Charles Soule and Giuseppe Camuncoli had a massive problem in 2017. They had to follow up Kieron Gillen’s incredible run on the Dark Lord, which featured the fan-favorite Doctor Aphra. But instead of going forward in time, they went back. Right back to the "Nooooooo!" at the end of Revenge of the Sith. That is where the 2017 Darth Vader comic starts, and honestly, it never lets up for twenty-five issues. It is brutal. It’s a character study masquerading as an action book. If you ever wondered how a whiny, limb-less Anakin Skywalker actually became the terrifying presence we see in A New Hope, this is the manual.
Most people think Vader just stepped off the operating table and started choking admirals. Not quite. The 2017 Darth Vader comic (often subtitled Dark Lord of the Sith) shows us a man who is basically a raw nerve wrapped in pressurized obsidian. He’s grieving. He’s angry. Most importantly, he’s a loser. He lost his wife, his best friend, his legs, and his soul. This series is about how he stops being a loser and starts being a monster.
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The Lightsaber Quest: It’s Not Just a Weapon
The first arc is basically a "fetch quest" from hell. Palpatine tells Vader he doesn't get a lightsaber. He has to take one. Specifically, he has to take a green or blue saber from a Jedi who survived Order 66 and "bleed" the kyber crystal red. This isn't just a cool lore tidbit; it’s a psychological torture device.
Vader hunts down Kirak Infil'a. This guy wasn't a general; he was a Jedi who took a Barash Vow, meaning he just meditated and fought monsters on a river moon for years. He’s pure. He’s powerful. And he absolutely thrashes Vader. Vader’s suit is breaking. He’s using Force-pulls to grab spare parts from droids just to keep his joints moving. It’s gritty in a way the movies never quite captured. When Vader finally wins, it isn't through superior swordplay. It’s through pure, unfiltered malice. He targets innocent people to distract the Jedi.
Bleeding the Crystal
Then comes the scene every Star Wars fan needs to read. Issues #5 and #10 are heavy hitters. When Vader finally tries to bleed the crystal, the Light Side fights back. He has a vision. In this vision, he sees a path where he kills Palpatine, seeks out Obi-Wan Kenobi, and begs for forgiveness. He sees a world where Anakin comes home.
He rejects it.
He chooses the pain. He slams his rage into that crystal until it screams, turning a brilliant, bloody crimson. It’s a pivotal moment in the 2017 Darth Vader comic because it proves Vader isn't a victim of Palpatine's manipulation anymore. He is an active participant in his own damnation.
Building the Inquisitorius
We see the Inquisitors in Rebels, Jedi: Fallen Order, and Obi-Wan Kenobi, but this comic is where they get their teeth. Vader is put in charge of these former Jedi, and he treats them like garbage. He literally cuts off their limbs during training to teach them about "loss."
It’s dark stuff.
The chemistry between Vader and the Grand Inquisitor is fascinating. There’s a mutual respect built on a foundation of absolute loathing. Soule writes the Inquisitors not as Sith, but as tools. They are hunting dogs. Vader is the master who will put them down the second they stop being useful. This section of the 2017 Darth Vader comic does a lot of heavy lifting for the broader canon, explaining how the Jedi were truly wiped out in the "dark times."
The Secret History of Jocasta Nu
Remember the librarian from the Prequels? The one who told Obi-Wan "if it's not in our records, it doesn't exist"? She is a certified badass in this series.
Jocasta Nu returns to the Jedi Temple to retrieve a holocron containing a list of Force-sensitive children. She’s an old woman with a lightsaber rifle (yes, a rifle that fires lightsabers). It’s wild. But the real meat of this arc is the tension between Vader and the Emperor. Palpatine wants that list to build an army of dark side spies. Vader? Vader has other plans.
When Vader catches her, Jocasta Nu delivers a verbal beatdown that hurts more than any Force push. She tells him he’s just a shadow of what Anakin could have been. She sees right through the mask. In a moment of sheer defiance against his master, Vader destroys the list. He tells Palpatine it was lost, but really, he did it because he didn't want the competition. He wanted to be the only "child" of the Emperor. It’s a rare moment where we see Vader’s insecurity drive his tactical decisions.
Fortress Vader: Why Mustafar?
The final arc, Exegesis, explains why Vader built his castle on a lava planet. It wasn't just because he liked the scenery or the irony. He built it on a Sith locus—a place where the veil between life and death is thin.
He works with the spirit of an ancient Sith architect named Lord Momin. Momin is a freak. He’s a sculptor who used the Force to freeze a city in time at the moment of its destruction just because he thought the look of terror on people's faces was "art."
Vader uses Momin’s designs to build a tuning fork for the Dark Side. He wants to open a door to the afterlife to bring Padmé back. This is the emotional core of the 2017 Darth Vader comic. Everything—the killing, the hunting, the suit—it was all for her.
The Vision Quest
When he finally opens the portal, we get a psychedelic, terrifying journey through Vader’s subconscious. It’s all there: Shmi Skywalker, the "No father" theory, the Council, the fire. He sees a silhouette of Padmé. He reaches for her.
She rejects him.
She chooses death over what he has become.
This is the "final" death of Anakin Skywalker. In the Gillen run (set after A New Hope), Vader is cold and calculating. In the 2017 Darth Vader comic, we see the transition. He realizes there is no way back. There is only the suit, the Emperor, and the void. When he returns from the portal and Palpatine asks him what he found, Vader simply says, "I have everything I need."
Why This Run Beats the Rest
There are hundreds of Star Wars comics. Most are fine. Some are great. This one is essential. Here is why the 2017 Darth Vader comic stands out:
- The Art: Giuseppe Camuncoli’s pencils are jagged and visceral. He captures the scale of the Star Wars universe while making the intimate moments feel claustrophobic.
- The Silence: There are pages and pages where Vader doesn't speak. You feel the heavy breathing through the panel borders.
- Lore Expansion: It explains the Barash Vow, the origin of the Inquisitors, and the construction of the most famous base in sci-fi history.
- Humanity: It reminds us that under the mask, there is a man who is constantly in physical and emotional agony.
A lot of modern Star Wars media struggles with making the villains feel threatening without making them cartoons. Soule avoids this by leaning into the tragedy. You don't root for Vader—he’s a child murderer, after all—but you understand the momentum of his fall. He’s stuck in a cycle of pain that he thinks he deserves.
Misconceptions About the 2017 Series
Some fans get this run confused with the 2015 run or the 2020 run. Here is the quick breakdown:
- 2015 Run (Gillen): Set after A New Hope. Focuses on Vader regaining favor after the Death Star blew up.
- 2017 Run (Soule): Set immediately after Revenge of the Sith. This is the "Origin of the Suit" era.
- 2020 Run (Pak): Set after The Empire Strikes Back. Vader is dealing with the "I am your father" fallout.
If you want the most "metal" version of the character, the 2017 version is your winner. It’s the one where he fights a giant sea monster with nothing but a lightsaber and pure spite.
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Actionable Steps for New Readers
If you are ready to jump into the 2017 Darth Vader comic, don't just buy random issues. The story is a tight, chronological narrative.
- Start with Volume 1: Imperial Machine. This collects issues #1-6. It covers the immediate aftermath of Episode III and the hunt for the Jedi lightsaber.
- Look for the Omnibus. Marvel released a massive hardcover "Darth Vader by Charles Soule Omnibus." It’s the best way to read it because the art looks incredible at a larger scale.
- Read "Dark Lord of the Sith" specifically. Make sure you aren't accidentally buying the Pak or Gillen runs first, as the naming conventions on Amazon and Marvel Unlimited can be confusing.
- Check out the "Vader Immortal" VR game afterward. The game actually uses some of the lore established in this comic, particularly regarding the Sith locus on Mustafar and the design of the castle.
- Pay attention to the color palette. Notice how the colors shift from the fiery oranges of Mustafar to the cold, sterile blues of the Imperial fleet as Vader becomes more detached from his humanity.
The 2017 Darth Vader comic isn't just "good for a licensed book." It is a masterclass in how to take a character everyone knows and find a new, bleeding heart inside them. It turns a movie icon back into a man, and then shows you exactly why that man had to die so the Dark Lord could live.