10 Insane Star Wars Comics That Changed Everything
7. Darth Vader Vol. 1 - Kieron Gillen & Salvador Larroca
Although some have come close, no Marvel comic has managed to outdo Kieron Gillen and Salvador Larroca's Darth Vader.
Set in between Episodes IV and V - a substantial gap of about three years - Gillen's Vader gives readers their best look yet at the Dark Lord of the Sith, detailing his internal conflict, the twisted relationship he has with his master, Darth Sidious, and even how he came to realise that Luke Skywalker was his own son.
The moment is rendered with incredible emotion by Gillen and Larroca, as Boba Fett informs Lord Vader that the pilot who had destroyed the Death Star went by the name of Skywalker.
Vader doesn't telegraph his anguish immediately - it would be impossible to, given his robotic exterior - but the use of flashback to the moment Padme informed Anakin she was pregnant is masterful. Vader almost breaks the reinforced window to his Star Destroyer in response, as he dwells on what could've been, and how the Emperor has used him.
Gillen and Larroca's Vader comic was genius, and was particularly brilliant in how it worked the prequels into its story. Vader encounters battle droids and other relics of the Republic during his time in the comic, and it all serves a purpose in making the saga feel all the more complete.