Star Wars: Vader Down

Star Wars: Vader Down represents a crossover event within the Marvel comic book universe. This narrative unfolded across six issues, commencing with Vader Down 1, and progressing through the Star Wars and Star Wars: Darth Vader comic book series. It is the third story arc in the Star Wars series, penned by Jason Aaron, the writer behind Star Wars, alongside Kieron Gillen, who authored Darth Vader. This crossover brings together characters from both respective series, spotlighting Darth Vader's solitary confrontation with the Rebel Alliance.

Development

The announcement of Star Wars: Vader Down occurred at San Diego Comic-Con in 2015, accompanied by an interview with authors Jason Aaron and Kieron Gillen featured on StarWars.com. The six-part comic book series was envisioned as a crossover linking Aaron's Star Wars and Gillen's Star Wars: Darth Vader. The two narratives are presented in parallel, maintaining chronological consistency, including the culmination of their initial story arcs with Darth Vader's discovery of Luke Skywalker's parentage. Through this crossover, the authors aimed to deliver what Aaron described as a grander, cinematic-style event for the Marvel Star Wars comic line. Furthermore, the crossover facilitated interactions between characters from both series, exemplified by Doctor Aphra's encounter with Han Solo.

The story was a collaborative effort between the two writers, who enjoyed the experience of crossing over and working with each other's characters. Their collaborative dynamic enabled them to rely on each other for accurate character portrayals and to seek clarification when necessary. In their narrative, Darth Vader stands alone against the forces of the Rebel Alliance. Gillen elaborated that it depicts Vader facing the full might of the Alliance army and fleet, focused solely on survival. This positions Vader as the pursued rather than the pursuer, compelling him to employ any means necessary to endure. Consequently, the writers seized the opportunity to portray a Vader who is dangerously vulnerable in a way not yet canonically depicted. The six-part story arc commences in Vader Down 1 and continues within the Star Wars and Darth Vader series.

Media

Logo gallery

Issues

Additional collections

Sources

  • SDCC 2015: 6 Reasons to be Very Excited for Marvel's Vader Down – Exclusive Interview on StarWars.com (backup link)
  • Open Mike Deodato's Vader Down Sketchbook, Part 2 on StarWars.com (backup link)
  • Marvel's Star Wars: Darth Vader – Black, White & Red Revealed on StarWars.com (backup link)

Notes and references

External links

Appearances