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Star Wars: Target Vader #1-6
Star Wars: Target Vader
Darth Vader is on the hunt for a mysterious criminal syndicate operating outside of the Empire's rule. But little does he know that he too is being targeted - by a group of the galaxy's deadliest bounty hunters, hired by the syndicate to take out Vader once and for all! Led by fallen Imperial Offi cer Beilert Valance, this ragtag group of assassins will stop at nothing to score the biggest bounty of their lives. Valance and Dengar seek out the perfect weapon to kill the Sith Lord...which they'll need when Vader turns the tables and corners them! And both the hunters and the hunted will uncover dark secrets behind the criminal syndicate known only as the Hidden Hand! COLLECTING: STAR WARS: TARGET VADER 1-6
136 pages, Paperback
First published February 11, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 136 reviews
September 28, 2020
2.5 stars
"All right - enough talk, then. Let's go kill Darth Vader." -- bounty hunter Beilert Valance
Action-oriented but otherwise sort of unremarkable 'SW' story, which features a small squad of diverse bounty hunters (including Dengar - he of the bandaged head - and best known as one of Boba Fett's contemporaries in the cinematic The Empire Strikes Back) working together to hunt down possibly the most dangerous target in their careers: Darth Vader. Though he is featured front and center on the cover and title, our Dark Lord of Sith is more of a supporting character here, and the suspense of the tale is undercut with the obvious problem that even a casual fan will know that the hunters will not be able to capture or kill him. The protagonist instead is the reasonably interesting Valance, a disgraced and quasi-bionic former Imperial Stormtrooper who strikes quite a few Han Solo-esque poses throughout the pages in between his cunning movements. The plot moves along at a fairly good pace, but the twists and double-crosses are piled on to the point of distraction.
"All right - enough talk, then. Let's go kill Darth Vader." -- bounty hunter Beilert Valance
Action-oriented but otherwise sort of unremarkable 'SW' story, which features a small squad of diverse bounty hunters (including Dengar - he of the bandaged head - and best known as one of Boba Fett's contemporaries in the cinematic The Empire Strikes Back) working together to hunt down possibly the most dangerous target in their careers: Darth Vader. Though he is featured front and center on the cover and title, our Dark Lord of Sith is more of a supporting character here, and the suspense of the tale is undercut with the obvious problem that even a casual fan will know that the hunters will not be able to capture or kill him. The protagonist instead is the reasonably interesting Valance, a disgraced and quasi-bionic former Imperial Stormtrooper who strikes quite a few Han Solo-esque poses throughout the pages in between his cunning movements. The plot moves along at a fairly good pace, but the twists and double-crosses are piled on to the point of distraction.
January 7, 2024
This is a one off collection. In this one an organization of gun runners hires a bunch of bounty hunters to kill Darth Vader. I don't think this is a spoiler when I say that does not go accordingly.
When Disney gave the green light to go with this mini series I am guessing it was marketed as a series that is meant to be fun and showcase Vader being a bad ass. This collection accomplishes that. It is a fun time in this galaxy while we put Vader in death defying situations which he obviously survives. As for the story itself it is serviceable and works for this universe. The twist really was not much of a surprise as it had to be that way to go with the lore. The highlight for me is how this collection touched upon how The Empire's actions influence people throughout their lives. The art was good. The only problem I had with the art is that we had several different artists throughout so the style would switch up from issue to issue.
All in all this collection met my expectations. I had a feeling I would not be blown away by this collection. I wanted a fun time in this universe showcasing my favorite character Darth Vader. This collection does this with ease and I am glad I read it.
When Disney gave the green light to go with this mini series I am guessing it was marketed as a series that is meant to be fun and showcase Vader being a bad ass. This collection accomplishes that. It is a fun time in this galaxy while we put Vader in death defying situations which he obviously survives. As for the story itself it is serviceable and works for this universe. The twist really was not much of a surprise as it had to be that way to go with the lore. The highlight for me is how this collection touched upon how The Empire's actions influence people throughout their lives. The art was good. The only problem I had with the art is that we had several different artists throughout so the style would switch up from issue to issue.
All in all this collection met my expectations. I had a feeling I would not be blown away by this collection. I wanted a fun time in this universe showcasing my favorite character Darth Vader. This collection does this with ease and I am glad I read it.
July 4, 2022
“Rise troopers. The empire marches on.”
Darth Vader is on the hunt for the Hidden Hand, a mysterious crime syndicate that popped onto the Empire’s radar after they began selling their weapons to the rebellion. Vader soon discovers that he is being hunted by a group of bounty hunters, led by Beilert Valance, who have been hired by the Hidden Hand to take out the Sith Lord hot on their trail before the Empire can discover the truth behind their operation. These Bounty Hunters will stop at nothing to bag their biggest bounty yet, but Darth Vader will also stop at nothing to extinquish the Hidden Hand, along with any of their associates...
Obviously we all know who the winner will be in a Bounty Hunters vs. Darth Vader battle, but the book manages to build and keep proper tension throughout by following an engaging character in Valance Belrait. I won’t go into anything specific for spoilers sake, but I loved his fucked up backstory we were slowly shown, and the arc his character went on throughout this was fantastic. Props to Thompson for making me care about this character so much in just 6 issues, I didn’t even know who he was before this. His team of hunters aren’t too shabby themselves, and I really did want everyone on the team to make it out by the end.
The art is the only knock I can give this book, as it’s an inconsistent mess throughout, with 6 different artists all working on one 6 issue miniseries. Some issues even have more than one artist on them, and the jumps between the art are weird and noticeable. But this book still has a lot of merit even if I wasn’t a fan of the art. Belrait himself is an interesting character with an awesome backstory, his various Bounty Hunters associates are all decent characters, and the story is more fun than it has any right to be with an ending that wraps everything up nicely.
I’m excited to dive into that ongoing Bounty Hunters title now, and I would recommend this mini for any fans of Darth Vader or Star Wars Bounty Hunters in general. Even if you know the outcome of this one, it’s still fun to see how it all goes down. Robbie Thompson did a fantastic job with this story, and I’m interested to see him on some more Star Wars titles. Seeing Vader fighting off a group that is trying to collect a bounty on him was entertaining and should be a good time for any Star Wars fan.
Darth Vader is on the hunt for the Hidden Hand, a mysterious crime syndicate that popped onto the Empire’s radar after they began selling their weapons to the rebellion. Vader soon discovers that he is being hunted by a group of bounty hunters, led by Beilert Valance, who have been hired by the Hidden Hand to take out the Sith Lord hot on their trail before the Empire can discover the truth behind their operation. These Bounty Hunters will stop at nothing to bag their biggest bounty yet, but Darth Vader will also stop at nothing to extinquish the Hidden Hand, along with any of their associates...
Obviously we all know who the winner will be in a Bounty Hunters vs. Darth Vader battle, but the book manages to build and keep proper tension throughout by following an engaging character in Valance Belrait. I won’t go into anything specific for spoilers sake, but I loved his fucked up backstory we were slowly shown, and the arc his character went on throughout this was fantastic. Props to Thompson for making me care about this character so much in just 6 issues, I didn’t even know who he was before this. His team of hunters aren’t too shabby themselves, and I really did want everyone on the team to make it out by the end.
The art is the only knock I can give this book, as it’s an inconsistent mess throughout, with 6 different artists all working on one 6 issue miniseries. Some issues even have more than one artist on them, and the jumps between the art are weird and noticeable. But this book still has a lot of merit even if I wasn’t a fan of the art. Belrait himself is an interesting character with an awesome backstory, his various Bounty Hunters associates are all decent characters, and the story is more fun than it has any right to be with an ending that wraps everything up nicely.
I’m excited to dive into that ongoing Bounty Hunters title now, and I would recommend this mini for any fans of Darth Vader or Star Wars Bounty Hunters in general. Even if you know the outcome of this one, it’s still fun to see how it all goes down. Robbie Thompson did a fantastic job with this story, and I’m interested to see him on some more Star Wars titles. Seeing Vader fighting off a group that is trying to collect a bounty on him was entertaining and should be a good time for any Star Wars fan.
June 18, 2021
The Good:
Vader was suitably menacing.
He WAS a pretty good combat General once upon a time, it must be admitted.
The Bad:
Try as I may I can't get into "Man-Machine" Beilert Valance as a protagonist.
Yeeeeeah...good luck with that one, buddy.
The Ugly:
Too. Much. Jumping Back and Forth in Numerous Different Timeframes.
My reaction, also.
Vader was suitably menacing.
He WAS a pretty good combat General once upon a time, it must be admitted.
The Bad:
Try as I may I can't get into "Man-Machine" Beilert Valance as a protagonist.
Yeeeeeah...good luck with that one, buddy.
The Ugly:
Too. Much. Jumping Back and Forth in Numerous Different Timeframes.
My reaction, also.
July 8, 2020
Honestly, I won't remember this story in a week. It's not bad, but there is absolutely nothing remarkable about bounty hunters joining up to hunt Vader. Too many twists and turns prevent the reader from empathizing with any of the characters; the action is never impressive; and Valance is a really dull protagonist. Yes he's a deep dive from the old Marvel series (and I may have actually read those back in the day), but that doesn't make him notable. Besides a somewhat striking physical appearance, he is unremarkable. And even Vader's pretty unremarkable - there's nothing he does in this series that justifies the 'hatred' these villains have for him. All the secondary characters are utterly disposable, and the brief attempts to give them some depth fail. The art is unremarkable as well. There's nothing wrong per se with the series, but it just doesn't DO anything. There are much better Star Wars books to read, graphic novel or otherwise; I'd say stick to those rather than picking this up.
May 11, 2020
A nice little addition to my Star Wars collection:
Darth vader is hunting down a criminal syndicate known as the Hidden Hand, which is supplying the Rebels with arms. At the same time, a group of lower-end bounty hunters led by a former Stormtrooper named Valance decided to try to take down Vader.
That's the gist. A well done story and one with an interesting ending. The art was good and the story was a fun read. I'm always down to read a good vader story and this one did not disappoint.
Darth vader is hunting down a criminal syndicate known as the Hidden Hand, which is supplying the Rebels with arms. At the same time, a group of lower-end bounty hunters led by a former Stormtrooper named Valance decided to try to take down Vader.
That's the gist. A well done story and one with an interesting ending. The art was good and the story was a fun read. I'm always down to read a good vader story and this one did not disappoint.
February 17, 2020
Had its moments
June 30, 2020
A fast paced bounty hunter tale. Despite the confusion and often messy continuity of the current Star Wars franchise Robbie Thompson has told an okay story in my opinion. For me the Star Wars universe is a hit or miss right now. I have found the Disney era film trilogy wonky and ultimately disappointing. But the Mandalorian tv series was actually pretty fun. For those who really enjoy the seedy criminal underworld of the Star Wars galaxy this is a not to be missed comic book miniseries. The premise is basic but the action is well done. Basically Darth Vader has been marked for death by a arms dealing criminal organization with ties to the rebellion. The mention organization has hired a well known bounty hunter to be part of a team to carry out Vader's assassination. It is a textbook crime story. The main character, Beilert Valance is written well but I did not really care much for the other Bounty hunters. Robbie handles Vader's dialogue pretty good as well. The story moves really fast and you will not get bored. There are some great twists and turns but I found sometimes the pacing was a bit off. You can't really get a since of timing with some sequence of events. I did find Beilert very interesting. I would not mind reading more stories featuring the character. Nic Klien's artwork was okay and served the story well. This was a fun story and I look forward to getting more bounty hunter tales in Star Wars.
October 24, 2020
meh Vader vs bounty hunters isn’t really my jam
October 4, 2023
4.5 stars. Words can’t express how excited I am to see Beilert Valance in modern Star Wars comics! Really excited to see his role in the current books! That being said, I loved this volume! Quick-paced, action-packed, and full of classic bounty hunter goodness!
October 19, 2023
It was great until the art change.
November 1, 2020
Target Vader is another one of those comic books I checked out of my local library in search of a topic to write about as part of this weekly column. I love Darth Vader (who doesn’t?) and the premise of him being hunted, while a fixed conclusion, can provide for plenty of entertainment, if done right.
If you want that, you should look to Soule’s Darth Vader #18, which does a far, far, far better job of it than this six-issue limited run by Robbie Thompson. What Thompson offers is an underwhelming story about Vader on the hunt for a mysterious syndicate selling weapons to the Rebellion, which goes by “The Hidden Hand.”
This syndicate is none too happy to be chased around by the Empire’s meanest attack dog, and so they contract out a hit on Vader. Enter Beilert Valance, a bounty hunter with the face of a Terminator and a bedside manner like he’s stepped straight out of a Punisher comic book.
He’s joined by a band of other bland bounty hunters and a mildly familiar one, Dengar (he appeared in Empire Strikes Back for…what, thirty seconds?) and the lot of them gun for Vader. Several fun action sequences follow, the kind you read and forget about, in-between stuffing handfuls of popcorn in your mouth.
Squeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
The high-point of this comic book is the art– plenty of the one-page spreads of Vader would make the entry into my private collection of .jpegs of the Dark Lord. But even then, there’s a veritable cornucopia of artists, some of whom better than others. Some of the aforementioned others have messy line art, which is a shame. The covers by Neeraj Menon are where it’s at, though:
A SciFiPulse quote on the cover of the trade paperback says, “This is a Star Wars fan’s dream come true,” but I struggle to see which fan that is; perhaps that one fellow who likes the same regurgitated content without much in the way of new ideas explored. This is a lazy attempt at Star Wars with some good art and an entertaining sequence or four–but what a shame, to have the opportuntiy to write for this universe and blow it on this.
A three mediocre, mediocre stars for this one.
If you want that, you should look to Soule’s Darth Vader #18, which does a far, far, far better job of it than this six-issue limited run by Robbie Thompson. What Thompson offers is an underwhelming story about Vader on the hunt for a mysterious syndicate selling weapons to the Rebellion, which goes by “The Hidden Hand.”
This syndicate is none too happy to be chased around by the Empire’s meanest attack dog, and so they contract out a hit on Vader. Enter Beilert Valance, a bounty hunter with the face of a Terminator and a bedside manner like he’s stepped straight out of a Punisher comic book.
He’s joined by a band of other bland bounty hunters and a mildly familiar one, Dengar (he appeared in Empire Strikes Back for…what, thirty seconds?) and the lot of them gun for Vader. Several fun action sequences follow, the kind you read and forget about, in-between stuffing handfuls of popcorn in your mouth.
Squeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
The high-point of this comic book is the art– plenty of the one-page spreads of Vader would make the entry into my private collection of .jpegs of the Dark Lord. But even then, there’s a veritable cornucopia of artists, some of whom better than others. Some of the aforementioned others have messy line art, which is a shame. The covers by Neeraj Menon are where it’s at, though:
A SciFiPulse quote on the cover of the trade paperback says, “This is a Star Wars fan’s dream come true,” but I struggle to see which fan that is; perhaps that one fellow who likes the same regurgitated content without much in the way of new ideas explored. This is a lazy attempt at Star Wars with some good art and an entertaining sequence or four–but what a shame, to have the opportuntiy to write for this universe and blow it on this.
A three mediocre, mediocre stars for this one.
January 17, 2021
*3.75
I will admit, part of me genuinely thought when I saw this cover that this would be some kind of Terminator-Vader crossover - although Vader could definitely beat the Terminator. But no, this wasn't that, despite my interest.
The premise of this comic was about this cyborg man who is hired with this bounty hunter crew to kill Darth Vader. Now, when I first heard that, I was... not very interested. I mean, really, if that's the main crux of the story... I think I know how it'll end. If it was about them killing some other villain, or completing a mission, that would be plausible... killing Vader is not.
However, the story didn't focus entirely on that, which worked in its favor. And the cyborg guy, Valance, slowly grew on me with the backstory we saw of him. I didn't find myself getting as attached to the other characters, though. It made me think of Star Wars: Darth Vader - Dark Lord of the Sith, Vol. 3: The Burning Seas, where we saw these short flashbacks of side characters. When this comic did the same thing, it was good but didn't have quite the same impact. I liked all of the flashbacks in The Burning Seas, but it was a little hit-or-miss for me here.
I did like the ending here, though, and the stuff with Dengar was cool. The art was fabulous, too. It was just a little average for me in terms of Star Wars comics. Fun, but average. 3.75/5 stars.
I will admit, part of me genuinely thought when I saw this cover that this would be some kind of Terminator-Vader crossover - although Vader could definitely beat the Terminator. But no, this wasn't that, despite my interest.
The premise of this comic was about this cyborg man who is hired with this bounty hunter crew to kill Darth Vader. Now, when I first heard that, I was... not very interested. I mean, really, if that's the main crux of the story... I think I know how it'll end. If it was about them killing some other villain, or completing a mission, that would be plausible... killing Vader is not.
However, the story didn't focus entirely on that, which worked in its favor. And the cyborg guy, Valance, slowly grew on me with the backstory we saw of him. I didn't find myself getting as attached to the other characters, though. It made me think of Star Wars: Darth Vader - Dark Lord of the Sith, Vol. 3: The Burning Seas, where we saw these short flashbacks of side characters. When this comic did the same thing, it was good but didn't have quite the same impact. I liked all of the flashbacks in The Burning Seas, but it was a little hit-or-miss for me here.
I did like the ending here, though, and the stuff with Dengar was cool. The art was fabulous, too. It was just a little average for me in terms of Star Wars comics. Fun, but average. 3.75/5 stars.
June 30, 2021
Adquiri este quadrinho por causa de um nome, e esse nome é Robbie Thompson. Até ler esse Star Wars - Alvo: Vader eu havia curtido muito tudo que ele tinha escrito: de Teia de Seda a Venom: Cavaleiro do Espaço juntando a eles Homem-Aranha e Deadpool. Contudo, toda regra tem sua exceção e não curti muito esse Star Wars - Alvo: Vader. Os personagens não causam muita identificação ou comoção, diferente da maioria dos trabalhos de Thompson. A arte, com um artista por edição, é boa, mas irregular, algo estranho para uma minissérie. Sem falar que o encadernado é mais caro do que os demais com o mesmo número de páginas. Entretanto, gostei do cuidado editorial, com as coleções de Star Wars aparecendo ao final da revista e a numeração em todas as páginas. Mas geralmente não se compra uma história em quadrinhos por causa do seu cuidado editorial e sim pelo conteúdo da mesma. Infelizmente, Star Wars - Alvo: Vader, mesmo escrita por Robbie Thompson não me captou. Uma pena.
June 16, 2021
A pack of bounty hunters are hired to kill Darth Vader. Anyone with even the most cursory knowledge of Star Wars is going to know they don't succeed. So how does Robbie Thompson make Target Vader even remotely interesting?
Well, he doesn't really. The action is fine and the art - even with a dozen artists - is pretty good. The bounty hunters are forgettable, except for Dengar and the main dude, Valance. He keeps popping up in these non-primary Star Wars series and is, unfortunately, a little more dull each time.
In Target Vader, Valance is pumped up as some big-shot bounty hunter, but he barely grazes Jango Fett levels of cool. At least he takes part in a couple decent twists - maybe one twist too many, actually, since I felt pretty done with the book before the last issue.
Well, he doesn't really. The action is fine and the art - even with a dozen artists - is pretty good. The bounty hunters are forgettable, except for Dengar and the main dude, Valance. He keeps popping up in these non-primary Star Wars series and is, unfortunately, a little more dull each time.
In Target Vader, Valance is pumped up as some big-shot bounty hunter, but he barely grazes Jango Fett levels of cool. At least he takes part in a couple decent twists - maybe one twist too many, actually, since I felt pretty done with the book before the last issue.
May 4, 2023
Rating: 3 stars
Vader gets hunted by terminator man. Vader wins. The end.
Oh, and there do be cool pictures:
The Spanish edition has this ⬆️ cover! Lucky!!! The English one is another less cool one.
Vader gets hunted by terminator man. Vader wins. The end.
Oh, and there do be cool pictures:
The Spanish edition has this ⬆️ cover! Lucky!!! The English one is another less cool one.
January 4, 2024
An underwhelming collection. From its plotline to its characters to its dialogue and to its portrayal of canonized people and groups, this entire work is extremely corny; the plot is rather bland and unoriginal and it relies on many tropes. I especially didn't like the main character Valiance - a knock off terminator-esque bounty hunter - who was insanely overpowered for no particular reason. I also thought the art style was particularly mediocre, and although I can appreciate the effort put into it, didn't help my opinion on this book.
Also, the jumping between timelines and the fact that although it is titled as a Vader comic, minimally features the antagonist, but instead the no-name brand terminator was a big turn off
Would not recommend to others, irrespective of if they are Star Wars fans
Also, the jumping between timelines and the fact that although it is titled as a Vader comic, minimally features the antagonist, but instead the no-name brand terminator was a big turn off
Would not recommend to others, irrespective of if they are Star Wars fans
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 18, 2021
Not great, not bad.
This is a very lackluster bounty hunter team up story. It introduces us to Valence, who I feel is a pretty generic rogue type character. I didn’t hate it, but wasn’t excited or enthused at any point.
This is a very lackluster bounty hunter team up story. It introduces us to Valence, who I feel is a pretty generic rogue type character. I didn’t hate it, but wasn’t excited or enthused at any point.
December 12, 2019
Meh. The only good thing is Beilert Valance. But overall, it's just another unnecessary Vader story. Also, the art changed a few times and it was distracting.
October 12, 2020
A well rounded antagonist to the titular villain makes for a good read.
October 13, 2024
I know Star Wars could be considered sci-fi but this was too much. Valance reminds me of the Terminator. The story doesn’t add anything to the universe. There were so many double crosses, I stopped believing anything anyone said. This was the best part:
“Lord Vader is down there. Alone. It was a trap. The bounty hunters have him surrounded. If we scramble the remaining fighters, we should be able to get to him in-“
“Fifteen minutes.”
“ Fifteen that’s…that’s not enough time”
“That’s correct, Captain. It’s not enough time. Those bounty hunters will be dead before the pilots are in their flight suits.”
Love her confidence in Darth Vader. Also his pose right there looks a lot like Anakin.
Also have we seen female gamorreans before???
“Lord Vader is down there. Alone. It was a trap. The bounty hunters have him surrounded. If we scramble the remaining fighters, we should be able to get to him in-“
“Fifteen minutes.”
“ Fifteen that’s…that’s not enough time”
“That’s correct, Captain. It’s not enough time. Those bounty hunters will be dead before the pilots are in their flight suits.”
Love her confidence in Darth Vader. Also his pose right there looks a lot like Anakin.
Also have we seen female gamorreans before???
April 9, 2023
Probably the best comic about the worst Star War, Beilert Valance, who is entirely without redeeming qualities and feels like he belongs in a completely different universe, and era of storytelling. His whole deal is that he's a tough guy who looks like a scary skellington and has Gun Hands. He's boring as hell and I hate his guts.
Still, there's some Darth Vader stuff in here, and a variety of fun art by fun artists. So it's not without redeeming qualities, for the undiscerning completionist bozo who's going to read all this bullshit regardless. (Me)
Still, there's some Darth Vader stuff in here, and a variety of fun art by fun artists. So it's not without redeeming qualities, for the undiscerning completionist bozo who's going to read all this bullshit regardless. (Me)
June 13, 2020
Sincerely don't understand why this comic exists. Like, you know that Vader survives because it takes place before he dies in the movies and, I mean, that could work if the story was good enough. But here's the thing. It wasn't. It wasn't good enough. Sure, Valance is a compelling enough character (I guess), but the double crossing double crossing double crossing double crosser bullshit was waaaaaaaaaay convoluted and tried waaaaaaaay too hard to be clever. It wasn't. Also, I hate that "character development" in the Star Wars universe is either revealing you're not who you say you are or not liking droids simply because Vader liked and built droids. Come on.
I did like the art.
I did like the art.
March 16, 2020
3.5 stars
I actually liked this one quite a bit. Great art, fun story. I felt we didnt get to know the characters that well though and the story felt like it was missing a few panels before the finale. That aside, fun old school inspired adventures with bounty hunters.
I actually liked this one quite a bit. Great art, fun story. I felt we didnt get to know the characters that well though and the story felt like it was missing a few panels before the finale. That aside, fun old school inspired adventures with bounty hunters.
July 1, 2021
Action packed but ultimately pointless.
May 4, 2025
Chris Pine should play Valance.
May 5, 2022
Somebody has to try and give Vader a challenge even if his foes have their own agendas. Story full of action and betrayal.
January 29, 2023
4.3 - Pretty good...
Displaying 1 - 30 of 136 reviews