Comic Review – Kylo Ren Continues His Quest to Destroy the Past in “Star Wars: Legacy of Vader” #1 by Charles Soule
Today saw the release of the debut issue in Marvel Comics’ new ongoing series Star Wars: Legacy of Vader, written by Charles Soule with illustrations by Luke Ross and colors by Nolan Woodard. Below are my brief recap and thoughts on this first installment.
Ever since Charles Soule wrapped up his 50-issue run on Marvel’s flagship Star Wars comic-book title last year, I’ve been waiting with bated breath to see what long-term project he would commit himself to next in A Galaxy Far, Far Away. And today’s new comic releases kicked off Legacy of Vader, which is set in the storytelling gap between Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi and Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker. That narrative chasm has previously been filled by author Rebecca Roanhorse’s 2019 novel Star Wars: Resistance Reborn, which focused almost exclusively on the heroes of the saga, so here Soule has nearly free reign to tell us what Ren (formerly known as Jedi Padawan Ben Solo) and his somewhat reluctant First Order lackey General Armitage Hux are up to during this time period between the final two movies of the Skywalker Saga.
Legacy of Vader #1 begins immediately after the events of The Last Jedi, with Kylo Force-levitating the remains of Supreme Leader Snoke into the hangar bar of the First Order Star Destroyer flagship the Finalizer, perpetuating his lie that Rey was the one who killed him. Hux and the assembled stormtroopers of course swear fealty to Ren (because what else are they gonna do?) as the son of Leia Organa and Han Solo declares that he will bring them to glory. Then back in his chambers, Kylo has another of his usual meltdowns about the awful things he’s done, including murdering his own father. “Kill it, you whining baby," he mutters to himself as his own mind refuses to let go of the one thing he told Rey he didn’t need– the past. Next we get a particularly fascinating meeting between Hux and Ren as the two discuss the status of the First Order fleet and what it would need to continue its occupation of the galaxy. But first, Kylo orders poor Armitage to build him a throne worthy of his newly acquired Supreme Leader title… and to “get it right the first time."
At this point Ren decides that a good place to start in destroying the past after the Resistance’s defeat at Crait would be with the titular legacy of his grandfather Anakin Skywalker, AKA the Sith Lord Darth Vader. So he travels to the lava planet Mustafar, where Vader was once defeated by his own Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi and where he soon afterward constructed his fortress. Ren slaughters his way through a number of Alazmec cultists (much like he does later on in the timeline at the beginning of The Rise of Skywalker) and gains entrance to Fortress Vader, where he is greeted by the familiar face– and not much else- of Vaneé from Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and the popular Vader’s Castle comics. Evidently Vaneé’s head has been severed from his body and now floats in an orb attached to a four-legged droid, similar to a B’omarr Monk.
When Kylo Ren threatens to simply murder Vaneé like he did with the others outside, Vader’s former manservant laughs it off and instead offers to show the Dark Lord’s grandson how his old boss “turned his past into his power." Ren seems intrigued enough by this proposal to spare what remains of Vaneé’s life– for now– and the issue concludes with the two words “show me." I’ve made no secret of my admiration for Charles Soule’s writing in the past, and this debut installment of Legacy of Vader makes for another wonderful reminder of his talents as a Star Wars scribe. It simultaneously honors multiple eras of the chronology while promising to answer a number of questions fans have had since The Rise of Skywalker hit theaters more than five years ago. And with Soule’s 2017 run on Star Wars: Darth Vader standing out as one of the strongest arcs in the now-decade-long history of Marvel’s current-canon comics, the potential for greatness here has me counting down the days until the next issue. The shadow of Vader has loomed over Kylo Ren since we first met the character in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, and now– as this series progresses over the next however-many months– we’ll finally get to find out how that twisted relationship is resolved.
Star Wars: Legacy of Vader #1 is available now wherever comic books are sold.