The hostile lava planet of Mustafar houses one of the scariest locations in Star Wars canon, Darth Vader's Castle. This iconic locale is where the Dark Lord rose from after his fall from grace as a Jedi and climatic battle with his former master, Obi-Wan Kenobi. Using the sinister castle as a set-piece, Cavan Scott wrote Star Wars Adventures: Tales from Vader's Castle in the same vein as R.L. Stine and scary campfire stories. Now, Scott looks to finish the Vader's Castle saga with artists Francesco Francavilla and Megan Levens. Published by IDW, and in association with Disney and Lucasfilm, Ghosts of Vader’s Castle is a horror-packed, five-issue miniseries that sends a chill down the spine just in time for Halloween.
Star Wars Adventures: Ghosts of Vader's Castle: Dawn of the Droids #1 opens with Vader's servant, Vanee, performing dark rituals for his master. Meanwhile, Milo, brother of Commander Lina Graf of the Rebel Alliance, is at their ancestral home on Orchis-2, sifting through a pile of books looking for valuable information. As his mind wanders off, he starts recounting a dream he had where he saw Senator Padme Amidala and Jedi Anakin Skywalker, accompanied by their droids and Jar Jar Binks, on a deserted planet named Rubinero. As the group starts exploring the settlement, the droids in town start surrounding them.
In his illustrious career, Cavan Scott has written fantasy fiction spanning from Doctor Who to Warhammer novels and comic books. But none holds a dearer place in his heart than Star Wars and the Vader's Castle saga. It reads like a love letter to this genre-bending franchise. Scott knows how to build suspense and knits a storyline with multiple narratives, presenting them in a lucid manner. The characters are easily identifiable through their various quips and quirks. As the horror elements come into play, the story delves deeper into its mystery but refrains from divulging too much.
The artwork for this creepy Star Wars comic book is shared between Francesco Francavilla, who creates the corporeal world, and Megan Levens, who takes charge of the dream world of the book's protagonist, Milo Graf. Francavilla uses a rustic and gritty art style, which contrasts well against Levens' clean lines and detailed landscapes. Colorist Charlie Kirchoff provides his colors to Levens' panels, using flat shades of muted orange to create a gloomy, deserted aesthetic. Francavilla colors his pages with bright shades of primary colors and liberal ink.
Star Wars Adventures: Ghosts of Vader's Castle: Dawn of the Droids #1 gets off to a great start. It pulls in the reader with an intriguing opening sequence and ends with a shocking twist. Scott combines zombies and a cybernetic rebellion into a narrative that fuels the story. Generally, background explanations are a big part of debut issues, but Star Wars Adventures: Ghosts of Vader's Castle: Dawn of the Droids #1 forgoes any such ordeals. Overall, it's a fun read that will bring back longtime fans and welcome newcomers into the saga.
0 Comments