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Star Wars: Vader Down #1
Star Wars: Vader Down #1
When Darth Vader accidentally finds himself facing off against the Rebel Fleet on his own, the rebels will learn the true strength of the Dark Side of the Force! Once Vader crashes on a nearby planet, the Rebellion is willing to risk everything for this once-in-a-lifetime chance to take out one of their biggest enemies! Luke! Vader! Leia! Aphra! Han! Chewie! And all manner of Droid, good and evil!
30 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 18, 2015
20 people are currently reading
797 people want to read
About the author
Jason Aaron
2,367 books1,685 followersJason Aaron grew up in a small town in Alabama. His cousin, Gustav Hasford, who wrote the semi-autobiographical novel The Short-Timers, on which the feature film Full Metal Jacket was based, was a large influence on Aaron. Aaron decided he wanted to write comics as a child, and though his father was skeptical when Aaron informed him of this aspiration, his mother took Aaron to drug stores, where he would purchase books from spinner racks, some of which he still owns today.
Aaron's career in comics began in 2001 when he won a Marvel Comics talent search contest with an eight-page Wolverine back-up story script. The story, which was published in Wolverine #175 (June 2002), gave him the opportunity to pitch subsequent ideas to editors.
In 2006, Aaron made a blind submission to DC/Vertigo, who published his first major work, the Vietnam War story The Other Side which was nominated for an Eisner Award for Best Miniseries, and which Aaron regards as the "second time" he broke into the industry.
Following this, Vertigo asked him to pitch other ideas, which led to the series Scalped, a creator-owned series set on the fictional Prairie Rose Indian Reservation and published by DC/Vertigo.
In 2007, Aaron wrote Ripclaw: Pilot Season for Top Cow Productions. Later that year, Marvel editor Axel Alonso, who was impressed by The Other Side and Scalped, hired Aaron to write issues of Wolverine, Black Panther and eventually, an extended run on Ghost Rider that began in April 2008. His continued work on Black Panther also included a tie-in to the company-wide crossover storyline along with a "Secret Invasion" with David Lapham in 2009.
In January 2008, he signed an exclusive contract with Marvel, though it would not affect his work on Scalped. Later that July, he wrote the Penguin issue of The Joker's Asylum.
After a 4-issue stint on Wolverine in 2007, Aaron returned to the character with the ongoing series Wolverine: Weapon X, launched to coincide with the feature film X-Men Origins: Wolverine. Aaron commented, "With Wolverine: Weapon X we'll be trying to mix things up like that from arc to arc, so the first arc is a typical sort of black ops story but the second arc will jump right into the middle of a completely different genre," In 2010, the series was relaunched once again as simply Wolverine. He followed this with his current run on Thor: God of Thunder.
Aaron's career in comics began in 2001 when he won a Marvel Comics talent search contest with an eight-page Wolverine back-up story script. The story, which was published in Wolverine #175 (June 2002), gave him the opportunity to pitch subsequent ideas to editors.
In 2006, Aaron made a blind submission to DC/Vertigo, who published his first major work, the Vietnam War story The Other Side which was nominated for an Eisner Award for Best Miniseries, and which Aaron regards as the "second time" he broke into the industry.
Following this, Vertigo asked him to pitch other ideas, which led to the series Scalped, a creator-owned series set on the fictional Prairie Rose Indian Reservation and published by DC/Vertigo.
In 2007, Aaron wrote Ripclaw: Pilot Season for Top Cow Productions. Later that year, Marvel editor Axel Alonso, who was impressed by The Other Side and Scalped, hired Aaron to write issues of Wolverine, Black Panther and eventually, an extended run on Ghost Rider that began in April 2008. His continued work on Black Panther also included a tie-in to the company-wide crossover storyline along with a "Secret Invasion" with David Lapham in 2009.
In January 2008, he signed an exclusive contract with Marvel, though it would not affect his work on Scalped. Later that July, he wrote the Penguin issue of The Joker's Asylum.
After a 4-issue stint on Wolverine in 2007, Aaron returned to the character with the ongoing series Wolverine: Weapon X, launched to coincide with the feature film X-Men Origins: Wolverine. Aaron commented, "With Wolverine: Weapon X we'll be trying to mix things up like that from arc to arc, so the first arc is a typical sort of black ops story but the second arc will jump right into the middle of a completely different genre," In 2010, the series was relaunched once again as simply Wolverine. He followed this with his current run on Thor: God of Thunder.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 61 reviews
January 26, 2025
First five stars in this run, and I swear I didn't give it five stars just because it's not written by Kieron lol
He is a plotter here along with Jason Aaron, so he still gets some credit.
The story here is just epic.
Best space battle visually in any comic I ever read.
Whoever heard of a space battle with dozens of targets that was clear and easy to follow?
Hell! I was in space battles where I didn't know what the fuck was happening myself before lol
And that ending line, "I am surrounded by fear and deadmen."
If I ever steal a line in my life it will be this one, but no sadly I can't steal it, it's very badass though.
We have Luke, Vader, the princess (Don't remember if her name is pronounced Lia or Lea lol) and Harrison Ford too! (Forgot the name of his character sorry not sorry.)
This issue really sets up the main series for great things, I hope Kieron can capitalize.
He is a plotter here along with Jason Aaron, so he still gets some credit.
The story here is just epic.
Best space battle visually in any comic I ever read.
Whoever heard of a space battle with dozens of targets that was clear and easy to follow?
Hell! I was in space battles where I didn't know what the fuck was happening myself before lol
And that ending line, "I am surrounded by fear and deadmen."
If I ever steal a line in my life it will be this one, but no sadly I can't steal it, it's very badass though.
We have Luke, Vader, the princess (Don't remember if her name is pronounced Lia or Lea lol) and Harrison Ford too! (Forgot the name of his character sorry not sorry.)
This issue really sets up the main series for great things, I hope Kieron can capitalize.
July 26, 2017
By the butt of the Hutt! Darth Vader is so badass, kicking so many rebel ass that I almost pity those X-Wing pilots who were absolutely no match for the Sith Lord. Bring it on Vader!
This issue is filled with beautiful and intense illustrations, many of which are these stunning spread pages that you would just admire for a few moments. Damn good stuff Deodato!
This much X-Wings against a Sith Lord? Pfft, not enough.
For those who are reading the Darth Vader comics, this is definitely a refreshing take on the character. Vader being downed, with no comms and means to call backup actually gives him the freedom to move, free from the eyes of the Empire.
Vader Down already feels like a Star Wars episode 4.5. I highly recommend that you read this issue. Hopefully the next 5 of this six-issue miniseries will be as good as this one.
This issue is filled with beautiful and intense illustrations, many of which are these stunning spread pages that you would just admire for a few moments. Damn good stuff Deodato!
This much X-Wings against a Sith Lord? Pfft, not enough.For those who are reading the Darth Vader comics, this is definitely a refreshing take on the character. Vader being downed, with no comms and means to call backup actually gives him the freedom to move, free from the eyes of the Empire.
Vader Down already feels like a Star Wars episode 4.5. I highly recommend that you read this issue. Hopefully the next 5 of this six-issue miniseries will be as good as this one.
December 3, 2015
I have to say two things about this issue;1) Darth Vader would win the Badass Academy Award for the Best Badass Character in the history of badass characters.
2)I have the weird urge to yell;”Darth Vader Down! I repeat we have Darth Vader Down!"
2)I have the weird urge to yell;”Darth Vader Down! I repeat we have Darth Vader Down!"
May 30, 2016
Now that was EPIC!!
Darth went to find Luke .. then he found himself surrounded by 3 squadron!
---
for me it's a great issue.. I didn't know there are new droids like C-3po and R2-D2, but serving Darth Vader
I guess he missed his old droids so he made new ones, along with his new character.. which by the way looks like Batman in the issue
and there is his Batmobile
*Joking
------
and this is the first time I see this old Jedi Temple.. it looks Roman
Darth went to find Luke .. then he found himself surrounded by 3 squadron!
---
for me it's a great issue.. I didn't know there are new droids like C-3po and R2-D2, but serving Darth Vader
I guess he missed his old droids so he made new ones, along with his new character.. which by the way looks like Batman in the issue
and there is his Batmobile
*Joking
------
and this is the first time I see this old Jedi Temple.. it looks Roman
June 5, 2016
Whoa. Fear Vader. This was basically a story about how scarily awesome Vader is. Aaron nailed it. The art work was stunning, too. image: 
December 4, 2015
Not to fangirl too hard but Vader Down is sweet. This issue takes place between Episode IV and V with Vader hot on Luke's trail and Luke still unaware of Vader's true identity, fighting with the Rebel Alliance.
Vader is menacing, calm, and terrifying as he takes on huge waves of fighters. It's everything you could want when focusing on him. Vader Down is a crossover event between the comic series Star Wars and Star Wars: Vader and will continue in those series. I will definitely be reading more!
November 19, 2015
Awesome, just awesome! This is the Vader we should make movies about, cut throat, hard core, brutal, holding nothing bad!! I loved this!
August 28, 2018
Such a cool comic! the characterization was spot on, and I loved seeing some of the behind the scenes of the Empire! (I never knew about general Karbin before!) Can't wait to continue the series!
February 20, 2016
The artwork is simply elegant! There are a few instances in which there are two pages of one picture! The space battle between Darth Vader and three squadrons looks amazing, and there are even casualties floating around in space! Appearing in this issue are Blue Squadron, Yellow Squadron, and Gray Squaron. When Vader and Luke fly at each other, they both crash-land on Vrogas Vas and survive. Luke lands by a ruined Jedi Temple, but he decides that Vader is the priority. As rebel forces close in on the Sith Lord, we get to see his might as he uses the Force to throw boulders at ships to destroy them. He is surrounded by rebel soldiers, but they do not know what they are in for.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 21, 2015
Wow! This is easily the best issue I've read out of the new Star Wars comics. The story was fantastic and the artwork absolutely stunning. I wish this artist was responsible for either the Star Wars or Darth Vader series rather than this solo, but not standalone, issue.
It's a good thing I'm already reading and enjoying both of those aforementioned series because the next five issues in Vader Down will actually be alternating between those two, so if you're not reading both than you'd only get half the story broken into pieces. I sincerely hope they keep up with the expectations that they set right here.
It's a good thing I'm already reading and enjoying both of those aforementioned series because the next five issues in Vader Down will actually be alternating between those two, so if you're not reading both than you'd only get half the story broken into pieces. I sincerely hope they keep up with the expectations that they set right here.
July 16, 2016
I got this as an exclusive in a Loot Crate and I don't think I would have picked it up otherwise but I ended up really liking it. The artwork is gorgeous! The story was also pretty good. I don't know if I'll continue with it but I'm really glad I got this issue.
November 19, 2015
This is a well deserved five stars.
November 19, 2015
Can I give this 10 Stars?
November 29, 2015
Vader is so badass! All hail lord Vader! Can't wait to read more.
November 29, 2015
All the Vader story lines have been utterly fantastic.
This is no exception.
This is no exception.
December 23, 2015
At first, it did not click what Vader Down actually meant, I kept getting Boogie Down stuck in my head from Labyrinth, and then it all made sense... and was brilliant.
December 28, 2015
Oh, boy. That is good stuff. The art is splendid!
January 3, 2017
“Vader Down #1”
C3PO: “If I may say so, Sir, I have a rather bad fee---”
Han: “Yeah, trust me, goldenrod … we ALL do.”
- -
C3PO: “If I may say so, Sir, I have a rather bad fee---”
Han: “Yeah, trust me, goldenrod … we ALL do.”
- -
November 22, 2015
I am not a huge comic book person, but this was the best I have ever read. Vader was awesome.
December 6, 2022
Book: Star Wars: Vader Down, Vol. 1
Author: Jason Aaron
Rating: 4 Out of 5 Stars
I loved this story. I had such a great time following Vader and other characters. This is set during the original trilogy and it was great to be back in the world and with the core cast. Now, this is not a contained story. You are going to have to read all six volumes to get the full story.
We follow Vader who is on the hunt for Luke, like always. However, he finds himself on his own against a rebel fleet on his own. We get to see the Vader’s true powers. He has great abilities with the Force and is not afraid to lose them. We see the true villain that he is and how strong he is. This was my biggest complaint with the original movies. He was supposed to be this great villain and strong, but it just did not come across the best. Here we get to see his full strength and how dangerous he is. We see how and why no one has been able to beat him.
The artwork is amazing. It is full color and everything is fully developed. This is what I want whenever I read a graphic novel. I want to see things fleshed out and well developed. I want to feel as if I am watching the story and I got that here.
I will be picking up the second volume very soon.
Author: Jason Aaron
Rating: 4 Out of 5 Stars
I loved this story. I had such a great time following Vader and other characters. This is set during the original trilogy and it was great to be back in the world and with the core cast. Now, this is not a contained story. You are going to have to read all six volumes to get the full story.
We follow Vader who is on the hunt for Luke, like always. However, he finds himself on his own against a rebel fleet on his own. We get to see the Vader’s true powers. He has great abilities with the Force and is not afraid to lose them. We see the true villain that he is and how strong he is. This was my biggest complaint with the original movies. He was supposed to be this great villain and strong, but it just did not come across the best. Here we get to see his full strength and how dangerous he is. We see how and why no one has been able to beat him.
The artwork is amazing. It is full color and everything is fully developed. This is what I want whenever I read a graphic novel. I want to see things fleshed out and well developed. I want to feel as if I am watching the story and I got that here.
I will be picking up the second volume very soon.
February 1, 2018
An interesting opening to the Vader Down arc. I do sometimes hate the over-bad-assing of Vader, but its better than the toning down that Vader also gets a lot of times. And I rather see Vader on the bad-ass end of the spectrum than on the "needs assistance" side (like previous Vader comics in this very run, have done).
I do disagree with the idea of Luke doing a suicide run against Vader's ship though. While I believe it is KIND OF in character for Luke, I also feel like its very much NOT in character as well.
Will have to see where this arc goes. The library only had volumes 1, 3, 4, 5, 6 when I was there tonight. Hopefully 2 was just misplaced, because I'm not going to go forward to volume 3 without reading volume 2.
I do disagree with the idea of Luke doing a suicide run against Vader's ship though. While I believe it is KIND OF in character for Luke, I also feel like its very much NOT in character as well.
Will have to see where this arc goes. The library only had volumes 1, 3, 4, 5, 6 when I was there tonight. Hopefully 2 was just misplaced, because I'm not going to go forward to volume 3 without reading volume 2.
September 16, 2022
Lord Vader fans will absolutely love this.
5 out of 5 star rating.
He is the unstoppable Sith Lord in black armor, wearing a black mask, and his powers of the Dark Side leave little chance for those who oppose him. You'll see a lot of that here, as he waves his hand and ships fall from space, throats get crushed, so forth.
Dr. Aphra is really growing on me as well. I may have to go re-read her book, because at the time I had zero appreciation for her. Well that's changing, fast.
Her droids are absolutely insane as well! Evil C-3PO/R2-D2, aka BEETEE and Triple Zero. Man these guys are some really dark Star Wars, especially Triple Zero. If someone other than Disney did a movie on them, like maybe Quintan Tarantino... nightmare fuel.
Loving this Star Wars comic book journey!
5 out of 5 star rating.
He is the unstoppable Sith Lord in black armor, wearing a black mask, and his powers of the Dark Side leave little chance for those who oppose him. You'll see a lot of that here, as he waves his hand and ships fall from space, throats get crushed, so forth.
Dr. Aphra is really growing on me as well. I may have to go re-read her book, because at the time I had zero appreciation for her. Well that's changing, fast.
Her droids are absolutely insane as well! Evil C-3PO/R2-D2, aka BEETEE and Triple Zero. Man these guys are some really dark Star Wars, especially Triple Zero. If someone other than Disney did a movie on them, like maybe Quintan Tarantino... nightmare fuel.
Loving this Star Wars comic book journey!
May 16, 2019
I do not like Star Wars, but I got this for my class library and I try to read all of those books.
I actually quite enjoyed it. I even was thinking, "Darth Vader is a super cool bad guy." He was kind of wicked awesome in this comic.
I think the kids will like it. I wouldn't even mind reading more Star Wars comics.
I actually quite enjoyed it. I even was thinking, "Darth Vader is a super cool bad guy." He was kind of wicked awesome in this comic.
I think the kids will like it. I wouldn't even mind reading more Star Wars comics.
December 9, 2020
Who doesn't love the Dark Father
Nice art work and an interesting story. We get to see what Vader was up too just after the Death Star was destroyed. We also see how the Emperor liked to play people off against each other especially against Vader.
Nice art work and an interesting story. We get to see what Vader was up too just after the Death Star was destroyed. We also see how the Emperor liked to play people off against each other especially against Vader.
May 23, 2025
As a stickler for details, not a fan of the post-Vader space battle in which a bunch of dead but otherwise uninjured X-Wing pilots and intact droids float after their ships were blown up. And as a 2-page spread, it's just an illogical presentation as filler content.
February 6, 2017
The cover is kind of the best part...though my cover is a variant and not this one. It was kinda cool to see Han and Leia...But I just didn't get into it. The art was good however.
May 19, 2017
This was amazingly good and Vader really got be that badass, dark character that he is here.
Can't wait to get my hands on the rest of this series.
Can't wait to get my hands on the rest of this series.
August 1, 2017
Great new story line. This should be fun but dang the stupid cross over issues lol
August 30, 2017
It was fantastic. it is great for all star wars fans
January 21, 2018
AMAZING artwork, this Vader is so badass and scary!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 61 reviews