Darth Vader

Darth Vader is the best thing about the Star Wars comic books.

And Marvel knows it.

In addition to the regular monthly “Darth Vader” title, Marvel has released a new limited series, “Darth Vader Black, White & Red” – an anthology series with the conceit that the art is mostly black and white with splashes of red.

The first issue presents an on-going feature written by Jason Aaron and illustrated by Leonard Kirk with colorist Romulo Fajardo Jr., which will be continued throughout the series.

But it also has two one-shot shorts, one by writer/artist Peach Momoko and another by writer Torunn Gronbekk and legendary artist Klaus Janson.

Like “Batman Black & White,” “Darth Vader Black, White & Red” is something of a noir title. It allows different writers and artists to tell stories about Vader that are not part of the regular monthly continuity or within the “Star Wars” movies. The approach allows for new insights into a well-known character.

Which is the intriguing part of this new title and the fun part of the regular “Vader” titles.

We may think we know Darth Vader but the comic books keep mining new depths and prisms of his personality. and like the last few minutes of the movie “Rogue One,” the comics reveal that Vader is indomitable, ruthless, clever and a terribly brutal warrior – with occasional flashes of the young Anakin who dreamed of being a hero and the old Anakin who will topple the Empire.

If you’re looking for a quick Vader fix, without trying to figure out the continuity of the regular monthly title, “Black, White & Red” is the book to grab.