Star Wars: Darth Vader by Greg Pak vol. 9 — Rise of the Schism Imperial

He’s survived the menace of the “Dark Droids,” but can the Dark Lord of the Sith triumph over the Schism Imperial?  They’re a coalition of officers who have run afoul of Vader over the course of Pak’s run, led by the newly-promoted Administrator Moore, and they believe that the Emperor is unsuited to rule the Galactic Empire.  Their choice to replace him, however, is none other than… Vader himself?  Having seen firsthand what this particular Sith Lord is capable of, and being aware of his constant struggle for power, they believe he has a shot.  Of course, this won’t be the first time Vader has tried to seize power from his master, but it may just wind up being the last.

Pak’s run on this series has been the longest, and most uneven, of any writer to tackle the title character’s struggles in an ongoing series at Marvel.  However, he looks to have finally settled into a decent groove in these past few volumes as he builds towards his finale.  That continues here as nearly every still-living character who has featured in his run, and his brief tenure on the main “Star Wars” title a while back, shows up again here.  They definitely don’t like him, and some are only barely containing their rage against him, but they acknowledge that utilizing his power and ambition may be the only way to achieve their goal.

We also get some memorable new additions to the story, in the form of the M.A.R. Corps and Lieutenant Pryde.  The former are a cybernetically-enhanced Rebel squad who are initially positioned as another reflection of Vader’s fate, but quickly take on a much darker and tragic one.  Pryde is arguably more interesting here, as he’s a full-on simpering Vader fanboy who believes wholeheartedly in his icon’s abilities.  It’s not surprising that the title character’s actions would produce someone like this as a follower, but it was probably the right move on Pak’s part to introduce him at this point so he doesn’t wear out his welcome before the end.

Which is really a foregone conclusion here.  I mean, “Return of the Jedi” didn’t begin with establishing that Vader was now running the Empire, so this latest attempt to overthrow the Emperor is doomed to failure.  Which means that this volume should be a boring slog as we all know how it’s going to end.

That “Rise of the Schism Imperial” didn’t feel that way to me largely comes down to a realization I had after reading it.  While this volume of “Darth Vader” has been about showing what the character has been up to in the post “Empire Strikes Back” era, it didn’t have the same narrative momentum that Kieron Gillen’s original series had.  That series had to show how Vader got back into the Emperor’s good graces after the destruction of the Death Star.  This one… had to deal with how bummed he was that Luke rejected his offer to come with him on Bespin?  It’s not quite the same.

Except that the answer lies in the movie that it’s building up to.  Remember the scene where Vader meets Luke again on Endor, and he tells his son, “It is too late for me,” showing his resignation to his fate?  THAT is what this series has all been about from the start.  Vader’s constant power struggles in this series have been about trying to forge a future where he and his son rule the Empire as father and son.  He thinks it’s possible.  We know it’s not, and the climax of this run is all but certain to be about the title character finally realizing it for himself.  THe irony that Pak, who has loved (LOVED!) quoting from the text of the films here won’t be able to draw on this one key scene is also a little amusing to me as well.

I’m curious to see if Pak can stick the landing here as this series has had its ups and downs.  That being said, there are a lot of original characters present here whose fates are unknown, and it would frankly be boring to see them all dead at the end of issue #50.  Particularly Sabe, as she makes her awaited return in this volume to let us know that the writer isn’t done with exploring whether or not she’s going to try and claim some of Vader’s power for herself in the end.  All of which makes this great buildup for the finale – moreso than the main “Star Wars” title at that!