REVIEW: Star Wars: Darth Vader and the Ghost Prison #5

With a tagline of “The Student Surpasses the Teacher”, always two there are, but which is the master in the conclusion of this week’s Star Wars comic: Darth Vader and the Ghost Prison #5.

i just finished reading the final chapter of Darth Vader and the Ghost Prison (profile on DarkHorse.com) and all i can say is, “Damn.” Wow. Seriously. It’s pretty much anything you’d expect of Vader and a group of the galaxy’s most notorious basterds taking on an Imperial traitor and his entire room of well-trained officers. Kinda like a Star Wars version of The Expendables, only we really don’t know many of these soldiers, except that they are badass. Even Tohm, the loyal character we can relate to, gets his hero (or is it villain?) moments. I want to say more but I really don’t want to spoil things at all.

Since we already know that Darth Vader and the Emperor survive to make it to original trilogy, suffice it to say, the coup against Palpatine doesn’t win. And despite the super action movie battle, the real meat of the issue is the aftermath – what to do with the winners, the allies from the prison, and the losers. Like Uncle Owen once said, “There’ll be hell to pay.”

Big thumbs up to Haden Blackman for such an epic finale. Big thumbs up to Agustin Alessio for the amazing artwork. This team knocked it out of the park. The storyline in this arc has bordered between action and Tohm’s growth from cadet to someone who wants Vader to respect, and it comes to a spectacular and satisfying finale with stunning visuals.