"EVERY SAGA HAS A BEGINNING..."

Monday 27 April 2020

AN 'EMPIRE' AT 40: A DARK LORD OBSESSED...


He'd been the second villain, very much the strong arm to the evil Governor Tarkin, for most of the original Star Wars, but not so with the return of the Sith Lord Darth Vader in the then eagerly-awaited The Empire Strikes Back, and an epic tale that would feature the world's favourite super-villain in a more darkly complex, darkly thoughtful and monstrously dangerous way than we'd seen before. Vader was not previously happy with the destruction of the Death Star, nor thrilled by having his prototype TIE fighter damaged and spinning out into deep space by a surprise appearance from the Millennum Falcon. Both the hunt for Luke Skywalker, destroyer of the Death Star, of whom the Force is very strong within him, and the capture of his unique friends, being the obsessive focal point to Vader's psyche within the important first sequel's plotting...

Terrific 1980 art by Al Williamson and Carlos Garzon of Vader, later to adorn a memorable full colour cover to the UK's Star Wars Weekly comic, from Marvel.

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