the addition of the special in this collection. It was enjoyable to see these aspects of Anakin's childhood that are integral aspects to him as a person, but also shape his childhood beliefs into more as an adult. It makes one think about who he was as a child and who he later became. Overall an intriguing way to end. What's next for the world of Star Wars comics? Will we get the adventures after the fall of the Empire?🤔

[Joey Nardinelli · Rating 3 out of 5]

First volume I gave a 2/5, second volume a 5/5, and it continued all over the place from there before pretty consistently falling into 3.5/5 territory. That’s about where this run seems to end, too. It feels like a Larry David take on Star Wars where the characters are all unlikeable and no one ever learns anything. Pak manages some genuinely weird elements but all the characters feel so backgrounded to this not very compelling conflict between Vader and Palpatine that resolves in a really yawn-inducing way. Sabe was just interesting but I just struggle with how unclear even her motivations are (she hunts down Leia to…check she won’t come a Sith like she did with Luke? I guess?). And Luke here…wants to save a planet from destruction but then does nothing to stop the machine that will destroy the planet on his way out the door? So yeah, pretty inconsistent with this TPB, just like the series as a whole. I’m curious…maybe Soule will make his Vader-adjacent run with Kylo more interesting…

[Tom · Rating 2 out of 5]

After ten years, and three new #1s, Marvel's Darth Vader comes to a close. Early in this volume, a background character expresses incredulity: "he can't always come out on top," and I guess he can't although sometimes it seems that way. I've often questioned the need for Vader-centric comics. He's kind of like a miniature Warhammer 40k where it's never quite clear whether the fandom realizes it's a tragedy or if they're just attracted by the strong-man images of fascism. The last few years of the real world seem to suggest the latter.

There are hints of light around the edges, moments where we see the weakness of Anakin's hate, the foolishness of his burning need to be seen as strong. And then there are pages upon pages of light shows and Kirby crackle that bask in his power. Marvel's Darth Vader never gets redemption, and only hints at the redemption we know is coming in Return of the Jedi. So all we ever get to see here is suffering and fear. Tough to recommend.

[Shaun Stanley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Star Wars: Darth Vader Vol. 10 Phantoms collects Marvel Comics issues Darth Vader #48-50 and Star Wars: The Phantom Menace 25th Anniversary Special written by Greg Pak with art by Raffaele Ienco, Paul Fry, Luke Ross, Adam Gorham, and Will Sliney.

The Imperial Schism has set their eyes on destroying Vader and Luke Skywalker both, setting up Sly Moore as Palpatine’s new apprentice. Vader teams up with the rag tag group of Cyborg Rebel Super Solider he previously controlled to save Luke.

The final arc of the Darth Vader series is incredibly messy and disappointing. Vader goes from being the strongest he has ever been right back to being Palpatine’s lapdog because Pak wrote himself into a corner and had to get the character back to where he was as Return of the Jedi starts. This whole arc would have probably worked better with some tweaking and set before A New Hope. The book has a series of epilogues that I found more interesting than the last couple arcs of the book. There were a lot of unnecessary moments in this book that added nothing. Not every character needs to meet every other character where nothing happens (Looking at you Sabé/Luke and Sabé/Leia)

The Phantom Menace 25th Anniversary Special adds a few “deleted scenes” with young Anakin as he deals with leaving his mother, the rejection by the Jedi Council after his first visit, and the death of Qui Gon. If you are a huge fan, it’s interesting, but not ground breaking. The art does a fantastic job of capturing the actors’ likenesess.

[Ahdom · Rating 4 out of 5]

This volume continues the intense journey of Darth Vader as he inches closer to the events of Return of the Jedi. Vader sets his sights on a powerful source of kyber hidden in the Emperor’s secret base, but his risky attempt to steal it could backfire. At the same time, Sabé is searching for Luke Skywalker, and with the Emperor also in pursuit, she may realize that Luke poses an even greater threat than Vader. The story also reveals the Schism Imperial's plan, with consequences that could change everything for the Sith Lord. Packed with high stakes and tense moments, this is a solid read for Star Wars fans.

[Jackson · Rating 3 out of 5]

A merely okay finish to the 2020 Vader series. While the last issue was a lot of fun, I felt the whole Schism Imperial to be a weaker plotline that had a rather unsatisfactory conclusion. The artwork was at least very fun to look at.

For the series as a whole, I really enjoyed the first 20-30 issues. Pak did a phenomenal job in tying Vader to prequel-era Anakin, and his use of supporting cast from Anakin's past was great. The later half of the series seemed to tread water a bit, but still made for a decently fun read.

This TPB also came with the 25th anniversary The Phantom Menace issue, which was a fun little homage to the movie, though nothing too special.

[Craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just yesterday, I finished Charles Soule's 9th volume in his latest Star Wars series, which, to me at least, seemed kind of silly and inconsequential. Trying to fit stories in between established canon can't always be easy and I don't think that volume really succeeded. But, boy does Greg Pak's conclusion to his Darth Vader series deliver. Great story that fills in some emotional beats and helps to set up the Return of the Jedi. We've got the M.A.R. Corps, the Schism Imperial, and Padme's handmaiden, Sabe, all coming together to test and/or tempt Luke and try to get one over on Vader and the Emperor. This was an exciting conclusion, coupled with very strong artwork.

[Chris Lemmerman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Vader's latest adventures come to a close as the Schism Imperial make their move right under his nose. Greg Pak brings all of his plot threads home to roost from across the past 50 issues, but I think, like the other Darth Vader series, there's only so much growth Vader can go through when he's stuck between movies. We always know he's going to win, and even if he does learn a lesson, it can't be one that changes anything too drastically.

[Néstor Vargas · Rating 2 out of 5]

It’s hard to make an impactful story, or to generate genuine surprise when the ending is already written in stone. There is not a lot of space for experimentation. This run suffers from being too long, because it has to stay in this cycle of Vader almost betraying the Emperor or defeating him, but he can’t go all the way because we have one more movie. Maybe it helps explain the beginning of his redemption arc, but this loop feels boring as the issue goes by.

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoy the Vader series, but the stories are pretty predictable. Vader faces a challenge, conquers it with relative ease, nearly tries to overthrow the Emperor, but winds up staying a loyal servant to him, because we have to stay within the confines of the O.G. trilogy's story.

Good stuff, though.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

The last installment of this series wraps things up nicely.
Vader fights a losing battle against Darth Sidious. It seems like he has finally be cowed with no ambitions to become Emperor. But of course, this is Vader - so it doesn't last long.

Woven into the story is a quick snippet featuring Leia.

[Ryan Laferney · Rating 3 out of 5]

set between Episodes V and VI, Sabe tests Luke's goodness, and Vader - tempted by power and his hatred (and secret desire to overthrow the Emperor) - must face the consequences of his choices. I feel that this series did a decent job of trying to explain Vader's inner conflicts but ultimately this story is constrained by the stories we know already, depicted in the main saga of films.

[Alyce Caswell · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well that wasn't much of a schism, was it? A potentially exciting storyline was diluted by its poor timeline placement (i.e. just before ROTJ) and by lingering plot threads from earlier. I've been desperate for Sabé and Luke to meet (also Leia) but of course it could never be a satisfying meeting. Leia only manages it in a mediocre one-shot. I'm glad this series is over. It outstayed its welcome.

[Andy Hickman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Star Wars, Darth Vader, volume 10 - Phantoms
#48 - Son of Vader - "I am a JEDI. Is that what you were wondering?"
#49 - Rule of Two - "The ONLY name that matters... is SKYWALKER."
#50 - Terminus - "-- VADER is HERE!"
The Phantom Menace 25th Anniversary Special - "Discipline, said the Jedi. And sacrifice."

[Robert · Rating 1 out of 5]

Mucking about with a nonsensical plot based on kyber crystals (contradicting well established lore on them to boot) and then vomiting a bunch of brand new plot-strands onto the page before ending the series makes for...not a good read.

[Martijn Van · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall a fun but (and i know i've said this many times before) to long run of comics. Glad the next series will be post Return of the Jedi, altough i'm scared they are even more focused on fixing the mess that is Rise of Skywalker.

[Eric · Rating 3 out of 5]

Whereas the other three V-VI series felt like they had proper endings, this one just feels like "well, we ran out of issues, so it's Return of the Jedi next, let's wrap things up as fast as we can." A great series but a rushed and hurried ending.

[Thor R]

Decent ending to a ten volume series which explores the in-between of Empire Strikes Back and The Return of the Jedi. Lots of fun extra characters and more context around future decisions. Definitely recommend to other Star Wars fans.

[Jonathan Farrell · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great conclusion to this series. The story delivers a powerful and fitting ending, tying together Vader's journey in a way that deepens his character. I especially appreciated how it explored his inner "phantoms," adding weight and context to his mental state in Return of the Jedi.

[Sam Nicholson · Rating 4 out of 5]

8/10