The Blind, The Betrothed & The Betrayed

This issue is right on target

I was primed for issue 6 to be a suitable end to this arc, but assumed it would fall short of the high bar set by the action packed awesome-fest that was issue #5. Damn does it feels good to be wrong! Issue #6 was a perfect ending to the first Arc. Like any great TV show's season finale we got a few lingering questions answered and in the process get some big new ones to set up the next arc!

MEGA-ULTRA-FANTASTIC SPOILERS FOLLOW!

The Blind

First up was Luke. When we last left Luke he'd just been ambushed by Boba Fett and left dazed and blind. I'll be the first to admit that it was pretty obvious what was going to happen here. We know Luke wasn't going to die and we know he wasn't going to kill Boba Fett. That pretty much removed all sense of tension from this confrontation and made it kind of "meh" for me initially. At first read I assumed Luke's blindness was simply a convenient way to work in a callback to Luke's only "Jedi training" from Obi-Wan. Not the worst thing in the world, but sort of predictable. That was until I read this interview with author Jason Aaron. The attention to detail in story continuity here is astounding. I personally probably would never have asked "Why didn't Luke seem to recognize Boba Fett if they'd already fought?", but had Luke actually seen his attacker it would be a reasonable question many would have. In closing I love that Luke find's a journal in the box. It not only will likely serve to guide him in his self-training in the ways of the Jedi, but it provides a nice segue into the first of what Jason Aaron says will be many Obi-Wan standalone issues coming in between each story arc.

The Betrothed

So seriously, if you are among the few who haven't already read the issue (what are you waiting for?!) or had it spoiled for you already, stop now and read it yourself! We'll wait.

 If I haven't already said before, I'm new to reading comics. That said from what I gather from reading the interwebz and from veteran comic reader friends, comics often make startling revelations in one issue only to walk them back completely or slap a big asterisk on it later on. So the revelation that Han (Insert lame "not Solo" pun of your choice here) is married could just be a prime example of that. If I was a betting man, I'd bet that most likely he actually married her as part of an elaborate con job. If not, I'd guess she was a former partner of his who pretended to be his wife for the purpose of conning others and her surname is actually not Solo, we'll see I guess.

Either way I love how this whole scene was done. It's seemed to me that Han at least somewhat legitimately just wanted to enjoy some wine to take the edge off what had been a harrowing situation. Even, if his intentions weren't 100% platonic; Leia's interpretation of this as a seduction attempt right off the bat betrays where her mind and heart are already headed. This is one of the things I'm enjoying the most in this book is watching the build up of their relationship. I know it's basically just more of the same banter and bickering that we get in A New Hope and Empire, but it's nice to see it drawn out as a more gradual process than we get from the condensed nature of film.

The Betrayed

They say a picture is worth a thousand words right? Well this picture is worth it's own series of full length novels + the nine words on it. Since I don't have time to write any novels and the bulk of what I have to say about issue #6 of Vader revolves around this same content I'll be brief here. Sorry if you're not reading Vader you should be. If you are you know that immediately prior to his discovery that the Emperor lied to him about his child(ren); he just finished going through a different sort of "betrayal" that really let him know where he stands in the emperor's eyes. This results in the powerful image we see here. This image perfectly captures the Hate & Anger of the moment Vader has decided that it's time for the apprentice to become the Master. As much as Vader is my favorite character in all of Star Wars, I do hope that for the next arc we will see less and less of him. I love following his story in Vader, but I think this series should focus on Luke, Han, Leia, and company.

I'm really looking forward to what comes next and in particular can't wait for the standalone issue about Obi-Wan. Thanks for reading and stay tuned for my thoughts on Vader #6. MTFBWY.