Star Wars: Legacy of Vader — The Reign of Kylo Ren vol. 2

In the previous volume, Kylo Ren was promised power by a former servant of his grandfather, Darth Vader.  This servant, Vanee, had Kylo travelling across the galaxy revisiting people and places significant to his ancestor, but not getting any closer to what he wanted.  Maybe that will change once he meets with Tava Ren, the new leader of the Knights of Ren who has decided to drop in on their former boss to see what kind of man he was.  Maybe they’ll hit it off, and maybe she’ll even survive their meeting.  All that’s certain is that this is going to end where it began:  On Mustafar with Kylo still chasing the ghost of his grandfather.

Writer Charles Soule gave the impression that he was writing a story about a troubled villain trying to find direction in his life in vol. 1.  The only problem was that it frequently felt like it was also about a petulant manchild who solved all of his problems through killing (ensuring he’d never have the same problem twice).  Vol. 2 is a bit of an improvement because it becomes abundantly clear that Soule is trying to do the former, and there are even some points where he manages to pull it off.  The problem is that it’s never quite clear what exactly he’s going for with Kylo’s arc until the final chapter when it’s spelled out by someone close to him.  On one hand I’m grateful for that as it gives the story some much needed focus at its most necessary time, and on the other it won’t impress anyone who thinks that a story should impress its themes upon the reader rather than bang them over the head with them.

If nothing else, I do appreciate Soule bringing Tava into Kylo’s life.  Not only does she have a good reason for seeking him out, but she also brings something new to his story.  I’m also a little impressed to say that there’s something resembling a spark between those two that could benefit with a little fleshing out.  So with the concluding chapter of Soule’s “Kylo Ren” saga already announced, I can only hope that it’ll put the focus on these two Rens even if only one of them is guaranteed to walk out of it alive.