★★★★★ 4
Action Packed Crossover
Format: Kindle
Vader Down collects the crossover issues between Marvel's Star Wars and Darth Vader ongoing series. Luke Skywalker has gone to Vrogas Vas to find a former Jedi temple to learn more about the Jedi Order. Through the connections of Doctor Aphra, Vader has discovered his location and moves to intercept. Along with Vader is Aphra and her murderous droids, Triple Zero and BeeTee. Luke isn't without assistance as Leia, Han Solo, Chewie and C3PO head to Vrogas Vas along with a Rebellion army in order to take down Vader once and for all.
The book paints a picture that shows how dangerous Vader can actually be -- he individually goes up against an entire squadron of rebellion X-Wings with a single tie fighter. It also sets up some entertaining face-offs such as droid versus droid (C3PO and Triple Zero; R2 and Beetee), wookie versus wookie (Chewie and the bounty hunter, Black Krssantan), rogue versus rogue (Han Solo and Doctor Aphra), and Jedi vs Sith (Luke and Vader). The book also sets the final showdown between Vader and Commander Karbin, one of the various protoge's of Doctor Cylo who were aiming to replace Vader as Palpatine's apprentice.
Overall, the book is a decent read despite being a bit predictable. The showdowns between various opposing characters are entertaining and the book advances the storyline of both series. It does require a bit of an open-mind because it's supposed to be part of the canon of the Star Wars universe, but as with a previous confrontation between Luke and Vader, it comes off as a bit odd given their interactions in The Empire Strikes Back. The artwork varies a bit between Salvador Larocca and Mike Deodato. Both produce high quality work, but each chapter alternates between the two which can be a bit awkward to get used to.
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Reviewed in the United States on February 13, 2018