You know what’s a good sign that a comic book is awesome? When you turn a page and audibly say “OH $#!*” Darth Vader #12 by Kieron Gillen and Salvador Larroca not only has one of those moments but it’s a sequence that would make the Battlefront game jealous.

It’s difficult to point to one element that makes this book work more than any others. Is it Gillen’s great grasp of Vader? Is it the supporting cast of characters? Is it Larroca’s artwork? Is it how Palpatine’s manipulating hand can be felt in so many of the pages? Is it how badass Vader is? Is it Dr. Aphra’s ridiculous facial expressions when things aren’t going the best?

Darth Vader has been a beautiful example of how an entire team can come together to make a book gel. I’ve been remiss in mentioning everyone on that team in the past so let’s rectify that now and give some accolades to Edgar Delgado on colors, Joe Caramagna on lettering, and the editing skills of Jordan White and Heather Antos. This is the last issue before Vader Down kicks off and it feels like a good time to look back and appreciate how virtually flawless this book has been.

This issue may not have had the emotional impact of the ones where Vader realized Luke was his son but it certainly packs a punch. All the pieces are moving into alignment and, like I said before, it’s hard not to see Palpatine sitting back to see what all of his pawns will do next. I’m particularly interested to see how things go with Thanoth and to see if he’ll eventually become wise to Vader’s plan.

Darth Vader #12 is another well-down issue by the entire team that perfectly sets up the forthcoming crossover and I can’t wait to see what happens next.

Oh and those pages. Those amazing four pages. You’ll know them when you see them.