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Star Wars: Darth Vader (2015)
Star Wars: Darth Vader, Vol. 3: The Shu-Torun War
Collects Darth Vader Annual #1, Darth Vader #16-19.
The Dark Lord of the Sith's unstoppable march continues! The natives of Shu-Torun are revolting, and there's no way the Empire will stand for that. When Darth Vader is tasked with leading a military assault against the planet, could it be that his rise to glory has begun? But who will follow Vader into war? Would you? Then again, it's better to fight alongside Vader than against him. That's a lesson that the ore barons are about to learn.
The Dark Lord of the Sith's unstoppable march continues! The natives of Shu-Torun are revolting, and there's no way the Empire will stand for that. When Darth Vader is tasked with leading a military assault against the planet, could it be that his rise to glory has begun? But who will follow Vader into war? Would you? Then again, it's better to fight alongside Vader than against him. That's a lesson that the ore barons are about to learn.
119 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 9, 2016
624 people are currently reading
1700 people want to read
About the author
Kieron Gillen
1,472 books1,907 followersKieron Gillen is a comic book writer and former media journalist.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 461 reviews
September 30, 2016
Darth Vader’s macabre dance!
I got this storyarc on its single comic book issues but I chose to make the review using this TPB edition to make a better overall review. The story is set after the events of “Star Wars IV: A New Hope” but before the events of “Star Wars V: The Empire Strikes Back”. This TPB edition contains from the title of “Star Wars: Darth Vader” #16-19 + Annual #1 in its new Marvel Canonic run.
Creative Team:
Writer: Keiron Gillen
Illustrators: Salvador Larroca & Leinil Yu
DARK DANCE
We… were not finished, Lord Vader. I am queen here.
You are. Remember who made you so. -- -- I will treat you with the illusion of respect. As long as you do not dream to question me in public.
It’s a deal.
No. – It is simply how it will be.
After the loss of the Death Star, the Empire not only suffered a huge blow to their plans to keep under tight control the worlds without the need of a senate, but also it gives the idea to some of those worlds that freedom of Imperial rule was possible, but also it provoked that the Empire was in a dire new of minerals’ supplies…
…in all this criss-cross mess…
…comes the world of Shu-Torun, rich in ore elements, crucial for Imperial plans, but the Ore Barons (ruling business lords there) thought that they could rebel against the Empire.
The first ones to know how foolish was having that kind of thinking was the Royal Family of Shu-Torun…
…now the defunct entire Royal Family of Shu-Torun, but…
…Trios, youngest daughter of the family and now Queen Trios imposed by Darth Vader himself.
Nobody opposed the idea, you can be sure of that!
In Sho-Torun, dancing is a core factor in its culture and how they do things. And Trios is a terrific dancer, so now Queen Trios learned to dance with the Empire.
So, while the Ore Baron didn’t mind much about if Trios was queen or not, they definitely keep thinking about to rebel against the Empire.
So, you can see that foolishness is a chronic illness in Sho-Torun.
Darth Vader makes a new trip to Sho-Torun to erase the very existence of the word “rebellion” from the Sho-Torun’s vocabulary.
Along with a Imperial Stormtroopers’ detail and some (very) cool AT-ATs, Vader goes down to Shu-Torun, with Dr. Cylo (Imperial chief cibernetics specialist) and some of his “creations” like the Astarte Twins, Morit & Aiolin (cyborg warriors armed with lightsabers) plus other cyborgs.
The additions to the mission of Dr. Cylo and his cybernetic agents is ordered by Emperor Palpatine himself, but the original idea came from Grand Admiral Tagge (commander-in-chief of the Imperial Starfleet). Tagge is worried that Vader’s reputation is becoming “too” great, so people eventually won’t be afraid of the Empire per se BUT from Darth Vader himself.
So, Dr. Cylo’s secret mission is clear…
…to make look bad Darth Vader’s Sho-Torun’s campaign and if he doesn’t return from Sho-Torun, well, even better.
However, Darth Vader isn’t travelling without his own personal assets: 0-0-0 (Triple Zero) (a protocol droid who enjoys to torture) and BT-1 (Blastomech with a deceptive look of astromech).
So, since we are already in Sho-Torun…
…let’s begin the dance… of war!!!
To survive on Shu-Torun, you must dance.
I got this storyarc on its single comic book issues but I chose to make the review using this TPB edition to make a better overall review. The story is set after the events of “Star Wars IV: A New Hope” but before the events of “Star Wars V: The Empire Strikes Back”. This TPB edition contains from the title of “Star Wars: Darth Vader” #16-19 + Annual #1 in its new Marvel Canonic run.
Creative Team:
Writer: Keiron Gillen
Illustrators: Salvador Larroca & Leinil Yu
DARK DANCE
We… were not finished, Lord Vader. I am queen here.
You are. Remember who made you so. -- -- I will treat you with the illusion of respect. As long as you do not dream to question me in public.
It’s a deal.
No. – It is simply how it will be.
After the loss of the Death Star, the Empire not only suffered a huge blow to their plans to keep under tight control the worlds without the need of a senate, but also it gives the idea to some of those worlds that freedom of Imperial rule was possible, but also it provoked that the Empire was in a dire new of minerals’ supplies…
…in all this criss-cross mess…
…comes the world of Shu-Torun, rich in ore elements, crucial for Imperial plans, but the Ore Barons (ruling business lords there) thought that they could rebel against the Empire.
The first ones to know how foolish was having that kind of thinking was the Royal Family of Shu-Torun…
…now the defunct entire Royal Family of Shu-Torun, but…
…Trios, youngest daughter of the family and now Queen Trios imposed by Darth Vader himself.
Nobody opposed the idea, you can be sure of that!
In Sho-Torun, dancing is a core factor in its culture and how they do things. And Trios is a terrific dancer, so now Queen Trios learned to dance with the Empire.
So, while the Ore Baron didn’t mind much about if Trios was queen or not, they definitely keep thinking about to rebel against the Empire.
So, you can see that foolishness is a chronic illness in Sho-Torun.
Darth Vader makes a new trip to Sho-Torun to erase the very existence of the word “rebellion” from the Sho-Torun’s vocabulary.
Along with a Imperial Stormtroopers’ detail and some (very) cool AT-ATs, Vader goes down to Shu-Torun, with Dr. Cylo (Imperial chief cibernetics specialist) and some of his “creations” like the Astarte Twins, Morit & Aiolin (cyborg warriors armed with lightsabers) plus other cyborgs.
The additions to the mission of Dr. Cylo and his cybernetic agents is ordered by Emperor Palpatine himself, but the original idea came from Grand Admiral Tagge (commander-in-chief of the Imperial Starfleet). Tagge is worried that Vader’s reputation is becoming “too” great, so people eventually won’t be afraid of the Empire per se BUT from Darth Vader himself.
So, Dr. Cylo’s secret mission is clear…
…to make look bad Darth Vader’s Sho-Torun’s campaign and if he doesn’t return from Sho-Torun, well, even better.
However, Darth Vader isn’t travelling without his own personal assets: 0-0-0 (Triple Zero) (a protocol droid who enjoys to torture) and BT-1 (Blastomech with a deceptive look of astromech).
So, since we are already in Sho-Torun…
…let’s begin the dance… of war!!!
To survive on Shu-Torun, you must dance.
January 12, 2017
Don’t ever ask a Sith Lord to dance.
Darth Vader is diverted from his secret agenda of tracking down Luke Skywalker when the Emperor sends him on a mission to put down a budding rebellion on a mining planet of critical importance.
This doesn’t advance the core plot that’s been driving this series, but it is a pretty cool side story in which we get to see Vader be a total bad ass as he asserts Imperial authority. One of the things I’ve enjoyed most about the story gaps these comics are filling in between A New Hope and Empire Strikes Back is how the destruction of the Death Star caused a whole bunch of problems for the Empire and how Vader is used as the Emperor’s main trouble shooter.
The best part continues to be the evil droids 000 and BT-1 who delight in the chance to kill a whole lot of ‘meaty masters’ in the midst of the conflict. It’s probably a preview of how robots will soon rise up to murder us all, but for now they’re a homicidal delight to read.
Darth Vader is diverted from his secret agenda of tracking down Luke Skywalker when the Emperor sends him on a mission to put down a budding rebellion on a mining planet of critical importance.
This doesn’t advance the core plot that’s been driving this series, but it is a pretty cool side story in which we get to see Vader be a total bad ass as he asserts Imperial authority. One of the things I’ve enjoyed most about the story gaps these comics are filling in between A New Hope and Empire Strikes Back is how the destruction of the Death Star caused a whole bunch of problems for the Empire and how Vader is used as the Emperor’s main trouble shooter.
The best part continues to be the evil droids 000 and BT-1 who delight in the chance to kill a whole lot of ‘meaty masters’ in the midst of the conflict. It’s probably a preview of how robots will soon rise up to murder us all, but for now they’re a homicidal delight to read.
September 22, 2016
Darth Vader installs a puppet Queen on the mining planet of Shu-Torun after putting down their rebellion against the Empire. But a new rebellion begins and he must return to quash it once more… zzz...
Yup, Kieron Gillen and Salvadar Larroca’s Darth Vader series still sucks! Probably because the whole “rebellion against the Empire” thing is a forgone conclusion for this nothing planet but there’s almost no character work for anyone new here, particularly the rebel side, so it’s hard to give a monkey’s about this war.
Also Vader doesn’t do anything interesting in dealing with it. He blows up some machines, he briefly lightsaber duels with a couple bland Jedi characters, and that’s about it. He’s invincible and he wins by once again using brute force. Such a boring snooze-fest of a story!
Leinil Yu and Salvador Larroca’s art is cool and as polished as ever but the design for Shu-Torun was really unimaginative - it’s basically just Mustafar.
Kieron Gillen continues to prove that he doesn’t have any great stories to tell with Vader and The Shu-Torun War is as bland a Star Wars adventure as you can get. Darth Vader stories should be entertaining - a new writer urgently needs to take over this series and make his books exciting!
Yup, Kieron Gillen and Salvadar Larroca’s Darth Vader series still sucks! Probably because the whole “rebellion against the Empire” thing is a forgone conclusion for this nothing planet but there’s almost no character work for anyone new here, particularly the rebel side, so it’s hard to give a monkey’s about this war.
Also Vader doesn’t do anything interesting in dealing with it. He blows up some machines, he briefly lightsaber duels with a couple bland Jedi characters, and that’s about it. He’s invincible and he wins by once again using brute force. Such a boring snooze-fest of a story!
Leinil Yu and Salvador Larroca’s art is cool and as polished as ever but the design for Shu-Torun was really unimaginative - it’s basically just Mustafar.
Kieron Gillen continues to prove that he doesn’t have any great stories to tell with Vader and The Shu-Torun War is as bland a Star Wars adventure as you can get. Darth Vader stories should be entertaining - a new writer urgently needs to take over this series and make his books exciting!
October 13, 2016
I am a huge fan of the first two volumes of Marvel's Vader book. Loved every minute of 'em. This one, though? Not so much.
It was OK. Entertaining enough in its way. It just didn't excite me like the first two did. Maybe the novelty's wearing off. It all felt a little... directionless? I don't know; it just didn't click like the first two did.
It was OK. Entertaining enough in its way. It just didn't excite me like the first two did. Maybe the novelty's wearing off. It all felt a little... directionless? I don't know; it just didn't click like the first two did.
November 22, 2016
Dont ask Vader to dance.....ever. More double crossing and espionage in this 3rd volume and Gillen is creating interesting stories. Vader is sent to Shu-torun to help with a rebellion because the empire needs its metal manufacturing. He continues to kick ass left and right while installing a new ruler and overthrowing a rebellion of ore barons. triple zero and beetee are still up evil shenanigans and they remain a super fun part of the plot. The evil Cylo and his jedi twins are plotting a double cross and as you can imagine Vader knows and is ready to dish out more ass kicking. In the end the empire gets what it wants and Vader gets new of Aphra but its from a source he doesnt expect, the inspector Thanoth. If I remember correctly Thanoth was charged with watching over Vader so this cant be good. I liked this volume but it still felt like a side story and was not a whole lot of progression. On to volume 4 please
September 1, 2019
Kieron Gillen and Salvador Larroca are killing it with this Vader series. I wish the Star Wars EU books could be this good. Vader is sent to Shu-Torun to stop the resistance there and get production for the Empire back to normal. I would have liked to see the story expanded as I found the culture of this world interesting.
May 6, 2025
Darth Vader isn't into dancing.
July 29, 2018
A back to basics story with Vader oppressing the galaxy by propping up an Empire installed queen. There really isn’t anyone on the “Rebel” side worth caring about, but Vader’s relationship with the Emperor and other power players in the Empire is still interesting. I’d describe this one as entertaining but not earth shattering.
June 13, 2022
While I still enjoyed it, I found this arc to be the weakest of this otherwise stellar Darth Vader run by Kieron Gillen & Salvador Larroca. Joined by guest artist Lenil Francis Yu on the annual, Gillen crafts a tale that sees Vader trying to quell an uprising by Ore Barons on the empire-controlled mining planet of Shu-Toran.
While it’s always nice to see a planet that isn’t Tatooine, I really didn’t find Shu-Torun all that memorable or the whole war with ore barons all that interesting either. The most intriguing aspects of this were the different plots with Dr. Cylo and the Vader replacements moving forward in fascinating ways. I’m really looking forward to how Gillen wraps this run up and even though this wasn’t my favorite arc, it isn’t all bad either.
The art by both Lenil Francis Yu and Salvador Larroca is incredible and some of the best work I’ve seen from either of these two. Even though I didn’t love Shu-Torun, Yu & Larroca do a lot of great work with portraying this setting, especially in all the action scenes. It feels like a fully realized and unique planet, not just a cheap copy of Mustafar or something.
The most interesting aspect of this whole story is the character of Princess Trios though, who has a gripping character arc that felt very believable. We see her in an annual that takes place before Vader Down, before coming back to see how she is now that she is no longer the princess of Shu-Torun, but its Queen. A wonderful dynamic character who I hope we see more of in the future. I may not have loved Shu-Torun, but I adored her journey.
While I may not have enjoyed this as much as the other volumes, it really was fine enough. It’s just not as strong compared to the other 3 arcs we have gotten, which were all fantastic. This still moves the story forward in interesting ways though, and I’m not any less excited to see how Gillen wraps all this up next volume. The art is also a constant pleasure to look at even if the story isn’t always the best read.
While it’s always nice to see a planet that isn’t Tatooine, I really didn’t find Shu-Torun all that memorable or the whole war with ore barons all that interesting either. The most intriguing aspects of this were the different plots with Dr. Cylo and the Vader replacements moving forward in fascinating ways. I’m really looking forward to how Gillen wraps this run up and even though this wasn’t my favorite arc, it isn’t all bad either.
The art by both Lenil Francis Yu and Salvador Larroca is incredible and some of the best work I’ve seen from either of these two. Even though I didn’t love Shu-Torun, Yu & Larroca do a lot of great work with portraying this setting, especially in all the action scenes. It feels like a fully realized and unique planet, not just a cheap copy of Mustafar or something.
The most interesting aspect of this whole story is the character of Princess Trios though, who has a gripping character arc that felt very believable. We see her in an annual that takes place before Vader Down, before coming back to see how she is now that she is no longer the princess of Shu-Torun, but its Queen. A wonderful dynamic character who I hope we see more of in the future. I may not have loved Shu-Torun, but I adored her journey.
While I may not have enjoyed this as much as the other volumes, it really was fine enough. It’s just not as strong compared to the other 3 arcs we have gotten, which were all fantastic. This still moves the story forward in interesting ways though, and I’m not any less excited to see how Gillen wraps all this up next volume. The art is also a constant pleasure to look at even if the story isn’t always the best read.
July 2, 2017
Ok, clearly, this is not a trilogy as expected (I presumed while there are more volumes about Vader, the main story arc would be concluded after this volume).
The issues collected here tell the story of Vader having to put down rebellious barons that usually mine rare and important ores for the Empire. There is a lot of back-stabbing, and not only at court but all around Vader. The story felt a bit disjointed as Aphra was suddenly missing and the droids (Beetee and Triple-Zero) were with Vader. At least there was progress with the story of Cylo's creations though and we got hints at the entire plot regarding Cylo and his creations having been a ploy by Emperor Palpatine (though there is no conclusion yet).
The art remains impeccable throughout all the volumes which makes me hope this artist will stick around.
This third volume distinguished itself not through story or awesome feats by Vader, but through the humour. Observe:
BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA. I just love those droids (although there seem to be the seeds of rebellion in them as well, as we can observe late in this volume) and almost couldn't stop laughing!
The issues collected here tell the story of Vader having to put down rebellious barons that usually mine rare and important ores for the Empire. There is a lot of back-stabbing, and not only at court but all around Vader. The story felt a bit disjointed as Aphra was suddenly missing and the droids (Beetee and Triple-Zero) were with Vader. At least there was progress with the story of Cylo's creations though and we got hints at the entire plot regarding Cylo and his creations having been a ploy by Emperor Palpatine (though there is no conclusion yet).
The art remains impeccable throughout all the volumes which makes me hope this artist will stick around.
This third volume distinguished itself not through story or awesome feats by Vader, but through the humour. Observe:
BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA. I just love those droids (although there seem to be the seeds of rebellion in them as well, as we can observe late in this volume) and almost couldn't stop laughing!
October 6, 2016
This was a good, back-to-basics "Vader helps the Empire divide, oppress and conquer" story. The whole Doctor Aphra storyline gets put on pause to allow the Galaxy's Least Merry Man to crush a local rebellion with death-defying feats of bad-assery and stone cold put-downs.
And, yeah, insist he ballroom dance at your peril.
His new droid sidekicks are still along for the ride as comic relief, as are a couple of cyborg twits as allies/antagonists.
The most interesting character, for me, turns out to be Trios. Her arc is a compelling one, and I hope we see her again someday.
Looks like it's back to skulduggery for Vol. 4. Hope it can live up to the standard set in this one!
And, yeah, insist he ballroom dance at your peril.
His new droid sidekicks are still along for the ride as comic relief, as are a couple of cyborg twits as allies/antagonists.
The most interesting character, for me, turns out to be Trios. Her arc is a compelling one, and I hope we see her again someday.
Looks like it's back to skulduggery for Vol. 4. Hope it can live up to the standard set in this one!
September 19, 2016
The story's a bit weak, and there isn't much of a point to any of it. That said, it was pretty interesting to see the way the Empire deals with a rebellious world that they need to operate.
December 14, 2019
Love reading Vader on Prime!
These are some pretty good stories and the art is fantastic. I really like several of the non-movie characters (like triple zero). Vader is complex, a tortured soul. Thanks to Prime i can read many of the Star War Vader collections on my 10 in Fire tablet.
These are some pretty good stories and the art is fantastic. I really like several of the non-movie characters (like triple zero). Vader is complex, a tortured soul. Thanks to Prime i can read many of the Star War Vader collections on my 10 in Fire tablet.
June 30, 2021
A bit inferior to the first volume.
February 13, 2018
Another good volume.
I just love 0-0-0 and BT-1!!! XD
September 20, 2016
After clashing with Jason Aaron in the comic book crossover Star Wars: Vader Down, Kieron Gillen goes solo once again with the third volume of his Darth Vader series.
I have mixed feelings about Kieron Gillen's Star Wars: Darth Vader. I don't hate the series by any means of the word, but it has been consistently disappointing for most of its run.
I completely adored the first volume, Vader. It set up a fascinating and compelling storyline that explores the aftermath of the first Death Star's destruction, and the consequences of failing to protect it. Gillen did a wonderful job with the characters, whether it be an on point portrayal of Vader himself or introducing great new faces, like the witty and resourceful Dr. Aphra or the hilarious evil droid duo Triple-Zero and BT-1.
It got me extremely excited for what would come next, but then Vol. 2: Shadows and Secrets ended up being one of the most disappointing pieces of Star Wars media that I have come across. While it wasn't awful, it was nowhere near as good as this series' amazing first installment. Its plot went nowhere, derailing the tightly woven storyline of it's predecessor and turning the series into a convoluted and unfocused mess.
Vader Down was an improvement, but the portions that Gilllen contributed were consistently weaker than the ones provided by Jason Aaron, and sometimes I think the crossover would not have turned out as good as it did if Aaron wasn't able to work around some of Gillen's missteps in the writing.
And now we get to The Shu-Torun War.
I have good news and bad news. I'll start with the good: this collection is without a doubt better than Shadows and Secrets. The bad news, unfortunately, was that it was still a disappointment. Kieron Gillen still struggles to write himself out of the unfocused sinkhole that he has driven this comic book series into. I still hold out a touch of hope for Darth Vader, Vol. 4: End of Games, but I won't be surprised if this once-epic series ends with a whimper.
SPECIAL SECTION: THE ANNUAL: The trade paperback of the Sho-Torun War includes a one-shot annual that kicks off the collection. It is a side story if you look at the Darth Vader series as a whole, but for this story-arc specifically it serves as a prequel that sets up this volume.
To be honest, this may actually be the best part of the collection. The plot follows Vader as he assassinates the royal family on Shu-Torun, leaving only Princess Trios (who will be Vader's ally in the main arc as queen) alive. I think Gillen did a good job with the characters in the annual, as Trios is strong and intelligent and Vader is intimidating.
The biggest surprise here though was the artwork from Leinl Yu, the artist behind the majority of Star Wars, Vol. 3: Rebel Jail. With Rebel Jail I complained about the action scenes that were not rendered very well, but here he did a lot better and gave us some pretty good sequences. I am confident that if his artwork was this good in Rebel Jail, that collection would have turned out far better, maybe even brilliant.
I will give this annual a 4 out of 5 stars.
And now to the main arc.
THE STORY: Darth Vader continues his journey to reclaim his place as the Emperor's right-hand man and eliminate the competition that his master introduced with an odd collection of minions. \ Queen Trios, a Shu-Torun noble who is loyal to the Empire, may have been established as the ruler of Shu-Torun, but an uprising lead by dissident barons forces her to request imperial reinforcements. Darth Vader returns to the planet with Triple Zero and Beetee-One to quell the uprising and keep Trios in power. However, he is forced to work with the saber-wielding twins and Cylo, the weird creation that looks like Tim Curry if he was half-machine and had a robotic eye.
THE BAD: Kieron Gillen continues to struggle with his writing, in the same way he has done since Shadows and Secrets.
The story continues to go nowhere in yet another largely pointless detour. . Rather than feeling like a continuation of the wonderful narrative set up in the first volume, The Shu-Torun War feels more like a bloated and extended sequel to the annual. While having Vader kill some pesky rebels is all fun and good, the story of the the Darth Vader series isn't primarily about that. Even though Gillen had one or two really dumb moments in his contributions to Star Wars: Vader Down, and they were overall the weaker strips in the collection, he was still able to use the action focused plot to integrate Commander Karbin and tie it into his main story. This one, despite including Cylo and the Saber Twins, still does almost nothing with them. Normally this wouldn't be that bad, but because by this point the Darth Vader series is so close to wrapping up, it leaves more character arcs and subplots that need to be concluded in the last volume, leaving it with the potential to be forced to finish everything in a rushed and messy manner.
The series is also starting to show its fatigue though Gillen's characters. It's not Vader who's the problem- but the other characters that were created for the Vader series specifically. While not to the point where I get annoyed, Triple Zero and BT have worn out their schtick. I don't want to actively see these two characters killed off, but they haven't really changed and Gillen has not done anything to evolve their jokes, so the pair isn't funny anymore.
Cylo and the twins aren't done particularly well either, as they seem to make impulse decisions out of nowhere just to move the plot along. If Gillen had spent a little bit of time to develop their characters it could have worked better, but they continue to just be throwaway obstacles that the Emperor put in his path- in other words, video game boss fights that are reminiscent of the prequel film villains rather than actual characters.
THE GOOD: For all my frustrations, The Sho-Torun War is reasonably better than Shadows and Secrets.
I'll begin with the one aspect of this series that has remained fantastic from the beginning, the always wonderful combination of Salvadore Larocca and Edgar Delgado. No matter what level of success Kieron Gillen achieves with the writing, he can always rely on Larocca and Delgado to give it their all with the art. Much like Vader, Star Wars: Shadows and Secrets, and Vader Down, the art has consistently been gorgeous to look at, with great visuals that strike the perfect balance: they capture the dark tone suitable for the character of Darth Vader, but they also have enough brightness and color to exude plenty of personality no matter what the location is. The characters continue to be wonderfully drawn and the action continues to be exhilarating.
Darth Vader continues to be a fun character to follow. Despite faltering with most of his recurring characters, Gillen still did a relatively good job with his portrayal of Vader. While he had no new character development, I didn't see Vader out of character at all. Plus, he got to hack and slash some bad guys and had some good dialogue, so I wasn't bored following him.
With Dr. Aphra absent, Gillen introduced Queen Trios to fill the role of a strong female character that could work off of him, and she was pretty interesting. Not much character, but it was interesting seeing her try to work with the imposing and frightening Vader. It was also refreshing to follow a character who was actually loyal to the empire, wanting their help in solving a problem, and staying loyal once the problem was solved. It is a welcome and needed take in the Star Wars universe that rather than just another planet or people (shown as the heroes) wanting freedom and making the empire look weaker and more incompetent than it already does through most Star Wars stories, it gives the Empire more credibility. It also makes the galaxy itself more nuanced by showing another point of view with the side heroes being the ones who want to work with the empire and the villains being the rebel group.
Dr. Aphra's absense can be both a good or bad thing: those that enjoy Dr. Aphra will be disappointed to not see her here, but those that didn't like her will be relieved to see her gone. For me it's mixed: I like Dr. Aphra alot, but I actually think Jason Aaron did a great job with her in Rebel Jail, doing a good job developing her character and giving her some great dialogue. And seeing how Gillen handled his other side characters this time around, I'm glad that Aaron was able to do a better job with her.
One more nice little complement: it was fun to see the cameo from the red IG droid with maneurisms that are reminiscent of HK-47 from KOTOR.
THE CONCLUSION: It's hard for me to pinpoint a rating for this one. I don't like giving it three stars because that's the exact rating I gave to the previous volume, and this one is legitimately better- while Shadows and Secrets barely made a 3 star rating in my opinion, I would be happier going close to 3.5 stars with this one. However, it was still not good enough for me to be generous and up my goodreads rating to 4.
If this collection was meant to be a standalone storyline completely independent of the larger Darth Vader series, I would have liked it alot more. Darth Vader is portrayed well, he has an interesting team-up with Queen Trios, and the book has beautiful art and great action scenes. If you read this without reading the earlier volumes of the Darth Vader series it works decently well as an entertaining Star Wars romp. I still would say Vader Down is far more entertaining and fills that role considerably better, but this wouldn't be a bad alternative.
Unfortunately, I have to look at it as part of the ongoing Darth Vader series, and compare it to the volumes that came before it. From that perspective, The Shu-Torun War is still rather weak. It does nothing to advance the overarching plot, it has little connection to the other two volumes, and most of Gillen's characters have lost their charm (in the case of Triple Zero and BT-1) or are just phoned in (like the Saber twins and Cylo). I guess it's good that he gave Dr. Aphra to Jason Aaron for a bit so he didn't have a chance to wear out her charm too.
I'm going to continue on the series' conclusion in Darth Vader, Vol. 4: End of Games. As disappointing as Kieron Gillen's Star Wars: Darth Vader has been as a whole, the first volume was still extremely good. Even though volumes 2 and 3 were various degrees of underwhelming I still think there is a chance that Gillen can come back and finish strong. Who knows? He may actually succeed in completing the process of shoving this series into the sinkhole, or he could surprise me and save it from mediocrity with a satisfying ending. After all, I have already come this far, so I might as well stick around to see if Vader can find the power of the dark side again.
I have mixed feelings about Kieron Gillen's Star Wars: Darth Vader. I don't hate the series by any means of the word, but it has been consistently disappointing for most of its run.
I completely adored the first volume, Vader. It set up a fascinating and compelling storyline that explores the aftermath of the first Death Star's destruction, and the consequences of failing to protect it. Gillen did a wonderful job with the characters, whether it be an on point portrayal of Vader himself or introducing great new faces, like the witty and resourceful Dr. Aphra or the hilarious evil droid duo Triple-Zero and BT-1.
It got me extremely excited for what would come next, but then Vol. 2: Shadows and Secrets ended up being one of the most disappointing pieces of Star Wars media that I have come across. While it wasn't awful, it was nowhere near as good as this series' amazing first installment. Its plot went nowhere, derailing the tightly woven storyline of it's predecessor and turning the series into a convoluted and unfocused mess.
Vader Down was an improvement, but the portions that Gilllen contributed were consistently weaker than the ones provided by Jason Aaron, and sometimes I think the crossover would not have turned out as good as it did if Aaron wasn't able to work around some of Gillen's missteps in the writing.
And now we get to The Shu-Torun War.
I have good news and bad news. I'll start with the good: this collection is without a doubt better than Shadows and Secrets. The bad news, unfortunately, was that it was still a disappointment. Kieron Gillen still struggles to write himself out of the unfocused sinkhole that he has driven this comic book series into. I still hold out a touch of hope for Darth Vader, Vol. 4: End of Games, but I won't be surprised if this once-epic series ends with a whimper.
SPECIAL SECTION: THE ANNUAL: The trade paperback of the Sho-Torun War includes a one-shot annual that kicks off the collection. It is a side story if you look at the Darth Vader series as a whole, but for this story-arc specifically it serves as a prequel that sets up this volume.
To be honest, this may actually be the best part of the collection. The plot follows Vader as he assassinates the royal family on Shu-Torun, leaving only Princess Trios (who will be Vader's ally in the main arc as queen) alive. I think Gillen did a good job with the characters in the annual, as Trios is strong and intelligent and Vader is intimidating.
The biggest surprise here though was the artwork from Leinl Yu, the artist behind the majority of Star Wars, Vol. 3: Rebel Jail. With Rebel Jail I complained about the action scenes that were not rendered very well, but here he did a lot better and gave us some pretty good sequences. I am confident that if his artwork was this good in Rebel Jail, that collection would have turned out far better, maybe even brilliant.
I will give this annual a 4 out of 5 stars.
And now to the main arc.
THE STORY: Darth Vader continues his journey to reclaim his place as the Emperor's right-hand man and eliminate the competition that his master introduced with an odd collection of minions. \ Queen Trios, a Shu-Torun noble who is loyal to the Empire, may have been established as the ruler of Shu-Torun, but an uprising lead by dissident barons forces her to request imperial reinforcements. Darth Vader returns to the planet with Triple Zero and Beetee-One to quell the uprising and keep Trios in power. However, he is forced to work with the saber-wielding twins and Cylo, the weird creation that looks like Tim Curry if he was half-machine and had a robotic eye.
THE BAD: Kieron Gillen continues to struggle with his writing, in the same way he has done since Shadows and Secrets.
The story continues to go nowhere in yet another largely pointless detour. . Rather than feeling like a continuation of the wonderful narrative set up in the first volume, The Shu-Torun War feels more like a bloated and extended sequel to the annual. While having Vader kill some pesky rebels is all fun and good, the story of the the Darth Vader series isn't primarily about that. Even though Gillen had one or two really dumb moments in his contributions to Star Wars: Vader Down, and they were overall the weaker strips in the collection, he was still able to use the action focused plot to integrate Commander Karbin and tie it into his main story. This one, despite including Cylo and the Saber Twins, still does almost nothing with them. Normally this wouldn't be that bad, but because by this point the Darth Vader series is so close to wrapping up, it leaves more character arcs and subplots that need to be concluded in the last volume, leaving it with the potential to be forced to finish everything in a rushed and messy manner.
The series is also starting to show its fatigue though Gillen's characters. It's not Vader who's the problem- but the other characters that were created for the Vader series specifically. While not to the point where I get annoyed, Triple Zero and BT have worn out their schtick. I don't want to actively see these two characters killed off, but they haven't really changed and Gillen has not done anything to evolve their jokes, so the pair isn't funny anymore.
Cylo and the twins aren't done particularly well either, as they seem to make impulse decisions out of nowhere just to move the plot along. If Gillen had spent a little bit of time to develop their characters it could have worked better, but they continue to just be throwaway obstacles that the Emperor put in his path- in other words, video game boss fights that are reminiscent of the prequel film villains rather than actual characters.
THE GOOD: For all my frustrations, The Sho-Torun War is reasonably better than Shadows and Secrets.
I'll begin with the one aspect of this series that has remained fantastic from the beginning, the always wonderful combination of Salvadore Larocca and Edgar Delgado. No matter what level of success Kieron Gillen achieves with the writing, he can always rely on Larocca and Delgado to give it their all with the art. Much like Vader, Star Wars: Shadows and Secrets, and Vader Down, the art has consistently been gorgeous to look at, with great visuals that strike the perfect balance: they capture the dark tone suitable for the character of Darth Vader, but they also have enough brightness and color to exude plenty of personality no matter what the location is. The characters continue to be wonderfully drawn and the action continues to be exhilarating.
Darth Vader continues to be a fun character to follow. Despite faltering with most of his recurring characters, Gillen still did a relatively good job with his portrayal of Vader. While he had no new character development, I didn't see Vader out of character at all. Plus, he got to hack and slash some bad guys and had some good dialogue, so I wasn't bored following him.
With Dr. Aphra absent, Gillen introduced Queen Trios to fill the role of a strong female character that could work off of him, and she was pretty interesting. Not much character, but it was interesting seeing her try to work with the imposing and frightening Vader. It was also refreshing to follow a character who was actually loyal to the empire, wanting their help in solving a problem, and staying loyal once the problem was solved. It is a welcome and needed take in the Star Wars universe that rather than just another planet or people (shown as the heroes) wanting freedom and making the empire look weaker and more incompetent than it already does through most Star Wars stories, it gives the Empire more credibility. It also makes the galaxy itself more nuanced by showing another point of view with the side heroes being the ones who want to work with the empire and the villains being the rebel group.
Dr. Aphra's absense can be both a good or bad thing: those that enjoy Dr. Aphra will be disappointed to not see her here, but those that didn't like her will be relieved to see her gone. For me it's mixed: I like Dr. Aphra alot, but I actually think Jason Aaron did a great job with her in Rebel Jail, doing a good job developing her character and giving her some great dialogue. And seeing how Gillen handled his other side characters this time around, I'm glad that Aaron was able to do a better job with her.
One more nice little complement: it was fun to see the cameo from the red IG droid with maneurisms that are reminiscent of HK-47 from KOTOR.
THE CONCLUSION: It's hard for me to pinpoint a rating for this one. I don't like giving it three stars because that's the exact rating I gave to the previous volume, and this one is legitimately better- while Shadows and Secrets barely made a 3 star rating in my opinion, I would be happier going close to 3.5 stars with this one. However, it was still not good enough for me to be generous and up my goodreads rating to 4.
If this collection was meant to be a standalone storyline completely independent of the larger Darth Vader series, I would have liked it alot more. Darth Vader is portrayed well, he has an interesting team-up with Queen Trios, and the book has beautiful art and great action scenes. If you read this without reading the earlier volumes of the Darth Vader series it works decently well as an entertaining Star Wars romp. I still would say Vader Down is far more entertaining and fills that role considerably better, but this wouldn't be a bad alternative.
Unfortunately, I have to look at it as part of the ongoing Darth Vader series, and compare it to the volumes that came before it. From that perspective, The Shu-Torun War is still rather weak. It does nothing to advance the overarching plot, it has little connection to the other two volumes, and most of Gillen's characters have lost their charm (in the case of Triple Zero and BT-1) or are just phoned in (like the Saber twins and Cylo). I guess it's good that he gave Dr. Aphra to Jason Aaron for a bit so he didn't have a chance to wear out her charm too.
I'm going to continue on the series' conclusion in Darth Vader, Vol. 4: End of Games. As disappointing as Kieron Gillen's Star Wars: Darth Vader has been as a whole, the first volume was still extremely good. Even though volumes 2 and 3 were various degrees of underwhelming I still think there is a chance that Gillen can come back and finish strong. Who knows? He may actually succeed in completing the process of shoving this series into the sinkhole, or he could surprise me and save it from mediocrity with a satisfying ending. After all, I have already come this far, so I might as well stick around to see if Vader can find the power of the dark side again.
August 22, 2020
*4.25
This one was REALLY cool.
I think it took a couple of volumes for Vader to really get in his stride with these books, but he's doing fantastic now. I really liked the part where , because it was harsh but totally in character.
Trios was definitely a fascinating character. And trust me, this series needed some more good side characters. Aside from the twins (more on them in a second), the other Force-replacement people are kind of dull. Aphra and evil Artoo and Threepio are the only interesting ones, so Trios was a nice addition, even if she is probably just here for this one comic.
The twins were incredibly interesting too. And brutal, wow. Definitely interested in seeing them again.
4.25/5 stars. This series is doing well. I'm excited to continue.
This one was REALLY cool.
I think it took a couple of volumes for Vader to really get in his stride with these books, but he's doing fantastic now. I really liked the part where , because it was harsh but totally in character.
Trios was definitely a fascinating character. And trust me, this series needed some more good side characters. Aside from the twins (more on them in a second), the other Force-replacement people are kind of dull. Aphra and evil Artoo and Threepio are the only interesting ones, so Trios was a nice addition, even if she is probably just here for this one comic.
The twins were incredibly interesting too. And brutal, wow. Definitely interested in seeing them again.
4.25/5 stars. This series is doing well. I'm excited to continue.
November 22, 2019
Moc dobrý, hlavně annual kterej si myslm by skvěle fungoval i samostatně. Královna Trios mě hodně baví, doufám že se ještě ukáže.
October 26, 2016
Interesting as it was to see how the Empire deals with worlds under it's thumb, a fairly mediocre plot unfolds that introduces characters who don't play that big of a part in much of anything. I will be curious to see if this series ever manages to again capture the magic that was Star Wars: Vader Down.
April 19, 2020
5 🌟
Darth Vader travels to Shu-Torun with Cylo and his experiments to deal with the ore-miners revolt.
Darth Vader travels to Shu-Torun with Cylo and his experiments to deal with the ore-miners revolt.
December 2, 2016
Kieron Gillen and Salvador Larroca's Darth Vader epic marches onwards as Vader finds himself involved in a war that he didn't start, but he'll damn well end.
Like volume 3 of Star Wars (which I read just prior to this), this volume is 4 issues of the main story and an annual that introduces the concept that drives the main story. So we open with Leinil Yu (who drew the Rebel Jail story in Star Wars) bringing Darth Vader to Shu-torun and its many political intricacies.
When he returns for the main storyline, he has no time for that and just lightsabers the hell out of everything, whilst simultaneously dealing with Doctor Cylo and his cyborg twins at the same time. It's like if someone flew into Westeros and just murdered everyone, and it's glorious. Larroca's artwork in the sweeping caverns and ancestral structures of Shu-torun is at its best here too. I also like how this ties into the Star Wars book with Vader's search for Doctor Aphra not baring fruit since she's busy being captured. A+ continuity without dragging down the story.
More solid Vader action as we head into the final arc of the series.
Like volume 3 of Star Wars (which I read just prior to this), this volume is 4 issues of the main story and an annual that introduces the concept that drives the main story. So we open with Leinil Yu (who drew the Rebel Jail story in Star Wars) bringing Darth Vader to Shu-torun and its many political intricacies.
When he returns for the main storyline, he has no time for that and just lightsabers the hell out of everything, whilst simultaneously dealing with Doctor Cylo and his cyborg twins at the same time. It's like if someone flew into Westeros and just murdered everyone, and it's glorious. Larroca's artwork in the sweeping caverns and ancestral structures of Shu-torun is at its best here too. I also like how this ties into the Star Wars book with Vader's search for Doctor Aphra not baring fruit since she's busy being captured. A+ continuity without dragging down the story.
More solid Vader action as we head into the final arc of the series.
December 7, 2019
Another good, but not great, Star wars book.
The funny thing about these Marvel star wars books is that they are all solid but not great. Why? They are considered canon now and can not do anything drastic to change events of the movies. So in doing so we have Vader go to war. However, Vader is in episode 5 and 6. So you know nothing will happen to him. So the all mighty Vader decides to face off against a whole planet on top of the twins who have betrayed him.
Overall, the visuals are a treat and there's some great dialogue and funny moments but the tension is completely gone. Vader is God-Like here, and his powers are too freaking off the walls. He can do things he never showed in the movies. On top of that the stories move so quick because there's no "Well what will happen" because we've all seen episode 5.
Still, entertaining as it was, I wish these stories wouldn't have to be stuck inbetween movies though. Overall solid even with the setbacks. A 3 out of 5.
The funny thing about these Marvel star wars books is that they are all solid but not great. Why? They are considered canon now and can not do anything drastic to change events of the movies. So in doing so we have Vader go to war. However, Vader is in episode 5 and 6. So you know nothing will happen to him. So the all mighty Vader decides to face off against a whole planet on top of the twins who have betrayed him.
Overall, the visuals are a treat and there's some great dialogue and funny moments but the tension is completely gone. Vader is God-Like here, and his powers are too freaking off the walls. He can do things he never showed in the movies. On top of that the stories move so quick because there's no "Well what will happen" because we've all seen episode 5.
Still, entertaining as it was, I wish these stories wouldn't have to be stuck inbetween movies though. Overall solid even with the setbacks. A 3 out of 5.
July 7, 2025
I honestly think out of the first 3 volumes of this story, this one might be my favorite by a hair. I liked the straightforwardness of this story and found the war on Shu-Torun a welcome change to just focusing on one location. Queen Trios was a great character whose backstory I really liked.
September 9, 2025
Fun series!
I’m really loving this series with Vader as the main character rather than just the villain. Very interesting! Can’t wait to get to the next volume! 5 stars!
I’m really loving this series with Vader as the main character rather than just the villain. Very interesting! Can’t wait to get to the next volume! 5 stars!
May 2, 2025
In Volume 3, Darth Vader is busy on Shu-torun helping to squelch a rebellion of ore barons (for some reason, the cliff-hanger that Volume 2 ends with is resolved entirely "off screen" and recapped in a single title crawl-style page). Aphra does not appear here at all, as she has been captured by rebels. Her presence is missed, but this installment is still good. The twists aren't as good, making it a fairly straight-forward battle, but it is still pretty enjoyable. The cliff-hanger here isn't predictable, but is a logical conclusion for leading into Volume 4.
December 30, 2016
Man, I have been very disappointed in pretty much every Star Wars comic that's come out after Vader Down. I'm starting to wonder if Marvel had a big plan to build to that crossover, which was fantastic, and is now just kind of treading water while they try to figure out what they can do next. Because this comic seems to be the very definition of stalling.
Darth Vader is sent by the Emperor to a intimidate a planet that mines materials essential to its armada. He shows up and it's basically just 5 issues of that. He postures, threatens, etc. People seem upset, but then they revolt. He beats the revolution down. Rinse and repeat. It's really one of the least-active Star Wars stories I've ever read. There's action, I guess, but it never feels earned or built to. It just kind of happens, and it's all due to characters we've never heard of and thus care zero about.
Also, I think I'm finally tired of Beetee and Triple Zero, the two torture/murder droids Gillen created at the beginning of this series. Their silly, over-the-top dialogue has gone from creative to repetitive, bordering on cliche, and their characters haven't advanced in any way. I really don't need to hear them jauntily refer to another human as a "fleshy one." I get it, they're cavalier about killing. Let's do something else with them now, please.
Still holding out hope that Marvel will energize this series the way it did the earlier books, but it's starting to feel like they're done taking risks and trying interesting things. It's kind of business-as-usual, former Expanded Universe nonsense now, and I'm not sure it's going to get any better.
Darth Vader is sent by the Emperor to a intimidate a planet that mines materials essential to its armada. He shows up and it's basically just 5 issues of that. He postures, threatens, etc. People seem upset, but then they revolt. He beats the revolution down. Rinse and repeat. It's really one of the least-active Star Wars stories I've ever read. There's action, I guess, but it never feels earned or built to. It just kind of happens, and it's all due to characters we've never heard of and thus care zero about.
Also, I think I'm finally tired of Beetee and Triple Zero, the two torture/murder droids Gillen created at the beginning of this series. Their silly, over-the-top dialogue has gone from creative to repetitive, bordering on cliche, and their characters haven't advanced in any way. I really don't need to hear them jauntily refer to another human as a "fleshy one." I get it, they're cavalier about killing. Let's do something else with them now, please.
Still holding out hope that Marvel will energize this series the way it did the earlier books, but it's starting to feel like they're done taking risks and trying interesting things. It's kind of business-as-usual, former Expanded Universe nonsense now, and I'm not sure it's going to get any better.
July 30, 2021
I appreciate what Kieron Gillen does in this series with Darth Vader being both incredibly powerful and also beholden to the emperor/empire. There is a dynamic created that allows Vader to move with impunity throughout this world, while also having the threat of consequences from his master looming just close enough for there to be stakes. That's maybe the part that keeps bringing me back (aside from top notch art,) this idea that even for Darth Vader there are stakes and he is answerable to powers larger than himself.
While it's not a flawless series, it's totally entertaining, worthwhile, and satisfying.
While it's not a flawless series, it's totally entertaining, worthwhile, and satisfying.
January 29, 2018
Pros
Vader's portrayal as a tyrant
An awesome opening
The Shu-Torun queen was sometimes cruel but sympathetic enough
Aphra's side story
More BT and 000
Vader's rival Sith apprentices
Vader feel like someone that has emotions without sacrificing what makes him so enthralling
Cons
Overall arc wasn't investing
Some supporting characters could have been more developed
8/10 Very Good. Another solid adventure for this lord of the Sith. Can't wait for finale.
Vader's portrayal as a tyrant
An awesome opening
The Shu-Torun queen was sometimes cruel but sympathetic enough
Aphra's side story
More BT and 000
Vader's rival Sith apprentices
Vader feel like someone that has emotions without sacrificing what makes him so enthralling
Cons
Overall arc wasn't investing
Some supporting characters could have been more developed
8/10 Very Good. Another solid adventure for this lord of the Sith. Can't wait for finale.
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