And now for something completely different… Darth Vader #3 by Kieron Gillen and Salvador Larroca is out today in comic stores and online. Gillen and Larroca take the story down to a smaller scale this week as Vader tracks down Aphra who has a very particular set of skills.

This review contains spoilers.

Usually, this is where I’d summarize the issue for you but to be honest, it’s all about Aphra and introducing readers to her. Sorry: I should have said Doctor Aphra. She’s like Indiana Jones to some extent… after all it would be impossible since she’s the foremost raider of lost weapons in the galaxy. And a Doctor. That said, Aphra is definitely her own character who loves a challenge and talks too much when she gets nervous. It’s endearing and makes her immediately seem very real. I like her and hope she sticks around. Honestly, hearing her fumble over how to refer to Vader alone is worth the price of admission.

While it’s definitely an issue that focuses on introducing Aphra, Gillen doesn’t slack on writing Vader. His moments are quieter but still good. Although it does seem to be in vogue lately to hit readers over the head with reminders that VADER IS ANAKIN SKYWALKER, his ability to quickly repair a droid is a nice nod towards it. I’m interested to see where Gillen takes this new partnership especially with the two homicidal droids in play.

As with the previous two issues, Salvador Larroca delivers very solidly good artwork for the book. He clearly had a fun time getting to design the new spaceship in this book. The standout page though is where Vader silently recalls the actions he took to track down Aphra. Words aren’t needed because Larroca’s art tells all.

Oh and Star Wars comics? I see you bringing more women of color into canon. Don’t think I hadn’t noticed and that I’m not applauding and loving every minute of it. Keep it up!

Darth Vader #3 gets a 4/5 from me this week for a strong and fun introduction issue.